# George A. Knight explained — Poetry > Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce. ## What happens The chapter condemns attorney George A. Knight for defending a cutthroat named Powell, accusing him of slandering the dead victim Ralph Smith for a fee. It contrasts the corrupt earthly court with the 'Court of Honest Souls' and calls on God to silence Knight's defamations. ## Themes in this chapter ### Hypocrisy and Corruption Knight's defense of a criminal for money, slandering the dead, exemplifies moral hypocrisy and corruption in the legal system. ### Justice and Revenge The narrator wrestles with the desire for vengeance versus acceptance of God's will, ultimately calling for divine intervention to stop the slander. ## Character check-ins ### Unknown The narrator speaks directly to Knight and God, expressing moral outrage. ### George Perry Mentioned as 'George A. Knight', the attorney being condemned. ## Key lines > Attorney Knight, defending Powell, you, To earn your fee, so energetic grew... That men who marked you nourishing the tongue, And saw your arms so vigorously swung, All marveled how so light a breeze could stir So great a windmill to so great a whirr! Knight worked so hard defending Powell for his fee that onlookers were amazed such a trivial case could cause such a commotion. _Satirizes the lawyer's exaggerated efforts for a corrupt cause._ > The Court of Honest Souls, where you in vain May plead your right to falsify for gain, Sternly reminded if a man engage To serve assassins for the liar’s wage, His mouth with vilifying falsehoods crammed, He’s twice detestable and doubly damned! In the court of moral conscience, a lawyer who lies for money to defend murderers is especially contemptible and condemned. _Contrasts earthly justice with a higher moral tribunal._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/george-a-knight - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters