The lines of the first leash of the epic, The Song of Roland express the objective of the poem: the disappearance of paganism and the victory of the superior, the Christianity by the will of God. “Zaragoza. . .held by King Marsiliun who does not love God. Marsiliun serves Mohamed and prays to Appolin. But he cannot prevent evil from reaching him” (3). Here, from the first lines of the epic, the poet has already clarified the fate of the one who does not love God: evil will overtake him. In The Song of Roland, the poet uses the symmetries and asymmetries of the good and the bad to illustrate the justice of God and the superiority of Christianity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In order to show the power of God and the superiority of Christianity, the poet first presents pagans and Christians as parallels. The only difference between the two groups is that Christians are portrayed as good and pagans as evil. The parallels between Christians and pagans are first illustrated before the first battle. Saracen society is described as reflecting the types of chivalric virtues of Christians. For example, Blancandrin is described as “well endowed with the kind of courage that befits a knight, and he had cunning and judgment to bring to the aid of his lord” (4). This symmetry is also illustrated in more subtle ways throughout the poem; Marsiliun's throne, like that of Charles, is placed under a pine tree. There is also a symmetry in the outcome of the first battle. However, because of Ganelon's betrayal, the Christians lost this battle; the losses suffered by Charles and Marsiliun are reflected. Roland cuts off Marsiliun's right hand and Charles loses his metaphorical right hand – Roland. Because the poet presents the Christians and Saracens so symmetrically, any instance of non-symmetry catches the reader's attention, demonstrating some significance. The nephews of Charles and Marsiliun illustrate a significant example of symmetry transforming into asymmetry. The two nephews turn out to be just as bold and proud. In response to Charles offering him more troops, Roland declared: “I will do no such thing. God shames me if I shame my ancestors! I will keep twenty thousand francs with me. . . and you can continue your way through the pass with complete confidence, and fear no one while I live” (26). Marsilun's nephew Aleroth echoes Roland's boldness and pride: "King, I have served you long and I have known suffering and trials, and battles fought and won on the field. Do me a favor: the first blow to Roland. I'm going to kill him. . .Charles will lose courage. . ...you will have no more war as long as you live” (29). Both Aleroth and Roland use equally proud language to assure their kings that they will be victorious. Their pride is also the cause of both of their deaths: Aleroth because he charges forward in an attempt to take Roland's life, and Roland because he is too proud to honk for help. However, the poet treats their deaths in a significantly different way. The mirror used thus far by the poet brings out clearly any difference between the story about the Christians and the story about the pagans. The poet spends little time on Aleroth's death, making only one mention of it, but when describing Roland's death, the narration slows down considerably. The moment of Roland's death takes place over three leashes that all depict the same scene. The first ends with “he offered his glove to God as a sign of his sins”, the second with “he held out his right glove to God”. Angels descend from heaven and cometo him”, and the third with “he offers his right glove to God, and Saint Gabriel takes it from him” (72). Roland's offering of his right glove to God indicates that Roland is a vassal of God, and God's acceptance through Saint Gabriel recognizes God as Roland's ultimate lord. The fact that the moment of Roland's death is suspended in many narrations and attracts the reader's attention, as is the poet's deviation from the typical symmetrical structure, demonstrates its importance. What is significant here is that Roland is saved, as illustrated by God's acceptance of his glove. This demonstrates Roland's goodness as a member of the Christian army, and therefore God's favor towards Christians. To continue the theme of symmetry, the poet balances Roland's death with Charles' revenge. The poet also creates symmetry with the Christian army led by Charles and the pagan army led by Emir Baligant. The poet presents the emir as the pagan counterpart of Charles. For example, like Charles, Baligant is incredibly old: “[he] outlived Virgil and Homer” (79). The mirroring between the two also results from Baligant's efforts to imitate Charles. For example Baligant names his sword “Precieuse” because it rhymes with the name of Charles’ sword: “Joyuse”. Because an imitation is generally considered inferior to the original, the poet can maintain the symmetry between Charles and the Emir, while leaving no doubt in the reader's mind about the superiority of Charles, and therefore of Christianity . The mirroring between Charles and Baligant continues when they clash, and this time, unlike the case of the swords, their actions seem simultaneous. The language used by the poet to describe the fight illustrates this: “[they] exchange violent blows. . ... nothing can separate them and the fight cannot end without the death of one or the other” (106). The language the poet uses to describe their battle evokes the idea that the two are equal in skill and strength. The poet does this to construct the need for divine intervention, which occurs when Charles is seriously injured: Charles staggers and almost falls, but it is not God's will that he be killed or beaten. Saint Gabriel comes to his side and asks him: “Great King, what are you doing? When he hears the holy voice of the angel, Charles loses all fear of death, and his vigor and clarity of mind return. (107) The poet uses the symmetry between the Emir and Charles to create a situation in which God must intervene to end the battle. God, of course, chooses to save Charles. It is an angelic vision, rather than Charles's strength, that turns the battle. This highlights the idea of ​​God's justice and supports the idea that morally good people will receive victory. There is a final moment in the epic where it is not symmetry, but asymmetry between those who are good and evil, that is used to illustrate the power of God. Ganelon's trial is trial by combat. Unlike the case of Charles and Baligant, the poet indicates that the men who are going to fight, Pinabel and Thierry, are asymmetrical because they do not have the same strength. Thierry, who fights for the Emperor, is described as being “lean, nervous and fast…”. . "He is neither very big nor very small", while Pinabel who fights for Ganelon is "big and strong and brave and quick, and if he deals a blow to one man, the other has arrived at the end of his days" (114). ). The poet describes Pinabel in a way that gives the impression that he will surely win the fight against the “skinny”, “nervous” Thierry. The vast difference in the strength of the two once again makes divine intervention necessary; in fact, says Thierry, “may God show today which of us has.