Knights and Cowboys Knights versus cowboys. Between these two, many people would rather have a knight in shining armor than a cowboy in chaps. But when you get down to the core of it, cowboys are pretty much nothing but knights wearing different clothing. Don’t get me wrong, there are some big differences between the two, but in my opinion they’re almost the same. Both cowboys and knights were ready for action. They always seemed to follow their leader. Although they weren’t able to show friendship towards very many people, knights usually expressed their friendship through trust.
Whereas cowboys, on the other hand, showed their appreciation through respect of others. Both of the groups also had some sort of form of dueling. Jousting was used primarily with knights and cowboys would have standoffs, also known as shootouts or quick draws. Believe it or not, both cowboys and knights also followed their own code of chivalry. While a knight’s code included aspects along the lines of loyalty, honesty, bravery, and kindness; the “ cowboy code” of Gene said that you were never to shoot first, always tell the truth (honesty), be trustworthy, help people in distress, be a good worker, be a patriot, and more.
While knights believed that the law was good, cowboys on the other hand took action into their own hands since they felt that the law was wrong. Cowboys didn’t rely on anyone. Even if they were in trouble, they always felt like they can take care of themselves. Knights however sacrificed their lives for one another. Back in the 1880’s if you were called a “ cowboy” it was meant to be an insult. That pretty much meant that you were a horse thief, robber, or outlaw. On the contrary, it was an honor to be called a knight.
Even though their beliefs were completely opposite in that knights usually acted as a group and cowboys seemed to act alone as individuals, they both show a sense of togetherness and community. If you think about it, in many ways, cowboys are very similar to knights. They’re both adventurous and show friendship in some sort of way. They also have their differences. For example they had different standpoints on the law. But all in all, cowboys and knights are fairly the same.