Final answer:
The Knight and the Miller told tales focused on their own social levels in the medieval hierarchy because those tales resonated with their experiences and societal roles. The Knight's tales embraced chivalric and noble values, while the Miller's tales conveyed the perspectives and values of the lower classes. Storytelling reinforced social norms and values recognizable to each class.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Knight and the Miller focused their tales on characters from their level of the medieval hierarchy because the figures and settings they chose resonated with their own social standings and experiences. During the medieval period, societal norms and the social order were deeply engrained, leading individuals to often relate to and thus depict their own social peers. The Knight's tales would have reflected values and experiences of the nobility, such as concepts of chivalry and honor, which were tied to the Church's vision of a Christianized society and battlefield. Meanwhile, the Miller's tales would have been colored by the perspectives of the lower classes, often characterized by a more pragmatic and perhaps cynical view of the world.
By focusing on characters from their own social strata, the Knight and the Miller were speaking to an audience that shared the same realities. Moreover, through storytelling, they not only entertained their listeners but also reinforced the social values and norms that were recognized and understood within their respective tiers of society. Given that the hierarchical structure was integral to medieval life, the tales presented by each of these figures would likely reflect distinct moral and thematic concerns applicable to their position within the social order.