Book Critique:

"The Prophet"

by Kahlil Gibran

 

	Abstract Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet," first published in 1923, is a collection of poetic essays delivered by Almustafa, who shares his wisdom with the people of Orphalese. The book explores themes such as love, marriage, children, work, freedom, pain, joy, sorrow, and death. Gibran's poetic prose offers profound insights into the human condition, though it has been critiqued for its idealism and abstractness. Despite these criticisms, "The Prophet" remains an influential work, resonating with readers worldwide.
	Resumen "El Profeta" de Kahlil Gibran, publicado por primera vez en 1923, es una colección de ensayos poéticos entregados por Almustafa, quien comparte su sabiduría con el pueblo de Orphalese. El libro explora temas como el amor, el matrimonio, los hijos, el trabajo, la libertad, el dolor, la alegría, la tristeza y la muerte. La prosa poética de Gibran ofrece profundas reflexiones sobre la condición humana, aunque ha sido criticada por su idealismo y abstracción. A pesar de estas críticas, "El Profeta" sigue siendo una obra influyente que resuena en lectores de todo el mundo.
	Resumo "O Profeta" de Kahlil Gibran, publicado pela primeira vez em 1923, é uma coleção de ensaios poéticos apresentados por Almustafa, que compartilha sua sabedoria com o povo de Orphalese. O livro explora temas como amor, casamento, filhos, trabalho, liberdade, dor, alegria, tristeza e morte. A prosa poética de Gibran oferece profundos insights (percepções) sobre a condição humana, embora tenha sido criticada por seu idealismo e abstração. Apesar dessas críticas, "O Profeta" continua a ser uma obra influente que ressoa com leitores em todo o mundo.

 

Overview:

Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet," first published in 1923, is a lyrical and philosophical prose-poetry work that has resonated with readers for more than a century now. The book comprises 26 poetic exegeses delivered by the protagonist, Almustafa, one of the two personas in the poem addressing the readers, who shares his wisdom with the people of the city of Orphalese before embarking on a journey back to his homeland.

Gibran’s composition, viewed poetically as if composed by a trouvѐre, features two personas interacting with the reader. There is a narrative voice that frames his prose-poetry work, both opening and closing it and also initiating each poetic exegesis. The other persona is Almustafa, who shares his perspectives in response to the crowd's inquiries and direct questions. Each exposition by Almustafa delves into a different aspect of life, offering profound insights, reflections, and food for thought for the readers that somehow rush forth to release people in Orphalese for their misconception bondage.

Main Points and Themes found in Gibran’s prose-poetry work:

1.    Love:

o   Almustafa’s persona is adamant on exploring love as an all-encompassing force that transcends time and space. Based on the persona’s insight and dexterity in life insights, love is portrayed as both joyous and painful, emphasizing its transformative power and necessity for personal growth in human beings. The use of “metaphors comparing love to a winged entity, a gardener, a reaper, and a baker: (Course Hero, n.d.) enforces the idea that love is a transformative energy that can make people change.

o   The persona embodied by Almustafa also suggests that love should not bind or control but should allow freedom and individuality within a relationship, advocating for a balance between togetherness and personal autonomy. For Almustafa, “Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself” (Gibran, 2019). In this fulfillment of love, no person gets physically crippled or maimed by it.

2.    Marriage:

o   In his poetic persona’s reflections on marriage, Almustafa, a level-headed understander of life, emphasizes the importance of unity and individuality. The persona present in this poetic narrative advises with his zeal that partners should be together yet maintain their own identities, like "the pillars of the temple stand apart, / And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow" (Gibran, 2019). Almustafa’s boldness help the readers see how he “employs contrasting images of togetherness and autonomy to underscore the idea that love is a shared experience, not bondage or possession” (Course Hero, n.d.).

o   Based on his way of addressing the crowd and their ulterior quite telling reaction, the persona in “The Prophet”, Almustafa also promotes mutual respect, understanding, and shared purpose as the foundations of a strong marriage, underscoring the need for personal space within a close partnership. Almitra, Orphalese’s seeress, gets the following message from the persona; “… let there be spaces in your togetherness. / And let the winds of the heavens dance between you” (Gibran, 2019). And this sort of necessary separation is a way to stop people’s long-drawn-out agony.

3.    Children:

o   The persona in this narrative poem presents children as independent beings who come through parents but do not belong to them. Kids are not hostile mobs or accursed fates because, as Almustafa states, offspring “come through you but not from you,” though they are with you yet they belong not to you” (Gibran, 2019). The persona asserts that parents are the bow, and children are the arrows, meant to be sent forth to create their own paths. The persona in Almustafa “envisions childhood and parenthood as spiritual journeys in which both child and parent have a transcendent task determined by God” (Course Hero, n.d.).

o   The “narrator” in this kind of narrative prose underscores the importance of allowing children to develop their own identities and destinies, encouraging parents to render assistance rather than to control their children's growth. This is seen when Almustafa tells the crowd, “You may give them your love but not your thoughts, / For they have their own thoughts” (Gibran, 2019). To sum up, “the woman who introduces the topic, most likely a mother, knows the physical part of being a parent. What she doesn’t yet understand is the spiritual nature of parenthood” (Course Hero, n.d.).

4.    Work:

o   Work is depicted as love made visible but not a curse. When asked Almustafa by a ploughman about work, the persona in him extols the virtue of finding joy and purpose in one's labor, seeing it as a means of contributing to the greater good. The persona states that “When [we] work [we] are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music” (Gibran, 2019), we are not to “labour a misfortune” (Gibran, 2019).

o   He encourages approaching work with passion and dedication, viewing it as a sacred duty and a pathway to personal fulfillment. For the persona in this narrative poem, “work with love” conducive to self-realization is “to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy, even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit” (Gibran, 2019). The persona in the poem “counsels that each life has a purpose and each person an assigned vocation, or calling” (Course Hero, n.d.). In the end, all human work will be made memorable by their exploits.

5.    Freedom:

o   Freedom, according to the “narrator” present in the poem, is not about escaping responsibilities but about living authentically and in harmony with oneself and others. Freedom is not meant to be “a yoke and a handcuff”; it does not have to be seen “as a goal and a fulfillment.” For the persona in the poem, freedom does not have to be the “truth that which [we] call freedom [that] is the strongest of these chains, though its links glitter in the sun and dazzle your eyes” (Gibran, 2019). Freedom when attained is not something that robbers can plunder.

o   Almustafa’s reflective voice in the poem highlights the internal struggle for freedom, urging the people of the city of Orphalese and readers to free themselves from the chains of fear, desire, and societal expectations, advocating for true self-expression and autonomy. Dethroning what people think of freedom, according to the voice in the poem, they first need to acknowledge that there is a “throne erected within” us that has to be destroyed (Gibran, 2019). As it can be inferred from the lines of the poem, “Almustafa clarifies the idea of transcendence, describing it as the sense of rising toward a divine light of understanding, where true freedom waits” (Gibran, 2019).

6.    Pain:

o   Almustafa being addressed by a woman acknowledges pain as an inevitable part of life, suggesting that it is necessary for growth and understanding. His narrative persona compares pain to the breaking of the shell that encloses one's understanding that cannot overshadow the truth. Pain is necessary because “It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self” (Gibran, 2019). In other words, “Almustafa defines pain as resulting from exposure to a truth has been hidden or denied” (Course Hero, n.d.)

o   The poetic persona in the narrative advises embracing pain as a teacher and a catalyst for deeper self-awareness, seeing it as a vital aspect of personal development though its spear is thrust in our sides. “When a truth breaks free, the cracking of the shell is painful, yet it exposes the truth to the "sunlight" of awareness and understanding” (Course Hero, n.d.). When that happens, once again our inner spiritual physician can heal this emotion we humans call pain.

7.    Joy and Sorrow:

o   “Your joy is your sorrow unmasked” (Gibran, 2019). Joy and sorrow are presented as inseparable companions, each giving meaning to the other; they sprung about together, not separately. The persona in this poetry-prose narrative illustrates this duality by suggesting that the deeper sorrow carves into one's being, the more joy one can contain. “Joy and sorrow balance, mirror and complement each other, just as love unites many opposites” (Book Rags, 2024).

o   He encourages readers to accept both joy and sorrow as integral parts of the human experience, promoting a holistic acceptance of life's emotional spectrum. “The joyous should look inside the sorrow giving joy, and the sorrowful should see that they are weeping past delight” (Book Rags, 2024). There is a duality within one’s soul to understand that, as Almustafa states in the poetic narrative, that we can’t separate them from one another. That is why he says that “Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced” (Gibran, 2019); not before, not after.

8.    Death:

o   Almustafa, one of the two personas in the poem, addressing Almitra the seeress and the crowd in Orphalese, asks a powerful rhetorical question: “For what is to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt in the sun?” (Gibran, 2019). Thence arise the persona’s views that death is as a transition rather than an end, describing it as a return to the greater reality from which we came. He portrays it as a reunion with the infinite that lies beyond. “Almustafa sees a topic as two sides of a coin. Here he addresses life and death in that way. With a turn of the coin, death becomes an ending to life. But flip the coin again, and death becomes a new beginning” (Course Hero, n.d.).

o   The persona in Almustafa urges readers to view death without fear, seeing it as a natural part of life's cycle and a continuation of the soul's journey. Once dead we are meant to disappear in the foam of that deep though unknown sea of the afterlife. When thinking of death, according to the poem’s persona, our “fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour” (Gibran, 2019). Bearing the mark of the king is a sign of joy for what it’s to come once life has ceased. “The soul, no longer earthbound, is free to "rise and expand" and become one with the infinite, eternal universe. It has passed through "the gate to eternity" to find a new beginning” (Course Hero, n.d.).

Critique:

1.    Strengths:

o   Gibran's poetic prose is both beautiful and evocative, blending profound philosophical insights with lyrical language. His forerunning ability to distill complex ideas into simple yet powerful imagery is a significant strength. “Perhaps the secret of Gibran's success was the ease with which people from many walks of life could identify with both the prophet and the content of his words” (eNotes, 2023). “The Prophet” is a book that is not meant to be read in a spiritually oriented way, but as a source of reflection for our lives.

o   The universal themes addressed in "The Prophet" resonate with readers of diverse backgrounds, offering timeless wisdom on fundamental aspects of the human condition. The book’s spiritual and emotional depth provides comfort and inspiration, making it a valuable companion through life's various stages. What actually happens in the plot of this prose-poetry work is not a priest-like persona who wants to preach a group of people whom he has now known for twelve years, but it is the people of Orphalese who want to hear the wisdom coming out of his mouth. “It is the people who ask to hear his words—rather than him providing advice, unprompted” (eNotes, 2023).

2.    Weaknesses:

o   Though some critics argue that “Khalil Gibran weaves a tapestry of wisdom that transcends time and speaks to the essence of huma experience” (Dunn, 2023), some others argue that Gibran's work can be overly idealistic and abstract, lacking practical applicability in everyday life. His poetic style, while appealing, might also obscure concrete guidance that some people may be looking for.

o   Though the persona “speaks to readers of all ages and backgrounds” (BooKey, 2024), the book's spiritual and mystical tone may not appeal to all readers, particularly those seeking more rational or empirical approaches to life's questions. Additionally, some readers may find the philosophical reflections too generalized, longing for more specific, actionable advice. “Some readers have criticized the book for being overly simplistic or preachy in its message. The book's language can be seen as overly flowery and melodramatic by some, making it difficult for readers to connect with the text on a deeper level” (BooKey, 2024).

3.    Impact and Legacy:

o   For many "The Prophet" has had a profound impact on literature, spirituality, and popular culture. Its messages of love, freedom, and self-awareness continue to inspire and comfort readers around the world despite the negative criticism it has experienced in 100 years since its very first publication and appearance on bookstores’ shelves. “Gibran's poetic and philosophical reflections on life's fundamental truths transcend cultural and religious boundaries, speaking to the human condition in a way that is both profound and accessible” (BooKey, 2024).

o   “In addition to its literary impact, "The Prophet" has also had a significant influence on popular culture” (BooKey, 2024). Gibran's work has influenced various artistic expressions, from music to visual arts, and remains a beloved text in the realms of both literature and spiritual reflection. “Its enduring popularity has led to adaptations in various art forms, including music, film, and theater, further extending its reach and impact” (BooKey, 2024). The book's enduring popularity speaks to its ability to touch the hearts and minds of successive generations, affirming its place as a classic in philosophical and poetic literature.

Conclusion

Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet" is a masterful blend of poetry and philosophy that addresses fundamental aspects of the human experience. Through Almustafa's reflections on love, marriage, children, work, freedom, pain, joy, sorrow, and death, Gibran offers timeless wisdom that continues to resonate deeply with readers. “As we journey through the words of Almustafa, we find ourselves immersed in a profound exploration of love, freedom, joy, and the interconnectedness of all aspects of existence” (Dunn, 2023). While some may find his idealism and abstractness challenging, the beauty and depth of his prose-poetry ensure "The Prophet" remains a cherished and influential work, offering true insights into the complexities of life.

References

Book Rags. (2024). The Prophet . Retrieved from Book Ragas Study Guide: https://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-the-prophet/#gsc.tab=0

BooKey. (2024, April 17). In-depth The Prophet review: a powerful and insightful analysis. Retrieved from BooKey.App: https://www.bookey.app/topic/in-depth-the-prophet-review%3A-a-powerful-and-insightful-analysis

Course Hero. (n.d.). Literature Study Guides: The Profet by Kahlil Gibran. Retrieved from Course Hero: https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Prophet/

Dunn, E. (2023, August 30). Exploring the Wisdom of Life: The Key Takeaways From “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran. Retrieved from Medium.Com: https://medium.com/@edwardgdunn/exploring-the-wisdom-of-life-the-key-takeaways-from-the-prophet-by-kahlil-gibran-8b129155b286

eNotes. (2023, September 5). The Prophet. Retrieved from eNotes.Com: https://www.enotes.com/topics/prophet/in-depth

Gibran, K. (2019). The Prophet. New York City: Clydesdale Press.

Reading Comprehension Exercise

Instructions: After having read the book critique, take some minutes to answer the following questions. The answers are provided at the end.

Multiple Choice:
1. What is the main theme of "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran?
a) Political philosophy
b) Human condition and life's fundamental aspects
c) Historical events
d) Technological advancements

True or False:
2. Almustafa is the only persona interacting with the readers in "The Prophet."

Short Answer:
3. How does Gibran describe the relationship between joy and sorrow?

Multiple Choice:
4. What does Gibran suggest about the nature of work?
a) It is a curse
b) It should be approached with passion and dedication
c) It is unnecessary
d) It should be avoided

True or False:
5. Gibran views freedom as escaping responsibilities.

Fill in the Blank:
6. Gibran describes pain as "_________ that encloses one's understanding."
a) a shell
b) a burden
c) a curse
d) a gift

Multiple Choice:
7. What does Almustafa say about children?
a) They belong to their parents
b) They should be controlled by their parents
c) They come through parents but do not belong to them
d) They should not be given any freedom

True or False:
8. Gibran's work has had no impact on popular culture.

Short Answer:
9. What is Gibran's perspective on death according to "The Prophet"?

Fill in the Blank:
10. According to Almustafa, "love should not bind or control but should allow _______ and individuality within a relationship."
a) freedom
b) respect
c) joy
d) pain

Answer Key

1.      b) Human condition and life's fundamental aspects

2.      False

3.      Joy and sorrow are presented as inseparable companions, each giving meaning to the other.

4.      b) It should be approached with passion and dedication

5.      False

6.      a) a shell

7.      c) They come through parents but do not belong to them

8.      False

9.      Gibran views death as a transition rather than an end, describing it as a return to the greater reality from which we came.

10.   a) freedom

Book Critique: The Prophet ... by Jonathan Acuña

Book Critique the Prophet b... by Jonathan Acuña