Art Of Arab-American Literature post 2

 Image result for tripoli lebanon



I found the book “The Prophet” to be a reading experience that draws you in with each of its poems. Gibran Was very wise in ensuring that the topics from his poems would be relevant. Shockingly, These topics still hold key values in modern day life. Hundreds of years since the book was published. 


I am very happy that this book was also adapted to cinema to really bring the stories to life. My favorite parts of the Prophet include the ending lines comparing life to the coming and going of ships. And I also really like the depiction of birds in this story. Birds are said to be messengers of the divine and they hold a very special place in the story  such as the seagull in the film. Birds also embody freedom which is a reference often brought up in pop culture. I was reminded of the Leonard Skinard song Free Bird. The birds are free to travel anywhere and fill the world with song making a very colorful scene as each bird has their own distinct colors and sounds. Birds also rid the world of creatures that can be seen as harmful to the environment. 

Image result for Lebanese birds

Another very deep line in the poems was at the end of the book and not in the movie,  that being on Friendship. As  Gibran always searches for deeper meaning in everything, his line about friends stands out. To summarize, Friendship is not something to be pondered over just to embrace. People often don’t know why they are friends just that they appreciate and truly understand each other. The movie was masterfully put together by various people. The movie felt like it gave Gibran’s work more of a soul since the story on paper is often to the point as words and pictures can always be understood in various ways, making Gibran’s work a true piece of art. In the future I will read the Prophet a few times over to see if I myself can find some different meanings. (338)

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