Arab World English Journal - Universal Themes and Messages in Gibran’s The Prophet

Sep 12, 2026

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Gibran’s The Prophet (1923) presents twenty-eight prose-poems that convey sayings grounded in wisdom with a prophetic dimension. The study examines universal themes across life domains such as love, marriage, and children, analyzing how semantic organization works from micro to macro levels. It draws on discourse analysis and critical discourse analysis to assess rhetorical and semantic coherence, highlighting the text’s emphasis on universal love, unity of being, and the lack of in-group versus out-group division.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Text vs. Discourse

Arab World English Journal INTERNATIONAL PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL ISSN: 2229-9327 مجلة اللغة الانكليزية في العالم العربي AWEJ, Special Issue on Literature No.1, 2013 Pp. 211-225 Universal Themes and Messages in Gibran’s The Prophet Nidaa Hussain Fahmi Al-Khazraji Department of English Language, Faculty of Modern Language and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia & lecturer in Department of English Language, Karbala University, Iraq Mardziah Hayati Abdullah Department of English Language, Faculty of Modern Language and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia Wong Bee Eng Department of English Language, Faculty of Modern Language and Communication,Universiti Putra Malaysia Abstract: Gibran’s masterpiece, The Prophet (1923), is a volume of twenty-eight prose-poems full of sayings representing wisdom of a prophetic quality. The book’s chapters deal with the universal themes of all aspects of life love, marriage, children, etc. It is considered as a full representation for a comprehensive survey for all the meanings on earth,(Bushrui, 1998; Acocella, 2008; Buck, 2010) . Bushrui asserts that the language of The Prophet represents the unity in diversity as a passionate belief in the healing power of universal love and the unity of being (ibid, 1988: 68) . The study will attempt to identify the universal themes underlying the text with the core of micro and macro levels. The theoretical grounding for this study draws upon the fact that the book has become so popular in many cultures is an indication the extent of interest in positive ideology which presented universal themes and messages appeal. Waterfield declares that The Prophet has not been out of print since it was first published, and has sold more than ten million copies in English language alone. It has also been translated to more than twenty-five languages (Waterfield: 1998:257) . The universal themes and messages that emerge from the writings show an absence of the in-group versus out-group distinction that is often evident in other Gibran’s works. Keywords: Gibran, The Prophet, semantic macrostructure, universal themes Arab World English Journal [www.awej.org](www.awej.org) 211 ISSN: 2229-9327 Introduction Gibran, the author or The Prophet emigrated with his family from Lebanon to USA on 25th.of June 1894 to escape political persecution and poverty. He is credited as having enriched the English and Arabic literature with masterpieces that offer an enduring appeal by virtue of their rich and harmonious blend of East and West (Acocella, 2008; Buck, 2010) . According to Bushrui (1988), Gibran represented the best of both worlds. Although his parents were staunch Christian Maronites, Gibran suffered from the bitter denunciation of both religious and political injustice, which brought about his exile from the country, and secluded him from the church. His continued refusal to accept injustice is reflected in the ideology and philosophy that underlie his literary work. In The Prophet (1923), Gibran looks at the world with the eyes of the wise man who wants to build a better society and lead people to the real way of life. The teachings delivered by the prophet (Al-Mustafa) before his departure from the imaginary city of Orphalese are said on the purpose of answering the last or ultimate questions of life. Al-Mustafa, which in Arabic means the chosen one, is one name among many names used to refer to the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) . It would appear that choosing the name Al-Mustafa does not come arbitrarily, but because of the influence of Islam and Sufism upon Gibran’s mind and soul. Actually, this could be regarded as the high idealism of Gibran. Bushraui and Jenkins (1998) assert that “No less influential for Gibran were the views of the Sufi poets; in particular Jalal al-Din Rumi, honored among many as the greatest mystical poet in history”(p.77) . The study makes use of the relevant findings of various approaches to discourse analy

FAQs

What is the focus of the study on Gibran’s The Prophet?

The study identifies universal themes underlying the text and analyzes semantic and rhetorical coherence from micro to macro levels using discourse analysis approaches.

Which life domains are discussed in relation to universal themes?

The paper links themes to major aspects of life, including love, marriage, and children.

How does the paper describe discourse and text in the theoretical framework?

It reviews disputed definitions of “text,” explains overlap with “discourse,” and notes different scholarly positions on whether they are interchangeable or distinct.

Sep 12, 2026

Uploaded by Xiajie