A Derridean Reading of Selected Poems from Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet: Dismantling Binary Oppositions in the Social and Religious Domains

Abstract

The current study examined the poems of The Prophet by Khalil Gibran through the theoretical framework of deconstruction by Derrida, and how Gibran disrupts the stable definitions and questions the conventional binary oppositions in the social, and religious domains of human life. The study adopted the qualitative approach and follows the model of close reading developed by Greenham that includes a close analysis of titles, diction, imagery, figurative devices, and poetic voice. Guided by the Derrida’s concept of binary oppositions and hierarchy the study examines how Gibran breaks down fixed oppositional concepts like joy/sorrow, sacred/ordinary, teacher/learner, and knowledge/ignorance. Thereby, the current study aimed to analyze how binary oppositions are used in The Prophet to discuss the scales between individual needs and the values of the group in social, religious, and educational aspects of human life. The findings suggested that Gibran poetic expressions do not support hierarchical oppositions they decentralize them and offer a more fluid, relational, and ethical interpretation of human experience. In social domain, Gibran dismantled the rigid social structures, promoting compassion and the awareness of interdependence. . In the religious domain, he merged the sacred with the ordinary, which challenged the separation between spiritual and worldly life.