The Prophet

Out of the many literary devices used in The Prophet, oxymoron is the most
significant one in terms of conveying the message, tone, imagery, and moral of each
prose. Oxymoron, usually defined as a contradiction, was effective because it creates
the authors tone, highlights the imagery, identifies the moral, and correctly delivers the
authors message.
Throughout the book, the author exposes the readers through various pieces of
oxymoron. This significant literary device allows the author to create contradiction,
contrasting two concepts together in a manner that is complex yet remains to make
sense. For example, And stand together, yet not too near together, (Gibran) suggests
that two individuals can be together, but let there be space in between them to allow an
individual to follow his or her own goals and dreams. Another example would be when
the prophet addresses talking, For thought is a bird of space, that in a cage of words
many indeed unfold its wings but cannot fly. (Gibran) This quote contradicts itself
because it suggests that the bird is free, but is not able to fly because a cage of words
traps it. This proposes impossibility because how can one be free while trapped in a
cage? The quote suggests that thoughts are free but while talking, thoughts do not
come into play. Lastly, another example would be And though you seek in garments the
freedom of privacy you may find in them a harness and a chain. (Gibran) The quote
says that individuals may use clothes to seek freedom, but clothes can act as a harness
to hold them back. Although clothes are able to hide imperfections, they are not able to
hide the ugliness of a personality.

Within The Prophet, literary devices are conveyed to demonstrate an

understanding of tone, imagery, and moral. An oxymoron is a significant literary device
used to convey understanding within the stories. Therefore, the literary devices in the
book evoke feeling and emotion within the reader. As a final point, The Prophet excels
in demonstrating such uses of literary devices to where the reader can connect and
acknowledge from it.