THE MAD MAN
KHALIL GIBRAN
I have seen a face with a thousand countenances, and a face that was but a single countenance as if held in a mould.
I have seen a face whose sheen I could look through to the ugliness beneath, and a face whose sheen I had to lift to see how beautiful it was.
I have seen an old face much lined with nothing, and a smooth face in which all things were graven.
I know faces, because I look through the fabric my own eye weaves, and behold the reality beneath.
Figurative Language
Personification:
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"I have seen a face with a thousand countenances, and a face that was but a single countenance as if held in a mould. "
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"I know faces, because I look through the fabric of my own eye weaves, and behold the reality beneath."
Repetition:
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"I have seen a face"
Metaphor:
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"I have seen a face whose sheen I could look through to the ugliness beneath"
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"and a face whose sheen I had to life to see how beautiful it was"
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"I have seen an old face much lined with nothing"
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"and a smooth face in which all things were graven"
Software Findings Reoccurring Words
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Face, Seen, Beneath, Sheen, Look
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With these findings we can conclude that this piece is about the differences in faces and how a persons true self may be hidden behind it.
Interpretation
My interpretation of "Faces" revolves around a persons true self being. It is hard to tell what kind of heart a person has just by the way they look because looks can be deceiving.
The narrator experiments with this by looking at himself. By looking into a persons eyes you may be able to see what is truly inside. The madman has seen a face with a thousand countenances, "but with his own newfound perceptiveness, he is able to "behold the reality beneath".