THE MAD MAN
KHALIL GIBRAN
Once there lived in the ancient city of Afkar two learned men who hated and belittled each other’s learning. For one of them denied the existence of the gods and the other was a believer.
One day the two met in the marketplace, and amidst their followers they began to dispute and to argue about the existence or the non-existence of the gods. And after hours of contention they parted.
That evening the unbeliever went to the temple and prostrated himself before the altar and prayed the gods to forgive his wayward past.
And the same hour the other learned man, he who had upheld the gods, burned his sacred books. For he had become an unbeliever.
Figurative Language
Personification:
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"For one of them denied the existence of gods and the other was a believer."
Metaphor:
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"That evening the unbeliever went to the temple and prostrated himself before the altar and prayed the gods to forgive his wayward past. "
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"And the same hour the other learned man, he who had upheld the gods, burned his sacred books. For he had become an unbeliever."
Software Findings Reoccurring Words
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Gods, Unbeliever, Learned, Existence
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With these findings we can conclude that we may question our existence according to what we have been taught.
Interpretation
My interpretation of "The Two Learned Men" reveals that we often mistake our opinions for knowledge. We cling tightly to our opinions, thinking that we have knowledge in our possession.
