STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF “THE BROKEN WINGS” BY KHALILGIBRAN and

William Blake’s “The Tyger”

Table of contents:Abstract Introduction Literature review Data analyze Conclusion References

STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF “THE BROKEN WINGS” BY KHALILGIBRAN

Abstract

THIS PAPER IS PROTRACTED TO FIND OUT THE AESTHETIC CHOICE OF KHALIL GIBRAN IN “THE BROKEN WINGS” BY ANALYSING THE STYLE OF TEXT IN FIRST TWO CHAPTERS OF THE BOOK. THE FOCUS OF THE RESEARCH TRICKLES DOWN, FIRSTLY, ON THE EXPLOITATION OF DIFFERENT LITERARY DEVICES, THOSE COMING UNDER THE CATEGORY OF “TRANSFERENCE OF MEANING”, AND SECONDLY ON THE PHONOLOGICAL LEVEL. THE BROKEN WINGS IS STORY, WRITTEN IN FIRST PERSON, BY KHALIL GIBRAN, OF COURSE A NARRATION OF HIS OWN FIRST LOVE AFFAIR. IN THIS PAPER, IT IS SHOWN THAT FROM A WIDE SPECTRUM OF TOOLS OF TRANSFERENCE OF MEANING WHAT LITERARY DEVICES ARE EXPLOITED THE MOST AND ON THE PHONOLOGICAL LEVEL WHAT STRATEGIES ARE DEVISED THAT TURNS HIS BOOK INTO AN EXAMPLE OF PEOTIC PROSE. Key Words: Style, Literary devices, Phonological level, Transference of meaning.

IntroductionThe scope of stylistics is all about the quest of looking into the texts- an analysis carried out, and revealing all the linguistic information on various levels- that is phonological, graphological, morphological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic level- that shows the patterns made by the choice of the writer on various levels.

In this paper we would go through the style of Khalil Gibran: by looking at the usage of different kind of literary devices, and phonological trickery done to give the text an enchanting power capture reader’s mind and make the effects of texts long-lasting.

In this analysis, first two chapters of the book, that makes ten pages, are stylistically analyzed. The analysis is given below.

NAMEKhalil GibranOCCUPATIONAuthor, Journalist, poetBIRTH DATEJanuary 6, 1883DEATH DATEApril 10, 1931PLACE OF BIRTHBsharri, LebanonPLACE OF DEATHNew York, New YorkKahlil GibranORIGINALLYJubran Khalil Jubran

About the Author 

Stylistic Analysis:1. SEMANTIC LEVEL

(a) SimilesAmong the wide range of literary devices there are very few that are very much preferred by Khalil Gibran

and simile is one of them. Simile is a literary device that is used for overt comparison with the help of some formal indicators such as “like”,” as….as”, “as” .

1. Empty like that of Adam’s Paradise.2. The flowers you lay on Selma’s tomb are like falling drops of dew.3. …era of silent sorrow which dropped as a seed into my heart.4. Youth as a golden era.5. All those beauties which I spoke of now and which I long to see, as a child longs

for his mother’s breast.6. …my spirit imprisoned in the darkness of youth, as a falcon suffers in its cage.7. …who exist like frozen corpses.8. The boy’s soul undergoing the buffeting of sorrow is like a white lily just

unfolding.9. …made me like a pond of water.10. That year is like a mountain peak.

(a) MetaphorsThe usage of metaphor is quite frequent in the narration of Gibran. To make a meaning more

real and concrete, he is resorted freely to metaphors. Metaphor is a literary device that is used for covert comparison.

1. Love opened my eyes: 2. With its magic rays: .3. Fiery finger: 4. Garden of high affection: 5. Spring of life: 6. Life was a coma; 7. The fiery sword that chased Adam out of Paradise: 8. Painful memories: 9. The silence that guards the tomb: 10. Here all the hopes of Gibran were buried:

11. Prisoner of love:12. ….grows Gibran’s sorrow together with Cypress trees: 13. His spirit flickers: 14. Selma….who was a beautiful tune:15. Falling drops of dews from the eyes of dawn: 16. The dawn of youth: 17. Open the heart’s doors:18. Love provided me with tongue and tears: 19. Gardens and orchards and street corners that witnessed your games and heard your

innocent whispers: 20. Valleys full of magic and dignity: 21. Mountains covered with glory and greatness: 22. Wounded my spirit: 23. Bitter thoughts: 24. A net of hopelessness: 25. Cloud of dreams: 26. Solitude has soft and silky hands: 17.….but with strong fingers it grasps the heart: 28..Solitude is the alley of sorrow: 29. It killed in me the inclination for games:30. Wings of youth: Animistic Metaphor.31. …remain in the book of existence:

 Hyperbole Hyperbole is an exaggerated form of something that is used not with the intention for deception rather for stress and emphasis. The writer uses them time and again in order of mark a deep impression on reader’s mind.

1.tramping of your feet will not disturb the slumber of the dead.2. Drained his tears.3. Forgot his smile.4. …try to reach the sky.5. I hear the murmur of the rivulets and the rustling of the branches.6. Every time I looked at the grey sky my heart contract.7. …because he is torn by two forces.…hears nothing but the crawling of insects.

(I) PHONOLOGICAL LEVEL (a) Alliteration It is the repetition of consonants at the beginning of two or more words immediately succeeding each

other, or at short interval. It is this that gives the prose a poetic touch.

1. “fiery fingers” ( p3)2. “ fiery sword….. which frightened…..and forced me away from….” (p4)3. “ hearts have loved…”(p6)4. “pleasure….its passing…..like a prisoner” (p7)5. “confinement and cares” (p7)6. “silent sorrow…dropped a seed” (p7)7. “rivulets and rustling” (p8)8. “suffers in its cage….sees a flock…spacious sky” (p8)9. “Solitude has soft, silky hands” (p9)10. “Solitude is the ally of sorrow…..spiritual exaltation” (p9)11. “colors of clouds” (p10)

CONCLUSIONAfter the analysis of the two pages of the story, the style of Khalil Gibran gets quite obvious. On semantic level, it can confidently be deduced that Gibran’s style of writing is quite figurative. It is because the meaning he tries to propagate is working on two-level. The first guise is the literary meaning that leads the reader to the second level of figurative language. The reason for usage of figurative language is that Gibran attempts to solidify all the abstractions that are quite difficult to realize. This attempt of tangibility makes the abstractions more real and impressive. The justification is done by the regular usage of hyperbole. Over all, the average shows that the most used literary devise is metaphor, followed by simile and hyperbole.On phonological level, he has exploited the notion of alliteration greatly. This in return has given a poetic touch to the prose. The above mentioned examples of alliteration testify that the writer has attempted to turn his prose into something that sounds poetic. The collective image painted by scope of both levels, semantic and phonological, gives us a good insight into the style of Khalil Gibran.

References

1. Crystal, D &Davy, Derek (1969). Investigating English Style. Longman House, England.2. Leech, G.(1969)A Linguistic Guide to Poetry, Longman. 3. Leech, G & Short. M (1981)Style in

Stylistics analysisWilliam Blake’s “The Tyger”

NAMEWilliam BlakeOCCUPATIONArtist, PoetBIRTH DATENovember 28, 1757DEATH DATEAugust 12, 1827EDUCATIONRoyal Academy of Art's Schools of DesignPLACE OF BIRTHLondon, England, United KingdomPLACE OF DEATHLondon, England, United Kingdom

About the Author

The Tyger (Tiger):

Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye,Could frame thy fearful symmetry? In what distant deeps or skies.Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art, Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand? & what dread feet? What the hammer? what the chain,In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? what dread grasp, Dare its deadly terrors clasp! When the stars threw down their spearsAnd water’d heaven with their tears: Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee? Tyger Tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye, Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Analysis: ThemeThe crumble is in the air about the creator of the tiger than it is about the tiger itself. In brooding the despicable shrew and formidable symmetry of the tiger, the speaker is at a loss to explain how the same God who made the lamb could make the tiger. Conformable to, this theme: humans are incapable of fully understanding the mind of God and the mystery of his handiwork.

Symbolism:

Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense which Blake has used in his poem “ The Tyger”. Below are the examples of the symbol/Symbolism used;

The Tiger: Evil (or Satan) The Lamb: Innocence (or God) Distant Deeps: Hell Skies: HeavenImmortal Hand or Eye: God or Satan(Metonymy)Wings: The power or inspirationFIRE: Tyger’s ferocity and sublimity

Metaphor:1. Burnt the fire of thine eyes? 2. Tyger Tyger, burning brightIn the metaphors above it can be seen that poet is comparing the Tiger and its eyes with the fire something dreadful or hurtful which is not good. He has given the characteristics of fire to tiger.

Alliteration:Figure of emphasis that occurs through the repetition of initial consonant letters (or sounds) in two or more different words across successive sentences, clauses, or phrases. For example in the “The Tyger” "burning bright" (1)"distant deeps" (5)"what wings" (7)"began to beat" (11)"dare its deadly" (16)"he who" (20)

synecdoche:

Synecdoche is when a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing. So, the phrase "immortal hand" references the whole being or person that the hand belongs to, while at the same time focusing on the hands as the means of creation. The eye is representative of the whole body and person,

Meter and Rhythm

The rhythm is created through short lines and rhyming couplets, similar to "The Lamb."Repetition of "Tyger in line 1, "dare" in lines 7 & 8, "heart" in lines 10 & 11, "what" in lines12, 13, & 15, "Did he" in lines 19-20, and several repeats in stanzas 1 & 2 establish the poem's nursery rhyme like rhythm.