“Fear” is a universal and deeply ingrained human emotion that has been explored and examined in literature, psychology, and philosophy throughout history. It is a primal response to perceived threats, whether they are physical or psychological. Read More Inter 2nd Year English Summaries.
Fear Summary
About Author
Born in a village of the Ottoman-ruled Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate to a Maronite family, the young Gibran immigrated with his mother and siblings to the United States in 1895. As his mother worked as a seamstress, he was enrolled at a school in Boston, where his creative abilities were quickly noticed by a teacher who presented him to photographer and publisher F. Holland Day. Gibran was sent back to his native land by his family at the age of fifteen to enroll at the College de la Sagesse in Beirut.
Returning to Boston upon his youngest sister’s death in 1902, he lost his older half-brother and his mother the following year, seemingly relying afterwards on his remaining sister’s income from her work at a dressmaker’s shop for some time.
The poem ‘Fear’, is written by Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese – American writer. He is famous for his book, the prophet, a collection of philosophical essays. In the poem, he expresses his philosophical understanding of over coming fear. He imagines a river that flows into the sea. The statement “it is said” that implies that his point of view is not wholly his own. He may love heard of the river’s fear and close to it some strength through the poetry. The poet refers to the river as ‘she’ to infuse life into the river. She may have braversed difficult paths before entering the ocean, yet it trembles with fear at the sight of the vastness of the ocean. He talks about her fear directly. He discusses the fear that human beings encounter too.
The river looks back at the path she has travelled through. She desires to go back. But, that is impossible in existence. She realizes that she has to accept and embrace the truth. It is because nobody can go back. The poet compares humanity to the rivers. The river as well as the people should accept the truth and go forward.
The final stanza suggests that the river needs to take the risk of entering the ocean. It is because fear will disappear due to the realization of the river. She comes to understand that she is not disappearing into the ocean. In-fact she is becoming the ocean. Through the emotions of the river, the poet sends a powerful message to those who fear losing their identity death, change being forgotten in this universe and so on so people need to accept the fact that there is no other option but to more forward. They must take risks to achieve success and believe in themselves. Thus, the message of the poem is “Overcoming Fear”.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, fear is an intricate and compelling theme that transcends time, culture, and genre, leaving an indelible mark on both literature and the human psyche. It serves as a powerful narrative device, evoking tension and suspense in stories, and allowing readers to connect with the emotions of the characters