The Balance of Power by King of Wirani

The Balance of Power by King of Wirani

Kahlil Gibran follows a unique style in writing, adopting a reflective and lyrical style. This Lebanese poet displays an outstanding creative prowess where the main focus is on society. Following his poem, The Wise King, the King of Wirani, brings about the main argument of the concept of madness (Gibran). The poet wants his readers to understand the idea as an issue of personality and character, which is dangerous because it isolates or slightly separates a person from society. It is important to note that mental illness is real, and it occurs in the community. Although people tend to avoid the topic, the organization should educate the populace on the issue. Therefore, this paper examines the decision made by the King of Wirani by drinking the cursed water by the witch, who prophesied that anyone who drinks the water would run mad. In my opinion, it was a wise decision for the King to drink the cursed water because it is a symbol that he is no different from his people. Again, there was a need to led the people; hence, this paper argues that it was not only an ethical dilemma for the King but an essential and decisive move for the King of Wirani to maintain his relationship to power, therefore necessary to become mad (Gibran).

Going through the poem, one realizes that the aspect of madness is not entirely accepted into that society. The element also does not exclude the nobles like the King and the lord chamberlain because they also suffered the same issue as the locals in the Wirani Kingdom. Whether the King should have drunk the cursed water by the village witch or not, it was wise for the King that he swallowed it because it shows how he is not any different from his people (Gibran). The King may have wanted to display a specific character to his people to trust him to be able to lead the people and get off the drought situation.

The King wanted to identify himself with the people he was ruling. The poet points out that the people who are present in society, they prefer wearing masks to be in a position that they can function effectively in society. People are driven by wanting to maintain their self-identity and forgetting to be themselves (Gibran). In personality, there is the notion of self that is always in conflict with the idea of self-identity. Therefore, to function in society without a mask, it means that one is true to what they want to speak to the populace (Walston and Sandra).

The act of being mad is a lonely path that the King took, but it has its benefits. One of the benefits of choosing to drink the water safeguards so many factors such as intuition and characteristics of self when it comes to the problematic populace who tend to follow diverse options of conformity. Conformity, in this context, is whether the mass is willing to follow the set rule and regulations as guided by the King of Wirani (Winter and David).

However, the issue is not merely the masses conforming, but the King’s understanding of the benefits brought about by balancing power. The poet is determined to find all the complex outcomes following a particular decision or action (Gibran). In society, there is right and wrong, depending on the work that one has adopted due to the consequences that come after the choice (Beard and Michael). The King, however, chooses the decision that the majority of the noblemen and women would not select, and this action speaks volumes about his character and the far he is willing to go to protect his people.

Gibran wants us to think beyond a village with drought, and then there is a witch who comes and poisons the water, which the King will also drink. The author expects his readers to interrogate the occurrence in terms of society and how people tend to operate in the community. The King, in this situation, saved the perception of his people because he was the one who led the masses out of the drought, and the people were happy at the end of the drought (Gibran).

From his work, it is easy to conclude that Gibran is not the most organized individual; his soul is lost. Therefore, bringing about the expectations of society to the light. The organization functions in a certain way, and they expect uniformity and those who deviate from the pattern; they are regarded as outcasts (Gibran). For instance, the kings behave in a certain way, and clearly, it was rather apparent that the King will not drink the cursed water, which he did to save the people. The society of the Wirani people is also organized and ordered in a particular manner.

Leadership is essential in society since there are leaders and followers. In such a community, there is power, and in most cases, people in power tend to abuse and to mistreat the people (Altabaa). Following the King of Wirani, the King seemed democratic, trying to involve people in decision making. The King was concerned with the welfare of the people, and therefore he wished to balance power where he respected the aspect of humanity (Gibran). Therefore, a credit will not be given to the King if an individual concentrates on the notion that the decision made by the King depends on the ethical dilemma.

The King must have been aware of the consequences of his actions, but he did not care because his intentions were pure. The main motive of the King was to ensure that people of Wirani were able to be contained, and it was necessary for him too to become mad. The reason behind becoming mad, the King wanted to be identified by his people, who gave him the power to rule the people of Wirani (Gibran). Though, the people tend to whisper in the village that their King is mad. That might mean that the majority of the people question the competency of the King, but that doubt does not stop him from ruling his people.

Lastly, Gibran displays an outstanding synthesis of creative symbolism to capture the attention of the readers as well as thinking critically concerning the message. The King chose to be mad just like his people in Wirani to be able to identify with his people and also to ensure that power is maintained and balanced. The King is mindful of the people, and that does not stop him from expressing what he feels to them by wanting the Wirani people to live confidently in the land. It is also important to note that the King got well, which is a sign of hope to his ruling and the people of Wirani at large (Gibran).