Detail Abstractions

Kahlil Gibran wrote, “Your soul is often a battlefield upon which your reason and your judgment wage war against your passion and your appetite.”




This example reveals an opportunity the writer did not take. When Gibran began his notion of the soul, he used the metaphor of a battlefield and then explained about waging war inserting four abstractions. He could have defined each by example.

We may connect with his reasoning but details and pictures in words help us to understand his meaning of reason, judgment, passion, and appetite.

As writers we need to communicate to the reader our point of view through metaphor, imagery and details. Because we come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, the above words create different reactions. Showing examples of complex emotions  gives the reader a clue to our intentions.

One person’s reason might become another’s wrong. Judgment becomes another issue. Who’s the judge? Passion and appetite have potential for imagery too.

Creative Write:  What does reason look like? How could you show it in action? See where you can take these four abstractions, either together or separately.