Famous Poem that Relates to the Character

"Self-Knowledge XVII"

by Khalil Gibran

And a man said, "Speak to us of Self-Knowledge."
And he answered, saying:
Your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and the nights.
But your ears thirst for the sound of your heart's knowledge.
You would know in words that which you have always know in thought.
You would touch with your fingers the naked body of your dreams.
And it is well you should.
The hidden well-spring of your soul must needs rise and run murmuring to the sea;
And the treasure of your infinite depths would be revealed to your eyes.
But let there be no scales to weigh your unknown treasure;
And seek not the depths of your knowledge with staff or sounding line.
For self is a sea boundless and measureless.
Say not, "I have found the truth," but rather, "I have found a truth."
Say not, "I have found the path of the soul." Say rather, "I have met the soul walking upon my path."
For the soul walks upon all paths.
The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.
The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.

This moving poem written by Khalil Gibran represents the discovery of oneself and the realization of one's self-value. Because the main character Jesse Bollier is only a boy of thirteen when the novel takes place, he is still a bit naive and unable to grasp the fullness of life until the burdens are thrust upon him when he is thrown aboard the Moonlight. At first, Jesse is bewildered by this unexpectant twist and mishap and becomes defiant, helpless, and distrusful, but when Jesse is forced to play his fife for the slaves on the ship and is made to experience the cruel plight of the slaves, he is heavily burdened by his morals, his instinct for survival, and his desire to return home. Subsequently, he realizes that in order to survive and return home, he must seek to discover his life and fate. Along the way, he ends up developing a complicated friendship with another crewmate, Purvis, who is the last person in the world Jesse thought he would ever be associating with. However, these experiences altogether along with the connection of the music he makes for the slaves, his moral compass, and his new sense of self, help him to grow into a man and shape and change his perception forever. In the end, Jesse Bollier recognizes the importance of self-value, comes to value trust and the desire for survival, and then he discovers his true self.

All the highlighted parts of this poem relate to all of Jesse's internal struggles and his desire to triumph morally and also to survive. These parts refer to his inability to realize what he wants and what he needs and the fact that the answers to his internal troubles are not coming to him in a more clear way, which is obviously frustrating for him. Also, the last three highlighted lines refer to Jesse unconciously limiting himself to perceptions that he grew up with, and one major milestone he has to overcome is his inability to see things in a different light and to not limit himself  only to what his mother decided not to shield him from as a child.