...and so does every grain of sand. Soul doesn’t only keep us alive but it supports our existence as well. Soul gives meaning and purpose to our existence. God created every soul in a different way, no soul resembles to one another, soul is an 'inner identity'. As you age, your body gets older, weak, tired, but spiritually you don't feel it. You hear people say, " I don't feel 50 years old!" That's because you are feeling your soul. Your soul never ages, get sick, or dies. The 'soul of the world' is according to various systems of thoughts, an essential connection between all living things on the planet. 'Soul of the world' is related to our world in much the same way as the soul is connected to human body. According to “Alchemist” In "The Alchemist", Santiago goes on a journey for his own personal treasure. He comes to know about this treasure by soul of the world. "The Soul of the World is nourished by people’s...
Words: 863 - Pages: 4
...Plot The Alchemist follows the journey of an Andalusian (southern Spanish) shepherd boy named Santiago. Believing a recurring dream to be prophetic, Santiago decides to travel to a Romani fortune-teller in a nearby town to discover its meaning. The gypsy woman interprets the dream as a prophecy telling the boy that there is a treasure in the pyramids in Egypt. Early into his journey, he meets an old king, whose name was Melchizedek, who tells him to sell his sheep to travel to Egypt and introduces the idea of a Personal Legend (which is always capitalized in the book). Your Personal Legend "is what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is."[3] He adds that "when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." This is the core theme of the book. Along the way, Santiago meets an Englishman who has come in search of an Alchemist and continues his travels with him. They travel through the Sahara desert and during his journey, Santiago meets and falls in love with a beautiful Arabian woman named Fatima, who resides with her clan near around the desert Oasis. He asks Fatima to marry him, but she says she will only marry him after he completes his journey and finds his treasures. He is perplexed by this, but later learns that true love will not stop nor plead to sacrifice one's Personal Legend, and if it does, it is not true love. Santiago then encounters a lone alchemist who also teaches...
Words: 1186 - Pages: 5
...Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist Page 1 / 94 The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho Translated by Alan R. Clarke. Published 1992. ISBN 0-7225-3293-8. = CONTENTS = Part One Part Two Epilogue PART ONE The boy's name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood. He decided to spend the night there. He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined gate, and then laid some planks across it to prevent the flock from wandering away during the night. There were no wolves in the region, but once an animal had strayed during the night, and the boy had had to spend the entire next day searching for it. He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down, using the book he had just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable pillows. It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see the stars through the half-destroyed roof. Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist Page 2 / 94 I wanted to sleep a little longer, he thought. He had had the same dream that night as a week ago, and once again he had awakened before it ended. He arose and, taking up his crook, began to awaken the sheep that still slept. He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of his animals also began to stir. It was as if some mysterious...
Words: 39568 - Pages: 159
...doubt that it won’t be an easy process, there will be obstacles, and there will be challenges, how you overcome these things are up to you. Your reaction to these hardships could in fact make it or break it. This process of achieving your dreams is shown in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. Coelho’s novel was written to show the importance of dreams and having something to live for. In an interview with a magazine, Coelho explained, “The Alchemist is about -- well, it is a fable about the necessity we have to follow our dreams.” Coelho also added, “They will lose their jobs, they will start having problems, but it is the only choice because in any case, you have to pay a price for your dreams,” when he was asked about the problems that may evoke when people would start chasing their dreams. To Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist was written to show the self sacrifice that needed to be made to follow your dreams. The Alchemist outlines the adventures of Santiago, as young shepherd, as he travels from his homeland in Spain to Egypt in search of a treasure that appears in his dreams. During this journey he meets many people such as a wise king, a merchant in fear to live out his dreams, his true love and the Alchemist. On the way to the pyramids, he comes across numerous difficulties and temptations but moves on undeterred to fulfill his dreams. Santiago must go on a journey alone, sacrificing his sheep, his love, and comfort of his...
Words: 951 - Pages: 4
...Ben Jonson (1572–1637). The Alchemist. The Harvard Classics. 1909–14. | | | | |Introductory Note | | | | | |BEN JONSON was born of poor parents at Westminster in 1573. Through the influence of Camden, the antiquary, he got a good | 1| |education at Westminster School; but he does not seem to have gone to a University, though later both Oxford and Cambridge gave | | |him degrees. In his youth he practised for a time his stepfather’s trade of bricklaying, and he served as a soldier in Flanders. | | | It was probably about 1595 that he began to write for the stage, and within a few years he was recognized as a distinguished | 2| |playwright. His comedy of “Every Man in His Humour” was not only a great immediate success, but founded a school of satirical | | |drama in England. “Sejanus” and “Catiline” were less popular, but are impressive pictures of Roman life, less interesting but more| | |accurate than the Roman plays of Shakespeare. ...
Words: 30021 - Pages: 121
...Introduction The Alchemist written by Paulo Coelho is a striking novel that exceeded my expectations. This essay will begin with a summary of the novel so that the reader may caption a clear philosophical vision it offers. Moreover, the purpose of this paper is to outline the main objective the novel portrays as well as its themes and connections within the text Interviewing In Action In A Multicultural Word by Bianca Cody Murphy and Carolyn Dillon. Also, philosophical views or opinions gained from reading the novel that I deemed to be contradictory to the text will be mentioned and discussed due to the importance of differential views and beliefs. As well, I will consider the options the material this book offers in regards to the influence...
Words: 2287 - Pages: 10
...The Alchemist The Alchemist is a novel first published in 1988 by Brazilian-born author Paulo Coehlo. It has sold more than 65 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling books of all time, and has been translated in over 60 languages. The book follows an adventurous shepherd boy named Santiago who has recurring dream leads him on a journey to find hidden treasure. The book begins Santiago has the same troubling recurring dream, when sleeping under a sycamore that grows out of the ruins of a church, of a child telling him to seek treasure at the base of the Egyptian pyramids. After a gypsy tells him to go to Egypt once hearing his dream, a strange old man appears, claiming to be the King of Salem, tells him it is his Personal Journey to go to Egypt. After selling his flock, Santiago travels to Tangier but immediately gets robbed of all his money, forcing him to work for a crystal merchant. There he transforms the humble store into a thriving business making him rich, but ultimately he decides to continue on his Personal Journey. He joins a caravan crossing the Sahara dessert towards Egypt, and meets an Englishman who is studying to be an Alchemist. The Englishman teaches Santiago a great deal about Alchemy, and tells him he is going to Al-Fayoum to meet a powerful 200-year-old Alchemist. After the caravan is forced to stay in Al-Fayyoum because of tribal wars in the area, Santiago meets a girl named Fatima and both fall in love. When on a walk Santiago sees...
Words: 777 - Pages: 4
...------------------------------------------------- a spiritual gem With nearly two million copies sold around the world, this wonderful fable is becoming recognized for what it is—one of the truly great charmers of the late twentieth century. It's like a surprisingly cool sea breeze coming over the desert in the evening. The innocence and charm of this fable are comparable to Jonathan Livingston Seagull, but The Alchemistis more humorous, more spiritual, and wiser. This is the story of Santiago, a wanderlust shepherd boy in Spain, who decides to act upon a dream he has one night—of discovering a buried treasure at the Pyramids of Egypt. Santiago's journey is not easy, but his humility, faith, and simplicity are simply unshakable. In fact, he is so naïve (in the best way possible) that it does not seem to occur to him that he could be shaken. Reading it, I was reminded of something Søren Kierkegaard wrote regarding spiritual warfare: One thing there is which all Satan's cunning and all the snares of temptation cannot take by surprise, and that is simplicity. After Santiago has his dream, he is soon visited by Melchizedek, the mysterious King of Salem, who tells him that soon after someone embarks upon the path of their destiny, all the Universe conspires to help them, but only for a little while. Soon after embarking upon a trip to Africa, his money is gone and he must struggle, as almost all of us do, with precariously balancing his material needs against not losing sight...
Words: 617 - Pages: 3
...The Alchemist Paulo Coelho Translated by Alan R. Clarke. Published 1992. ISBN 0-7225-3293-8. PART ONE The boy's name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood. He decided to spend the night there. He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined gate, and then laid some planks across it to prevent the flock from wandering away during the night. There were no wolves in the region, but once an animal had strayed during the night, and the boy had had to spend the entire next day searching for it. He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down, using the book he had just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable pillows. It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see the stars through the halfdestroyed roof. I wanted to sleep a little longer, he thought. He had had the same dream that night as a week ago, and once again he had awakened before it ended. He arose and, taking up his crook, began to awaken the sheep that still slept. He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of his animals also began to stir. It was as if some mysterious energy bound his life to that of the sheep, with whom he had spent the past two years, leading them through the countryside in search of food and water. "They...
Words: 38903 - Pages: 156
...The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, is the first novel I have chosen to read and discuss about in regards to my essay assignment, and the second novel is Looking for Alaska, by John Green. The topic that is relevant to the novels, deals with Personal journeys and self realization. This enlightenment that the characters reach at one point in the novel is the very essence that is desired by many men and women across the globe. Some may say that we are all wandering aimlessly, yet not all those who wander are lost..therefore, although we are not lost, we cannot exactly find what we are unsure we're looking for, resulting in our constant loitering. Although ignoring self discovery seems quite effortless and tolerable, it often will do more harm to...
Words: 1620 - Pages: 7
...In Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, a young shepherd boy goes on a journey after having a recurring dream about treasure at the Egyptian Pyramids. He comes across many hardships along the way, but he follows through with his goal and finds his treasure in the end. In the novel The Alchemist, Coelho conveys the importance of not only having dreams, but also actually pursuing them. Santiago’s trust in his mentors gives him the knowledge and ability to chase after his aspirations and fulfill his Personal Legend. King Melchizedek tells Santiago that the world’s greatest lie is “that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate” (18). Santiago could have disagreed with the king and believed in the ideas of his book, but instead he trusts King Melchizedek. By doing so, Santiago learns that he must struggle to meet his goals instead of sitting back and allowing fate to control his life. He realizes that he can’t stay in his comfort zone of books and sheep, and must go out and explore the world. When the stranger in Tangier asks him if he has enough money to cross the Sahara desert, Santiago thinks that this is a strange question, but “he trusted in [King Melchizedek], who had said that, when you really want something, the universe always conspires in your favor” (36). Despite the fact that he lost all his money to the thief, Santiago’s trust in King Melchizedek taught him to be smarter and to view the world in terms...
Words: 766 - Pages: 4
...Setting and Characters: The Alchemist The book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a compelling story that provides deep thoughts and insight. The variation of characters and use of imagery in the setting really makes the story appealing. The characters provide understanding, while the setting provides background information. The characters in the story help provide understanding by their actions and beliefs. In the beginning of the story the a Spanish shepherd meets a “king” from Salem. The “king” comes from a muslim background, while the shepherd comes from a christian background. These two characters immediately question each other due to their beliefs, until the old man sparks a conversation with him. Here the shepherd’s actions change...
Words: 273 - Pages: 2
...Jennifer Ferolito Miss. Britton English 9R 23/3/15 “There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. “Good pride” represents our dignity and self-respect. “Bad pride” is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.” (John C. Maxwell) in the short story “The Necklace” by: Guy De Maupassant the main character Madame Loisel experiences “Bad pride.” She decides not to tell the truth about loosening the necklace so she can keep her pride, but in the long run that did not help her. In the short story “Lather and Nothing Else” by: Hernando Tellez, the main character the Barber experience “Good pride” . He decides not to kill Captain Torres at the end of the short story because the Barber has a lot of self-respect for his job and himself. In both short stories, the protagonists suffer from an internal conflict that highlights a specific character trait. In the short story, “The Necklace,” Madame Loisel suffers from wanting something she cannot have. The setting of the story is integral because in Paris, France in the 19th century women were not able to move from class to class. The only way a women was able to move up in society was if their father was able to pay her new husband dowry, which was almost impossible because they were poor. Madame Loisel felt “that she was born for all the little niceties and luxuries of life”, but instead of that she was born into a family of clerks and married a clerk. She was not able to wear fancy dresses or jewels...
Words: 782 - Pages: 4
...Please list three books, along with their authors, that have been particularly meaningful to you. For each book, please include a sentence explaining their influence upon you. Please note that your response is not limited to math, science or school-assigned texts. Waiting by Ha Jin reminded me of a theme of life that youth is the time to experiment and that one should not wait for another time for his/her passions to flourish. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho opened my eyes to the treasures within myself as the invention or discovery can be right beside you, but you hunt the whole world for it. The Kingdom of the Golden Dragon by Isabel Allende is a book that I still vividly remember even after five years; it taught me the power of writing...
Words: 1488 - Pages: 6
...discipline, perseverance, commitment, and sacrifice. This self-transmutation results in a lasting impact on the world and an enlightened self." Although Personal Alchemy and Personal Legend are similar by definition, Alchemy is focus on your personal journey and Legend is focused on your personal destination. My individual definition of Personal Legend is your life's spiritual principle. As the King of Salem, Melchizedek, stated in the Alchemist: "But, as time passes, a mysterious [negative] force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend". In this passageway, Melchizedek explains to Santiago that the universe wants individuals to accomplish their unique destines. A negative force can drag you in the opposing direction only if you let it. It up to your dedication to your Personal Legend to stay true to your destination....
Words: 486 - Pages: 2
