Friday, June 20, 2008
Grade 12 University English Reads "The Alchemist"
Grade 12 University English students read aloud "The Alchemist". A novel about finding one's personal legend or personal dream, and making it become a reality.
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While reading, I came upon a quote that I believe was very valuable to every reader who reads this quote and/or book. The quote was about finding your own Personal Legend and the journey towards accomplishing what you dream to have in life. It was stated that, “At [a young age], everything is clear and everything is possible. [You] are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything [you] would like to see happen in [your life].” As a result, the quote made by the old man demonstrates that when you are a child you are not afraid of anything, so your mind is set on one thing. However, as you grow up, you discover different obstacles that you have to overcome and might want to give up. Therefore, the author utilized this quote to demonstrate that peoples dreams change, but you need a Personal Legend to keep as a guide to what you want. Furthermore, this quote has helped me realize that it is difficult to keep with your dreams because different forces stop you, but you should keep your head up high and concentrate on what you want. This quote is important because it helped shed some light on why the old man was there and was talking to Santiago. He was helping Santiago realize that he can fulfill his dreams and he should not give up. Above all, the quote has demonstrated that even though you might hit some pitfalls along your journey, you should not give up. Instead you should think like a child and not let anything pressure you to give up on your dream.
C.H
Reading Response Logs: "The Alchemist"
My first response to this novel is that the main character is enjoying the fact that he can fulfill his dream; and quit being a Shepard at anytime without any worries about being able to find another job. After reading the beginning of the book, I have noticed that Santiago seems to be selfish because he believes that the girl he had met will be waiting for him. Also, his parents had been hoping he would become a priest to bring family pride; instead he became a Shepard because he wanted to. In addition, I also found that Santiago was very curious about the world and how other people lived. In conclusion, I like the novel because I am interested in what will happen next, what will become of him and his sheep, and if he will meet the girl again. Moreover, the beginning of the novel keeps the readers intrigued and interested about what events will take place next and whether or not he will remain a Shepard.
Cherie
When comparing the minor character to the major character, I noticed that the minor character acts as a foil towards the main character. The main character is Santiago, and the minor character is the old man (King of Salem). The minor character helps highlight the main characters strengths and weaknesses by leading him on a path of self-discovery, and understanding his Personal Legend. For example, when Santiago trusted the new friend he met in the bar, he found out that he was too humble and that he, “[…] see[s] the world in terms of what [he] would like to see happen, not what actually does.” Therefore, the old man’s words and advice had led Santiago to trust others because he believed they were helping him accomplish his Personal Legend. However, he realized that he was too humble and needed to be more careful of who he trusts along his journey. In summary, the old man highlighted Santiago’s weakness that he was too trusting of others and needed to learn to be careful with strangers. However, the old man also highlighted his strengths, which were his optimism and giving people the benefit of the doubt. It is important for the minor character to act as a foil to the major character because a person does not usually know their strengths and weaknesses until someone else points them out. Therefore, the old man has helped readers understand Santiago’s character.
C.H.
Reading Log One
“At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend” (Coelho, 22).
The main theme in the novel The Alchemist, is to follow your dreams no matter where life takes you. The novel offers philosophical answers to many of life’s difficult questions, including, “does money buy happiness?” Santiago, the main character in the novel, believes that “in money there is magic” (Coelho, 36). However, in his quest for riches, Santiago learns that there is magic in meeting new people, following your dreams and realizing your Personal Legend. Santiago discovers that happiness is not determined by the riches you inherit, but true happiness is the result of the treasures of life, following your heart and meeting new people who make your journey interesting.
In addition, Carl Jung’s theory of character archetypes can further be applied to the novel, The Alchemist. The main character Santiago, encounters several guardian archetypes on his journey to the Egyptian Pyramids. The guardian archetype, offers help and support, and is often a “teacher or helper who aids the protagonist” (Fictional Character, 2008). Consequently, the guardian archetypes Santiago meets help him to discover his own Personal Legend. For example, the first guardian archetype Santiago meets is the old King of Salem. The King tells Santiago that, “you must always know what you want” (Coelho, 57). As a result, Santiago decides that he wants to find the treasure in Egypt. Santiago knows that it is only through hard work and perseverance, that he will be able to achieve his goal. Finally, Santiago sells all his sheep and works hard for a year as a crystal merchant, striving to make enough money to enable him to make the trip to Egypt.
B.H.
“The sale of his sheep had left him with enough money in his pouch, and the boy knew that in money there was magic” (Coelho, 36).
I think that the novel, The Alchemist, significantly relates to modern day society. Presently, the North American culture is one that is characterized by money and wealth. The North American people are consumed by the idea that money can buy happiness, and that without money, one is unworthy. In turn, to be able to afford all the luxury items desired today, people are almost addicted to their jobs, forgetting the truly important things in life are intangible, for example, family and friends. In The Alchemist, Santiago constantly wants to disregard his goals and dreams for the future, in an effort to work hard at his job as a Shepherd. Santiago never acknowledged his goals in life, and as a result didn’t experience the true meaning of happiness. It wasn’t until he met with the crystal merchant, King, Englishman, and Alchemist that he learned the true meaning of life; making your dreams come true. However, the journey to discover his Personal Legend was not easy and over the course of his travels to realize his dreams, Santiago came across many obstacles and wanted to give up and go back to the way his life used to be. He constantly feared that he had done the wrong thing by selling his sheep, in an attempt to find treasure and was heartbroken at the realization of how much money he had lost.
Similarly, the North American culture is scared of the possibility of doing something wrong, ultimately losing their wealth, however, they have to come to the realization that the journey through life is more successful and interesting when detours and adjustments are made.
Reading Log Two
“People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need want” (Coelho, 80).
In The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho, through the use of motivational speech, provides the reader with meaningful messages. For instance, “never stop dreaming,” is one message explored throughout the novel (Coelho, 63). The book explains that often times, as people age, they lose touch of what once was important to them, immersed in the belief that all their goals and dreams are impossible. Through his characters, Coelho reasons that at a certain point in the human life cycle, we lose control of what is happening to us and our lives become controlled by fate. He believes that this is a great misconception. As a result, people have to make sure that they do not disregard their Personal Legend, and that they keep aspiring to make all their dreams come true, not letting the fear of failure prevent them from rising to their full potential. Namely, it is the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life worth living. For example, the crystal merchant in the novel, desires to travel to Mecca before he dies, however, is afraid that if he pursues his dream, he will have no reason to continue living. He is afraid that when he finally does achieve his Personal Legend, he will be disappointed with the outcome. He is convinced that dreaming is significantly easier than actually planning out his future.
“If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve upon the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children” (Coelho, 107).
I believe that this novel had a very positive impact on me and my life. This book made me realize the significance of finding what is important to you and never giving up until you achieve what you want. Every philosophical lesson taught in the book deeply touched me and I hope that I will be able to apply all the lessons outlined in the novel to my life, as I continue to pursue my dreams in the future. In addition, I could relate to the character Santiago, as often times I find myself scared to try new things, fearful of what the outcome will be. At one point in the novel Santiago says, “I understand sheep; they’re no longer a problem, and they can be good friends” (Coelho, 66). Frequently, I find that I get too comfortable with my surroundings, and become afraid of the unknown.
Furthermore, I thought that, “people need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need want,” was a meaningful quote that I could use in my everyday life (Coelho, 80). Living everyday in fear will only result in an unsatisfactory life, one that is unproductive and empty. However, through Santiago, I have learned that taking chances and living in the present is the only way that you will be able to accomplish your Personal Legend.
“Paulo was always a nonconformist and a seeker of the new” (Coelho, 176).
The Alchemist is a considerably deep and spiritual book. Paulo Coelho, the author of the novel, artfully sequences each sentence, resulting in paragraphs and chapters that are not only enjoyable to read but also educational. Moreover, after reading Coelho’s biography I feel that this book could be characterized as semi-autobiographical. The biography states that Coelho did not start writing seriously until after an encounter with a mysterious stranger. “The man first came to him in a vision, and two months later Paulo met him at a café in Amsterdam. The stranger suggested that Paulo should return to Catholicism and study the benign side of magic. He also encouraged Paulo to walk the Road of Santiago de Compstela, the medieval pilgrim’s route.” Although, not exactly the same as the story, this event sounds similar to Santiago’s meeting with the old King at the beginning of the novel. Coelho’s encounter left him going to walk a medieval pilgrim’s route, and in the novel the old King tells Santiago to travel to the Egyptian Pyramids and find hidden treasure. Furthermore, the main character’s name could have been a result of being told about or actually travelling to the Road of Santiago de Compstela.
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