The Alchemist Annotation

Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat. Most high school students fear plenty of things: presentations, tests, exams, getting called out to answer a question, etc. Though the majority of these students goes on and finishes the scary four years of high school. This shows that fear is all in our minds. Fear only exists in our thoughts of the future; we essentially imagine scenarios that might not even happen. The number one reason why tons of people don’t get to their dreams is the fear of failure. That presentations, tests, or exams that some students are scared of are the ones that will lead them to success. In The Alchemist, the Alchemist told the warriors

Social isolation is a social issue where people avoid contact with one society. They are commonly seen nowadays preventing people from interacting with another as well as creating reliable relations, abating any chances for one to realize their destiny. This negative spiral immensely affects the opportunity for people holding a feeling of love and community toward others.

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure” (Coelho 141). No one is fully fulfilled without achieving one’s Personal Legend, through some lessons from mentors, it helped Santiago, in the book The Alchemist written by Paulo Coelho, to be a better and happier person in the end because he learned that it is up to you alone to live your greatest life, the real treasure is in the journey itself, and the fear of failure is the greatest obstacle to happiness.

Have you ever encountered problems while trying to fulfill a goal in your life? In the book The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coelho, a shepherd boy named Santiago overcomes obstacles to reach his personal legend. Throughout the book Santiago encounters many friends to help him fulfill his destiny. Santiago encounters many problems throughout the story. He overcomes them with the help of his friends and his wife-to-be. These problems shape Santiago into a dignified man of many traits.

Some may refer to The Alchemist as a best-selling novel written by Paulo Coelho which explains the ideas of having a dream, or Personal Legend, and going through obstacles to conquer it. The book starts off like any other, introducing and describing the main characters, in this case Santiago is the first to share the interest of peers reading the story. He is said to be a small town shepherd boy who will do anything for his flock of sheep. In the opening scene of the story, Santiago takes his flock to an abandoned church and lies down under a sycamore tree hoping to get some rest. He is soon woken up from a disturbing dream which foreshadows further into the story of his own Personal Legend. Later in the book, Santiago is faced with multiple tests to be successful in finding his treasure. “Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure” (Coelho 15). Paulo continues to add characters in the book that help Santiago throughout his journey.

1. In the Alchemist, it says that our lives are incomplete without love. What do you think

In the beginning of The Alchemist, Santiago asks Melchizedek: “These are good omens” (pg.29). This is a Telegraphic sentence emphasizing Omens ability to break through fate and help you to follow your journey to find and achieve your destiny. Omens also serve to demonstrate Santiago’s spiritual growth throughout the story. The motif of omens serves to offer guidance on Santiago’s journey and reassure him that the Soul of the World has endorsed his journey. Melchizedek states, omens are part of the Universal Language, and if Santiago understands this language he can find meaning in his environment. For example, Santiago considers the event of the stones Urim and Thummim falling from his pocket as an omen. In doing so, he fines meaning in this

This story features a man named Timber who is driving in his car driving home to his bungalow. As he approaches the house he steps inside and realizes how one of the lights are on and just thinks to himself that Harry had forgotten to turn them off or even fell asleep before dawning upon it. As he approaches the room, he notices Harry wide awake with the sense of fear in his eyes. Harry calls upon Timber and tells him that a poisonous snake (called a Krait) had crawled on his stomach and underneath the sheet, while he was lying down in his bed. “”A krait! Oh, my God! Where'd it bite you? How long ago?”” (Dahl 1) The Krait represents the fear that Harry and Timber both feel. Timber knows that the snake is poisonous and could kill Harry at any time. Timber later calls the doctor and the doctor arrives shortly after the call. They decide that they need to get the snake off of Harry’s stomach but they don’t know if the snake will bite Harry before they can get it off of him. The doctor decides to give the antivenom to Harry just in case the snake was to bite when they were trying to get it off of him. They decide that they will try and soak the mattress with chloroform to try and make the snake easier for them to remove without harming Harry or themselves. The doctor and Timber finally decide to lift the sheets off of Harry and as they lift the sheets off to their discovery there was nothing near or on Harry at all. As they look around for the snake Timber and the doctor realize that it's not even there. “”'It's not there!' Ganderbai straightened up and for a moment he too looked at the mattress; then he looked up at Harry.”” (Dahl 4). The trait that was supposed to be there can represent the delusion that Harry was thinking there was a poisonous snake that was on his

The Alchemist taught me to trust and follow my intuition. Coming from a broken home in a

Stockton and “Poison” by Roald Dahl. The affair mirrors the deep rooted fear hidden in both texts. The semi-barbaric princess’s suitor jeopardizes his chances of living for loving the princess of a higher status. The King not willing to accept an individual of unfamiliar class demonstrates the fear and prejudgement of those lower than him. The princess also illustrates fear of her lover’s disloyalty as his encounter with the hidden damsel creates an obstacle for her decision to help or lead him to destruction. In Poison, Harry battles the likelihood of a krait situating on his stomach. With a bed sheet in the way, it is impossible for the other characters to decode whether Harry is telling the truth or feeding them a figment of his imagination. The uncertainty of the serpent’s existence exemplifies the questioning of Harry’s insanity, correlating to Harry’s anger. Harry also thinks he is of higher status than Dr. Ganderbai and Timber because he is a British man in India. His prejudice is shown through the racist remarks to the indian doctor helping him. The ignorance towards a race, the door and the blanket in the situations barricade the unknown truth which notions the inescapable fear of

Although a hero seems like a faraway distant character who possesses a unique ability that saves humanity, an everyday citizen in society holds the ability to impact the lives of others can become a hero. In the novel, The Alchemist, the protagonist, Santiago, travels as a shepherd but ultimately, follows The Hero’s Journey Archetype. As Santiago pursues a journey for treasure and self-knowledge, Santiago faces several difficult challenges and character-defining moments that assess his ability to succeed. Coelho depicts Santiago as following the stages of the Hero’s Journey Archetype such as The Mentor, The Abyss, and the Return to the World. Thus, Coelho employs The Hero’s Journey Archetype to demonstrate the

“You can always turn a bad kisser into a good one,” Laura Prepon. Santiago, the main character of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist leads a modest and ordinary life as a shepherd. Santiago travelled constantly, exploring the Andalusian terrain. In his travels, Santiago met a woman who interpreted his dreams, and told him his treasure would lie in Egypt at the pyramids. However, Santiago believed that the dream interpreter was a phony, and he continued to herd his sheep. Soon after, he exchanged words with the King of Salem, and Santiago was once again told to venture to Egypt in order to find his treasure. After careful consideration, Santiago sells his precious sheep and begins his journey. An alchemist, somebody who turns lead

The Alchemist is a journey of exploration and self-discovery as we follow the main character, Santiago, a young shepherd who lives in Spain, on a journey to fulfill his personal legend. The novel shows us wisdoms and gentle reminders of how to change our lives from what they may be today into the life we have always dreamed of.

Fatima: A beautiful girl, whom Santiago is in love with, who lives at Al-Fayoum Oasis.

Throughout the book Full Metal Alchemist Edward and his brother Al are trying to find the philosopher’s stone. The philosopher's stone will help the brothers get back to normal. The brothers are motivated by determination of their past and the want to get back to normality. Throughout the book they use these methods to get through tough times and to keep pushing to find the philosopher's stone.