Volume One

The Alchemist is a novel about spiritual growth and is similar to many religions. The story of “The Boy” finding himself is a guide to finding oneself through learning his personal legend, listening to the guidance of others, and finding something to believe in. Through inspirational words and tales and life lessons, Paulo Coelho’s book is very similar to the books of religions. The goal of many religions is to guide people through life. Similarly, The Alchemist has many lessons that tend to be…

that the Shepard was capable of turning himself into the wind. The shepard has no faith in himself, telling the Alchemist that he doesn't know how to turn himself into the wind. While the Alchemist continues to tell him that he does, "There is only one thing that make a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.". The symbolism in this scene was the Alchemist willingly giving up the entirety of the Shepards savings. To me, this was telling the Shepard that the treasure was the Master's…

One key lighting element in a film adaptation of The Arabian Nights would be to make a definitive contrast in the lighting used in the real-life scenes between the captive princess and the king and the lighting used in scenes involving stories being told…

conspires to help that person to realize his dream” (114). What the alchemist means is that whenever a person has that strong desire and that highly anticipated motivation, nothing can stop that person from realizing and achieving his dream. This was one of the lessons that Santiago learned throughout his journey. This helped me realize that in order for me to achieve my goal which is succeeding in my academics at San Jose State University, I must have some motivation and desire. Nothing can…

Alchemist. The Alchemist reveals that one must have the courage to follow their destiny, for otherwise, they will hold themselves back from happiness. Coelho uses foil, symbolism, and personification to further develop this theme. Today’s readers can apply Santiago’s story to their own life, as a lesson to follow their calling. Throughout The Alchemist, Coelho uses foil characters to represent how Santiago’s life could be if he does not follow his personal legend. One foil is the crystal…

“It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” (Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist). In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, a shepherd boy named Santiago is on a mission to find his personal legend. In this book, there are two themes that mainly stand out, personal legend and Faith/positive thinking. In The Alchemist, Santiago follows his personal legend. It starts with a dream that keeps recurring every night. This then leads to a curiosity to find out what it means. He…

Cassandra Clare once pointed out the importance of reading and comparing literature when she said, “Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry.” The similarities between “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson are striking, and they deserve thorough examination. In “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard thought that her husband died, but when she found out that he was actually still alive, she died of shock. In “Richard…

story of the 1001 Nights; it is most notably seen in the ritualistic telling of stories each night. Therefore, it is no surprise that obsession appears as a linking theme in one of the enframed stories. In particular, the “Hunchback Tale” has the Christian’s, Inspector’s, and Doctor’s stories all containing an obsession over one particular individual. This individual, in turn, is associated with the bedroom. The image of the bedroom itself is important as it represents the intimacy of these…

Jackson uses these literary devices to emphasize the idea that people will follow traditions blindly if that was how they were raised. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a short story about a strange tradition. Once a year, the town gathers together and one member from each household’s name is put into a drawing. When a person’s name is drawn, their entire family has to come forward to draw a slip of paper from the black box. The family member that gets the paper with the black dot becomes the…

Thousand and One Nights is not thought of as influential literary piece. The revolutionary ideas this story conveys, considering that The Thousand and One Nights was written in the thirteenth century, is simply astounding. Alf Layla Wa-Layla’s The Thousand and One Nights had a resounding impact upon women’s rights and literature throughout the years to this day. In The…