The Influence of Literature Literature is a form of artistic expression that enables students to express their individuality. This is achieved through reading different forms of literature, to strive for our dreams and uncover our personal legends. In Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist”, the theme of personal legends serve as a way to understand your life long fulfillment. While I read the book I manifested the hidden meanings and interpreted the book as if it were my own life journey. Just as the protagonist in the book, I can see omens in my life that act like a guide. Also, the novel “The Words” directly correlates to my real life experiences. The impact on how influential words may become in one’s life greatly impacts the society at large. …show more content…
Often teenagers experience phases of loneliness, where we feel they cannot relate to those around them. Even if you cannot directly relate to the author’s story it will still have an impact on you, and you will be able to connect and relate to it. “Some ideas cannot be expressed adequately in simple language, and because the lessons we have to work for are the ones that stick with us” (Freethought forum, Why study literature?). The many unanswered questions of where ideas come from can be interpreted into knowing one’s life tragedy experience. The idea of accomplishing a dream and the idea of receiving recognition is one’s greatest desire. As I read the book I paused to think how the story intertwined with my own experience. In my writers craft class, I often experienced “writers block” and often needed an inspiration to expand on a new story idea. Through “The Words” I was able to understand the influence literary works has on an individual because many people can be guilty of plagiarism. The school generation I am growing up in, and future generations will be able to have endless amounts of information which they may say is their own without citing sources. On the journey to success in life, honesty is crucial while accomplishing a goal, therefore literature allows students to interpret feelings through the eyes of the
The five authors, Skloot, Dyer and Flynn, Capote, and Dillard each present enticing storylines, yet the people, place, and subject matter within their books stand at polar opposites. Skloot uncovers a story of injustice for a family alongside a scientific discovery that alters history; Dyer and Flynn bring to mind the pain of a horrific tragedy from the viewpoint of those who suffered it firsthand; Capote shares a brutal account of mass murder and the truth to be found within it; and Dillard offers words of discovery of both herself and the world through the art of writing itself. Yet among these seemingly unique and different authors, a similar thread within their books connects them all. Through the language they convey and feelings they arise from the heart of the readers, these authors share a similar unspoken story through their writing.
“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts,” Patrick Rothfuss. Authors use many ways to develop the setting.
Being Your Better Self Becoming better benefits a bunch of beings. When you become better, you may not know it, but people around you benefit from you trying to improve. This happens to the main protagonist, Santiago because he strives to become better and everyone and everything’s lives around him improve as well. In the novel, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, Santiago learns, “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.” To begin, King Melchizedek tries to become better, and in return Santiago becomes better.
Geoffrey Sirc wrote “The Autobiography of Malcolm X as a Basic Writing Text” to convey to his students and all students of literature that this book “teaches the importance of passion and strength of character” that these are “essential attributes to growth as a writer.” This journal article reaffirms the reason why all students should be required to read the book and Sirc states that autobiography allows the student to develop a deeper understanding of how to be inquisitive when confronted with stereotypes or ignorance. The affirmation comes in the form of a quote from Malcolm X in the epilogue of the book “People don’t realize how a man’s life can be changed by one book” (X and Haley 400) and the impact that statement would have on future
By using the connotation of words, and describing the inner thoughts and emotions of the characters, the author creates feelings within the reader which creates a strong tone throughout the
The Importance of Perseverance At many times in people’s lives, they consider giving up. This is also true for Santiago, the protagonist in Paulo Coelho's fantasy novel The Alchemist. Santiago is on a journey to find a hidden treasure he saw in a dream. Along this journey he continues to contemplate whether he should just give up, or continue his adventure.
They say the written word is a pure expression of the soul, one’s entire being: fragile, unfettered, laid bare, and captured on a page. That is to say when reading a truly exceptional author’s work, one can reach an intimate understanding of that person’s values and beliefs. D.H. Lawrence is one such writer. Lawrence grew up in a unique household, his mother, a socialite fallen from prosperity, and his father, a simple coal worker who was simply trying to provide for his family. That juxtaposition drove Lawrence to strive towards the whispered promise of his mother’s former life and condemn the relentless monotony of his father’s.
Searching for meaning behind the repetition and patterns of another writer’s work is difficult. The process requires imagination and the ability to put yourself in another person’s frame of mind. Since I am a rather concrete thinker, unraveling a writer’s implications is not my strongest attribute.
Paulo Coehlo’s, The Alchemist, explores the Hero’s Journey through the story of a shepherd, Santiago. Throughout the novel, Santiago becomes more aware of his potential as he pursues his Personal Legend. He faces temptations and obstacles as he develops as a character. The hero crosses the threshold when they leave their old reality in search for a new one. Santiago crosses the threshold by selling his sheep and taking a boat to Africa.
As a college student, Emily Vallowe wrote a literacy narrative with a play on words title: “Write or Wrong Identity.” In this work, she told the story of how she believed her confidence as a writer developed; however, she was becoming dubious as to her distinctiveness as an author. Although I have never been a self-proclaimed wordsmith as Ms. Vallowe obviously had been for years, I related to her journey. Not only did she grow up in Northern Virginia like I did, she never considered herself an inept writer—a possibility that I could not fathom about myself. Then, at some point, we both began to question our own ability and to question who we really were.
The Alchemist is a famous book written by Paulo Coelho. It’s about a shepherd named Santiago who travels from his homeland Spain to the Pyramids in Egypt. He does this to find a treasure he was told about. Along his hard journey, he meets some people along the way like a gypsy woman and a king in disguise who all direct him towards his quest. He doesn’t let the obstacles stop him toward his goal and eventually he finds his treasure.
In the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, there are multiple prominent themes. The book talks of omens and treasure and many other physical things as well as ideas, such as the Soul of the World, the Language of the World, and Personal Legends. The most important and relevant theme in The Alchemist is perseverance. The main character Santiago perseveres through many obstacles that come in his path.
In the story the alchemist it is discovered that there are many different things in life to look forward to. There is also something in the story that is a moral or your life´s destiny called your personal legend. Your personal legend is one of those things in life that some people look up to in the future. Santiago travels the world to pursue his personal legend. Santiago strived to find his personal legend with the help of people he met on the way to find treasure that he is destined to find , just to realize the treasure was where he had fallen asleep in the beginning of the book.
My final thoughts are that it's not the words that mean the most in a story it's what is said in between them. It’s the underlying meaning in a story, the characters feelings expressed through
Do you believe in religion or luck, or are you simply a person guided by science and mathematics. The Alchemist, a novel written by Paulo Coelho speaks of such ideas as fate, religion, and omens predicting the future. The book, due to its use of logic and ethos provides valid reasoning to support the idea that people are not in control of their own fate. Nearly every religion in the world is based on a being that can control or influence one’s fate.