“The Instructors” The Alchemist
In the Alchemist a boy named Santiago who requested to become a shepherd and explore the world, but his parents asked him to be a priest. When he told his parents he wanted to travel, his father gave him three coins and his blessings. On his journey he met these people who ended up being his “teachers” and learns a few lessons from them on his way to the pyramids. He met the King of Salem named Melchizedek who educated him the soul of the world and his personal legend, the Alchemist who informed him to do what you have to do and on the way there you lose a few things but gain some at the end, and the Crystal Merchant who also coached him that it’s not dreadful to dream about with your Personal Legend, all people work in different ways. All these
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When he met the king, he thought he was a regular old man but he really was a ruler of a state. As Santiago advised him about his traveling, the king was willing to help but in exchange, the king get one tenth of his flock. The King also taught him the Soul of the World, in “ It’s what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is”.(12 on pdf) Furthermore, in this quote the king explains what a personal legend is and it transformed his journey not only about finding his treasure, but him finding out his Personal Legend and understanding the Soul of the World. Secondly, he met the Alchemist, who Santiago was horrified of. In “We are afraid of losing what we have we have weather it’s our life or our possessions or our boss”. ( on pdf) Regarding this quote it explains how Santiago faces many obstacles in his journey, but he also feels to leave his quest, because he won 't lose what he already had. Specifically, he promised to give one tenth of his sheep to Melchizedek, falling short on money he earned to the crystal merchant, and in the oasis he fears of losing
Santiago's epiphany leads to him pushing forward and finishing his journey of achieving his ultimate treasure of hope and
Santiago shows the theme of personal legend when he has a reoccurring dream of treasure in Egypt near the pyramids. Santiago dreamt of traveling for his whole life, which is why he became a shepherd in the first place. While in Spain, Santiago meets Melchizedek, the king of Salem, and as they talk with one another the old king says to Santiago “You are trying to realize your Personal Legend. And you are at the point where you’re about to give it all up” (Coelho 25).
While at the Oasis of Al-Fayoum, the elder chieftain of the oasis tells Santiago the story of Joseph of Egypt. Joseph was enslaved for being a dreamer, but he persevered and managed to become an important counselor to the Pharaoh of Egypt. This Personal Legend could have suited Santiago because of his connection to the Soul of the World. The Soul of the World is a spiritual unity that binds all forms of nature together. Santiago knew he wanted to follow his dreams; it was helpful when he learned that “When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it” because he knew he was now destined to complete his goal, and not somebody else’s (Coelho 64).
When Santiago meets the Alchemist, he transforms into a new and improved person. With this, he realizes many things and confesses that his love for a woman named Fatima is worth a lot more than the treasure his needs to find. The alchemist
If you bring love to that moment not discouragement you will find the strength there. " That quote goes well when Santiago decides to persuade with finding his legend even though he could of went back as a rich shepherd, instead he followed with it and went to Egypt, got all his stuff stolen, and
Santiago's temptation is when he has the choice whether or not to stay with Fatima and abandon his Personal Legend. After leaving Fatima he has a difficult time coping with the separation, even if Fatima is a woman of the desert, who knows he will return. The Alchemist offers him a sole piece of advice, “love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend.” (120) Santiago’s heart is aching for the loving arms of Fatima. He realizes that he needs to focus on what he needs, pursuing his Personal Legend and not what he desires to be with Fatima.
You just have to read the omens that he left for you” (29). The King, is actually an omen himself. He was put in Santiago’s path so he could start to realize what omens are. If the King had never told Santiago about omens, he would have remained where he is comfortable as a sheep herder. The King of Salem also reminds Santiago that everyone should pursue their personal legends.
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.
The decision was difficult as both options don’t provide him a steady choice. As being a shepherd does not promise him to be with the merchant daughter and for finding a treasure he need to give up his well settled life. But at the end he chose to find treasure as it allows him to purse his personal legend or dram of travelling throughout the world. He always considers his choice before taking a decision this can be seen through this conversation of Santiago with himself, “Here, I am between my flock and my treasure, the boy thought. He had to choose between something he had become accustomed to and something he wanted to have.
During his journey, Santiago receives knowledge that he treasures and uses on his behalf when he hopes to achieve his personal legend. During his time with the Crystal merchant Santiago learned the five sacred obligations of all Muslims, and he learned that the Pyramids were not nearly as close as he thought when he arrived in Africa. During his time with the Alchemist he learned how to find life in the desert, and how to
This is illuminated when the Alchemist says, “‘There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure’” (141). This particular moment shows that even though Santiago has both the ability and the knowledge to achieve his dream, it is impossible to attain it if he fears even attempting to reach it. Consequently, this fear acts as his enemy and a barrier that stands in the way of the meaningful and happy life he is destined to accomplish. Furthermore, another one of his fears is the fear of losing what he believes he has already earned. ” He reminded himself that he had been a shepherd and that he could be a shepherd again.
Santiago has an epiphany when he realizes that if you never change and take risks you will never move forward. He wants to find his “personal legend,” or true desire, and to obtain this he needs to change his own nature. He must be willing to give up whatever is necessary to achieve this goal, including freedom. On Santiago’s journey he becomes employed by a crystal merchant that never achieved his personal legend. The merchant resisted change and never accomplished his dreams.
A personal legend is not just the result found at the end of Santiago's life. It’s more than simply reaching final destination. Santiago personal legend is achieved when he completes what he is doing. “It’s true that everything has it’s personal legend ,but one day that personal legend will be realized ,so each thing has to transform itself into something better ,and to acquire a new personal legend, until someday, the soul of the world becomes one only thing.”
He thought it’s waste of time and money. Later in the novel, the man who beats Santiago does not believe his own dream, but when he describes his dream to Santiago, Santiago recognizes it as an omen telling him where to find the treasure (Coelho 167). Thus, it’s the person loss as he ignored dream. The importance of actual, sleeping dreams parallels the importance of personal, symbolic dreams as embodied by Personal Legends. Thus, dreams require backbreaking work and determination to sacrifice anything to make it come true.
As Ban Ki Moon once stated; “Migration is an expression of the human aspiration for a better future.” All migration accomplished by mankind has followed a consistent pattern of looking for a better living. In Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, we can see this similarity. Migration is greatly influenced by geography. Human Geography is the study of the interaction between human beings and their surrounding environment.