The Alchemist Song Analysis Essay

An additional lesson left by Santiago in the story is if you want to achieve your personal legend, you have to respond to the omens (54). An omen is a sign that may lead you to something more significant. One example in the book of an omen is Santiago was in the merchant shop and he gazed upon the omen rocks, he felt that this was guidance to stay and work in the merchant’s shop. By following these signs or omens, it will lead us to what is meant to be. I don’t agree particularly that a rock can decide your fate but I do believe that we are given signs and gut feelings that can help us along the way make decisions. When we are achieving our personal legend, lessons can be the gift we leave behind of the legend we have created.

I believe he takes what he tried to teach him more seriously. I thought this was a big quote and statement for Santiago’s destiny. I believe at the beginning of the book Santiago was not at Free will even though he chooses to become a Shepard instead of a priest. Santiago later in the book meets the Crystal merchant which he grows to love and respect. Even though Santiago enjoys his time at the store his still wants to follow his personal legend. At all time during this book I felt Santiago controlled his free will and made choices to continue forward. He had several obstacles and but we able to be worked through. He experienced theft, love and to be humble along his way to the pyramids. All these obstacles are not easy on life and for him to handle in one journey is amazing. Santiago made a big consequence when he met the love of his life. Even though she told him she was going to wait for him he still didn’t want to. She only will marry him if he completes his journey to the pyramids. This could have been a big lose for him but he never lost track of his destiny. Another example that Santiago showed free will was when he meets the Alchemist and he teaches Santiago about being

Throughout the book, Coelho addresses the attractive quality and the sense of security that wealth and acceptable social status bring. Nevertheless, he also illustrates that one must reject the lure of riches and reputation in order to attain one’s highest potential. At first, Santiago ignores his dream to travel to Egypt because of his strong desire to earn back the money that he has lost due to the robbery. As such, Santiago becomes employed at a crystal shop and works “incessantly, thinking only of putting aside enough money so that he could return to Spain with pride” (62). Instead of saving his money for a trip across the Sahara desert to pursue his dream, at this time, Santiago wishes to return to Spain to become a shepherd once again. Here, Santiago is tempted to permanently settle down and live among people. Furthermore, Santiago also encounters a group of tribesmen and becomes a prisoner along with the alchemist. When the alchemist gives up all of Santiago’s gold, Santiago gets upset and says “You gave them everything I had! Everything I’ve saved in my entire life!” (141). Santiago is frustrated because he has saved up enough to live a life luxurious back home. Although Santiago’s sacrifice of wealth is unwillingly done by another individual, it allows him to continue his path of becoming his Personal Legend as it spares his life. By sacrificing his earthly desire and obsession with fortune, Santiago’s

The Narrator explains that people can’t always do things they would like to do. In the novel, Santiago runs into dilemmas, but improvised to still continue his

Santiago’s dream sequence mentioned at the beginning of the novella is one of the most significant symbols in the novella. He dreams that “he was going

The foreshadowing in this novel prepares readers for decisions Santiago will make later on. This idea is evident when Santiago is explaining to the king why he is shepherd. "They wanted me to be a priest, but I decided to become a shepherd." "Because you really like to travel."" (Coelho 18). When the King completes Santiago's claim by saying that he loves to travel, an inference can be that he will make decisions that will keep him traveling. For example, he decides to keep going on his personal legend instead of staying with Fatima. Nonconformity is seen when Santiago tells the King that even though his parents want him to be a priest, he decides to become a shepherd. In using foreshadowing, Coelho also manages to implant symbolism in the same idea.

Throughout Santiago’s journey, he had several setbacks. As Santiago begins his journey to his treasure, he enters the continent of Africa and stops at a bar. Santiago then meets a man he thinks he can trust. After entrusting the entrusting the man with his money, Santiago gets robbed and never sees the man or his money again. After that experience, Santiago learns it is difficult to trust people. This was a the first of a few major setbacks for him. In Africa with no money, Santiago has to find a job. I think of that as a set back, it took Santiago an extra year to get to his treasure. Santiago worked for one year and when he gained enough money to continue his journey towards his treasure he moves on. Not too long after Santiago’s first

The three appeals of logos, ethos and pathos are used to varying degrees in the songs to present a message of hope to the African American community in light of racial discrimination, specifically segregation. In presenting his message, Cooke takes the audience through his life in an anecdotal form. This topic of invention displays how the song is structured in a logical order, from the description of his humble beginnings “I was born by the river in a little tent” to the final message “a change gonna come, oh yes it will”. The logic of his song is structured through five verses, where all verses except the fourth verse concludes in the same way.

I'm going to hate those who have found their treasure because I never found mine, and I'm going to hold on to what little I have because I'm too insignificant to conquer the world.” In this quote Santiago is saying that he will never

The song "The message" by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five depicts the struggle of young black adults growing up in society. The struggle to make it out of poverty can be compared to survival of the fittest in a jungle. Only the strong would survive and adapt to the changes to fit in. Trying their best to make a betterment with whatever little society offers. Being a young black African American in the early 1980's was not easy. It was easier to live the fast life and gain fast money by being part of the drug community. Drugs, guns, and money was glamorized and this is what the young adults looked at as a means of getting rich. In the songs, a young man talks about how he is trying hard to hold on to the little bit of sanity he has left in his soul. He talks about the struggle he endures while trying not to get pushed over the edge. He was born an innocent child who's blind to the ways of mind kind. Growing up he faced many challenges and had to fight

Soon after, Santiago is forced to work for a crystal merchant in the hopes of replacing his lost money and continuing on his quest. He works for the merchant for eleven months and during this time, continues to think less and less of his Personal Legend. He becomes skilled in this practice and begins to work towards instead, replacing his flock of sheep and returning to his past lifestyle. During this time, Santiago perceived reaching the pyramids as an impossible feat claiming “Egypt was now just a distant dream for him” and that, like a mirage, it would always be just out of his reach (56). In this way, Coelho shows that Santiago’s morale is lessening. The more that he stays at the crystal shop, the more he sees his treasure as a mirage instead of a physical object.

The Imagine Dragons song “Smoke and Mirrors” aligns with Santiago’s inability to make a decision on where he wants to go. All through Santiago’s adventure to complete his personal legend, Santiago had to make multiple decisions, including the choice to search for his “treasure” and “abandon” a girl named Fatima, or stay with “a woman of the desert” for the rest of his time. (Coelho 122) Correspondingly in “Smoke and Mirrors,” the singer is unable to choose the best path, so the singer asks his heart for help. The conflict began when Santiago launched his quest, where he worked for a crystal merchant. Although Santiago was making a good amount of money, he wanted to make more, so he suggested that the shop had a display case and some better

He also informs him about good and bad omens and teaches him how to look at his surroundings for signs and messages. Santiago begins his journey towards his Person Legend by selling his flock and buying a ticket to Tangier, Northern Africa. Much like how Paulo deserted the comfort of law school to travel the world and pursue his dream, Santiago deserted his sheep in search of his treasure. In Tangier, he gets robbed and ends up working for a crystal merchant in order to pay for his trip

        In the same way, Santiago faces numerous obstacles along his journey as well. On his journey when Santiago arrives in tangier, he meets a boy who is his age who speaks Spanish and offered to help him get to the pyramids. When they were about to leave the bar owner grabs Santiago and tells him something. “The boy push the owner aside and pulls Santiago outside with him” and tells him that “the owner wanted Santiago’s money” (Coelho, 37). But the owner of the bar was

Santiago plays a huge role in the theme is developed throughout the story. This is mostly due to how much the reader sees how Santiago changes as the novel progresses and as he gets closer to completing his Personal Legend. In the beginning of the story it is revealed that Santiago decided to abandon becoming a priest in favor of traveling, which can be interpreted as the earliest sign of change and transformation from the main character before his real journey begins. "I found these one day in the fields. I wanted them to be a part of your inheritance. But use them to buy your flock. Take to the fields, and someday you'll learn that our countryside is the best, and our women the most beautiful" (Coelho 18). Digging into the story more only leads to more examples of how Santiago changes. One major example that