Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. he wrote The Alchemist in 1987 has gone on to sell more than 30 million copies, becoming one of the best-selling books in history, and has been translated into more than 67 languages, winning the Guinness World Record for most translated book by a living author.
A young boy had a dream about a buried tresure hidden in the pyramids, and he decides to go for it in a trip full of adventure.A boy named Santiago meets a mysterious king named the king of Salem in Tarifa convinces Santiago that he has succeeded in discovering his Personal Legend. The old king tells Santiago that following his Personal Legend to its conclusion is a person’s only real obligation in life. i am planning to write about this king because he plays an important role in this story and makes a strong impact on santiago's life he assists Santiago in making the decision to go searching for his treasure, and although Santiago does not know it the old king is a god.
Santiago listens to his heart and decides to go on a dangerous search for the treasure. He sells his flock of sheep and heads to Africa, where he is quickly robbed of all his gold and left despondent on the streets. He decides that he was foolish to believe in his dreams and quickly gets a job with a crystal merchant in order to save up enough money to go back home.
The Crystal Merchant hires Santiago after he is robbed in Africa. Santiago has given up on his treasure and begins to transform the crystal shop. The merchant is a kindly man who is fair to Santiago, and even though he is afraid of change he takes Santiago’s advice about the shop. The money begins pouring in, and the shopkeeper is very grateful to Santiago.After almost a year working for the merchant, Santiago has made a success of the shop and has plenty of money to do whatever he wants. As he’s walking the streets to go back home he suddenly decides to take a chance and continue his search for the buried treasure.
This story has a very usual point that creates a feeling of real life, and i can identify it as love, because there is a part where Santiago joins a caravan and he meets a young girl named Fatima which is a young girl at the oasis. She is very beautiful, and as soon as Santiago sees her he loves her, and never wants to leave the oasis. She loves Santiago as well, and convinces him that he needs to go searching for his treasure, that she will wait for him to come back. after his encounter with the girl Santiago meets an Alchemist who has an important role in this story, i see this character as a supernatural aid who teaches Santiago about the Soul of the World, and also tells the boy that right before he’s about to discover his treasure he will be tested hardest. He also performs alchemy for Santiago just to show him it’s possible to turn minerals into gold.
In conclusion The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho its a very interesting story with a lot of literary elements, it has a very uplifting mood almost entirely through the novel. Even when Santiago stumbles or even falls on his path
to his treasure, we know he will get back up again and persevere, and it also teaches many important lessons, some of which will help anyone become a better human being "Anyone who interferes in the destiny of others will never discover his own."
-The Alchemist (Coelho) Study Guide. Web. May 24, 2010.
http://www.gradesaver.com/the-alchemist-coelho/study-guide/quotes/
-Paulo Coehlo. Web. May 24, 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Coelho
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Hi im lizzette from ENG103
ReplyDeleteWhat has the author done well? What stands out to the reader?
I think you did a good job in summarizing the book and describing the importance of certain characters.
Is the draft complete? What needs to be done today to get it to the next level by the end of class?
For the most part i think it's pretty complete. I think to further improve your essay you can go more in depth on the significance and meaning of the characters he meets and the concepts he gets taught(personal legend, Soul of the world..) because they do play an important role in his adventure and in him finding his treasure in the end.
Is the discussion of the work detailed? Can you “see” what is happening in the story?
Is the language clear? What problems do you see?
I have already read the book myself, but the summary is pretty clear itself. The language is clear, nothing really needs to be "clarified".
Does the author cite their sources properly (everyone should at least cite their story)? If in doubt, Google search a few passages.
Sources are cited properly..
I agree with Lizzette. The summary is fine, but that is pretty much all we have so far. We need a lot more interpretation. What does it mean? How are you looking at the story?
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