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Personal Legend In The Alchemist

337 Words2 Pages
A personal legend is your purpose of life. It is your life calling that opens a deep wanting to live your life with a purpose of something greater than yourself. In this book, The Alchemist, Santiago is looking for his personal legend. The author, Paulo Coelho, uses a shepherd to characterise the theme of one's personal legend. Coelho shows that Santiago is trying to go through his journey and personal legend, through other people. Santiago is a man that is trying to become a shepherd. He has sixty sheep that he has to care for and watch. Santiago went on his journey so that he could shear his sheep. When he was traveling he ran into a man who was trying to sell crystals. The man was the first to mention personal legends and treasure then
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777 Words | 4 Pages

I say that the Crystal Merchant is his mentor because he gave him advice, what to do. The Camel Driver is the helper because he told santiago how to get across the desert. The Crystal Merchant lets Santiago know that he doesn't like change because he is used to the way he lives. He will not be going on the quest that Santiago set.” I don’t want to change anything, because I don’t know how to deal with change.

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711 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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1176 Words | 5 Pages

The Hero’s Journey couldn’t be fulfilled without helpers and mentors to our protagonist. Santiago never could've found his treasure without the king, Edmond wouldn’t had even dreamed of making it out of prison without the support of Abbe, and Odysseus wouldn’t have been able to make it home without Athena. Most journeys have more than one helper. They can come at different times and have smaller or bigger parts. Each hero need something different from their mentor, and their mentors shape them into the hero we know today.

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1587 Words | 7 Pages

Here, Santiago realized that everything is connected as it is created by the same hand. Santiago grew because, by once realizing this, he was able to communicate with the wind, desert, and sun, which is also the Soul of the World that saved his life. Another example is when Santiago fell in love with Fatima. “It was the pure Language of the World. It required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travel through endless time…

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503 Words | 3 Pages

In the book the Alchemist (by Paulo Coelho) Santiago learns many things along the way to achieving his personal legend. He gained skills and experience in things across the board, from how to clean crystals, to the 5 obligations of Muslims, to the basics of alchemy. Santiago learns from the wise, and educated, but also learns the meaning of a true friendship. Overall it is true that reaching one 's personal legend is life 's greatest treasure, but often the journey is just as valuable.

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532 Words | 3 Pages

By continuing he finds his true inner strength. In the story, the author shows the importance of perseverance, and how to face the many obstacles that people are presented in their lives to complete their goal. In Coelho's novel, Santiago faces many difficult challenges, but because of his courage and perseverance, he is able to face them head on. While in the town of Tarifa, Santiago meets

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808 Words | 4 Pages

Santiago goes on a journey facing crisis and complications of self-doubt, fear, and uncertainty, but remains determined and committed to fulfilling a Personal Legend. Santiago is finally transformed

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657 Words | 3 Pages

To add on, the Merchant said, “You dream about your sheep and the pyramids, but you're different from me, because you want to realize your dreams. ”(Coelho pg 12) The merchant was trying to teach Santiago that it's important for him to go for his dreams and he realizes that Santiago has the potential do something with his dream and to make his dream come true which is different than most people.

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1552 Words | 7 Pages

1. In the prologue, the alchemist reads a version if the story of the death of Narcissus that has a somewhat different ending from the traditional telling, one that emphasizes the grief of the lake into which Narcissus will no longer be looking at his reflection. In beginning the book with this story, what themes and relationships is Coelho telling us to watch for throughout Santiago’s story? Do you think there may be an element of “narcissism” in the pursuit of one’s personal legend?

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383 Words | 2 Pages

I am sorry I have not written in so long, but I have much to tell you. The money I’ve earned is enough to join a caravan headed for Egypt, so I joined them. There is a man I call The Englishman, who I met while we were travelling. He likes to read, just like me, and he is pursuing his Personal Legend. The dream he has is to learn from a man that can turn lead into gold, The Alchemist, who is said to be in The Oasis.

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540 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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318 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho creates many themes primarily exhibited through Santiago's journey and the words of the Alchemist. One of the biggest themes that is evident throughout the entirety of the novel is the idea that there is always something more to live for in life. Towards the introductory phase of the story, the reader understands that Santiago is happy with his life and can ask for nothing more. However, his mentality of satisfaction is quickly lost as Santiago is informed that he must fulfill his personal legend by venturing to the Great Pyramids and finding expensive treasure. Throughout his journey, Santiago faces many hardships such as getting scammed and even deals with points where he considers death and giving up

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1332 Words | 6 Pages

In Paulo Coelho 's book The Alchemist, Coelho suggests that life is valuable when there is balance of the pursuit of a “personal legend”, and being happy. Early in the book the protagonist meets a wise-old king, who educates him on life and its purpose. The wise old man tells a story of a boy who sought the same answer as he did, in his story the boy meets this all-knowing wise man and asks for the meaning of life. The old-man gives him the menial task of balancing oil in a spoon and to see the beauty of his house.

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1191 Words | 5 Pages

In the world where humans reside in today, a vast diversity of individuals strive towards their ultimate goals; one may endeavor to become a prestigious actor or perhaps a contented engineer. These varied, ultimate goals are “Personal Legends”; this phrase appeared in Paulo Coelho’s best-selling novel, The Alchemist, and he concretely defines the peculiar term “Personal Legend”. Throughout this novel, Santiago, a youthful shepherd, strived to follow his Personal Legend, finding treasure at the Egyptian Pyramids; he encountered numerous hindrances as well as meeting various individuals that guided him closer to the inevitable goal. Near the beginning of the book, Coelho elaborated, utilizing the technique of dialogue, that “[A Personal Legend

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83 Words | 1 Pages

In the book The Alchemist, it is said that to lead a satisfying life you must first complete your personal legend. Before Santiago met Melchizedek (King of Salem) he did not know what a personal legend was. Melchizedek said it is what you have always wanted to accomplish (Coelho 23). Throughout the book, Santiago was pursuing his personal legend and overcoming many obstacles like losing all of his money, working as a crystal merchant, crossing the desert and turning himself into the

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