Paulo Coelho

Wikipedia defines ‘desert’ as a barren area of land where little precipitation occurs and consequently living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. Still, man has managed to settle in deserts near to oases and pursue life there. People cross vast expanses of this arid region to reach others places which are more wet and fertile. Travel through a desert is in itself a variant experience similar to a sea voyage or warfare. Because one requires contesting and thriving in unfavourable…

Scholars of Excellence Essay Union University has always been a keystone of my family’s educational tradition. Beginning with my paternal great-grandmother, the Gerrell family has had many graduates from the grounds of Union University, with the most recent being my brother whom graduated from the class of 2016. When I was accepted to the university, I was elated. Not only because I would be able to carry on the legacy put before me by my family as a fourth generation Unionite, but also because…

Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro 1947. He had expressed a passion for writing that his parents despised. He later was enrolled in multiple mental institutes and he managed to escape three times. He was finally released at the age of twenty and he got admitted to law school for his parent’s sake. He soon dropped out and engaged in drug abuse and lived like a hippie. He eventually went on a spiritual pilgrimage in Spain which changed his life. He had written the book Pilgrimage afterward…

Paulo Coelho creates mystery at first by naming this novel The Alchemist, because although the prologue is about the alchemist, he really is not apart of the story until about three-fourths the way through the book. I think that Coelho wants to convey that Santiago is like an alchemist. The definition of alchemy is any magical power or process of transmuting a common…

So it's better to listen to what it has to say. That way, you'll never have to expect something unreasonable along your way.” Paulo Coelho is trying to show that it is possible to achieve anything you want in life and that human imagination and desire is the start of it all. The Alchemist talks a lot about realizing your personal legend. “Personal Legend; It is what you have always…

According to Paulo Coelho, a Portuguese lyricist, and novelist, “Culture makes people understand each other better. And if they understand each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and political barriers. But first they have to understand that their neighbor is, in the end, just like them, with the same problems, the same questions, (Coelho, n.d.).” I would go further by saying that if we understand each other, we can overcome racial and cultural barriers. This…

“Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.” -Paulo Coelho. In the novel “Tangerine”, by Edward Bloor, Paul became braver throughout the story because of the actions of his mother. Paul's mother was fine with him going to Tangerine Middle, lied to him about his eyesight, and giving Paul the IEP. All of these decisions that Paul's mother made has affected Paul by making him braver in his everyday life. One choice that Paul's mother made was sending Paul to Tangerine Middle when…

happen to our young heroes. The dialogue in this book seems more suited for a YA novel, but the concepts are, simply put, mind-blowing. This book reminded me of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle and is written in a way that embodies the author Paulo Coelho. The novel is incredibly…

by Ray Bradbury, a fireman named Montag lives in a society where books are burnt because the knowledge inside them is not allowed to be spread. He discovers what information these books have through his journey in the novel. In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, a boy named Santiago embarks on a journey to achieve his Personal Legend. Throughout both novels, these protagonists meet new mentors which shape their outlook on life and allow them to follow their own morals. Journeys allows individuals to…

In creating my personal library, I’d include three books I’ve read recently: “The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho, “Divergent,” by Veronica Roth, and “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” by Betty Smith. Each appeals to me in different ways: one because of its message, another because of its literary style and genre and the last because of its character development. Together, though they deliver a powerful message I’d like my library readers to hear: develop strong morals while you journey through life,…