Sonoran Desert

The Alchemist is about a shepherd named Santiago from a town in Spain, who has a recurring dream about a treasure buried next to the pyramids of Egypt. He meets a man who claims to be the King of Salem, telling Santiago that his Personal Journey is to search for his treasure. The king gives Santiago two stones called Urim and Thummim, which will help him in his times of need. On his journey, he meets an Englishman who introduces him to alchemy. They stop in Al-Fayoum to avoid any interaction…

“Jackals... Fucking assholes.” Usually, he has no problems with the jackals; they are the messengers of the desert, traveling territory-to-territory in turn for the carcasses scattered throughout. Food is scarce in the Western Desert, and they have made pacts with the Spectres in order to survive. Everyday jackals (those who have not been claimed as minions, who are mortal and wild), they mostly traverse the long distances the Harvesters loathe to cross, delivering messages and surveying the…

Similarities and differences of the Outback & Island of Prospera In the movie Walkabout the setting is mostly in the Australian outback. The outback is depicted as a desert, extremely hot, flat for miles then hilly for a little bit, but there is still signs of life. The movie the Tempest takes place on the Island of Prospera the island is dark, gloomy and dry there is some life there but not much. In this paper I will be compare and contrasting the outback in Walkabout with the Island of…

A fellow desert traveler and student of the language of omens, the Englishman and Santiago seem to have quite similar goals and experiences to unite them. In fact, they coincidentally both need to find the Alchemist in order to achieve their respective personal legends…

Throughout The Alchemist by: Paulo Coelho there are moments in which Santiago is purifying himself by understanding nature and the deeper aspects of life. These ultimately lead him to finding the treasure at the end but the real treasure was the life lessons learned. The author uses symbolism, character development and allegories to develop the theme that true wisdom is all about purifying the soul, community with the universe, and finding the hidden treasures of life. The authors use of…

the wrong place at the wrong time. Upon being unjustly sentenced, he decides to spend 18 months at “Camp Green Lake” instead of prison. Unfortunately, all does not go to plan for Stanley as it turns out he must dig a hole a day for 18 months in the desert. One question lingers in Stanley’s head. What are they looking for? In the search for a hundred year old treasure, the main character Stanley will make friendships, fulfill an age old prophecy, and see where fate will take him next. The…

testing our strength by first crossing through the Taklamakan Desert we spent a few months in Lob resting before crossing the Gobi. While in Lob, I met many many skeptical merchants with lots to say in regards to how hard it is to cross the desert. I heard many stories of terrible hardships that would occur to others when crossing the Gobi accompanied by talk of spirits that lure travelers to their death. (Polo, 148) Warnings that the desert was haunted and mirages meant drink more water…

I believe that Santiago had many mentors including the sun, the alchemist, King Melchizedek, and, like Maggie said, the sheep. I believe that the sheep were mentors to Santiago because he learned that most things follow a pattern. His daily life depended on the sheep, and they depended on him. Santiago states, "... he realized that it could be the other way around: that it was he who had become accustomed to their schedule" (page 4). I believe this quote shows how the sheep are somewhat a…

the billowing smog and myriad freeways of the Los Angeles region, you'll find a peaceful surprise in Yucca Valley, home of the incomparably odd Joshua trees and J-Tree National Park, as well as the kitschy, quaint wild west wilderness of the high desert. You’ll encounter the mix of military from the Marine base in nearby 29 Palms, musical free-spirits, hippies, cowboys and solitary spiritualists at the incomparable Pappy and Harriet’s roadhouse, on the edge of 1950s-movie-set-turned-homage,…

Sudan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Constant war is always going on, and to be a child in the mix is very horrifying. It’s very hard and scary to try to be a leader knowing you could die at any given moment. In the book, A Long Walk to Water, two different stories with two main characters, Salva and Nya. Both stories take place in Sudan. While war is happening, surviving is far more important than anything else. In Linda Sue Park's’ novel, you’ll keep wanting to read more…