Step One

One key lighting element in a film adaptation of The Arabian Nights would be to make a definitive contrast in the lighting used in the real-life scenes between the captive princess and the king and the lighting used in scenes involving stories being told…

conspires to help that person to realize his dream” (114). What the alchemist means is that whenever a person has that strong desire and that highly anticipated motivation, nothing can stop that person from realizing and achieving his dream. This was one of the lessons that Santiago learned throughout his journey. This helped me realize that in order for me to achieve my goal which is succeeding in my academics at San Jose State University, I must have some motivation and desire. Nothing can…

Alchemist. The Alchemist reveals that one must have the courage to follow their destiny, for otherwise, they will hold themselves back from happiness. Coelho uses foil, symbolism, and personification to further develop this theme. Today’s readers can apply Santiago’s story to their own life, as a lesson to follow their calling. Throughout The Alchemist, Coelho uses foil characters to represent how Santiago’s life could be if he does not follow his personal legend. One foil is the crystal…

“It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” (Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist). In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, a shepherd boy named Santiago is on a mission to find his personal legend. In this book, there are two themes that mainly stand out, personal legend and Faith/positive thinking. In The Alchemist, Santiago follows his personal legend. It starts with a dream that keeps recurring every night. This then leads to a curiosity to find out what it means. He…

historical records show that cannabis was used in 4000 B.C. in Central Asia and North West China. The use of the coca leaf, which holds the primary ingredient to make cocaine, was used as early as 3000 B.C in the Andeans Mountain range in South America. One of the oldest uses of psychoactive substances dates back even further. The cultivation and use of opium dates back as early as 4,200 B.C. in Europe. In ancient times psychoactive drugs were mainly used for medical purposes and religious…

active members sat in the front of the room and the members that were either new or mandated to attend sat in the back. I listened as members went around the room and introduced themselves. They would share their progress as well as relapses in the 12 step program. I was surprised to also learn that the meetings where spiritually centered and referred to “God” a lot. I noticed that members who were not religious, used terms such as “higher being” rather than “God.” I observed that veteran…

Nobody wakes up one morning and decides that today is the day they will try and get addicted to drugs or alcohol. There usually is a lot of underlying circumstance such as abuse, learned behavior, coping, or peer pressure to name a few. The problem is not in experimenting with a substance one time, it is when that experimentation leads to an addiction that overtakes a person’s life and starts to ruin it. The good news is there is help available, the addicted just has to want to get the help they…

Cassandra Clare once pointed out the importance of reading and comparing literature when she said, “Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry.” The similarities between “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson are striking, and they deserve thorough examination. In “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard thought that her husband died, but when she found out that he was actually still alive, she died of shock. In “Richard…

Jackson uses these literary devices to emphasize the idea that people will follow traditions blindly if that was how they were raised. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a short story about a strange tradition. Once a year, the town gathers together and one member from each household’s name is put into a drawing. When a person’s name is drawn, their entire family has to come forward to draw a slip of paper from the black box. The family member that gets the paper with the black dot becomes the…

Thousand and One Nights is not thought of as influential literary piece. The revolutionary ideas this story conveys, considering that The Thousand and One Nights was written in the thirteenth century, is simply astounding. Alf Layla Wa-Layla’s The Thousand and One Nights had a resounding impact upon women’s rights and literature throughout the years to this day. In The…