The Only Ones

personal and individual privacy. However, China has a different life-style. A lifestyle I had only heard at one point in my life in passing or seen briefly on the television on in movies. I would have never known how life was actually like if I did not have the privilege of working side-by-side at Citizens Bank and Trust with a woman named Liping Cai. Liping was no ordinary lady, and to fully understand her, one would have to get her to open up. Considering most of the employees at Citizens Bank…

The United States, a melting point of ethnicities, was founded as a nation of diverse populations coming together for one central goal: freedom. Years later and the definition of freedom has been distorted and altered. The country has seen racial and gender oppression of many sorts, from Native American residents to Mexican immigrants, that still continues in many ways today. With a surplus of ethnicities, there lie a surplus of cultures. These cultures represent themselves with different…

they both appear briefly in the story one of the most significant lessons Santiago learned was from the King of Salem, who disguised himself as an old man, and the Gypsy who interprets…

Santiago has changed throughout the entire book “The Alchemist” written by Paulo Coelho. Over many years he has gone through his personal legend shaping and forming him into the person he was destined to become. One of his most positive character traits that he has developed over his travels is that he is open to learning. Several times in the story Santiago mentions that his sheep have taught him many things and other characters as well. An example of this is, “...the sheep had taught him…

importance of destiny, along with overcoming the doubts that go along with that, in a straightforward form to simplify the journey of following one’s dreams. Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist follows an Andalusian shepherd named Santiago. Though the piece only names him as Santiago once, when introducing him, and proceeds to refer to him as “the…

alchemist; each teach him lessons that help him on his journey. In The Alchemist, Santiago realizes, with the assistance of helpers he meets along the way, that anything is possible if one works hard and believes that the task can be accomplished. The first of Santiago’s helpers is an…

The mere mention of the word death evokes fear, anxiety and restlessness. It preys on the young and old alike, the poor and rich, the strong and weak, the brave and the cowards. Because of its nature that remains to be a mystery, men and women have turned to poetry to vividly describe it, seeking to shed a glimpse of light on this “might foe” Such thoughts are captured in the two poems by John Donne, “Death, Be Not proud” and “The Tyger” by William Blake. For sure death is just a temporal state.…

"In order to arrive, you must follow the signs. God inscribed on the world the path that each man must follow." In the book, The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho emphasizes this quote to express that each one has its own Personal Destiny. Clearly, each one has a predestined path to follow; it is a matter of recognizing the importance of the choices people make in following it through. The author wants the readers to carefully recognize the signs as they journey toward their own destiny. In The Alchemist,…

already have. The point of this story is, don’t waste your precious time looking for something that may not be real, use that time to live happily with a family. The conflicts of the story are significant to the main character and the story in many ways, one of the small conflicts that affected the boy was losing some of his sheeps from his flocks causing him to be depressed for a good while. Some conflicts led the boy to depression and others to happiness. If it weren’t for him accidentally…

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams.” This quote is exactly why I chose the Alchemist as my novel. These are the lessons YOU need in your life. Good Morning Mrs Lamplough and class. Paulo Coelho the author of the incredible life changing novel, The Alchemist, a novel that is well-worthy for the Grade 12 Syllabus. This passionate story contrasts completely with the theme of death…