...doubt that it won’t be an easy process, there will be obstacles, and there will be challenges, how you overcome these things are up to you. Your reaction to these hardships could in fact make it or break it. This process of achieving your dreams is shown in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. Coelho’s novel was written to show the importance of dreams and having something to live for. In an interview with a magazine, Coelho explained, “The Alchemist is about -- well, it is a fable about the necessity we have to follow our dreams.” Coelho also added, “They will lose their jobs, they will start having problems, but it is the only choice because in any case, you have to pay a price for your dreams,” when he was asked about the problems that may evoke when people would start chasing their dreams. To Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist was written to show the self sacrifice that needed to be made to follow your dreams. The Alchemist outlines the adventures of Santiago, as young shepherd, as he travels from his homeland in Spain to Egypt in search of a treasure that appears in his dreams. During this journey he meets many people such as a wise king, a merchant in fear to live out his dreams, his true love and the Alchemist. On the way to the pyramids, he comes across numerous difficulties and temptations but moves on undeterred to fulfill his dreams. Santiago must go on a journey alone, sacrificing his sheep, his love, and comfort of his...
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...Thales to Aristotle by G.E.R. Lloyd.) __________________________________________________________________ It is said that science began with the Greeks. However, development of science in Greece drew on the older, more mature cultures of Egypt and Babylonia. Scientific thought advanced and literature flourished in Babylon under King Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC) due to the stability of his reign. Babylonian astrologers kept records of the movement of planets and made detailed lists of stars and constellations. Known metals such as gold, silver, mercury, lead, tin, iron, and copper were matched with the brightest heavenly bodies: sun, moon, Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus respectively. Symbols assigned to these metals by the ancient Babylonians are used today by astronomers as the symbols for the planets. The early Greek (Presocratic) philosophers were particularly concerned about the origin of the universe and began to explain natural phenomenon by natural causes rather than supernatural acts. Philosophers who lived in Miletus (on the coast of modern-day Turkey) were the most influential early thinkers. Thales of Miletus (582 BC) suggested that water was the basic substance from which the universe is composed and thought the earth floated on water. Anaximander of Miletus (555 BC) challenged Thales’ work, wondering how fire, which is opposed to water, could have come into existence. He suggested the world was born when hot and cold separated from the "boundless," and air separated...
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...Even a short story taking place during the Great Depression and a novel about a young man's journey across a vast desert can have similarities. In the short story, “Marigolds”, by Eugenia Collier, the marigolds represent hope and all positive aspects. In the novel, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, there are profuse amounts of symbolism, yet the most noteworthy being that of alchemy which represents Santiago's, or the protagonists, need to rid himself of impurities. These symbols are similar seeing as the marigolds are too perfect amongst the destruction surrounding them, making them an impurity which Lizabeth, the primary character in “Marigolds,” destroys as her right of passage; equivalent to Santiago having to rid himself of impurities to...
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...1. Main Characters: Santiago the shepherd (is the protagonist and demonstrates the seeker and dreamer in everyone), Melchizedek, the king of Salem (the person that explained a personal legend to Santiago and tells him to follow his own legend), the crystal merchant (hires Santiago to work for him and talks about how he could never make a pilgrimage to Mecca and is a character who characterizes another by contrast), the Englishman (hopes to become an alchemist and he stands for the limits of knowledge from books), camel driver (represents living in the moment and obtaining wisdom from unlikely sources), the alchemist ( assists Santiago get to the pyramids), and Fatima (represents true love, selflessness and unconditional.) 2. In the novel the...
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....2. Definition of literary criticism Literary criticism is the study, analysis, and evaluation of imaginative literature. Everyone who expresses an opinion about a book, a song, a play, or a movie is a critic, but not everyone’s opinion is based upon thought, reflection, analysis, or consistently principles. A single thought does not reflect a complete criticism. To develop literary criticism or any type of academic criticism, a student needs to support his/her ideas with examples from the text. 4. Examples (Frankenstein and Hamlet) Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is an early product of the modern Western world. Written during the Romantic movement of the early 19th century, the book exemplifies themes that were born from the romantic era. The liberation of European revolutions came with high ideals and a strong belief in man's influence over his environment. In Shelley's novel, the reader can see the harsh reality that takes hold of such ideals. The book provides the concepts of the romantic disillusionment with the established order produced a crisis of idealism, faith in human perfectibility, and revolutionary energy. 6. Historical Analysis of the story How does the work reflect the time in which it was written? * In the XIX century, the creationism was in crisis, so that the positivism appeared, -although not totally- the faith in science replaced faith in God. In the story, science itself becomes religion not only for Aylmer but also for Georgina (along...
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...Introduction The Alchemist written by Paulo Coelho is a striking novel that exceeded my expectations. This essay will begin with a summary of the novel so that the reader may caption a clear philosophical vision it offers. Moreover, the purpose of this paper is to outline the main objective the novel portrays as well as its themes and connections within the text Interviewing In Action In A Multicultural Word by Bianca Cody Murphy and Carolyn Dillon. Also, philosophical views or opinions gained from reading the novel that I deemed to be contradictory to the text will be mentioned and discussed due to the importance of differential views and beliefs. As well, I will consider the options the material this book offers in regards to the influence...
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...Jared Filart Mr. E.P Salazar Year IV-A March 7, 2014 Maturity over Message? The Little Prince written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is one of the most controversial novels of its time. It reflects the main ideas about relationships. The Alchemist on the other hand is about one person, named Santiago, who tries to achieve his personal legend. This personal legend is his goal in life. Despite some differences in the notion of maturity as present in these two texts, they both exhibit the theme of observing not only through the eyes but with the heart. I. The Little Prince a. The Quest of the Little Prince The topic regarding the quest of The Little Prince, somewhat is a debatable subject because of the fact that it was not explicitly stated, although despite this, it was seen in the story that he was searching for his true purpose. At the start, the Little Prince asked questions stubbornly just like any child would. This was not his true purpose, but it is related to it. Children are naturally curious and want to explore without knowing it. In the book, the Little Prince was actually “bored” of his planet. This was seen with the fact that throughout the course of the book, he was only in his planet for a few days; he spent the rest of the time exploring other planets because he was fed up with his rose. He wanted to give the rose some space, and by doing so, he left his planet and actually found his true purpose, which was to look for answers to life. ...
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...A preconceived notion is that it seeks the elixir to life, and the perfect replica of gold. Historical texts can in fact prove that alchemists employed chemical substances and scientific thinking. So why did alchemy die off by the late 1700s? To answer this we go back to the beginning. Perhaps the earliest documented alchemical practices can be dated back to 800 B.C, China, where Taoist traditions began to emerge. The taoists believed that there was a medicine composed of a secret metallurgic recipe that resulted in “drinkable gold”. It would provide the consumer with physical immortality. To the West, in 450 B.C Empedocles of ancient Greece were applying rationalistic explanations to occurrences in nature, rather than empirical ones (Marks,6). He proposed the theory of four elements and assumed that everything was made up of four pure elements: fire, air, water, and earth...
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...Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist Page 1 / 94 The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho Translated by Alan R. Clarke. Published 1992. ISBN 0-7225-3293-8. = CONTENTS = Part One Part Two Epilogue PART ONE The boy's name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood. He decided to spend the night there. He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined gate, and then laid some planks across it to prevent the flock from wandering away during the night. There were no wolves in the region, but once an animal had strayed during the night, and the boy had had to spend the entire next day searching for it. He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down, using the book he had just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable pillows. It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see the stars through the half-destroyed roof. Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist Page 2 / 94 I wanted to sleep a little longer, he thought. He had had the same dream that night as a week ago, and once again he had awakened before it ended. He arose and, taking up his crook, began to awaken the sheep that still slept. He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of his animals also began to stir. It was as if some mysterious...
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...The Alchemist Paulo Coelho Translated by Alan R. Clarke. Published 1992. ISBN 0-7225-3293-8. PART ONE The boy's name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood. He decided to spend the night there. He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined gate, and then laid some planks across it to prevent the flock from wandering away during the night. There were no wolves in the region, but once an animal had strayed during the night, and the boy had had to spend the entire next day searching for it. He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down, using the book he had just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable pillows. It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see the stars through the halfdestroyed roof. I wanted to sleep a little longer, he thought. He had had the same dream that night as a week ago, and once again he had awakened before it ended. He arose and, taking up his crook, began to awaken the sheep that still slept. He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of his animals also began to stir. It was as if some mysterious energy bound his life to that of the sheep, with whom he had spent the past two years, leading them through the countryside in search of food and water. "They...
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...Ben Jonson (1572–1637). The Alchemist. The Harvard Classics. 1909–14. | | | | |Introductory Note | | | | | |BEN JONSON was born of poor parents at Westminster in 1573. Through the influence of Camden, the antiquary, he got a good | 1| |education at Westminster School; but he does not seem to have gone to a University, though later both Oxford and Cambridge gave | | |him degrees. In his youth he practised for a time his stepfather’s trade of bricklaying, and he served as a soldier in Flanders. | | | It was probably about 1595 that he began to write for the stage, and within a few years he was recognized as a distinguished | 2| |playwright. His comedy of “Every Man in His Humour” was not only a great immediate success, but founded a school of satirical | | |drama in England. “Sejanus” and “Catiline” were less popular, but are impressive pictures of Roman life, less interesting but more| | |accurate than the Roman plays of Shakespeare. ...
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...The Alchemist Paulo Coelho Translated by Alan R. Clarke. Published 1992. ISBN 0-7225-3293-8. PART ONE The boy's name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood. He decided to spend the night there. He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined gate, and then laid some planks across it to prevent the flock from wandering away during the night. There were no wolves in the region, but once an animal had strayed during the night, and the boy had had to spend the entire next day searching for it. He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down, using the book he had just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable pillows. It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see the stars through the halfdestroyed roof. I wanted to sleep a little longer, he thought. He had had the same dream that night as a week ago, and once again he had awakened before it ended. He arose and, taking up his crook, began to awaken the sheep that still slept. He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of his animals also began to stir. It was as if some mysterious energy bound his life to that of the sheep, with whom he had spent the past two years, leading them through the countryside in search of food and water. "They...
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...sense, symbolism of any text is a link that unites the factual and metaphoric plans. So, Hawthorne’s symbolism in Birthmark is his way to tell the readers more than he actually says by writing a science fiction story. The character trying to remove his wife’s birthmark is an example of human obsession with perfection, which makes the modern world sick. Yet, imperfection is the sign of being alive, so it is impossible to reach perfection without dying. Besides, the characters of Aylmer and Georgiana are symbols, too, and embody science and nature, respectively. Finally, the symbolism of the story reveals the issue of repressed and sick femininity. Speaking of symbolism, it is quite natural that it is Georgiana’s birthmark that is the core symbol. Aylmer is a successful scientist whose discoveries border on the supernatural. He seems to be quite happy with his beautiful wife, yet it suddenly strikes him that her birthmark is a spot that tars her beauty. As a researcher and alchemist, he is obsessed with achieving the maximum result, and it is true that artificially created objects can be flawless unlike living people. However, he is so deepened into the realm of science and technology, that he sees his whole life through that lens, and is unable to appreciate nature as it is. Because of this Georgiana becomes an object of him manipulation, and at this moment the man is far from being in love with her as she is. The symbolism of the birthmark reveals an idea that people strive for...
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...The Ritual Use of Ayahuasca: The Healing Effects of Symbolic and Mythological Participation Biography Justin Panneck is a faculty member for Colorado Technical University and holds a PhD in Health Psychology from Walden University. He conducted a recent case study on the spiritual experience of practitioners in the Santo Daime Church. Based on his ayahuasca visions, Justin wrote and published a fictional book entitled The Knight of Dark Wood: The Last Tree Whisperer, which includes themes related to mythology and consciousness. He has spoken at several conferences in San Francisco on a topics related to Jungian psychology, archetypes, mythology and plant-based visionary states. He lives in Portland, OR. The Ritual Use of Ayahuasca: The Healing Effects of Symbolic and Mythological Participation Mythology and alchemy are significant aspects of humanity that have been lost in the modern world but carry important messages and tools for integrating various levels of the unconscious as well as engendering purpose and enhancing creativity and spirituality. Ayahuasca, and other entheogens (e.g., psilocybin, LSD, salvia divinorum, etc.) may serve as psycho-enrichment technologies (PETs) that enhance cognition, boost creativity and spirituality, and create harmonious relationships with others. The use of ayahuasca in a ritual setting has been found to stimulate optimal living through the integration of mythological, alchemical, and archetypal motifs into daily life. Ritual...
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...www.hbr.org Leaders are made, not born, and how they develop is critical for organizational change. Seven Transformations of Leadership by David Rooke and William R. Torbert Reprint R0504D Leaders are made, not born, and how they develop is critical for organizational change. Seven Transformations of Leadership by David Rooke and William R. Torbert COPYRIGHT © 2005 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Most developmental psychologists agree that what differentiates leaders is not so much their philosophy of leadership, their personality, or their style of management. Rather, it’s their internal “action logic”—how they interpret their surroundings and react when their power or safety is challenged. Relatively few leaders, however, try to understand their own action logic, and fewer still have explored the possibility of changing it. They should, because we’ve found that leaders who do undertake a voyage of personal understanding and development can transform not only their own capabilities but also those of their companies. In our close collaboration with psychologist Susanne CookGreuter—and our 25 years of extensive survey-based consulting at companies such as Deutsche Bank, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Hewlett-Packard, NSA, Trillium Asset Management, Aviva, and Volvo—we’ve worked with thousands of executives as they’ve tried to develop their leadership skills. The good news is that leaders who make an effort to un- derstand their own action...
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