The Alchemist: Section 2 (51-90)
Signposts:
-Words of the Wiser- In this section, Santiago decided to pursue his Personal Legend and joined a caravan. There, he met and conversed with a lot of older and wiser men. One of these people was the camel driver, who he told stories to. When news of tribal wars spread, the man stayed calm, since he's only living in the moment. He proclaimed that you must live in the "present" to be happy. If you worry about unnecessary things, you are just stuck there, with no progress. This struck to the boy really well. Throughout Santiago's journey, he was always aware of the future and the present. He thought about his sheep, the thief, and the future walls; this only discouraged him to continue on his path. By being told these words, he can pay more attention to the jewels around him--just like the story about the wisest man and true happiness. If he only worries about one important thing, he won't have time to view the spectacular wonders in the world. A person must be able to balance the two. Life is rushed, and if you don't take time to enjoy it, it will end before you know it. Now that Santiago is aware of this, he can pay attention to his surroundings in the present, whether it be good or bad. After all, he did want to travel the world to discover new things. This journey is helping him with that, but he needs to indulge in it.
-Theme Tracker- Throughout The Alchemist so far, the theme of fate and destiny seemed to be showing through. From meeting King Melchizedek, the candy seller, and the glass merchant to the camel driver, Santiago noticed that the same chain was linking all these meetings together; certain events led to another event. The recurrent dream allowed him to meet the dream interpreter and the old man. This made him know his Personal Legend. Then, the thief made the boy meet the candy seller and the glass merchant. They were the ones that encouraged him to go on. Although, some of them led to feelings of giving up on his Personal Legend, Santiago eventually kept moving on. These all occurred for a reason. This is saying that fate fully controls your life. There is also the theme of "true" goals being depicted in this section. Just when Santiago have fully decided on going back to being a shepherd, he perceived that it didn't make him happy at all. He worked for a whole year to achieve it, yet this wasn't his real dreams. He knew deep inside that he wanted to purse his Personal Legend, and the glass maker helped him recognize this. A "filler" dream will never satisfy an individual. It only takes away and hinders your true path. After this, Santiago was able to continue on with his previous intentions in coming to Africa. In the end, happiness is your true goal in life.
Reflection/Reader Response:
From this part of the book, I love how Santiago was able to push himself back up when he fell into a slump. After getting all of his money stolen, he basically backed out on his original plans. However, after meeting certain people and rethinking, he was able to realize that becoming a shepherd again will only make him sad. Santiago just wants to pursue his Personal Legend and travel; he was able to continue to do this. This is really common in the lives of everyone today. Sometimes, dreams and goals seem too far and impossible to come true. In many cases, people just give up and go for a more probable future. This only creates miserable and sad people that don't like their jobs. But, because the novel's plot encourages people to keep pushing on, it helps the readers, who are lost, a lot. It gives them a little push. Even though it can't really change things, people who can actually strive toward their goals may possibly be successful. This section actually makes me think about my life. My true aspirations are also something that is too far-fetched, so I chose an alternative. Unlike Santiago, it doesn't seem like I really a choice. It is disheartening to think about my future, and I want to also go for my real dreams. But, there is no "king of Salem" in my life for me to continue. Instead, my close ones are actually blocking my path. But, by reading this book, it does give me a little more hope. For me, only time can really tell. I'll try to walk down the road I want, but if things don't work out, I will have to tweak my goals. Hopefully, what happens to Santiago can happen to me.
Discussion Question:
-What would you do if your dreams are too unrealistic? Will you give up or push for it anyways?
-What or who could King Melchizedek possibly be?
-Would anything change if Santiago didn't meet the alchemist at all?
-Words of the Wiser- In this section, Santiago decided to pursue his Personal Legend and joined a caravan. There, he met and conversed with a lot of older and wiser men. One of these people was the camel driver, who he told stories to. When news of tribal wars spread, the man stayed calm, since he's only living in the moment. He proclaimed that you must live in the "present" to be happy. If you worry about unnecessary things, you are just stuck there, with no progress. This struck to the boy really well. Throughout Santiago's journey, he was always aware of the future and the present. He thought about his sheep, the thief, and the future walls; this only discouraged him to continue on his path. By being told these words, he can pay more attention to the jewels around him--just like the story about the wisest man and true happiness. If he only worries about one important thing, he won't have time to view the spectacular wonders in the world. A person must be able to balance the two. Life is rushed, and if you don't take time to enjoy it, it will end before you know it. Now that Santiago is aware of this, he can pay attention to his surroundings in the present, whether it be good or bad. After all, he did want to travel the world to discover new things. This journey is helping him with that, but he needs to indulge in it.
-Theme Tracker- Throughout The Alchemist so far, the theme of fate and destiny seemed to be showing through. From meeting King Melchizedek, the candy seller, and the glass merchant to the camel driver, Santiago noticed that the same chain was linking all these meetings together; certain events led to another event. The recurrent dream allowed him to meet the dream interpreter and the old man. This made him know his Personal Legend. Then, the thief made the boy meet the candy seller and the glass merchant. They were the ones that encouraged him to go on. Although, some of them led to feelings of giving up on his Personal Legend, Santiago eventually kept moving on. These all occurred for a reason. This is saying that fate fully controls your life. There is also the theme of "true" goals being depicted in this section. Just when Santiago have fully decided on going back to being a shepherd, he perceived that it didn't make him happy at all. He worked for a whole year to achieve it, yet this wasn't his real dreams. He knew deep inside that he wanted to purse his Personal Legend, and the glass maker helped him recognize this. A "filler" dream will never satisfy an individual. It only takes away and hinders your true path. After this, Santiago was able to continue on with his previous intentions in coming to Africa. In the end, happiness is your true goal in life.
Reflection/Reader Response:
From this part of the book, I love how Santiago was able to push himself back up when he fell into a slump. After getting all of his money stolen, he basically backed out on his original plans. However, after meeting certain people and rethinking, he was able to realize that becoming a shepherd again will only make him sad. Santiago just wants to pursue his Personal Legend and travel; he was able to continue to do this. This is really common in the lives of everyone today. Sometimes, dreams and goals seem too far and impossible to come true. In many cases, people just give up and go for a more probable future. This only creates miserable and sad people that don't like their jobs. But, because the novel's plot encourages people to keep pushing on, it helps the readers, who are lost, a lot. It gives them a little push. Even though it can't really change things, people who can actually strive toward their goals may possibly be successful. This section actually makes me think about my life. My true aspirations are also something that is too far-fetched, so I chose an alternative. Unlike Santiago, it doesn't seem like I really a choice. It is disheartening to think about my future, and I want to also go for my real dreams. But, there is no "king of Salem" in my life for me to continue. Instead, my close ones are actually blocking my path. But, by reading this book, it does give me a little more hope. For me, only time can really tell. I'll try to walk down the road I want, but if things don't work out, I will have to tweak my goals. Hopefully, what happens to Santiago can happen to me.
Discussion Question:
-What would you do if your dreams are too unrealistic? Will you give up or push for it anyways?
-What or who could King Melchizedek possibly be?
-Would anything change if Santiago didn't meet the alchemist at all?
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