Alchemy In The Alchemist

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One of the central themes of The Alchemist is that our paths are pre-ordained, or already decided for us. The main objective for our lives is to be content with what is already decided for us in life. Evidently, we all at one point in our childhood knew what our Personal Legends were. People’s issue is that we overcomplicate things way too often. This is displayed in The Alchemist, by the experience Santiago has with alchemy. When Santiago traveled through the desert with the englishman, he read several books about the secrets of alchemy. In the books he read, they said that the secret of alchemy was over complicated as to prevent anyone from being able to understand it, but really it could’ve been written into a single sentence. Santiago refused to …show more content…
By putting aside these fears, he was able to finally see he was one with the world, and that his Personal Legend was one with it as well. This is declared when he turns himself into the wind, becoming one with the world around him. In one of the books, it says, “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation,” (Coelho 22), I think this represents the theme very well. In the quote it does not say to make one’s destiny, it’s saying find one’s destiny, implying that your destiny is already out there , and that you have to find it, not make it, but fulfill it. That being said, one of the main themes is that your destiny has been decided, and this can be applied in all of our lives. Maybe there was something that you wanted to be when you grew up, and always knew that you were meant to do it, maybe you always knew you had to travel the world, that could be your destiny, but that is something for you to discover. Not only that, but this theme is most important because it reminds people that are still searching for their destiny to keep searching, or it reminds those who stopped searching for it, to start searching

Alchemy Alchemist

Alchemy dates back to ancient times. Many alchemists have their information written in code, so it is hard to know what exactly they did. The goal of many alchemists was to find the ‘elixir of life’ or the Philosopher’s Stone. There was never any evidence that the Philosopher's Stone doesn’t exist, and a lot of alchemists went on and discovered many useful discoveries that are still used today. Alchemy dates back to ancient Egypt, where the word ‘Khem’ was used to reference the fertility of the land…

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Alchemy Extending Life

century, alchemy was about the transmutation of metals. It involved the the use of chemical substances and has also been associated with the spiritual/ religious beliefs. Alchemy also tried to discover a cure for disease and a way of extending life. During Alchemy, there is also a conversion of base materials into gold or the discovery of an elixir (a preparation that was supposedly able to change metals into gold, sought by alchemists and supposedly able to prolong life indefinitely. Alchemy was practiced…

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Essay on Alchemy: Chemistry and Rational Materialism

Relation to the science of chemistry Alchemy is usually seen as a fake and absurd science, using primitive materials in to turn base metals like lead into gold. By the end of 17th century, alchemy had been entirely discredited, with the birth of modern chemistry, which provided a more precise and reliable framework based on rational materialism. However, alchemy still has ardent followers in popular culture. It is a popular belief that alchemists made contributions to the modern "chemical" industries…

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the alchemist Essay

and continue pursuing his Personal Legend. He joins a caravan crossing the Sahara desert toward Egypt and meets an Englishman who is studying to become an alchemist. He learns a lot from the Englishman during the journey. For one, he learns that the secret of alchemy is written on a stone called the Emerald Tablet. The ultimate creation of alchemy is the Master Work, which consists of a solid called the Philosophers Stone that can turn lead to gold, and a liquid called the Elixir of Life that can cure…

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Lessons From Alchemy Essay

Lessons From Alchemy Paul Coelho paints an extremely touching and thought provoking novel in The Alchemist. True to its name, the book itself had an undertone that corresponded directly to alchemy. Its title was one of the reasons I was quite hesitant approaching the novel. I expected it to be a historical piece about how science changed the world. My misunderstanding was so beyond wrong, as I am glad that it was, because reading the book really had an impact on how I viewed my individual worth…

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Santiago In The Alchemist

Characters: Santiago is the protagonist of The Alchemist who later in the novel is referred to as the boy. He is a round character as he grows to want to be more knowledgeable on the search of the treasure, he’s a dynamic character as well because in the beginning Santiago is influenced by riches and people advising him to search for treasure, towards the end of the novel Santiago is influenced by discovering learning alchemy and fulfilling his personal legend. Santiago is willing, strong, and courageous…

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Symbolism In The Alchemist

Coelho uses throughout The Alchemist is symbolism. He indirectly expresses ideas through symbolic images such as the pyramids of egypt, urim and thummim, his sheep, Alchemy, and the desert. Paulo through Santiago uses the sheep as a symbol reflecting those who blindly but humbly live their lives without having the drive to discover their Personal Legend. The sheep also symbolize those that are ignorant and go about their daily lives afraid to have a change. He also used Alchemy to symbolize purification…

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Response To The Alchemist

The text ‘The Alchemist’ – by Paulo Coelho is a novel about a young Andalusian Shepherd (Santiago) who begins to have a recurring dream about seeking treasure at the pyramids. The story follows his journey to Egypt after he talked to a fortune teller and a wise man who told him to go. In relation to Alchemy it is the act of turning any base metal into gold. This is a truly inspirational tale about one young shepherds journey who realises the real worth is not gold but turning your life into gold…

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The Alchemist Symbolism

The Alchemist Analysis The power of love can be seen all throughout this novel. When Santiago takes on the journey to accomplish his Personal Legend, the power of love always presents itself to help Santiago through his troubles. In The Alchemist there are several obstacles Santiago faces while trying to reach the Egyptian pyramids, but throughout this journey important people and symbols are placed in Santiago’s journey to help him achieve his dream. As we follow along through the novel we notice…

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TheAlchemist Creativeresponse Essay

Englishman was the first to introduce me to alchemy. The caravan trip was a lot like my journey. I learned a lot by simply watching the caravan travel and listening to the desert. Though the many detours along the trip, we still progressed forward. “No matter how many detours and adjustments it made, the caravan moved toward the same compass point.” Alchemy Alchemy was first introduced to me by the Englishman. That was when I discovered that the secret of alchemy is written on a stone called the Emerald…

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