English Fundamentals Assignment

Title of Text 
The Alchemist
 

Composer:

Paul Coelho
 

Subject matter:The novel follows the story of Andalusian shepherd boy, Santiago, who consults a gypsy woman about his recurring dream. To his astonishment, the woman advised him to travel to Egypt in search of a treasure. Later, Santiago met an old king called Melchizedek who urged him to pursue his “Personal Legend” – something which he defined as “what you’ve always wanted to accomplish”. Following his recommendation, Santiago travelled to Tangier (Africa) but was robbed. He, then, became a worker of a local crystal merchant before joining a caravan heading to Egypt’s Al-Fayoum oasis. Upon his travel from Tangier to Al-Fayoum, Santiago learned about the art of Alchemy, including concepts such as the Philosopher’s Stone, Elixir of Life and the Master Work. 

 

Journey: Santiago’s journey from Andalusia to Tangier and eventually Egypt is a physical journey but also present aspects of an intellectual journey and a spiritual journey. Physical journeys are those which involve movement to new places and the presence of obstacles. The first obstacle Santiago encountered was in Tangier where he was tricked into losing his money. However, it was upon this incident that Santiago decided “he would be as much an adventurer as the ones he had admired in books”. Here, he expressed his undying attitude and immense determination in continuing his quest. An intellectual journey requires one to leave behind what is familiar and delve into what is foreign and strange. As he embarked upon his quest, Santiago encountered many individuals who enriched his knowledge.  A spiritual journey is one which involves the realisation of a divine being. Upon his prayer, Santiago was able to reach “through to the Soul of the World, and saw that it was a part of the Soul of God. And he saw that the Soul of God was his own soul. This portrays the constant presence of a divine being, in this instance God, in all aspects of Santiago’s journey. His actions, his surrounding environment and his knowledge were all because of the will of God.
 
Emotions Fear consistently comes up throughout Santiago’s journey as an obstacle. A childhood fear of having a woman interpret his dream; a material fear of losing his wealth, the physical fear of dying in the battle at Al-Fayoum; and the spiritual fear that he will fail to complete his mission, which was to turn into the wind.

 

Obstacles: One major obstacle Santiago faced was fear. His fear of losing the money he earned with the crystal merchant. Santiago fears losing Fatima his girlfriend. After being captured, Santiago fears he will fail, never to be able to turn into the wind. Each time he overcome his fear, he was rewarded.
 

Rewards: Santiago's fear benefited him from the fact that Santiago earns ever greater rewards each time he abandons his fear and gives up his previous possessions. He found his true identity and what he his within. The text does explore the rewards of journey. Upon this journey Santiago not only matured and enriched his knowledge of the world but also came across a spiritual awakening where he was to see “the Soul of God.”

 

Techniques:

One of the most used literary techniques used by Paulo Coelho in The Alchemist is Biblical Allusion, King Melchizedek is mentioned in the Bible and the novel The Alchemist as the "king of Salem".The book of Hebrews refers to king Melchizedek as "priest of God's most high" and "king of righteousness". The presence of king Melchizedek alludes to the presence of God's messenger.Simile: "The Alchemist fell as silent as the desert."
Alliteration: "If you pay attention to the present you can improve upon it."