~ For the January Writing Camp (JWC) ~ Art & Writing: @Astrid_da_potato - Please don't steal! 1) The Alchemist Literary Analysis Word Count: 721 2) In-Cabin Daily Word Count: 76 3) Main-Cabin Daily Word Count: 385 1) Finding Your Destiny The Alchemist is a tale of courage and self-discovery. The main character Santiago learns to utilize omens and decisions to realize his personal legend of traveling to the Egyptian pyramids. In the story, one’s personal legend is a person’s purpose in life. According to the King of Salem, one of the characters of this story, “[T]here is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth.” Through the process of recognition, decision, and outcome, The Alchemist introduces the theme of pursuing one’s personal legend to show the significance of self-discovery and accomplishment. The first step is recognition of an individual’s personal legend. This is the essential step that marks the beginning of the journey. This process is described in the book: “In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left for you.” In the text, Santiago realized his personal legend in a dream in which a child leads him to a treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. This is the first motivator that compels Santiago to decide to follow his personal legend. After dreaming of the same scenery twice without witnessing the outcome, Santiago decides to consult a Gypsy. The Gypsy interprets the dream that the shepherd must go to the Egyptian pyramids himself where he will uncover a treasure. According to the text, “the boy was disappointed; he decided that he would never again believe in dreams.” This part of the story hints that in order to accomplish one’s personal legend, one has to recognize and believe the signs life gives. The second step is decision-making which marks the numerous conclusions a person has to make while they embark on their personal journey. This step comes after realizing your purpose in life. These decisions include accepting sacrifices, choosing to venture into the unknown to achieve one’s personal legend, and enduring the fiercest setbacks. In The Alchemist, Santiago was forced to sell his sheep--the only companions he had for most of his life--to start his personal journey. He makes several other sacrifices in the book, like leaving Fatima in order to complete his purpose. Santiago also had to decide to start on his journey without genuinely knowing what he’d be up against. This represents a situation of man against the unknown world, where mankind fears what they don’t understand. The last decision Santiago made was enduring multiple setbacks in the book, like the situation with the thief during the beginning of the book. However, it is discovered later in the story that the challenges he faced were all an impactful factor in helping him succeed in his personal legend; when Santiago met the thief, this is what caused him to meet the crystal merchant later on. This shows that decisions are what define us, and failure could be what eventually leads to triumph. Last but not least, the final step of this book is the outcome, where one learns the effects of accomplishing a personal legend, and what happens thereafter. In the case of Santiago, he chooses to use the lessons he had learned through his travels and listens to the alchemist’s words. The outcome is one of the most vital steps of realizing one’s personal legend. It’s when you decide what to do with the rest of your life, and whether or not you should start a new personal legend. In the end, Santiago acknowledged that throughout his journey, he had learned multiple lessons about life and the purpose of finding his personal legend. After finishing his journey, Santiago decided to return to Fatima and continue living up to his destiny. In conclusion, The Alchemist introduces the significance of pursuing your individualized personal legend through the process of recognition, making decisions, and the outcome. By this, the book proves the results of discovering who you truly are and are meant to be as well as reaching your dreams. Because, as the book claims, a personal legend is “what you have always wanted to accomplish” and that “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.” < End of Essay > 2) In-Cabin Daily: My dream vacation is curling up next to the fire to read a good book--that way, I don't have to choose a favorite and get stuck on choosing between going traveling versus the museum. (Yep--I'm a huge nerd. :P) Something I like to do for fun is reading (of course), doing daily quick writes, and rollerblading in my free time. (Continued in Notes & Credits)
Some writing goals I have are writing more than my word goal and using better vocabulary. 3) Main-Cabin Daily: The last day of the year proves to be different for everyone. For some, it’s a day of gratitude for another flourishing year. For others, it’s a day of relief honoring the last day that would bring about a new beginning. And there are even some who dread the new start. The day that could wash away everything and make you start over again. But even though everyone’s experiences of celebrating the New Year are extremely diverse, there is always one thing that will remain the same: in the year, there will be challenges. There will be disorder. There will be tears. So it’s up to us to rise above it all. Especially last year, with the COVID-19 outbreak, the world lies in a frenzy. Staying connected during this time is challenging, but we got through it. Therefore, when I celebrate the New Year, I’m usually the one staying up all night just to see the fireworks and playing with the other kids in my family (we’ve made it a tradition to prank the adults every year together). However, this year was much different. A few months ago, we had learned that my grandfather had passed away after being diagnosed with cancer. This news had a drastic impact on our family. Usually, my grandfather was the one organizing the family trips. He was the one lightening up the mood with his jokes. He was the one keeping our family all together. Celebrating the new year was challenging because for the first time in forever, we had to do it without him. But even though all the members of our family could feel the gaping void deep in our hearts that my grandfather would have filled if he was still there, we got through it together. Several people repeated the stories my grandfather used to tell and performed antics just to make us laugh. And even though my grandfather wasn’t physically there with us, it felt like maybe everything wouldn’t be so bad. Overall, I believe the most meaningful part of the New Year is being together, whether it’s with family or friends. As long as there are people with you who care about you, that’s who you should celebrate with during the New Year. And that, I would argue, is the true meaning of family.
