17 Sept. 2009
Humanities pink
Ms. A. Smith
A Young Boy’s Journey
“And to do that, you need money. I need to know whether you have enough.”The that, when you really want something, the universe always conspires in your favor.”…”The boy trusted his new friend. ”The boy thought it a strange question. But he trusted the old man, who had said Santiago is the main character in a story about a man’s journey to find his destiny. Throughout the story Santiago will embark upon a journey to the Pyramids of Egypt and back to where he first started. Along his journey he will meet many people who become friends or enemies, and each one teaches him an important lesson. The author portrays Santiago as a man who is wise, courageous, and passionate. When Santiago begins his journey, he encounters an Arab con artist who convinces to Santiago to let him “hold” all his money. The Arab ends up running away with the money. Santiago shows trust in several of the book’s characters (Melchizidec, Fatima, the Alchemist, the Arab conman), he shows he is wise by learning to speak the Language of the World, and he is spiritual in his quest for enlightenment.
Santiago’s personality leads him towards his destiny. For example, if it weren’t for Santiago’s passion for the shopkeeper’s daughter he meets in the beginning of the book then he never would have come back to her, then Santiago would never have met Melchizedek. In addition, Santiago’s love for Fatima helps him persevere until he reaches the pyramids, blowing kisses on the wind, which reminds him of her. A passage from the story that illuminates his passion is, “He recognized that he was feeling something he had never felt before; the desire to live in one place forever. With the girl with the raven hair, his days would never be the same again.” It is shown here that his true desire is apparent right from the beginning of the novel. It is this desire that motivates Santiago to achieve his destiny, because he wants to be with Fatima. Santiago moves from the beginning of the book to the end, towards his destiny, showing passion and courage throughout his journey.
Santiago is courageous because he goes all the way to Egypt in order to fulfill his destiny. I think that he is very courageous because he must overcome many challenges in order to get to his final destination, such as when the thief in the marketplace steals his money or when the desert wind blows with anger, or even when the people beat him up when he was digging near the pyramids, he just never gives up. His unrelenting character illustrates his courage, as he stands up in these difficult times and continues on and on until he finally reaches his destiny.
“The boy reached 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”. At this point you can see that Santiago is no longer a boy, but a man, and he has reached the soul of the world, has spoken to the desert, the wind, the sun and the hand of God. From this point of the book Santiago will be able to accept what happens to him instead of having his heart rebel against him and his destiny. His destiny will be easier to complete once he is able to speak and listen to everything in the universe, for these will guide him. We now know that the character of Santiago has become more developed. Santiago has learned how to interpret the soul of the world. Santiago is wise.
Santiago’s journey is a rewarding one, complimented by his three best character traits: wisdom, passion, and courage. He becomes wise when he is to speak to the hand of God. He learns the true meaning of passion when he meets Fatima. And in the end, he learns how to be truly courageous when the Egyptian refugees attack him. Santiago’s character traits are essential to the success of his journey towards enlightenment, and throughout the book he reveals these traits time and time again as he completes his destiny.
PASSION IS A FUTURE SONGWRITER
I am a passionate person which is evidenced by my pursuit of very specific goals in the arts. I am a songwriter, I am an actor, and I am an appreciator of fine music. A few years ago, I started a band with my friends. We worked hard at creating songs, and I wrote the lyrics to accompany our original music. Currently I write lyrics (usually 3 songs a week) in order to express my emotions. As a teenager, my emotions fluctuate between love, anger, frustration, and happiness, and I write my lyrics in an attempt to explain to others in an artistic way about how I feel. I am also a big fan of playing roles and portraying personalities different from my own. For instance, I love imitating accents and people. When I've worked so hard at a role and I can convince my audience to believe in my character, I feel I have reinforced my own belief in the magic of the drama. When I am not acting or writing music, I get great joy from listening to music. My favorite music is by a modern band named Angel and Airwaves. The music fills me with energy and makes me feel alive. My musical and acting pastimes enable me to express my passionate character. Writing is an outlet for expressing the passion that the music allows me to feel, while at the same time, being involved in drama allows me to express my passionate character on the stage. I hope that my passion will one day lead me to my dream destiny of becoming a professional songwriter.
WISDOM
Wisdom flowed over his entire being
WISDOM
Wisdom is one of Santiago's attributes that is referenced throughout the novel. Santiago is somewhat gullible as the novel begins, but as the story unfolds, Santiago embarks upon a journey throughout which he will learn from his experiences and become wise. As Santiago proceeds, the challenges he confronts are similar to the types of situations anyone of any culture throughout time and history may encounter, such as when he allows the conman to hold his purse, and the conman steals his money, or else when he learns the meaning of love by trusting the feelings of his heart. Santiago's wisdom is the characteristic that enables him to reach the ultimate goal of learning the Language of the World, which shows him where his treasure truly lies. If Santiago had not opened his eyes, learned from his experiences, and allowed the wisdom to guide him, he would have ended up a sad soul living out an unhappy ending.
No Regrets
"If I had a chance for another try, I wouldn't change a thing." This quotation illustrates the songwriter's idea of life, which is that life should be lived honestly and with no regrets. The songwriter talks of his past. He tells us he had dreams of being a rock star, but that his father wanted him to have a different future. When he was old enough to pursue his dreams, he did so. In the song he explains that if you have convictions and you strive for what you want, and if you do so with honesty, then "it's all success." This is an idea that transcends through time and history and is common in all cultures. People have dreams they want to pursue and people want to live their lives without regret. The songwriter says that if he had a chance for another try at life, he wouldn't change a thing, because it is his life experience that has in fact enabled him to live his life and arrive at where he is today. And he has no regrets because he lived his life honestly and didn't have to lie and cheat in order to achieve his success. This is an important philosophy that most parents teach their children -- whatever you want or need, be it love, rock and roll, or cash, if you achieve it through honest work, then your success is meaningful.
Rite of spring by Angels and Airwaves
was locked all day in the summer heat,
In a small brown house in Suburban Street,
With a skateboard and my s**t guitar,
I'd dream all day that they would get me far,
My dad would ask me about my grades,
The a**hole sports that I never played.
And then I'd ask about the girls he'd date,
Behind our backs when mom would stay up late.
It was near when I turned sixteen,
Got kicked out of school, and so it seemed
that things were closing in and ready to blow,
My dad moved out about that year or so,
It took an hour to start a punk rock band
To offset my f****d up family land
And as I held my mom would start to cry
I swore ourselves a better life
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn’t change a thing
It's made me all of who I am inside
And if I could thank god
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
The summers gone, the years have passed,
My friends have changed, a few did last,
The smallest dreams got pushed aside,
The largest ones that changed my life,
And all I wish for was come to pass
From rock and roll, to love and cash
It’s all success if it’s what you need
Do what you like and do it honestly
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn’t change a thing
It's made me all of who I am inside
And if I could thank god
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine x2
The whole wide world is mine
In a small brown house in Suburban Street,
With a skateboard and my s**t guitar,
I'd dream all day that they would get me far,
My dad would ask me about my grades,
The a**hole sports that I never played.
And then I'd ask about the girls he'd date,
Behind our backs when mom would stay up late.
It was near when I turned sixteen,
Got kicked out of school, and so it seemed
that things were closing in and ready to blow,
My dad moved out about that year or so,
It took an hour to start a punk rock band
To offset my f****d up family land
And as I held my mom would start to cry
I swore ourselves a better life
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn’t change a thing
It's made me all of who I am inside
And if I could thank god
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine
The summers gone, the years have passed,
My friends have changed, a few did last,
The smallest dreams got pushed aside,
The largest ones that changed my life,
And all I wish for was come to pass
From rock and roll, to love and cash
It’s all success if it’s what you need
Do what you like and do it honestly
If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn’t change a thing
It's made me all of who I am inside
And if I could thank god
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine x2
The whole wide world is mine
And the whole wide world is mine
