Most memorable Moment - Aarif Siddiqi

       The Most memorable Moment in my section was the love between Santiago and Fatima. Santiago noticed Fatima at the local well. From there he saw how pretty and insightful she is. Fatima lives at the Al-Fayoum oasis, her duty is gathering water from the local well. When Santiago met Fatima he didn't want to go to the pyramids and get his treasure. All he wanted to do was marry her. Even though Fatima loves Santiago like he likes her, Fatima says, "a woman of the desert realizes that men must leave the women they love for long periods." Fatima had convinced Santiago that he must follow his personal dream. Santiago and Fatima will both encounter their love and affection they have for one each other. She has confidence that he will return if he loves her. All Fatima wishes for is Santiago loves. This was a very touching scene because Fatima is letting the guy she loves Santiago let him follow his dream. All Fatima desires from him is the love. When Santiago was going through the dessert with the alchemist, he said to Santiago "Don't think about what you've left behind." This quote explains that even the Alchemist could acknowledge that all Santiago was thinking was about was Fatima. This shows the worry Santiago has for Fatima and she probably is worried about him to. By the time Santiago comes near the pyramids and close to his treasure. From there he realizes that Fatima was the treasure.

Character Analysis - Aarif Siddiqi

            

Santiago is a shepherd and is from a small town called Andalusian, he is the protagonist of The Alchemist. His father wanted him to be a priest but instead became a shepherd. Santiago loves to travel and is curious what the world has to offer him. Santiago has two dreams concerning himself and they were both about him finding treasure near the pyramids. He is convinced to go to the pyramids by talking to a fortune-teller. Santiago is off to the pyramids in Egypt to find treasure. But before going o the pyramids he need some money. So he has got a job at a crystal shop owned by the crystal merchant. From there we are finally introduced to a girl who goes by the name of Fatima. Santiago describes Fatima as a beautiful girl. Fatima is an Arab , and Santiago met her by a well carrying water. Ever since Santiago saw her he can't stop thinking of her. Santiago is introduced to the Englishman and, the Alchemist. They both help Santiago look for the treasure. The Alchemist told Santiago that we must first find the treasure than you can return and be with Fatima. Santiago agrees and he says to Fatima "I'm going away...I want you to know that I'm coming back. I love you.." This quote reveals his love and affection he has for Fatima. After Santiago is off to the pyramids with the Alchemist and the Englishman. Santiago comes closer to the treasure He learns a lot on the desert. Also on how to communicate with the wind and the sun controlled by God or( Muslim God) Allah. The Alchemist helps Santiago how to read omens in his environment. Santiago communicates with the wind by shouting "blow away the sands that cover my treasure, and carry the voice of the woman I love." This quote explains Santiago is getting closer to the treasure and all he can think about is the treasure and Fatima. Santiago is near the pyramids and searched for his treasure. The alchemist told him "I'm certain you'll find it". But from there he realized the treasure was Fatima.




The Englishman is educated and is a ambitious alchemist. He is quite unsocial and, would rather read his books than interacting with others. But him and Santiago have a lot in common and both be friends. The Englishman does not realize the experience the world has to offer. The Alchemist says to the Englishman "True wisdom comes from experience, which one must earn through action." This explains the Englishman does not realize that yes books make you intelligent but not wise. To be wise you have to have experience around the world and have to interact with people. The Englishman starts to value this thought until Santiago comes along. The Englishman learns through studying and reading books. The Englishman man says to Santiago on how you can learn a lot from books and encourages him to start reading. The Englishman man wants to learn alchemy by learning from a true alchemist.



Lastly the last character is The Alchemist. It is mentioned that the Alchemist is 200 years old, the alchemist is a mysterious character and is extremely powerful. He is very wise and can read all omens and can connect with the Soul of the World. He can turn any metal into gold, and the Elixir of Life, able to heal all harms. He is a Santiago's teacher and wants to make him as wise as him. The alchemist "with his blade, he drew a circle in the sand, and then he placed the snake within it." This quote is about the Alchemist and what he did while he was walking through the desert with Santiago and the Englishman. The alchemist drew a circle and placed the snake in it and the snake remained calm. After he took away the circle and the snake slithered away. This shows how fast the alchemist reacts and his experience he has in this environment. The Alchemist gives all instructions in riddles, he say to Santiago "there is only one way to learn... it's through action." He says this because so he can get Santiago to think on his feet rather than following simple instructions. The Alchemist guides Santiago to the pyramids so Santiago can get his treasure.

Character Analysis - Terry Eugine

     The first character that I chose from the novel was the main character which is Santiago. Santiago has many values, goals, motives, interests that most represent him. Santiago is from a country called Spain. Since Santiago is a shepherd, he is very inquisitive about himself and the world. Santiago currently is living with himself, he had left both of his parents, and they have got used to him being away. I find that Santiago very out going, and adventurous because he admires travelling around the world and experiencing new things. In the text it says " But, most important, he was able everyday to live out his dream" therefore meaning that he admires to chase over his dreams. "The next day, he gave his son a pouch that held three ancient Spanish coins." This also determines that Santiago is really trustworthy, and how father believed him that he would not use the money for any wanted things, and only for the things he had needed to survive. When Santiago had appointed the merchants daughter, he had fallen in love with her. " The bot mumbled an answer that allowed him to avoid responding to her question." This quotation shows how Santiago was nervous to talk to the girl. I figure that Santiago has one of the most out going values and motives then rest of the other characters in the novel.

     The next character that is being analyzed is the Merchants Daughter, as you notice, the girl does not have a name, but later on in the novel it will be stated. " The girl was typical of the region of Andalusia, with flowing back hair, and eyes that vaguely recalled the Moorish conquerors." This show the characteristics of the girls, and the appearance of her. This quotation also shows how wealthy she is compared to Santiago. " How did you learn to read?" The Merchants daughter may have asked this question to Santiago because since he is not really wealthy, she might have thought that he was too poor to go to school. I find that she is very indulgent in her ways of being wealthy. Since she is the only girl in the  novel, there might be challenges where she has to face. 

  The final character being analyzed it the Englishmen. the Englishmen is a type of person that sets goals for himself, not really social to others. Since both Santiago and the Englishmen are both chasing their Personal Legends, the become well known to each other. " He said that he was tired and thirsty, and asked if he might have a sip of the boy's wine." This shows that the Englishmen is also not wealthy like Santiago, and that he still suffers just like him. Both the Englishmen and Santiago have the motive to reach for their Personal Legend. 

The Alchemist - Most Memorable Moment - Kapilan

 In  my sectional reading the part of the book I really enjoyed was when Santiago regards his love for Fatima . “At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him.  When he looked into her dark eyes and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke – the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love … [Love] was the pure Language of the World.  It required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time … When you know that language, it’s easy to understand that someone in the world awaits you, whether it’s in the middle of the desert or in some great city. And when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant.  There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only.  It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world.  Without such love, one’s dream would have no meaning … He realized that he had loved her before he even knew she existed.” This scene to me is the most memorable moment is because this is the scene when Santiago tells Fatima that love is language that everyone in the world speaks. He also tries to explain that his love is a sudden one but its very deep. 

This is also the most memorable moments because it really gives me a better insight of what love was. The love that Santiago showed is just quite divine. the love that they showed each other was so special because you learn that love is the "Language of the World". the key parts of this memorable scene was that they were able to communicate their love without any words. nevertheless Fatima does not define love as possessiveness, she looks at it as if it were a side of trust. She says  , "I want you to continue towards your goal."  All she wants is the trust from Santiago which he gives her, and she wants him to wander off and complete his journey so he can be successful. This shows the language of love in their life.  

Most Memorable Moment in The Alchemist-Andrew Davis

For me, as far as I have read the book, one of the most memorable moments for me has to be at the period when the Englishman starts describing omens to Santiago. To me, I felt his words held a deeper meaning than just top level. For example, when he said that everything in life is omens, that got me to seriously think. Santiago describes to the Englishman his desires, and his reasons for exploring; to find the Alchemist and the great treasures that lied in Egypt. At first glance, Santiago thought this to be a big mistake, but after further conversing, he realized this was his greatest asset, as they both shared the same common interests. This is an especially memorable moment, as Santiago was somehow able to get a completely antisocial and isolated person as an ally. This also meant that they would venture to greater discoveries and achievements together in the future.

Character Analysis in The Alchemist-Andrew Davis

The first character whom I, as a reader was introduced to is Santiago, who is coincidentally also the main protagonist. He is depicted as a determined and rather headstrong individual who was really curious about what the vast reaches of the world had to offer him. Due to this, he denied his parent's desires for him to become a priest, and instead became a shepherd, to enable himself to explore the world and all of its offerings. Regardless of his natural adventurous spirit, he manages to stay self satisfied for a while, not really taking much note to it, until he has a dream of discovering a hidden treasure in Egypt, which around this time is when his need for adventure kicks in again. However he remains hesitant to pursue this until he comes across a strange man named Melchizedek who claims himself to be the king of Salem. After he receives the magical powers of nature from this man, Santiago sets off to accomplish this task, making this his Personal Legend, which is basically the assumed dream each person has of achieving their greatest wishes.

Another very important character who played a huge role in Santiago's endeavours (as I know of so far), is Melchizedek. He is the one, as I mentioned above, who claims to be the King of Salem, appears to Santiago as an old man who lives in the town of Tarifa. Even though he has a very brief appearance in the book, he still presents us with very important concepts that I have already seen used more than a couple times throughout the book, such as Personal Legends. In fact, this is associated with the basic main role he plays in the novel; helping people, such as Santiago, pursue their personal legends in times of doubt. He also has the ability to not only appear to people as a flesh and blood human being, but also stay with them as an idea, or even spirit. For example, even when Melchizedek is not physically present with Santiago, the magical stones he gave him somehow just will him to keep going, as if he was with him in spirit.

How could I ever forget the most important person of all? The Alchemist.  He is considered to be 200 years old, and a superbly powerful alchemy practitioner who stays at the Al-Fayoum Oasis. Although he stays there, strangely enough, many at Al-Fayoum do not even know he exists. This is especially strange, considering he has supposedly been staying there for years on end. He also possesses the Philosopher's Stone, which has the capabilities of turning any metals into gold, and the Elixir of Life, which can cure any disease. He specifically serves as a teacher to Santiago, communicating to him only in riddles, in the hopes that he can better learn through experience rather than direct instruction.

Another main character who has seen a medium of attention would be the Englishman. He is also another mysterious Alchemist; he is still in the learning process however, and is still aspiring. Similar to Santiago, he is quite adventurous. For example, he is adventurous enough to join a local caravan that is in search of The Alchemist. However, he is rather anti-social and prefers to catch up on his studies rather than communicate with other people. Regardless of this, however, he still manages to become friends with Santiago, due to their common interests in pursuing their Personal Legends. Through this friendship, so far, I have seen the Englishman teach to Santiago why book learning should be an important factor in Santiago's life, and some important facts about alchemy, such as the Master Work.

Character Analysis - The Alchemist - Kapilan

     In The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho, Santiago,the protagonist of the story is from small place of where the citizens of that place where Spanish.  Santiago is a very clever boy and is very much curious about the world. Both of his parents wished for him to be a priest but he instead becomes a shepherd due to  the fact that his enthusiasm wouldn't let him do such a thing as he thought it was not really his choice of career.  So he goes against his parents’ wishes for him to become a priest, and instead becomes a shepherd so that he can travel around the world. Nevertheless he does not let his enthusiasm take over him. For instance  “But the sheep had taught him something even more important: that there was a universal language in the world that everyone understood, a language the boy had used throughout the time that he was trying to improve things at the shop. It was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired. Tangier was no longer a strange city, and he felt that, just as he had conquered this place, he could conquer the world".  in this quote it shows that  he is finding two stones in  the Shepherd's pouch and the stones remind him of his home in Spain where he came from, and how no matter how adventurous and full of joy  his journey is, and no matter how much he is loving it. He  will never forget where he came from and will not let his successes make the best of him.  

     The next character being analyzed is the Englishman.The Englishman is a scholarly and Santiago like, enthusiastic alchemist, however he is not really as social as Santiago.  The English man would rather sit down and read  on and on instead of talking and interacting with others. The Englishman also does not realize the value of experience until Santiago comes along.  Since the Englishman and Santiago share a responsibility  to chase and find their Personal Legends, they quickly become friends. For one thing, Santiago is a visual and auditory learner and  the Englishman is a bookworm and learns through studying his ancient alchemy texts, known as a  read-write learner. So when the two try to swap things around try learning the ways each other did, the results were not good. "The Englishman was disappointed. The years of research, the magic symbols, the strange words and the laboratory equipment…none of this had made an impression on the boy. His soul must be too primitive to understand those things, he thought. [. . .]  "Go back to watching the caravan," he said. "That didn't teach me anything, either". But he must also learn from Santiago the importance of experience and friendship. the novel conveys the fact   that even though knowledge that is  gained from books can be useful, one should not rely on it solely and unconditionally. The power of wisdom fully comes from the part of life called experience. 

     The final character that is being evaluated is Fatima. Fatima herself is the only female character that is playing a role in this novel. Fatima is described as a beautiful and a pretty girl. But  she is also very patient and she is deeply attached to Santiago so therefore she willingly waits for him as he pursues his Personal Legend. She herself lives in the desert where her only job is to collect water. in the novel she later says " as a woman of the desert she realizes that men must leave the women they love for long periods". Fatima truly does the value of this journey for Santiago and how much it means to him, but however she is putting her love aside, to the point that, she is being patient and composed as Santiago departs away.  She has confidence that he will return if he loves her. Fatima is not like others where they can't stand a second without thier loved ones so they bother them and end up ruining their decisions. Santiago has stepped his foot on a big mission and Fatima is being very cooperative and supportive of Santiago's Personal Legend pursuit. 

Most Memorable Moment - Terry Eugine

     In this book I found many interesting scenes that I thought was most captured my attention. The most memorable moment that I thought most appealed to me was when Santiago had a dream of himself and an old lady. This dream of his was about how Santiago had approached an old lady so that he could learn more from his dreams. As the old lady was talking, Santiago did not seem to care what she was saying, and he was trying to leave the place, but the old lady refused.
     
     Later on in his dream, a child had taken Santiago's hands and transported him to the Egyptian pyramids. Then the child had said to Santiago that if he comes here, he would be able to find a hidden treasure. Eventually, the old women took Santiago's hands again and studied them carefully. Then she said to Santiago that she is not going charge him anything, but she demanded one-tenth of the treasure.

    I find this part of the novel the most memorable moment because later on in the novel, Santiago meets a man that also demanded one tenth of Santiago's sheep. Then at this point, Santiago realizes that his dream was really similar to the reality. Santiago's dream really foreshadows his future, and realizing that whatever happens in his dream it, he may face the similar content in his reality. 

     After Santiago had asked the old lady to interpret the dream. The old lady had said to Santiago to swear on her while looking at the Sacred Heart of Jesus that he would give her the one-tenth of the treasure. Santiago then feels very lost and later on promises to the old lady. There were many moments where Santiago expresses himself, but there are a minority of scene where he is interacting with one another, and this is why I think this part of the story would be the most memorable in the novel.        

First Impression - Aarif Siddiqi

     The Alchemist is a novel by Paulo Coelho.  In the first 20 pages of the novel there are only two characters that are mentioned. We are introduced to a boy name Santiago a his desire love he has for a girl whose name we haven't be mentioned yet. Personally I don't have no interest in reading books but, I am really interested on reading further throughout the novel. Although the author does use some difficult vocabulary which gets me confused by on the other hand it is a book I recommend reading.

     It is quite interested on how the author starts the novel. The author gives no background or anything, he starts off by "A boy name Santiago".  Witch had me thinking on what the author would convey through this character. There is also a lot of suspense and hints that will foreshadow throughout the novel. I as reader not interested in books but I do enjoy suspense and this made me reading further on. Furthermore Paulo Coelho did a great job on the setting because you can acutely create an image in your head what is going on. This helps most readers such as I or anyone else who looks forward to reading this book.

     Santiago who we only get introduced to is a shepherd and he loves to travel. But he has a desire love for a girl who is illiterate but her name we are not mentioned. Santiago being a shepherd and who is always traveling we can assume that he will have to forget about his love towards her and will encounter many things. The setting takes place in a Spanish town name Tarifa. Santiago knows a lot of people and has many friends because he is always travelling.

     In conclusion this book so far looks like it's a romantic novel. Due to the fact Santiago loves this girl but whose name he hasn't come across yet. But as a shepherd who is always travelling he might go through some challenges that will make him forget about his love. Although this is a romantic novel there is a lot of suspense which will make you going and on how its make me read further on.        

The Alchemist - Kapilan

In the first twenty pages of the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.  I see that the book is mostly talking about Santiago,a shepherd . The novel at this point is also showing the slight glimpses of a girl that Santiago leans his side towards. At this point this book is going on a pretty good run for me and I am enjoying it. But I very much do that the use of higher vocabulary is very common which really does slower my perception and perspective of the novel.

As I read the first few pages of the novel I started to realize that the author had put nothing if not anything for a introduction. the story just starts as "The boy's name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood." as you can see there was not really any smooth movement in to the opening of the book but I still was able to create a picture in my mind of what had been going on. Nonetheless, the non usage of a pick up into the story, really had me thinking about what was going to happen next, and I really do think this was one of the good features of the book other than the ones yet to come.


Reading throughout  the novel  I have get the feeling that this book may feed my interest. The protagonist of this story is typically a very curious person who is now on his journey in life with his sheep, along his side.  he moves on in life and comes across a girl whose mane is not known. The introduction to their meeting was not really that significant but that's what made me move on throughout the novel. what really got me curios through their meeting was when she suspected him of not being smart when he was able to read thoroughly.

Overall I think that this book really does give you a thrill. This is because the author Paulo Coelho is very good at making his readers attracted to his books due to his ways of keeping you in question of what was next. As a result i feel that this book will be very adventurous and thrilling. I am greatly looking forward to reading on.

First Impressions Journal by Terry Eugine

     The first twenty page of The Alchemist had brought me full attention and I wanted to know more of what was going on. So far, I find the book very interesting to read by how the words are presented to the reader, and the flow of the story. Personally, I like reading books that are from African countries because that is where I find my comfort of reading, and it shows the characteristics of their culture, which therefore I admire.

     As a reader I know that this book is from the African countries because by the main characters name, which is Santiago, and where the setting of the story is taken place, which is a Spanish town of Tarifa. Books that involve talking about the main characters life, and their opinions, allows me to follow through what they are going through in their life, and these type of books lead to become more attentive to the novel, and makes me understand more of what their struggle in life is.

     I believe that the theme of the novel is fate because I think that further on in the novel. there will be scenes where one of the characters will determine their developments of events beyond their control, as regarded by a supernatural power. I feel that this book would be a perfect example of fate because of the characteristics being used. some predictions that I have from this book would be maybe Santiago will fall in love with the merchants daughter, and also he might have more dreams to come that may happen in the reality which may also might foreshadow what is going to happen next.

    There are many more events to come in the story which I cannot wait to read. I also think that this might not be the best book I ever read, but over all it seems to be a a very catchy book. Some negative thoughts that I think would be how the introduction was need more catchy phrases to catch the readers attention, also made it very formal. the introduction was also not in a flow because they started it off by a persons name which I thought to be very unsatisfying.

     Overall, I still think that this novel is a very interesting novel to read, and I am glad that we as a group had chose this book. I still am excited to read further on in the novel, and finding out if my predictions were correct. I also found the theme of love going on in this novel. I know this because as Santiago travels around the world, he finds the girl of his dreams which is the merchants daughter. This is what I think of this book as a reader.          

    

        

First Impressions Journal-Andrew Davis

By: Andrew Davis
The Alchemist is a book written by Paulo Coelho. So far, I have seen the book to revolve around two people; Santiago, who is a shepherd, and a girl who he took interest in, who's name remains unknown at the moment. Typically, I enjoy stories based on legends, as the legends being told are always interesting. Therefore, this book has quite piqued my interest. However, an overwhelming use of difficult vocabulary combined with had to understand passages is taking away from that experience.

Upon reading the first page of this book, I was quite taken a back at the enormous lack of context that was provided for the introduction. The story just jumped into the life of a random boy named Santiago who was walking into a church. The reader (in this case, me) has to find out for themselves what is happening, making it a challenge. Quite frankly, I do not always enjoy challenges while reading novels-moreover, I would rather have it to be an enjoyable experience. However, a positive would be the fact that by not revealing much in this scene, Paulo Coelho keeps the reader in suspense about what would happen later on in the book.

As I examined the revealed personalities of the characters, I have noticed quite a few positives that look as if they promise high hopes for the novel ahead. Santiago, who is the only revealed character at this point is an aspiring explorer; being a shepherd, he like to take his sheep on great journeys and discover what the world had to offer him. He ends up meeting a girl who he seems to take great interest in. They socialized for a short amount of time, and then he had to leave. Considering this girl had underestimated the limits of his abilities by daring to think he could not read just because he was a shepherd, he still took no notice to it and conversed with her nonetheless. Typically, no character in a novel would ever be this humble, which makes this situation particularly special.

From this situation, I can already make an implicit prediction about the events that may occur further on in the novel. Since Santiago loves 'this girl' with all his heart, but is a shepherd, he will likely end up having to travel around the world searching for his true love, of whom he regretfully left behind. He will encounter many lethal dangers along the way such as snowstorms, tsunamis and even hurricanes, but he would endure it all just to find her again. However, it would all eventually be too much, and he would be killed by one of these disasters, in time. His funeral would then be held after his body was located, and that girl, whom he died searching for was at the funeral. I myself am not normally a person who enjoys love stories, but this one coped with just the right amount of action would be perfect, if it were what the book was about.