“It’s true; life really is generous to those who pursue their destiny” - (Coelho pg160). The world conspires in people who find their destiny. Although Santiago had many challenges and difficulties, because he pursued his destiny by going to Egypt, his journey helped him complete his destiny. In the Alchemist, Santiago, a young shepherd boy had a dream that he didn’t understand. One gypsy read his dream and told him to go to the great Pyramids in Egypt because there was a treasure for him. Santiago traveled from his home in Spain, to Egypt to achieve this destiny, which was finding treasure. His journey to Egypt was long, challenging, but meaningful to him. He found love, knew how to listen to himself, but sometimes struggled to make decisions. However he possessed qualities such as intelligence, bravery and determination, they helped him achieve his destiny.
Santiago was a very intelligent. From the beginning of his journey he knew a lot about himself, had good ideas, and continued to become more knowledgeable about himself and the world as the story continued. When he was at the cross road, the boy met Melchizedek, the king of Salem. Melchizedek told the boy about the destiny, and told him that if he learned how to read omens, it would help the boy through the journey. After he understood and knew how to read omens he could use it wisely. When he didn’t know what direction he had to go, it told the boy about it and sometimes it told the boy what is going to happen to him. In the book the boy read the omens when two hawks were flying and told the chieftains of Oasis that war would break out, at first chieftains didn’t believed it but it truly happened. By this, chieftains wanted the boy to be their counselor and the alchemist made the boy as his disciple. Melchizedek gave him Urim and Thummim. They helped the boy to make decisions but after few times that he had made decisions with them, and he realized that he could make his own decision without them. The alchemist taught the boy how to listen to his heart and when he learned and realized how to listen to his heart, the heart said, “Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him.” (Pg125) His heart also told him about the soul of the world and said, “All people who are happy have god within them.” (Pg 125) When he could listen to his heart, it helped Santiago to find his treasure. He became smarter than before when he started to travel but because he learned a lot from the people and experiences he was also brave.
Santiago was brave enough to talk to people. When the boy read the omen, the flight of two hawks, he went to the chieftains’ tent and said to the guard “I want to see the chieftains I’ve brought omens from the desert.” (Pg100). Then Santiago went into chieftains’ tent and told the chieftains of the Oasis that the war would take place in the Oasis. Even the head of the chieftains told the boy that he could die if the war never happened but he told the chieftains with courage and he was proud of his opinion. When he first met the alchemist, he asked the boy whether the boy read the omens. Then the boy said to him that he read the omens. Even the alchemist’s outfit was scared, the boy didn’t act like he was scared. He told the alchemist like he was proud of himself. When the alchemist pulled out his sword and held it in front of Santiago’s forehead, the boy was scared but he didn’t show that he was shocked. When the Arabs took the alchemist and the boy, the boy was frightened but he said that he could call the wind and destroy the camp just with the force of the wind. The Arabs didn’t believe that but they gave the boy three days to call the wind and said if he could not do it he would die. In three days he moved the wind, desert and the sun’s heart and eventually he could destroy the camp of the Arabs. He had to go through many difficulties but he could go through it with bravery. However, if he wasn’t determined, he might not able to achieve his destiny with only intelligence and bravery.
Santiago became determined when he was traveling to find treasure and destiny. He learned to be determined by the crystal merchant and Fatima. He showed that he was determined when the Arabs told the boy to call the wind. When he met the crystal merchant and worked for him to earn money and go back to his home, Santiago learned determination from the merchant. The merchant said that he wanted to achieve 5 pillars of the Islam rules and one of them was going to Mecca, so in order to achieve it he needed to earn money. So he had to sell crystals. Going to Mecca was his goal and it helped the merchant to keep his job. After the boy listened about this, the boy learned determination. Even though he lost everything, he felt that if he started to find the treasure and his destiny, he had to achieve it and not to give up. When Santiago met Fatima and was about to give up everything again because he finally met his destiny girl and it was a hard and challenging journey for him to arrive in Egypt to find treasure, Fatima said, "That's why I want you to continue towards on your goal. If you have to go before then, go in pursuit of your dream. The dunes are changed by the wind, but the desert never changes. That's the way it will be with our love for each other." (Pg93) After the boy listened to this he felt that he would never give up and try hard to achieve his destiny. Santiago met the Arabs and they took Santiago and the Alchemist. When Santiago told Arabs that he could call the wind, Arabs told them to call winds in three days, the boy he didn’t know how to change into wind but he didn't give up even he could die and tried to talk to the wind by his heart and call the wind. Santiago became unwavering by his journey and the determination helped the boy through out his journey.
If Santiago didn’t have these three traits, intelligence, bravery, and determined, he wouldn’t be able to achieve his destiny. Finally, he could find his treasure in Spain, under the Sycamore tree. So he traveled from his home in Spain to the Great Pyramids of Egypt and back to his home. He learned a lot of things including these three traits by traveling. The universe really conspired in the boy to achieve his destiny.
Napoleon Crossing The Alps-Jaques-Louis David I don't really know what is my destiny. However, I know how to be engaged in my life and to find or understand my destiny. To do this, I have to go through a journey like Santiago with many difficulties, experiences and descisions. From these I learned to be determined in everything I do. Determination helped me to keep myself in what I have to do. In the past, when I was unsuccessful in something I really wanted to give up and not try to make it better. however, now determination keeps me focused and helps me to make it better. When I started to learn language, Mandarin, even I learned for a few months, I still couldn't speak, so I wanted to stop it. However, I had desire to learn it so I couldn't stop it. Now, by the desire and persistence to achive it, I can speak a bit of Mandarin. Another example, when I started to learn an instrument because I really wanted to, I was resoluted to get better than others. So now when I meet my friends who learned the same instrument with me, I am better than them. If I didn't learn determination I wouldn't be able to speak Mandarin and play my instrument. So to find or understand our destiny, determination will keep us through out the journey.
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