Writing Reflection

Ideas and Content
In my writing, I always check to make sure my ideas and content are clear, relevant and thoughtful, and this shows more in My Alchemist essay than my Julius Caesar one. In my Alchemist essay, my ideas and content were appropriate and interesting. The ways I explained the character traits of Santiago, particularly honesty, that I thought were most important to his journey showed connections that weren't very evident in the story. I dug a bit deeper in the book for this content and still made it appropriate and thought-provoking. However, my language explaining this content in my Alchemist essay was limited, and therefore didn't show the message as well as it could. However, my Julius Caesar essay did not include much impressive ideas. I found that the ideas were repetitive and undeveloped. My idea that Antony thought the conspirators had to be killed in order to let Caesar's spirit "move on" could be more detailed and developed, and so could the rest of my content. I feel that my Alchemist essay could represent more advanced ideas than my Julius Caesar essay.

Organization
The skill I desperately need to work on and use in my writing, organization, is used more effectively in my Alchemist essay than my Julius Caesar essay. In my Alchemist essay, appropriate organization is evident because my topic and conclusion paragraph relate and agree with each other. The thesis statement is included in both, and the sentences around them are clear and concise. Superior organization in this piece could be achieved by having transition sentences that make the essay flow smoothly. In my Julius Caesar essay, my organization was acceptable. The essay was easy to read, thanks to subtle transition sentences, yet due to the lack of agreement between the first and last paragraph, I think the readers would be left confused. I think I forgot to include my thesis statement in the conclusion paragraph, due to the short time span we were allowed in which we needed to write the essay. My Alchemist essay would be a better model of organization than my Julius Caesar essay, although it is something I need to work on in my writing overall.

Personal Growth
I think that the circumstances of which each piece was written by caused my Alchemist essay to be of better writing than my Julius Caesar essay. For my the Alchemist essay, I succeeded in writing a better piece because of the relaxed time and environment I had while writing. Brainstorming and writing were spread out among classes and home, so I had a long time to develop my ideas and make them evident in my writing. In class, everyone was relaxed while typing and that helped me focused and writing at home is always a comfortable experience. In the Julius Caesar essay, though, we had less than a full class period to write our whole essay so the environment was totally different. Usually, I work hard and well under pressure, but I think I hadn't prepared enough to be totally confident about my ideas and approach to Antony's motivators. The time lengths and environments in which we were to write our essays effected my performance on them, making the Alchemist essay succeed the Julius Caesar essay.

SLR Reflection
I think the SLR "Learn Enthusiastically" is necessary to be able to construct a well-crafted essay. I always find that if I don't chose things to write about that I don't have an interest or passion for, I end up despising writing for it and as a result not developing it as much as I could. I think that this is what happened with my Julius Caesar essay, as I didn't enjoy preparing for it. In order to have a great essay, the SLR "Learn Enthusiastically" is mandatory to access.

Aiding the Lost Boys From Making Collage, Thanks to the SLR's!

by: Anonymous

Think Creatively!

There are several ways I thought creatively to form the layout of my collage. I chose to have the images form the last word of my 6 word memoir, "Help". This format was meant to be eye-catching, striking and thought provoking, all the while reminding the viewer that anyone and everyone can help the situation that these boys are in. While designing this collage, I sought to create empathy in everyone who saw it, but not just leave them hanging for ways to take action. Instead, I included logos from various great organizations that aid the Lost Boys and their homeland, Sudan. The layout of my collage demonstrates how I thought creatively in constructing it.

Reason Critically!
Thanks to my critical reasoning, my project could truly be effective in terms of helping the Lost Boys. Right at the beginning of designing my collage, I decided to make it simple, not overwhelming and crowded. This was due to my reasoning that if the pictures and text of my project were clear and concise, the viewer would spend more time processing the information and hopefully taking action than reading the text and seeing the photos. Critical reasoning has helped my project to be somewhat striking and efficient.

Communicate Effectively!
The Lost Boys' history and situation is effectively communicated in my collage. The photos in the last word of my 6 word memoir, "Help", are not in any old order. In fact, they create a sequence of the lost boys' unfortunate history. The order of the photos are this: tribal background, harsh genocide, refugee camps and finally life in America. Through these photos, the stepped migration of the Lost Boys is simply and clearly described. This makes it easier for the people looking at my poster who aren't familiar with the Dinka tribe, let alone the Lost Boys spread awareness of the sticky situation of these people. My collage effectively communicates the story of the Lost Boys which helps spread awareness of their plight.

Live Ethically!
Certain features of my collage may evoke empathy in the viewer. The photos I chose to include in my collage were picked especially to create sympathy for the Lost Boys. Particularly, in the letter "E" of the word "Help" includes very striking images. The letter is filled with photos of war in Sudan as well as boys fleeing their homes, and these subjects tend to stir up sympathy for this cause. Also, I pasted on several facts and statistics about conflict in Sudan and the Lost Boys. When I found these facts I knew I had to include them into my collage because they truly horrified me and therefore would hopefully cause someone to take action as a result. Just in case that occurred, I put the logos of several organizations that can be donated to which support the Lost Boys struggling to survive in Africa as well as the U.S.A. into the "!" at the end of my 6 word memoir. Sympathy for the Lost Boys may be caused in the viewers of my collage due to several different items it includes.

My Collage - Creating Empathy in the Viewer

Julius Caesar Essay

“O pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers.” (Act 3, Scene 1) Some men have murdered his best friend, idol and role model for an invalid purpose. Antony felt passionately angry and grievous, but not without good reason. Caesar was assassinated. That was enough for Antony to turn against the conspirators and begin a war against them.

Antony set out to kill the murderers, especially Cassius and Brutus, because of his lust for revenge. The same way his beloved Caesar was slain, so he would slay the assassinators. Revenge then seeps through into his every action, causing him to start a fierce war, and also showing he would not rest until every force opposing Caesar was destroyed. Most of all, Mark Antony wanted to get revenge for the death of his dear friend. “Pardon me, Julius! Here wast thou bay’d, brave hart; Here didst thou fall; and here thy hunters stand, Sign’d in thy spoil, and crimson’d in thy lethe.” (Act 3, Scene 1) When Antony was spouting those lines he was staring at Caesars torn corpse, still caught up in the abruptness of his death. And this is the point when Antony realized, here I am, being friendly with the people who stabbed my friend to death! , and therefore planted the seed of revenge to grow the tree of war. Antony not only thought of Caesar as his buddy, but also as this great ruler who united Rome. “Thou art the ruins of the noblest man that ever lived in the tide of times.” (Act 3, Scene 1) Antony was lamenting over the death of this grand being that led Rome into power. This was yet another reason Antony sought revenge on the conspirators; to make up for the death of the leader he truly respected. Mark Antony had many reasons for starting the war, but this was one that was based on his private motivation and therefore was not as valid as the rest.

Antony felt he had to avenge Caesar’s death, but he also killed the murderers for a sense of justification. He felt that if the conspirators were destroyed, Caesar’s death would be justified and he could move on. In one way, he took it literally and believed that Caesar’s ghost could not move on unless his death was avenged and the conspirators killed. “And Caesar’s spirit, raging for revenge, With Ate by his side come hot from hell, Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war,” (Act 3, Scene 1) In this quote, Antony was explaining that the spirit of Caesar was restless and wanted to kill his murderers. Therefore, Antony thought he himself should carry out the will of this spirit, in order to justify this act. Antony also thought that Caesar would have wanted his best friend, Antony, to justify his unfair assassination. “… put a tongue In every wound of Caesar that should move The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.” Thrice in Antony’s speeches he refers to Caesars wounds as mouths that compel him to speak for Caesar. This shows that one of Antony’s motivations for the war was to speak and act for Caesar’s corpse to bring about justice. Justice is a suitable reason for a war, but that depends on what exactly Antony’s sense of justice really was.

Antony was experiencing an extreme sense of loss, and was in a very emotional state at the time. His ultimate motivators, revenge and justice, made him persevere with his act and drive out the force against his beloved Caesar. In the end of the play he did just that, and triumphed in the war. Antony totally justified and revenged for Caesar’s death, in his own perspective. But, from my point of view, it was a bad move. Why spill even more blood? If the conspirators had tried to do wrong towards Antony himself, I think he should take action, but otherwise I believe it was completely unnecessary. Revenge is not a legitimate reason to murder unless shows some harm towards one, and even though justice is a valid motive, Antony has a warped sense of it. Part of his decision to take action is not made up of reason but of pure emotion and lingering shock of the murder of Caesar, Antony’s friend and leader.

Watch Out for Peter - A Lost Boy with a Plan

Since enduring the forced migration various young Dinka boys faced in the form of genocide, these children encountered multiple struggles to journey towards the refugee camps. However, not the harsh Sudan climate, nor hungry lions could ever prepare Peter, a Lost Boy from the Dinka tribe, for his experiences in America. Everyone in the refugee camp pictured America as heaven. Little did Peter know, it would make him feel more isolated and lonely than he ever was.

From his stay at Houston, Texas, Peter encountered a number of conflicts dealing with the contrast of culture within his stepped migration. There were a variety of things on his mind when he was assimilating to this strikingly different lifestyle. He must not hold hands or show affection with another man for fear of being labeled a homosexual. He had to manage his own budget, from a boring, minimum waged job and still have enough to send back to the refugee camps in which his friends and family lived in desperate need. He had to go to high school every week and deal with the stress that came as a result. And on top of all this, he had to face the pressure that his people put on him to seek some secret thing in the US that would save his Dinka friends and family. Yet he assimilated well into the brand new culture, managed a healthy lifestyle from his hard work while sending some of his wages home, maintained excellent grades in every subject and did all this with more or less a laid back, can-do attitude.

Did Peter really manage all this because of his cruel past? Did his harsh history make him that much stronger?

Julius Caesar - Duet Performance

The passage we chose is the one where Brutus and Cassius engage in a fight. Presently, Brutus and his army are awaiting Cassius and his own army to join them so they can start the war with Antony over Rome. Brutus has just declined a request from Cassius arguing against the banishment of Lucius Pella, a man who had been taking bribes from the Sardians. Meanwhile, Brutus is outraged that Cassius’ refusal for money. Brutus was then talking with Pindarus when Cassius arrives with his own army. Both fuming at each other, they get enter a private tent before they burst out, accusing and nagging each other constantly. However, Cassius then tactically exposed his chest for Brutus to stab at and demanded that Brutus do so. Brutus, miserable from the news of Portia’s suicide, all of a sudden decided to forgive Cassius of his intense verbal attack and soon they are like brothers again, the whole argument forgotten.
This passage is significant because it shows how the conspirators are questioning Caesar’s death. It shows Brutus becoming desperate, and clinging onto any reason that assassinating Caesar was an honorable act. This passage is also significant because it shows how Cassius, thus far, has been relying on Brutus being gullible and being easily manipulated by Cassius. Therefore, if Brutus was to accept all the flattery and become the ruler of Rome, Cassius would be able to control his decisions and therefore “control Rome”. This is majorly significant because it determines if Cassius’ original plan will work, or if he had underestimated Brutus, and therefore determines the characters’ destinies and the whole course of the remaining story.

This passage is in Act 4, scene 3 and is from lines 65 to 122 and 142 to 161.


BRUTUS
You have done that you should be sorry for.
There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats,
For I am arm'd so strong in honesty
That they pass by me as the idle wind,
Which I respect not. I did send to you
For certain sums of gold, which you denied me:
For I can raise no money by vile means:
By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,
And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash
By any indirection: I did send
To you for gold to pay my legions,
Which you denied me: was that done like Cassius?
Should I have answer'd Caius Cassius so?
When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous,
To lock such rascal counters from his friends,
Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts;
Dash him to pieces!


CASSIUS
I denied you not.


BRUTUS
You did.


CASSIUS
I did not: he was but a fool that brought
My answer back. Brutus hath riv’d my heart:
A friend should bear his friend's infirmities,
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.


BRUTUS
I do not, till you practise them on me.


CASSIUS
You love me not.


BRUTUS
I do not like your faults.


CASSIUS
A friendly eye could never see such faults.


BRUTUS
A flatterer's would not, though they do appear
As huge as high Olympus.


CASSIUS
Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come,
Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,
For Cassius is aweary of the world;
Hated by one he loves; brav’d by his brother;
Check'd like a bondman; all his faults observed,
Set in a note-book, learn'd, and conn'd by rote,
To cast into my teeth. O, I could weep
My spirit from mine eyes! There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast; within, a heart
Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:
If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth;
I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart:
Strike, as thou didst at Caesar; for, I know,
When thou didst hate him worst, thou lovedst him better
Than ever thou lovedst Cassius.


BRUTUS
Sheathe your dagger:
Be angry when you will, it shall have scope;
Do what you will, dishonour shall be humour.
O Cassius, you are yoked with a lamb
That carries anger as the flint bears fire;
Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark,
And straight is cold again.


CASSIUS
Hath Cassius lived
To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus,
When grief, and blood ill-temper'd, vexeth him?


BRUTUS
When I spoke that, I was ill-temper'd too.


CASSIUS
Do you confess so much? Give me your hand.


BRUTUS
And my heart too.


CASSIUS
O Brutus!


BRUTUS
What's the matter?


CASSIUS
Have not you love enough to bear with me,
When that rash humour which my mother gave me
Makes me forgetful?


BRUTUS
Yes, Cassius; and, from henceforth,
When you are over-earnest with your Brutus,
He'll think your mother chides, and leave you so.

BRUTUS
Lucius, a bowl of wine!


LUCIUS Exits


CASSIUS
I did not think you could have been so angry.


BRUTUS
O Cassius, I am sick of many griefs.


CASSIUS
Of your philosophy you make no use,
If you give place to accidental evils.


BRUTUS
No man bears sorrow better.
Portia is dead.


CASSIUS
Ha! Portia!

BRUTUS
She is dead.


CASSIUS
How 'scaped I killing when I cross'd you so?
O insupportable and touching loss!
Upon what sickness?


BRUTUS
Impatient of my absence,
And grief that young Octavius with Mark Antony
Have made themselves so strong:--for with her death
That tidings came;--with this she fell distract,
And, her attendants absent, swallow'd fire.


CASSIUS
And died so?


BRUTUS
Even so.


CASSIUS
O ye immortal gods!


enter LUCIUS, with wine and taper


BRUTUS
Speak no more of her. Give me a bowl of wine.
In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius.


CASSIUS
My heart is thirsty for that noble pledge.
Fill, Lucius, till the wine o'erswell the cup;
I cannot drink too much of Brutus' love.


My partner is Meagen.

The School of Athens - A Symbolic Painting

The School of Athens - Raphael

Art can reflect the culture and structure of societies, particularly The School of Athens by Raphael, by the trend of incorporating realism into the painting though its theme and subjects. The theme of the painting is the big idea of the piece and, because paintings are often planned carefully, is bound to portray something meaningful to the artist. And the things that are the most important to the artist often show what was really one the minds of people at that time period. For instance, in the painting The School of Athens you can notice an extremely prominent theme: Humanism. The artist, Raphael, enraptures a thirst and eagerness for knowledge that is displayed everywhere in the painting. This gives us a glimpse of what society was back in the Renaissance. Judging by the painting, it was mainly revolving around education and advancement. Not only the theme gives us a hint about society, but the subjects included in the painting give a great deal away as well. Again, painters normally ponder the structure and meaning of their painting before beginning the piece and therefore, if it is not a simple portrait or landscape, paint people’s body and face to convey a specific message. If there are multiple people in the painting, their interactions, shown by body language and facial expression, can tell you a lot about society. In The School of Athens, Raphael paints people learning from, debating against and simply ignore one another. Each individual illustrates a point about society in the Renaissance. Similar to the theme and the setting of the painting, these interactions mostly have to do with knowledge and understanding, as the school would not be a place of social life back then. Both the theme of and people in the painting are included in the realism of a painting to convey a society, which is used effectively in The School of Athens by Raphael.

In the painting The School of Athens by Raphael, I would be the statue of Apollo in the wall on the left side of the painting. This god is known for light, sun, truth, prophecy, archery, medicine, the arts and more. He is one of the most important Olympian Deities. This god and I both represent harmony, order and reason. The statue shows Apollo in a slightly feminine manner, which I think I portray as well. He stands on Plato's side of the painting, the side of Natural Philosophy.

Da Vinci: Definition of the Renaissance

The Renaissance was a time period when ideas in technology, art and science were reborn. Leonardo Da Vinci, being an exceedingly talented and creative inventor, artist and scientist, encompasses this whole period, thus making his title "the Renaissance Man" appropriate and well-deserved. Da Vinci was a skillful inventor. He worked mainly with wood, scrawling down genius designs on paper that are the base ideas for some modern technology. He was also interested in devices that allowed man to fly. One of his inventions, a pyramid shaped parachute, was tested recently and worked incredibly. Another of his talents that defines the renaissance was art. Leonardo was a superb artist, creating some of the most well-known and beautiful works of art the world has ever known, such as the “Mona Lisa” and the “Last Supper”. He was the one who discovered that using oil instead of yolk in the mixture to create paint was more convenient. Science was another of Da Vinci’s fortes that makes him the man of this era. The genius was particularly interested in the human body. He endlessly studied the anatomy of the body, and how the muscles stretch in his famous drawing, the “Vitruvian Man”. He also did a lot of research doing autopsies on people, exploring every organ and coming up with theories about how it works. The Renaissance Man, Leonardo Da Vinci, earned his label because of his excellence in technology, art and science.

The Apple - Appealing yet Decieving

Janette K. Hopper: Adam and Eve

Choice appears stiffly in the center of a crossroad,
His hard, angeled poker face peering out of rags,
Offering no fingers to point the way.

“There are always two choices. Two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy.” (Anon.) Choice is a concept that tags along after the human race, wherever they go. It cannot be escaped or avoided, and thus is always present. And because of its presence, the human race cannot help but to intertwine this theme with their culture and throughout all time periods, such as in the Bible, The Alchemist and American Idol. Christians believe that the first man and woman on Earth were named Adam and Eve. It says in the Bible, the holy text of Christianity, that God had put them both in a beautiful garden, but told them not to eat the fruit off of one particular tree. After being tempted by the cunning serpent, Eve decides to eat it anyways, and Adam obliges too. Their choice to disobey God caused sin to enter the world and to enter the human race, as well. The message that runs through this story is that a wrong or sinful choice will lead to consequences. In the novel “The Alchemist” by Paul Coelho, the wind symbolizes choice. The main character, who is searching for his treasure, has to make a lot of hard decisions that will determine if he reaches his destiny or not, such as leaving his life as a shepherd and abandoning his true love. This novel models a message, which says that if one makes the right choices, by using one’s intuition and knowledge, one will not only achieve one’s destiny but also find love, treasure and wisdom. Choice also winds its way into many modern day TV shows, including American Idol. This is a show where judges rate how talented an individual can sing. As time passes, they eliminate any individual they think is has the least singing ability of the bunch. They also let the audience vote for whom they think is the best singer. Gradually, the group narrows down to just one person, according to the judge and audience’s opinions, and then is christened The American Idol, and wins the competition. This is a show based on the theme of choices and decisions. It allows one to look critically at each possible choice before deciding for sure. This TV show communicates that one should weigh all of the possible decisions to discover the finest choice. The Bible, The Alchemist and American Idol all seem extremely different, in terms of time periods and culture, but they all include the theme of choices.

Pursuing and Acheiving Destiny

Destiny is Self Realization

“When I have been truly searching for my treasure, every day has been luminous, because I’ve known that every hour was a part of the dream that I would find it.” (Cohelo, 125). In The Alchemist young shepherd, Santiago traveled to Egypt to find his treasure. He abandoned his sheep in Andalusia and journeyed to Africa because the treasure he sought there was his destiny. Along the way, he overcame obstacles, fell in love, and met many significant people who helped him to reach his destiny. Santiago, from The Alchemist, was assisted on his journey by being adventurous, adaptable and faithful.
Since Santiago was adventurous, he was greatly helped on his journey in a variety of ways. Santiago’s parents wanted him to be a priest, but the boy became a shepherd and, because of this, realized that his purpose in life was to travel. Santiago was brought up to be a priest, so he had been attending seminary since he was 16 years old. Had he not had that love of adventuring in his heart, he would have never changed his mind and became a simple shepherd. Being a shepherd, he traveled constantly, and lived a nomadic life. It was then that he realized his purpose in life was to travel, but little did he know how far. Santiago realized just how far off he was to journey when he felt the levanter. Something about him was thrilled to think of adventuring to Egypt, while another part was reluctant to leave his beloved sheep. The wind was sent by the Soul of the World, attempting to keep him on the path to his destiny by tantalizing him with the all the adventures he could have on his journey to Africa. The Soul of the World succeeded when Santiago gave in, due to him being an adventurous boy, and set off on his travels. When finally in Tangier, Santiago was alone. He was stuck in the marketplace shortly after he had had been cheated. However, instead of calling himself an unfortunate victim who had been taken advantage of, he said, “I’m an adventurer, looking for treasure.” (40) This is because he had a desire for adventure, and that desire kept him going in his early stages of the journey to find his destiny. Santiago was better off on his journey because of his adventurous heart, but he still needed to have bravery to be able to continue on his journey.
Several examples show that it was vital for Santiago to have had a characteristic of courage in order to continue on his search for his ultimate goal. The first way that Santiago’s courageous trait helped him on his journey to his destiny was when he gave some ideas to the crystal merchant for his shop. When he first saw the crystal shop, the boy said to the merchant, “I can clean up those glasses in the window, if you want … the way they look now, nobody is going to want to buy them.” (43) Santiago was extremely brave to advise the shopkeeper on his own store, and even more so to offer assistance for it. Yet, because of this daring outburst, the merchant took interest in the boy, and, afterwards, hired him to work in the shop. Santiago was then greatly benefited by his time he spent working for the shopkeeper. He learnt about Maktub, how some people do not want to realize their destiny and much more, which all becomes part of his basic knowledge that helps him begin to understand the Soul of the World more and more. Later, Santiago met Fatima at Al-Fayoum and instantly fell in love with her. When he met her the second time, he boldly stated that he loved her and wanted to marry her. Fatima was so flabbergasted that she dropped her pot, yet that brave statement captured her heart. By him stating this, he taught her about the Universal Language and she became a part of him. In all of their later conversations, Fatima aided Santiago in understanding love, such as how it could survive under any circumstances. This relationship and knowledge that Santiago obtained helped him be more motivated in his search for his destiny. When tribesmen pulled the boy and Alchemist over to a military camp, the Alchemist told them that Santiago could turn himself into wind. The tribesmen were curious to see that happen, and, thus, gave Santiago three days to perform the miracle. If the boy successfully completed the task, then the soldiers would let him free, and, if not, Santiago would die. When the third day came, Santiago bravely gathered the tribesmen and had them seated around him. With everybody staring at him, the boy begins to try to turn himself into wind, not at all unnerved by being so unprepared. After explaining that the reason he wanted to turn himself into wind was his love for Fatima to the desert, wind and sun, Santiago prays to “the hand that wrote it all” and finally turns himself into wind. Because the boy was brave enough to perform this miracle to the tribesmen, they spared his life, and thus he was able to continue on his pursuit of his destiny. Santiago is helped in a number of ways to find his treasure by his trait of courage, however honesty is a trait that will lead the boy to his final destination on his road to his destiny.
There are a variety of instances in which Santiago used his honest characteristic to succeed in his pursuit for his destiny. When Santiago is knocked down by a mysterious horseman in Al-Fayoum after he reported his vision of war in the oasis, the hostile stranger questioned who dared to read the meaning of the flight of the hawks. Instead of remaining silent or even lying aloud and saying that he never had the vision, Santiago confessed, “It was I who dared to do so.” (105) As it turns out, the strange horseman was actually the Alchemist who was testing Santiago. If the boy hadn’t spoke up and told the truth, then the Alchemist would have thought twice about accepting him as an apprentice, or he even might have abandoned the thought altogether. And, if the Alchemist had never mentored Santiago, the boy would most likely be way off course on the path to his destiny. Later, when the boy and his mentor were traveling through the desert, Santiago brought up something personal about his heart. “’… my heart is agitated,’ the boy said. ‘It has its dreams, it gets emotional, and it’s become passionate over a woman of the desert. It asks things of me, and it keeps me from sleeping many nights, when I’m thinking about her… My heart is a traitor… It doesn’t want me to go on.’” (123) Santiago was telling the Alchemist something extremely personal. He was most likely embarrassed at explaining to the Alchemist just how his heart feels about Fatima, let alone that his heart was a traitor. Yet he was truthful and open instead of saying his heart was pure, or perfect. And, because of this confession, the Alchemist was then able to give advice to Santiago about his heart, such as listening to it always. Santiago would clearly not fulfill his destiny had he not been constantly listening to his heart, who warned him of danger and protected him from it as well. Afterwards, Santiago was digging in the desert for hours without any sign of his treasure when two thieves approached him. They took his gold and watched him dig. When there was still no trace of buried riches, the men started beating him ruthlessly. Finally Santiago blurted out he truth, that he was digging for treasure. What he did not predict was that, due to this, the robbers stopped beating him, laughed and spared his life. After that, one of the thieves spoke of a recurring dream that he had of treasure being buried at a place Santiago had once spent the night in Andalusia. His truthfulness not only spared his life, but also helped him find his treasure. There are a number of examples that show how Santiago’s honest characteristic aided him in succeeding in his pursuit for his destiny.
After having the dream about the pyramids of Egypt, Santiago persevered in trying to realize and accomplish his destiny and find his treasure. In The Alchemist, a boy named Santiago is able to fulfill his destiny due to his adventurous, brave and honest personality. After reaching his destiny, Santiago is a more self-assured, developed and independent person, who has fallen in love, discovers his treasure and found himself along the way. The message deeply embedded in this story is that when all possessions are left behind, the only baggage one takes with them is oneself. Santiago left his job, sheep and family behind, and, set out in search of his destiny and himself.

The Glass is Half full

Picasso: The Dance
“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” (Jimmy Dean) Nobody can ultimately predict or control where life brings them, but I can always change the way I perceive any incident. That will then determine how it affects me emotionally. My characteristic of optimism and ability to change how I perceive life will help me achieve my destiny. This characteristic embedded within me will grow stronger and stronger over the years until a surge of depression can be conquered easily and a rush of frustration can be overcome in no time. Each day I am building up my optimistic force inside of me until, by the time I graduate this quality will be bursting from me, reflecting everything I say, do and think. This is significant because even through the struggles that will come when I am in college, I will be able to rid myself of all awful feelings and feel pleasant and be able to focus on my studying. And when college is over and there will be no studying to do, I can spend less time sulking and more time pursuing my destiny. Though I am not sure what it is exactly, focusing upon my destiny and seeking it with all of my heart will lead me to it, with no sorrows of the world to bring me down. I will complete my destiny with the help of my optimism and ability to perceive life differently.