Discussion on the-alchemist

[Sexy Bitch]

I think I want to be an alchemist... just sayiinnn!! ;)

[Sexy Bitch]

Yeah... I don't know lol someone else needs to start the discussion!!
These questions are too advanced for me :)

[Mosigg]

I agree... I'm going to sleep on these questions and then make up
answers tomorrow at work... lawl.... I will also post the book
questions as well... so check back tomorrow for more Alchemist
questions ;)

[Mosigg]

NEW QUESTIONS!!! ;)

Click on http://groups.google.com/group/303-bookworms/web/the-alchemist
- or copy & paste it into your browser's address bar if that doesn't
work.

[Mosigg]

9. What is meant by the "lanuage of the world"? -- For me, I got the
feeling that this meant how everything was connected.. You didn't need
to speak a word to understand, all you would needed to do what take in
what was happening in "life" and in turn you got to experience the
language of the world. IE: when birds head south you know that winter
is coming...

10. Are omens really out there and are they important? What are
omens? Are they just illusions that we see to justify something we
feel or want to do, or are they something more? -- I don't know if
they are important, all I know is maybe there is a sequence of events
that lead up to a major one. If the sequence is good, the outcome is
looking bright, however if the sequence is just a mess of bad events
then maybe the outcome really wasn't as bright as you would of hoped.
I think omens might just be past or present scenarios in which we
decide whether we should do something in the near future (if that
makes sense?!)

[The Great Rizzle]

I'm viewing from my phone so I'm not sure if this is where I want to
post, but here goes.
11.What was the point of finding the treasure close to where it was
first dreamed about?
The personal legend isn't just about the goal. It takes
sacrifice(selling his sheep), it took guts(Leaving his world into a
strange country he didn't even know the language), persistence(Getting
robbed, working and learning about the new land, the caravan, the
journey with the alchemist.), and even failures. The journey and the
eventual success in spite of it is what makes the experience worth it.
He learned to read omens, found a woman he almost couldn't leave,
learned a new language, turned a business around, saved an oasis,
spoke to the desert, the wind, and the sun, became wind, traveled
further than any shepherd, and learned of mysteries like alchemy and

the language of the world.

His personal legend was to find his treasure, and through his journey
so far from the start he found as much experience in his life as he
ever would literal treasure. Being so close to it in the start is a
good way of showing just how important the journey itself is to
achieving something that could have been so simple, but not nearly as
worth the little effort.

[Fili]

Very well said Jerrome. I was kind of talking to Chris about the book
last night and he was really frustrated about how the conclusion was
only a few pages long. It was definitely more about the journey than
the actual treasure. He learned more abut himself through that
journey, therefore valuing the treasure in the end more than he would
have before, and he most likely put it to better use than he would
have.

[Spishock]

I Agree Fili, the value of this story is in the journey that Santiago
had during his quest to accomplish his personal legend. I just thought
that the end of the book was rushed in how fast he went from finding
the pyramids of Egypt to the EPILOUGE where he had actually dug up his
treasure under the Sycamore tree. I like what Mosigg said about
everything being connected because I agree with that, issues and
situations typically affect many more people than those immediately
involved. If Santiago were to just find the treasure under the
Sycamore without going on his journey he wouldn't have been able to do
or accomplish all of the stuff that "The Great Rizzle" talked about. I
think everything that happened along his journey was important and
also showed how things are/can be connected. Who knows how many people
Santiago helped get closer to their personal legends just by him
searching out his own.


19. King Mechizedek tells the boy that when we are children,
"everything is clear and everything is possible," but as time passes
mysterious forces convince us to abandon our dreams (p. 23). Do you
think this is true? What are the "mysterious forces" that threaten to
hold us back as we grow older?
I think what the wise king Mechizedek said here is true. As kids we
are not concerned with day to day living task such as putting food on
the table. Children do not have the concept that somethings can’t
happen or that things may be “impossible.” Unfortunately as children
grow older they are exposed to letdowns and told by adults, that long
ago abandoned their dreams, certain things just can’t be done or to
forget their childish thoughts and focus on growing up.

[The Great Rizzle]

On Aug 10, 4:05 pm, Mosigg <morgan21...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 9. What is meant by the "lanuage of the world"?  -- For me, I got the
> feeling that this meant how everything was connected.. You didn't need
> to speak a word to understand, all you would needed to do what take in
> what was happening in "life" and in turn you got to experience the
> language of the world. IE: when birds head south you know that winter
> is coming...

I would even go one step further in and say that this book grants more
than just a connection between all things, but adds a soul to
everything. It's like the alchemist when he mentions that every
mineral fulfills it's personal legend by by being what it is. Like
every grain of sand is filling its purpose of being a grain of sand,
and the connected whole is the desert that he spoke to. All things
aren't just connected, but in their own way they communicate with
eachother. In addition to the communication all things have some level
of a soul or a force that ties them all together. Think about when
Santiago mentioned the soul of the caravan(each thing within having
it's own connection with it's individual soul in sync) moving in step
with the soul of the desert and communicating on a level that granted
them safe passage. So to me the language of the world is being able to
identify the functions and souls of all things and seeing how they
interact, and being able to interact accordingly by speaking this
language.

[Keeri]

I don't really know how everyone is doing this yet, so im just going
to answer a random question. ;D

11.What was the point of finding the treasure close to where it was
first dreamed about?

I think that the point of finding the treasure close to where it
was first dreamed about was so that Santiago could really enjoy what
he had achieved. If he had come to it easily it would not been as dear
to him. There was a quote in the book that said, "There is only one
thing that makes a dream impossible to acheive; the fear of failure."
I think that this explains the signifigance of where he found his
treasure because from an outsiders stand point, everything he went
through was pretty negative. Anything from having his money stolen and
having to work in the crystal shop to being held captive by the tribe
could have constituted failure of acheiving his personal legend. But
because he had a clear goal in mind and knew that treasure was
awaiting him, Santiago viewed these more as obstacles than failures,
and thus pressed on. With every trial he had to endure he acquired a
new skill or a new way of thinking, which could be more valuable then
the treasure itself. So when he reached the end of his journey, he not
only acheived his personal legend, but became a man as well, making
him understand the full scope of how his life had been changed for the
better.