Final Alchemist post- The mysteries of the "language of life" and the "language of the desert"

The "language of the desert" and "the language of life". These two topics have been constantly addresses in The Alchemist. Santiago learned about these languages through the Alchemist he met. The only people in the book that (seemingly) understood this mysterious language from the beginning aren't people at all. On page 121, Santiago mentions that his "horse knows the language of life". The boys horse and the Alchemist's hawks have been examples of "the language of the world" for the boy and the Alchemist. These animals seem to have been associated with this language, as if that is how animals are communicating with their squeaks, squawks, and growls. When the Alchemist first appeared in the book, he immediately stuck out (to me) as some sort of mystical being. Not just by his title, but by his entire image. The long white cloak, a hawk on his shoulder, and his interaction with the cobra shows the reader that he has been in close contact with animals before. Since he has spent however many years he has with these creatures, he should be well educated on their ways of life. This also raises another question/theory. Since the alchemist has spent such a long time with the animals, he could have learned something from them. Could the animals be the Alchemist's toutor on the "language of life" and the "language of the desert"?

Do I believe that "When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it."?

1. On page 24, the king of Salem tells Santiago, "When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it." Do you believe that this is true? Why or why not?

This statement is very optimistic. It shows the earth's good side and not the rest. To me, this statement translates to: when you want something, it will, most likely, come true. What I mean by this is that this statement is both true and false. First of all, when you want something, you need to work for it. Maybe, this is different in a world where magic and reality are intermingled like the one The Alchemist is set in. In the real world, this is not always the case. When you work for something, and you try your absolute hardest to achieve it, there will always be something fighting against you to prevent you from reaching that goal. It's even been taught in books and stories that are completle fantasy. All characters in magical- fiction based books have to fight some sort of opposing force to get what they have been trying to get, the entire time. It isn't always a bad thing though. By having that small delay in receiving what you desperately want, makes you want it all the more. The waiting enhances our want for that thing, it makes us stronger.  Now, sometimes, things may seem like they are simply being handed to you. This is, however, extremely rare for people who live in a non- fictional universe. If work never existed, I think miracles, and wishes always coming true with 100% costomer satisfaction would be quite common on planet earth. In the real world, you would have to have a bit of both self motivation, and help. If you had self motivation, and no help, bigger wishes like Santiago's wish to travel, would have a larger chance of failing than working out. If he hadn't come across the old man who motivated him to continue traveling, he would have given up and have been stuck tending to a flock of sheep. If you had to simply pick between self motivation and help, then, you would have a harder time achieving your goal. If things just worked out immediately, that's great, but that sort of stuff doesn't exist in the real world. The true part of The King of Salem's saying it that, yes, the universe "conspires to help you", but, nothing would be complete without the wisher doing at least half of the work it takes to achieve their wish.  

The Alchemist: What do Santiago's sheep symbolize?

On page 9, reread the passage that begins, "The only things that concerned the sheep were the food and water," and ends with, "They trust me, and they've forgotten how to rely on their own instincts, because I lead them to nourishment." Do you think that the sheep symbolize something? If so, what? 

Santiago has not spent a significant amount of time with actual people. Since this is the case, he feels like he has no real power or place with civilization. When he said " they've forgotten how to rely on their own instincts..." he was saying they have been living one way for such a long time, that they have forgotten to do things for themselves. This symbolizes Santiago's want to live in a place where there are people like him, to not roam all over and not stay in one place. He has been living by that rule for so long, that his thoughts and actions follow that rule, making him incapable of doing anything he wants to do that is different from sheepherding. Also, he is feeling powerless and contemplates slaughtering the sheep at this time. This would make him feel, and know that he has some sort of control over something.  

What I hope to gain from ELA this year

I hope to improve my grammar when writing. Last year, I found that I tangled all of the things I learned about punctuation into one. This obviously resulted in a paper that took points away from me, due to the constant grammar errors that needed fixing. This year, I wish to memorize most, if not all, of the different types of punctuation that kept me from impressing not only the teacher, but myself as well.

What was my favorite ELA novel

3) What was your favorite text that we read this year in ELA. Why? Please fully explain your answers.

My favorite text of the year was Persepolis. I have rarely taken a graphic novel completly seriously. They have never been able to paint as beautiful a picture as a regular novel could, despite the plethora of amazing artworks on each and every page. Yet, Persepolis has been one of the few series of graphic novels that I could really enjoy on a serious level. It was depressing, educational, and mildly humorous. This blend of traits boosted this book to a higher level in my opinion with graphic novels, and has gotten me thinking about looking in to others like it.

Brothers Grimm conflict

1) Describe the primary conflict in your novel. Who (or what) is the conflict between (think man vs. self, man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. machine, etc.)?

A little bit of each example of conflict is used in the Brothers Grimm stories. First example, man vs self, the story of Little Red Riding Hood, a little girl is torn between the decision to stop, talk, and trust the stranger in the forest, or continue her walk over to her grandmother's house. Man vs man is shown in at least two stories. These main two are from Cinderella, in which she is being forced into a type of slavery by her stepfamily, which thwarts her opportunity to marry someone who could rescue her from her "kitchen maid" lifestyle. The other, being Rapunzel. Rapunzel is locked away by an evil enchantress and is forbidden from seeing the world, but, when a prince finds her, she has to either risk falling into a forbidden relationship with the prince, or continue living as a captive. Man vs nature was a main form of conflict in the Grimm tales. At the end of Cinderella, Cinderella's bird companions swoop down and attack the stepsisters when they come to the marriage of Cinderella and the prince. The birds then claw the sisters' eyes from their sockets, leaving them blind. Two stories, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, involve the main characters, which are both protagonists, involved in some battle with nature. In Snow White, the princess has to brave the dark forests until she finds shelter in the dwarve's house. Simmilar situations happen in Hansel and Gretel, when the siblings travel through the forest after being ditched by their stepmother, and find the witche's gingerbread house. In Sleeping Beauty, the princess pricks her finger on the spinning wheel spindle, and falls into a deep sleep. This somehow causes a multitude of briar branches to wrap around the palace which prevents her hero to come rescue her. The princes try to slash through the briars, but end up getting stuck, and dying an agonizing death. Lastly, there is man vs machine. The machines one may think people refer to in stories are not the ones in this book. This is only because this book was written in a time where electronic anythings did not exist. So, fathering the technology of the time, which mainly consisted of carts, dangled, and cottages, this is what I have come up with. In Rapunzel, the prince has to climb up a tower to get to the beautiful woman that lives inside. The tower old, and dangerously high off of the ground. The story of Sleeping Beauty involves a prince trying to get passed all of the shut parts of the castle to get to his bride as well. 

Pharmacy ad

What rhetorical appeal is the ad using (ethos, pathos, logos)? Explain your answer.

This advertisement is appealing to ethos because it is trying to sell itself to the general female population whom enjoys dying their hair.

What is the argument that this ad is making (premises and conclusion)?

This ad is saying that the dye not only colors, but softens the hair in a cleansing manner, and, it is also permanent! This would obviously attract more customers because of the duel purpose.

Can you spot any logical fallacies in this ad? If so, what are they?

The logical fallacy in this is a "false cause". A "false cause" is when something says what the outcome will be if you do something else, this prediction is usually false. What this image is implying is that if you use this hair dye/ moisturizer, you will look as beautiful as the woman in the picture.

What is the source of the ad (who is paying for it)?



1. What is the purpose of the ad?

The main purpose of the ad is to get women to buy this sort of hair dye.

2. Who is the target audience and how do you know this?

Women would pay for this because of the female image on the front of the box and the word use like "gorgeous" and "superior".

3. What is the subtext of this ad?

The part at the bottom in small print that reads: 100% grey coverage! permanent, 1application.

4. What part of the story is not being told?

It hasn't told the buyer about any after effects.

5Is there a group that is empowered and/or disempowered by this ad? How can you tell?

Women would probably be empowered here because there is no sign of putting down any type of person (weight -wise, ethnicity, class), but it is simply an ad that's purpose is to get any type of woman to buy their product.