HP English 2 Essay

This is an example of an essay I wrote in 10th grade for my honors class. It was hard because I don't really like writing essays. However, I wrote this essay for extra credit to recieve a better grade.

Kaity Sutter

Period 5

HP English 2

June 12, 2007

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

A Major Theme throughout the Book

 

As I read through The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coelho, I found some major themes that were portrayed though the whole book. These themes were repeated over and over that showed characteristics of life in general. One main theme that I noticed was faith. The boy was able to go around using faith and omens to guide him to his treasure. This would take much faith in life to make sure that he isn’t guided to some random ditch in the middle of nowhere. I would be scared to go somewhere that I didn’t know and just trust my gut and heart to make sure that I don’t get hurt. I might be able to do it if I was somewhere that I knew where I was and could find my way back home. Otherwise, I don’t think that it’s a good idea to follow your heart in a strange place.

 

One example of faith in your heart and in your gut was given to the boy when he was talking to the King. The boy was able to gain two marbles that would help him guide in the right direction if he asked a question. The marbles signified “yes” and “no” depending on the color that fell out of his pocket. One quote that I thought was an important part of faith in your heart was the quote; “‘They are called Urim and Thummim. The black signifies ‘yes,’ and the white ‘no.’ When you are unable to read the omens, they will help you to do so. Always ask an objective question.” pg. 31 I thought that this quote was an informative quote about the marbles. It showed that he was supposed to believe in the omens he saw before he used the marbles to find where he should go next. The quote also extends to show that he is supposed to make his own decisions and that it would be the best thing for him in the long run.

 

The next instance that I thought showed faith in the boy’s life was when he was trying to decide whether or not to go on with his journey or to marry his love and stay there. This was something that I thought really showed how much he had to believe in omens and that they will keep coming back to him. They don’t abandon him and leave him in the dust because he gave up. In the quote that I chose, the Alchemist is explaining what his future will be like if he stays with Fatima, his love; “‘Sometime during the second year, you’ll remember about the treasure. The omens will begin insistently to speak of it, and you’ll try to ignore them. You’ll use your knowledge for the welfare of the oasis and its in habitants…’” pg. 125 This was a particularly interesting quote where the Alchemist describes his future if he doesn’t pursue his destiny. In the same area, the Alchemist is able to sway the boy into continuing with his journey and telling him that Fatima will be there for him when he gets back from finding his treasure. People usually say things like that in daily life that is similar to this, but I thought that this was an interesting part of the book that brought up more about faith than anything.

 

Faith was the driving force for every aspect of the book. It insisted on omens and believing in your heart and showed the childish ways of many people to not believe in their hearts as they are older. That was the sad reality of the book and brought up many topics that people can talk about at a later time.