we shall fight in France,
we shall fight on the seas and oceans,
we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be,
we shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds,
we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall fight in the hills;
we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old."
- Winston Churchill

This is the famous speech famous speech by Winston Churchill, "we shall fight in the beaches. His speech was about not giving up to the odds of the powers of the Axis Forces in the WWII. At the time, year 1940, the allied forces were suffering devastating casualties at the seemingly unbeatable Axis forces. Many parts of Britain, was talking about surrendering against the axis forces to not suffer anymore casualties. To compare the British military forces, and the German forces, The Axis forces was sure to win. However, Britain's prime minister, Winston Churchill made a speech that made his thoughts about what actions to take would be clear: To fight with the Axis forces, and to never surrender whatever happens.
Whatever Winston Churchill felt at the time, I could be sure that it took him such great courage to face a brute force with the British, who were last ones standing. The value of this short speech, were, to the British, meant everything. This gave the courage for the British to fight on the WWII. The concept of what courage is, why it is needed, and what it is capable of, transcends both time and culture. Courage was viewed as a necessity in medieval European knights, African hunter gatherer tribes, to Japanese Samurais.



Picture of lion: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaypiP3Yh7sE8k67SnOZ3VeCmZNq8O3zA3Hro7k1xHb76FvgArD9XB0fPJdo29yDNidg5oibe_yAJMMUr-4SUPShFNbzFSPyqVjhfVyq0FY8Hq3eH37oFqHvSkeZ5f-d4N5STqP2OpvtQK/s320/pictures-Black-maned-lion-in-sepia-Maasai-Mara-National-Park-Kenya.jpg

The personification of love

Love
She waits to be discovered
Dressed in a white dress
When found she smiles,
"You found me dear"


"He knew that his love for her would enable him to discover every treasure in the world."
The Alchemist, from The Alchemist

The poem has the theme of Love. It has the theme that love is something that is waiting to be discovered, and the love greets the person who found him/her. I think that the theme is relevant in each culture, as the supposed "lesson" could be translated by all cultures, that love is waiting to be found, and the symbolism, can be communicated in all languages, as the color white is the color of purity and peace, not only now, but even in the middle ages, it symbolized purity. This can be known from the fact that Jesus Christ is seen wearing white in nearly all of the paintings in the middle ages. The dress, especially when it is white, can give the reader a thought of marriage, which is emphasizing that the poem is about true love. The poem and its theme can be realized by people in all cultures and nearly all time periods.

Picture bibliography:
Woman in the white dress: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4pyW3N02N37TfOiHSoGGVGEVfx7MXsbsE-2OMBqs336tFZRbiWSIKfT1S_xmE4lm_kRIhUPAikSpsLRQSl9yOpbNEpoXcfVuNkgiFOZfn34TJ2-ifRvCANvw6QC9IpOMhzshwXmWirFk/s400/woman+in+white+dress_warm+light+green_chloe+mallett_ray+brown+represents.png

Essay: Characteristics and Destiny + How am I a participant of my destiny

ESSAY:
Characteristics and Destiny

“It is true that everything has its Personal Legend, but one day that Personal Legend will be realized.” (Coello 150) The “The Alchemist” is a story about a shepherd boy called “Santiago”. During the course of the book, he takes several trials that challenge him to achieve his destiny. He also gets guidance from several characters during the course of the story. With courage, spirituality, and intelligence, Santiago manages to achieve his destiny.


While seeking his destiny, Santiago proves that he is courageous several times. Although Santiago becomes more daring and fearless as the story advances, he already has that quality at the beginning of the book, as shown at this conversation:
“’The people who come here have a lot of money to spend, so they could afford to travel… Amongst us, the only ones who travel are shepherds,” (says Santiago’s father).
‘Then I will become a shepherd!’ (Responds Santiago).” (9)
Santiago also manages to give up all his sheep, when The King of Salem (Melchizedek) told Santiago his destiny. Abandoning everything a person has isn’t something that is easy to do, especially when a person is chasing a dream he isn’t even sure what it is. Santiago also risks his life on the omen of the two falcons, and tells the chiefs of Al-Fayoum, that there is going to be a raided by one of the tribes who are fighting. The chiefs say that, if there is no raid, they will shoot Santiago. However, Santiago holds firm from the threat, and not run away. Santiago also doesn’t run away when he has to learn to turn himself into wind in a week (which seemed impossible to Santiago at the time) From these events, it is clear that Santiago needed courage to face several threats, but he also needed to rely on his spirituality.


As he pursues his destiny, Santiago proves himself to be a very spiritual person throughout the book. He believes in the soul of the world, and he talks to several representatives of the Soul of World, such as the desert, the wind, and the sun.
“Then, whom should I ask?” (Says Santiago)”
“Speak to the hand that wrote all,” (Says the Sun)” (144)
Ultimately, Santiago moves beyond the representatives of the Soul of World, and speak with it directly. The Soul of the World is God. Santiago is able to communicate with God, by love, and aid from the representatives of the soul of the world.
He proves to be a spiritual person throughout the book. He believes that all things are one. Santiago learns there is only one destiny written for him, and that God wrote it. Spirituality helps Santiago on his journey, but he is also aided by his intelligence.


Santiago, although he is not a knowledgeable person in the beginning, he is certainly intelligent. Unlike his job as a shepherd, he is literate. He can speak Latin. You can infer that the background time of this story is at the renaissance as the oasis used both guns and swords:
“They withdrew their scimitars and rifles” (p107)
Santiago is able to do several tasks with very little guidance from the alchemist. For example, he was able to realize what to do to turn himself into the wind (eventually). Santiago is able to quickly grasp concepts that he has never heard of. After this happens, even the alchemist acknowledges him as the perfect disciple:
“The alchemist, because he found his perfect disciple…” (146)
What the alchemist was talking as “the perfect disciple”, wasn’t a person who knew a lot of things, like the Englishman, but a person who is capable of becoming the alchemist’s disciple. Being intelligent and wise was something that was crucial in the factors for “the perfect disciple”


These three characteristics were critical to Santiago’s characters. Santiago develops these traits on his journey. Before the book, Santiago, although not as great as these characteristics are at the end of the story, they were developed for that one day in Santiago’s destiny would be realized. Because of this, characteristics and destiny are closely branded together.



HOW AM I A PARTICIPANT OF MY DESTINY
"I never worry about action, but only inaction."
Winston Churchill

A participant of a destiny, is a person who is already taking the most important path in his life: which is destiny.
Although I am not walking in the road of my very own destiny yet, but hopefully, I am in the process of getting ready for it. In the book "The Alchemist", Santiago wasn't in the path of his destiny, but he was getting ready for it, by learning how to abandon his steady life, and becoming a shepherd. I hope that I am taking steps for the destiny that is in front of me, like Santiago.
The Character trait that I have that would help me as a participant of my destiny is probably courage. Without courage, many of the things I was able to achieve wouldn't have been achievable in the first place.
Without courage, I wouldn't have been able to move to this school, and I wouldn't dare to be different. Because I have the courage to do what I should do, I do not worry about doing action on what I did, but I worry about things I didn't do to go forward on the journey of my destiny.




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