Blog Post #2: How does literature reveal the values of a given time or culture?

Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, revealed many thoughts regarding themes such as: destiny, love, faith, patience, dreams, hope... For this post, you need to:

• Upload your personification poem regarding a theme in The Alchemist.
• Craft a well-developed paragraph that identifies the theme, describes the message regarding the theme, and explains how the theme reveals the values of Santiago's culture and/or time period. Be sure to begin with a topic sentence and end with a conclusion. This paragraph is getting at the essential question:

How does literature reveal the values of a given time or culture?

• Add an ARTISTIC image that illustrates the theme in your poem.
• Engage in final revisions and editing before publishing your post.
• Add a creative title that represents the theme.

Use the following example to serve as a guide.

Destiny Awaits

Gustav Klimt: Tree of Life

Destiny awaits you in the obscure regions of your heart.
Shrouded in blinding pessimism and doubt,
Revealing itself only to the observant and faithful.

In The Alchemist, Coelho reveals the value that to achieve one's destiny, you must listen to your heart and follow what it reveals no matter the doubt and fear it may produce. "No heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams" (Coelho 124). Many believe that there is no such thing as 'treasure;' that we don't deserve to realize our dreams. As a result, our hearts go quiet out of fear of disappointment. Coelho speaks to all cultures and across time periods through Santiago's heart, "Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him" (125). Like Santiago, we need to quiet ourselves and listen to what treasure our heart is trying to reveal to us. If we allow ourselves the luxury of listening, we will know its message and know how to cope with any discomfort we may experience in pursuing our dreams; "fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself." (124)