Alchemist Essays (Examples)

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Alchemist Compared to "Tuck Everlasting"
There have always been legends that a place or substance existed that would prolong the normal lifespan of a human. This goes beyond a simple health regimen or exercise. Famously, in the United States, one of these places was supposedly in Florida at a fountain of youth. But, no one was ever able to find it. Two of the substances were the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life. Sometimes the two are separated by legend (the elixir is separate from the stone), but one of the meanings of the word elixir is "liquid gold" (Gillabel). This probably has more to do with where the potion comes from, but it also speaks to its value. These substances have been immortalized in several books; among them are "The Alchemist" by Paul Coelho and "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbitt. The purpose of this essay is to first understand….

In this sense, the story is subscribed to the science fiction type, without however being an actual science fiction novel. In general terms, SF novels focus on "some imaginary time or place. In its original usage in the 1920s, science fiction referred to stories that appeared in cheap, so-called pulp magazines, but science fiction now appears in all media, including motion pictures, staged dramas, television programs, and video games, as well as short stories and book-length works" (Scribd., n.d.). Therefore, it can be pointed out that there are some elements of the science fiction, even if these are not strictly related to films that were afterwards made such as the Star Wars that was one of the most important creations of this kind.
The novel reflects elements of supernatural through the characters it presents as well as the situations through which Santiago goes through. More precisely, the fact that he….

ho are the most important minor characters? hat are their relationships to the protagonist? Select one minor character and show his significance to the novel.
The most important minor characters are the gypsy and the king who urge Santiago to first embark on his quest, and the Englishman and the alchemist who urge him to continue on to seek his desired treasure. But it is the alchemist of the title who instructs Santiago of the most profound truth of the novel, that treasure is not to be measured in monetary wealth, but in human relationships and insight. It is whom Santiago meets on the quest, not the destination that is important: "All you have to do is contemplate a simple grain of sand, and you will see in it all the marvels of creation" says the alchemist (132). Alchemy is about "penetrating the soul of the world" more than transforming….

The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho: effectiveness through the use of characters, themes, and philosophical statements The Alchemist is an international bestseller by Paolo Coelho. The story is about a shepherd boy – Santiago – who has the dream of traveling the world driven by the desire to find treasures. He is courageous enough to embark on the journey and follow his destiny. The journey takes him from Spain through Tangiers to the desert in Egypt. Along the journey, he gets cheated, he loses money and goes through unpleasant experiences, but he also gets loved, makes money, learns a new language, meets many diverse people, and finds himself in pleasant situations. He has adventure, learns numerous lessons, and meets a king, an alchemist, and a desert woman. All these experiences add to enrich his view of life. This essay seeks to explain the effectiveness of the novel courtesy of the use of….

" James a.S. McPeek
further blames Jonson for this corruption: "No one can read this dainty song to Celia without feeling that Jonson is indecorous in putting it in the mouth of such a thoroughgoing scoundrel as Volpone."

Shelburne

asserts that the usual view of Jonson's use of the Catullan poem is distorted by an insufficient understanding of Catullus' carmina, which comes from critics' willingness to adhere to a conventional -- yet incorrect and incomplete -- reading of the love poem. hen Jonson created his adaptation of carmina 5, there was only one other complete translation in English of a poem by Catullus. That translation is believed to have been Sir Philip Sidney's rendering of poem 70 in Certain Sonnets, however, it was not published until 1598.

This means that Jonson's knowledge of the poem must have come from the Latin text printed in C. Val. Catulli, Albii, Tibulli, Sex. Aur. Propertii Opera omnia….

In addition, Lett (1987) emphasizes that, "Cultural materialists maintain that a society's modes of production and reproduction determine its social structure and ideological superstructure, but cultural materialists reject the metaphysical notion of Hegelian dialectics that is part of dialectical materialism" (80). Indeed, according to Bradshaw (1993), "the British cultural materialist knows that the 'radical,' 'subversive,' 'marginal,' or 'dissident' perspective is always superior (9). This author maintains that British cultural materialist readings of Shakespeare tend to assign particular characters or speeches a privileged, supra-dramatic significance that may override meaningful analysis if care is not taken (Bradshaw 9).
According to Bate (1994), it has become increasingly common in recent years for scholars to adopt either the new historicism or cultural materialist perspective alone when considering these literary works, particularly as they apply to Shakespeare. In this regard, MacDonald (1994) suggests that the New Historicist camp enjoys a clear advantage because they "define….

This is a journey that requires the utmost steadfastness and the ability of face the truth. In existentialist terms, the world and all experience is essentially absurd and the more one questions the meaning of existence, the more the irrationality and absurdity of existence is revealed. However, this reality must be faced with acceptance and equanimity.
In the case of the protagonist of this short story, he is embedded in ordinary, everyday existence and refuses to acknowledge the absurdity of existence. Ziegler, like most people, is comfortable to hide behind a wall of logic and scientific rationality; the life of non-authentic existence. However, this illusion is destroyed by the alchemist's pellet that that undermines the illusion that the world is rational or structured in an orderly way.

What the author of this story is attempting to say is that the reality of existence must be faced in the existential journey towards….

It also widened her female audience much further than the small group of upper-class women with whom she was acquainted (ibid).
Overall, this work represented Lanyer as a complex writer who possessed significant artistic ambition and "who like other women of the age wrote not insincerely on devotional themes to sanction more controversial explorations of gender and social relations" (Miller 360).

In her work, Lanyer issued a call to political action by noting several Old Testament women who changed the course of ancient Jewish history through their bravery, humor and valor, and she recalled the favor Christ demonstrated to women in a variety of actions and by electing them as custodians of his salvational message (ibid 362). The story covered Christ's betrayal by male apostles, the arraignment before male authorities to whom Lanyer addressed complaints, and the account of Christ's procession to Calvary, the crucifixion and the drama of the empty….

Invention of Gun Powder and the Impact it Had on the Chinese Society and Warfare
The invention of gunpowder was driven by the quest for unending life. Gunpowder, however, ended up being more or less a death potion, responsible for the development of the deadliest war weapon, after the atomic bomb. An invention dating back to the Song and Tang Dynasties, between the 9th and 11th centuries, gunpowder came to be considered one of China's "Four Great Ancient Inventions,' alongside the compass, printing, and papermaking. Due to its explosive nature, gunpowder was first used for fireworks, and later, as an explosive in war. Prior to gunpowder invention, the Chinese military used fire as their main war weapon. Fire, however, had limited coverage, and Chinese strategists sought to develop a weapon with wider coverage.

Gunpowder was employed in warfare in the 15th century. It evolved from the ancient cannon to the modern-day firearm.….

John Dee Such an Enigmatic
PAGES 8 WORDS 2419

'" (Molland 257) of course, this kind of thinking would eventually lead Dee to argue that "at length I perceived onely God (and by his good Angels) could satisfy my desire," and ultimately resulted in his extensive travels with the medium and alchemist Edward Kelley. Furthermore, this insistence on an astrological interpretation of cosmology directly influenced his other "scientific" works, something that is taken up in J. Peter Zetterberg's analysis of what he calls Dee's "hermetic geocentricity."
After discussing the somewhat limited commentary on Copernicus' theory of heliocentrism present in Dee's strictly scientific works, Zetterberg suggests that "to resolve the general ambiguity that surrounds the question of Dee's cosmological views it is necessary to leave his works on practical science and turn instead to his occult interests." In Monas hieroglyphica, the only work in which Dee "reveal[s] a cosmology," Zetterberg identifies a kind of hidden meaning Dee proposes to exist in….

Mandela
Leadership is a complicated art that requires practice but can be ultimately learned by any aspiring student wishing to improve towards their potential . The five practices of exemplary leadership include many important ideas regarding this phenomenon. The purpose of this essay is to explain the specific leadership practice of "Modeling the Way" using the example of former South African president and human rights activist, Nelson Mandela . I'll use Mr. Mandela's example to demonstrate how his particular leadership approach can be accepted and improved upon by using this particular practice. This essay will include examples of Mandela's values and how they apply to his leadership style. Additionally, Mr. Mandela's example setting behaviors will be explained to further demonstrate this example and how it relates to improving one's leadership qualities.

Leaders must first demonstrate their guiding principles and have a beginning point to start building a voice. Morals and ethics lessons….

Essay Prompt: ** The Chef I chose is: Grant Achatz **

Culinary Food Science Research Paper

Throughout the course of culinary history there have been many chef's, scientists, nutritionists, and even chemists that have contributed greatly to the advancement of "Food Technologies." These people, whether through their culinary innovations or scientific discoveries have greatly impacted the world of cooking by creating flavors, safer food, and food that can be healthier for us to eat. Some of these discoveries can be so big that they have impacted or affected the entire world. For instance the discovery of the method for Pasteurizing milk by, of course, Louis Pasteur. This one innovation changed the world's milk production and distribution systems forever. It brought milk to the masses and allowed it to last longer and safer to drink for all.

For this paper you are to pick an innovator in the culinary world. (I chose Grant Achatz) A….

" The point made by the poet is similar to the poem above. The reference to John,
The Father of our souls, shall be,

John tells us, doth not yet appear;

is a reference to the Book of Revelations, at the end of the Bible.

That despite the promises of an Eternal life for those who eschew sin, we are still frail and have the faults of people. We are still besought by sin and temptations and there's really no escape. People are people. No matter what we say or do, we find that life is not so simple. Consider this reference, which really refers to a person's frame of reference or "way of seeing."

Wise men are bad -- and good are fools,

This is a paradoxical statement: there is large gap between spirituality and reality. Those we consider wise or bad, might make decisions that are globally profound, but might harm specific people, yet….

However, he began to introduce supernatural agents into his theories, such as the
archae of Paracelsus, which preside over bodily affairs and functions. He
believed that diseases were caused by the archae being affected, so cures
were attained by remedying and appeasing these supernatural forces.
Van Helmont was one of the first scientists or alchemists to begin to
understand and teach that the body is affected by chemicals and applied
chemical principles to physiological problems. One of the main things that
we may be grateful to van Helmont for is his development of the "scientific
method," in which experiments are carefully documented and observed.
Instead of using reason or thought to solve a chemical problem, one used
practical application and created an experiment which sometimes might yield
surprising results, results that were not available simply through the
thought process.
Van Helmont sought support for his theories in the Bible and teachings
of the ancient philosophers, but when he did practical experiments he found
that some….

This is an interesting point-of-view about Aylmer and it works with his character. Others identify Georgiana's birthmark as something that is essentially hers and therefore, should remain with her. Shakinovsky goes even further to say that it is a "metaphor for her identity, her sexuality, her being" (Shakinovsky). Aylmer is blind to this fact altogether. He cannot see that "in removing the mark, he removes all there is of her" (Shakinovsky). He could not accept the fact that he could not just remove a portion of her -- it was all or nothing.
Shakinovsky reinforces the point that all of the characters in "The Birthmark" realize that Georgiana cannot be separated from her birthmark, except Aylmer. However, as the story progresses, the birthmark becomes "Aylmer's object, and since, as the sign of her subjectivity, it represents Georgiana, it becomes she who is his object" (Shakinovsky). Again, we see how Aylmer's….

1. The Odyssey of Self-Discovery: Embracing the Transformative Power of Life's Journey

2. Navigating the Crossroads: Embarking on a Quest for Meaning and Purpose

3. The Pilgrim's Progress: A Journey of Faith, Hope, and Redemption

4. The Hero's Adventure: Embracing Challenges and Triumphs on Life's Path

5. The Road Less Traveled: Choosing Uncharted Territories and Forging One's Own Way

6. The Dance of Destiny: Synchronicity and the Serendipitous Nature of Life's Journey

7. The Time Traveler's Guide: Navigating the Past, Present, and Future

8. Through the Looking Glass: Embracing the Metaphors and Symbolism of Life's Journey

9. The Art of Pilgrimage: Embarking on Sacred Journeys of Healing and....

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4 Pages
Research Paper

Family and Marriage

Alchemist Compared to Tuck Everlasting

Words: 1156
Length: 4 Pages
Type: Research Paper

Alchemist Compared to "Tuck Everlasting" There have always been legends that a place or substance existed that would prolong the normal lifespan of a human. This goes beyond a simple…

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5 Pages
Essay

Literature

Alchemist by Paolo Coelho Is

Words: 1473
Length: 5 Pages
Type: Essay

In this sense, the story is subscribed to the science fiction type, without however being an actual science fiction novel. In general terms, SF novels focus on "some…

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2 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Commencement Speech The Alchemist

Words: 678
Length: 2 Pages
Type: Term Paper

ho are the most important minor characters? hat are their relationships to the protagonist? Select one minor character and show his significance to the novel. The most important minor…

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2 Pages
Essay

Literature

The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho

Words: 777
Length: 2 Pages
Type: Essay

The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho: effectiveness through the use of characters, themes, and philosophical statements The Alchemist is an international bestseller by Paolo Coelho. The story is about a shepherd…

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80 Pages
Essay

Literature

Ben Jonson Intertextualities The Influence

Words: 22973
Length: 80 Pages
Type: Essay

" James a.S. McPeek further blames Jonson for this corruption: "No one can read this dainty song to Celia without feeling that Jonson is indecorous in putting it in the…

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8 Pages
Term Paper

Physics

New Historicists' Viewpoints on Renaissance

Words: 2688
Length: 8 Pages
Type: Term Paper

In addition, Lett (1987) emphasizes that, "Cultural materialists maintain that a society's modes of production and reproduction determine its social structure and ideological superstructure, but cultural materialists reject…

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5 Pages
Thesis

Literature

Existential Analysis of a Man

Words: 1742
Length: 5 Pages
Type: Thesis

This is a journey that requires the utmost steadfastness and the ability of face the truth. In existentialist terms, the world and all experience is essentially absurd and…

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8 Pages
Term Paper

Sports - Women

Women After the Middle Ages

Words: 2796
Length: 8 Pages
Type: Term Paper

It also widened her female audience much further than the small group of upper-class women with whom she was acquainted (ibid). Overall, this work represented Lanyer as a complex…

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6 Pages
Essay

Military

Invention of Gunpowder and the Impact it Had on the Chinese Society and Warfare

Words: 2193
Length: 6 Pages
Type: Essay

Invention of Gun Powder and the Impact it Had on the Chinese Society and Warfare The invention of gunpowder was driven by the quest for unending life. Gunpowder, however, ended…

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8 Pages
Research Paper

Black Studies - Philosophy

John Dee Such an Enigmatic

Words: 2419
Length: 8 Pages
Type: Research Paper

'" (Molland 257) of course, this kind of thinking would eventually lead Dee to argue that "at length I perceived onely God (and by his good Angels) could satisfy…

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3 Pages
Research Paper

Leadership

Model the Way 1 Of the 5 Practices of Exemplary Leadership

Words: 878
Length: 3 Pages
Type: Research Paper

Mandela Leadership is a complicated art that requires practice but can be ultimately learned by any aspiring student wishing to improve towards their potential . The five practices of exemplary…

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5 Pages

Chef Grant Achatz Biography Essay

Words: 1774
Length: 5 Pages
Type:

Essay Prompt: ** The Chef I chose is: Grant Achatz ** Culinary Food Science Research Paper Throughout the course of culinary history there have been many chef's, scientists, nutritionists, and even chemists…

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50 Pages
Term Paper

Mythology - Religion

Pessimism in Poetry Pessimism in

Words: 16260
Length: 50 Pages
Type: Term Paper

" The point made by the poet is similar to the poem above. The reference to John, The Father of our souls, shall be, John tells us, doth not yet appear; is…

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2 Pages
Term Paper

Business - Miscellaneous

Jean Baptist Van Helmont Jean

Words: 788
Length: 2 Pages
Type: Term Paper

However, he began to introduce supernatural agents into his theories, such as the archae of Paracelsus, which preside over bodily affairs and functions. He believed that diseases were caused by the…

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6 Pages
Term Paper

Literature

Tampering With Nature Explored in

Words: 2007
Length: 6 Pages
Type: Term Paper

This is an interesting point-of-view about Aylmer and it works with his character. Others identify Georgiana's birthmark as something that is essentially hers and therefore, should remain with…

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