limitations of words

1. Art Spiegelman has chosen to tell a very sad and serious story in a form that is not often associated with this kind of story telling (illustration). Do you think the use of illustration as opposed to just written text is an effective way of delivering this story? Why or why not?

I believe that illustration is a good way to tell a story of any kind. there is no amount of words adequate to properly describe an image. not only does it convey more information, the information is also much more compressed. words are limited, because they are given meaning by associating them with real things, thoughts, and feelings. images are much more meaningful and concrete.

Santiago's journey

For your final blog post for The Alchemist, you may write about anything that you want regarding the book. You should write at least one well-developed paragraph and use textual references to support your point(s). You should choose any element of the book that was interesting to you and that you have not yet had a chance to write about. 

I found it interesting learning about the hero's journey monomyth and how closely the book fit into it. the book starts in Spain being the ordinary world. Then Santiago receives a call to action when melchizedek tells him to follow his personal legend and go to the pyramids. Santiago then crosses into the unknown world, Africa. he then undergoes a series of trials: losing his money then working for the crystal merchant and going trough the desert. There is a sacred marriage between him and fatima. the ultimate ordeal is when he is almost killed in the desert. He undergoes a transformation when he turns into the wind. He later gains his reward and returns back to the ordinary world, when he goes back to Spain and digs up the treasure.