In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, what is a Personal Legend?

In 's
, Santiago first hears about Personal Legends from the King of Salem,
Melchizedek, who tells him the following: 

"But, as
time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince [people] that it will be impossible for them
to realize their Personal Legend . . . The Soul of the World is nourished by people's happiness.
And also by unhappiness, envy, and jealousy. To realize one's destiny is a
person's only real obligation. All things are one" (21-22).

From the above passage, Melchizedek explains that the universe
wants people to achieve their destinies. A Personal Legend is not just the result found at the
end of one's life, though. It is more than simply reaching a final destination. A Personal
Legend is achieved when a person fulfills the complete measure of his or her creation. This
achievement is different for each person and can only be discovered by interpreting and
following omens that lead one through an educational journey. By going through this journey,
people learn what they need to know in order to fulfill their unique Personal Legends. Only
after people achieve this end can they experience true joy and satisfaction in life. Those who
do not reach this goal are left to wonder what their destinies could have been. They never find
out what they could have accomplished in life. Santiago elaborates on Personal Legends when he
comes closer to achieving his:

"It's true that
everything has its Personal Legend, but one day that Personal Legend will be realized. So each
thing has to transform itself into something better, and to acquire a new Personal Legend, until
someday, the Soul of the World becomes one thing only" (150).

From the passage above, Santiago comes to the understanding that Personal Legends are
realized when a person completely transforms himself or herself into something better than he or
she was before. In alchemy, for example, lead is turned into gold. Lead makes a complete
transformation from its ordinary self into something better. Therefore, Personal Legends help
people to become the best they can be because they achieve their fullest potential.
Furthermore, as stated above, the universe wants everyone to discover his or her own Personal
Legend because the Soul of the World will achieve its destiny in the
process. 

How does Mrs. Conlan feel about John's drinking and smoking?

Mrs.
Conlan unfortunately doesn't do much about letting her opinion on John's drinking and smoking be
known. She does things like interrupt every argument with a trivial offer of a pleasantry or
with cleaning or with vacating the locale. Most attribute Mrs. Conlan's behavior to
insensitivity and perfectionism that prevents her from noticing or caring about John's harmful
habits. However, it may be that, after a long marriage to a man that is a trial and a sorrow,
and after seeing some of the same traits arise in her beloved son, Mrs. Conlan may be using
these avenues to escape the heartbreak she feels and the heartbreak she envisions coming.


If the first scenario of insensitivity and perfectionism is true, then Mrs.
Conlan's attitude toward John's smoking and drinking would most logically be callous unconcern
or blind disregard. If the second scenario of escapism from overwhelming unhappiness and dread
is true, then her attitude toward John's behavior would most logically be frightened disapproval
and paralyzed worry.

What are two differences between the native peoples of North and South America?

I can think
of two major differences between the cultures of North and South American indigenous
populations. First, North American indigenous populations were far more mobile than those in
South America. As far as we are able to discern from archaeology and historical studies, First
Nations peoples of North America practiced a hunter-gatherer subsistence lifestyle. They might
spend one season in one region, hunting deer or catching fish, and travel during another season
for the purpose of gathering wild foods like berries. Some First Nations tribes did practice
small-scale subsistence agriculture, but nothing like that of South American tribes. In South
America, life was far more centralized to city-kingdoms. In fact, several prosperous and highly
stratified societies developed in South America. For example, the Inca empire had a range of
very wealthy elites to (relatively) poor laborers. Wealth became concentrated in the capital
city of Cuzco, as people were required to send goods to this administrative center as tax
payments. Not only were luxury goods from the reaches of the empire sent to the capital; food
produced in the agricultural parts of the empire was redistributed through the capital as a sort
of security system in case of crop failure. This was a far more stratified and administrated
society as compared to the relatively egalitarian, nomadic lifestyle of North American
peoples.

Another major difference, which manifested itself in societal
structure, were beliefs about the relationship between the sacred and the profane. Most North
American indigenous cultures held that there was no difference between the world we live in and
the spiritual realm. The god(s) were in all things, all people, and all places, and it is our
duty as humans to co-exist with all of nature as a part of the same spiritual entity. By this
same belief, god(s) or the sacred did not really become concentrated in or limited to just one
individual. Anyone could "channel" god(s), and it was not off-limits to anyone in
particular. However, in most South American indigenous cultures, things were quite different.
The leaders of the great empires and city-kingdoms I mentioned before were often considered
god-kings. This means they might have been considered an earthly manifestation of god(s,) or
they were believed to be the best and most direct advocate for the people in dealing with
god(s). Sometimes rulers were believed to have been descended from god(s) themselves. It is in
part because of this belief that so much wealth was concentrated centrally in South American
indigenous cultures-- sending as much wealth as possible to the person who negotiates with
god(s) is sure to get you on their good side! 

href="https://www.ancient.eu/Inca_Civilization/">https://www.ancient.eu/Inca_Civilization/
href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Native-American">https://www.britannica.com/topic/Native-American
href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/South-American-Indian">https://www.britannica.com/topic/South-American-Indian

Why is it important for the narrator to have an understanding of his surroundings in "The Pit and the Pendulum"?

The struggle of the narrator to place himself
in his surroundings is mirrored by the struggle of the reader to place this story appropriately
in historical context. The narrator conveys early in the story that his torture is part of the
Spanish Inquisition, which lasted for around 700 years from the early 1200s to the early 1800s.
That's a wide historical time span. We learn toward the end of the story that the French army
(Napoleon) has entered Toledo, so this lets us know that the story's setting is near the end of
the Inquisition. If that's true, how can we make sense of these very medieval forms of torture?
Theroom with the pendulum doesn't seem a likely setting for the era in which the story is
set.

We also don't know why the narrator has been given
this sentence or how he has offended those who have condemned him. As his sentence is read, he
reflects that "the sound of the inquisitorial voices seemed merged in one dreamy
indeterminate hum." Does he deserve this punishment which has been handed to him? Should we
feel empathy for his situation?

This mental struggle on the reader's part is
reflected in the narrator's struggle to place himself in his surroundings. He clings to the
walls, investigating every crevice, trying to get a sense of where he is. Reading of his torture
provides the same experience for the reader. Poe weaves a tale of historical fact and
fantastical imagination to create a plot from which it is difficult to extract the truthjust as
the narrator finds it difficult to extract the truth of his own physical
surroundings.

What is the name of the Hebrew holy book?

When you ask
about the Hebrew holy book, I assume that you are asking about the scriptures that are held by
Jews to be sacred.  If that is the case, different people use different names for this
scripture.  Non-Jews often refer to the Jewish holy book as the Old Testament.  The scriptures
are also sometimes called the Hebrew Bible, the Torah, or the Written Torah.  However, the most
proper name for these scriptures is the Tanakh.

While many Americans use the
term Old Testament, Jews do not use the term because they do not recognize the Christian New
Testament as part of scripture.  Since there is no new testament in their minds, there is no
reason to call their scripture the Old Testament.  Many people also use the term Torah to
refer to Jewish scripture.  However, that term most properly refers only to the first five books
of the Old Testament, also called the Pentateuch.  The proper term for the Jewish scripture as a
whole is Tanakh.  This term is an acronym for the three sections of the scripture.  The first is
the Torah, or law.  The second is Neviim or the prophets.  Finally, there is the Kethuvim, or
the writings.  The beginnings of these three words are made into the acronym Tanakh.  This is
the term that should be used to refer to the holy book of the Jews.

What is the difference between a mammal and a marsupial?

Marsupials reproduce and give birth to a
partially developed offspring, whereas mammals give birth to a fully developed
offspring.

What Is The Scar In Lord Of The Flies

's novel
is quite symbolic, so anything which plays a significant role in the novel
also has a significant symbolism to be examined. The answer above, given by tropicof, is
excellent; I would only add several other considerations.

The first
description of the jungle which Golding gives us is the image of the scar: "All round him
the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat." Despite the lush beauty of this
tropical setting, it is the scar which Golding immediately highlights, setting the tone for the
rest of the novel.

The three boys who explore the mountain (, , and ) can
clearly see the scar from above; throughout the novel, these three characters are the most aware
that something is wrong on this island. Ralph has trouble articulating the evil he senses, but
he knows it exists, like the scar. Simon, too, recognizes the evil and is able to identify it as
themselves; however, no one listens to him. Jack is less obviously aware that things are not
right on the island (probably because he is the primary cause of the evil),
but he has just been shocked that he was not elected chief (something which was a given in his
mind), so he is wounded and aggressive.

The scar is also a symbol of what
happens when something beautiful is destroyed, and other examples of that can be found
throughout the novel: the innocent little boy with the mulberry birthmark who died in the
initial fire, the sensitive Simon who only wanted to share his revelation with everyone, the
intelligent boy () who was ignored and tormented because of physical attributes, some of which
were beyond his control.

The other children will go on to live their lives
but will always carry the scars of this experience.