Thesis:

In Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist", themes of destiny, self-discovery , and the event of a journey all create personal connections between characters. The same type of connections can be shown in a song, a movie, and a book.

Detail 1:

“So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.” (Coelho 126)

Connection 1:

In Watsky's song, "Cannonball", He says,

"The beautiful wounds that will keep me, you and this moment forever linked

To remind me when I fail myself, when I fail everyone around me

When I misfire and come tearing through your walls

When the cocktail of humiliation and pain poisons my veins

And this carnival of carnage, this mansion of garbage, this parking lot of carcasses

This heartbreak party drains the spirit that remains

That I have been a part of something worthwhile ...

That even if that moment meant nothing to the universe,

It’s the closest thing to God I’ve got ...

So far it’s been worth it" (Watsky, "Cannonball")

This excerpt from his song, and the quote from "The Alchemist" both show the idea of destiny due to the fact that both talk of self worth and hint towards placement in the universe, and on top of that tie in relationships built between two people.

Detail 2:

"'I am learning the Language of the World, and everything in the world is beginning to make sense to me... even the flight of the hawks,' he said to himself. And, in that mood, he was grateful to be in love. When you are in love, things make even more sense, he thought." (Coelho 103).

Connection 2:

In Kung Fu Panda, Master Oogway says, "One often meets their destiny on the road they took to avoid it." (Reiff, "Kung Fu Panda"). This is talking of how he became a kung fu master by accident, and became friends with the Furious 5, all through trying not to be a noodle chef and becoming good at kung fu. In both sources, this shows that by taking control of your life, and acting on your own accord, you will build relationships and achieving your personal legend and goals.

Detail 3:

"You have told me about your dreams, about the old king and your treasure. And you've told me about omens. So now, I fear nothing, because it was those omens that brought you to me. And I am part of your dream, a part of your Personal Legend, as you call it" (Coelho 100)

Connection 3:

In Homer's "The Odyssey", Eumaeus says, " He calls himself by birth of lowland Crete, but says he has come to many cities in his wondering; so Heaven ordianed his lot. Lately he ran away from a ship of the Thesprotains and came to my farm here. I place him in your charge. Do what you will. He calls himself your supplier." (Homer 154). This quote essentially says that his father, "his" referring to Odysseus' son Telemachus, has returned home after a journey to be with his family. Similarly, Fatima, Santiago's lover, says that it was the omen's journey that brought him to her. In both cases, a journey has brought people together after their travels, whether it be a father and son or two lovers.

Conclusion

In the books "The Alchemist" and "The Odyssey", the song "Cannonball", and the movie Kung Fu Panda, the ideas of destiny, self discovery, or a physical journey have built relationships between characters in all three sources. What happens isn't what life is about, it's the people.

Citations

Coelho, Paulo, Paulo Coelho, and Alan Clarke. The alchemist. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993. Print.

Watsky, George. Cannonball. Watsky. Rec. 6 Aug. 2010. Steel Wool Media, 2010. MP3.

Kung Fu Panda. Dir. M. Osborne. Perf. Jack Black. N.p., n.d. Web.

Homer, and Robert Fitzgerald. The Odyssey. New York: Vintage Books, 1990. Print