{"id":1386684,"date":"2016-02-26T14:00:57","date_gmt":"2016-02-26T19:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.sparknotes.com\/?p=1386684"},"modified":"2016-02-26T14:02:46","modified_gmt":"2016-02-26T19:02:46","slug":"can-kanye-wests-tweets-be-explained-by-the-alchemist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/can-kanye-wests-tweets-be-explained-by-the-alchemist\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Kanye West&#8217;s Tweets Be Explained by <i>The Alchemist<\/i>?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/img.sparknotes.com\/content\/sparklife\/sparktalk\/alchemistkanyeMAIN2_LargeWide.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"701\" height=\"394\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Kanye West&#8217;s Twitter feed is a cultural phenomenon. The whole world has eyes on \u00a0his rants (he knows it), and just about everything he posts gets \u00a0tens of thousands of likes and retweets within seconds. \u00a0But \u00a0Kanye&#8217;s account is isn&#8217;t just another celebrity showcase of fame through numbers. It&#8217;s different. There&#8217;s an \u00a0inexplicable magnitude you feel when you scroll through his feed\u2014Kanye wouldn&#8217;t waste his time tweeting about what he had for lunch, \u00a0he&#8217;d eat his lunch \u00a0and then tweet about philanthropy&#8217;s impact on creative expression.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone on the internet interprets Kanye \u00a0and his tweets \u00a0a little differently. Some really don&#8217;t appreciate \u00a0his narcissism and candor. \u00a0Others applaud his undeniably fierce ambition. \u00a0Some \u00a0think he&#8217;s nuts \u00a0but respect him completely anyway.<\/p>\n<p>The thing is, to \u00a0Kanye, \u00a0<em>none of this matters<\/em>. He _does not care_ what anyone thinks but himself. It&#8217;s a beautiful thing, but in the form of Twitter, admittedly \u00a0confuses me in the same way that \u00a0any book written as stream-of-consciousness \u00a0confuses me. And since we&#8217;re at \u00a0SparkNotes, I think it&#8217;s about time we \u00a0use a modern classic to explain what could possibly be going on in Kanye&#8217;s \u00a0brainspace.<\/p>\n<p>Enter: \u00a0<em>The Alchemist<\/em>, by Paulo Coelho\u2014a book about the personal and spiritual journey of a young shepherd \u00a0named Santiago, who \u00a0travels from Spain to Egypt in search of a treasure he&#8217;s seen in his dreams. \u00a0(If this book hasn&#8217;t changed your life yet, it will.) \u00a0Let&#8217;s take a look at Kanye&#8217;s tweets, and deconstruct them \u00a0according to \u00a0the book&#8217;s major themes.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Personal Legends<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I am of service to the world with my art and I just want to serve more.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/699308477785595904\">February 15, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p>\nall with one purpose of creating beautiful product that can be attainable by everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/700008271801876480\">February 17, 2016<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Let&#8217;s dance in the streets. I am consumed by my purpose to help the world.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/698699798673809409\">February 14, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The central theme of \u00a0<em>The Alchemist<\/em> is the pursuit of<em> Personal Legends<\/em>, \u00a0or what a person hopes to \u00a0accomplish in their life, which is why Santiago leaves Spain to find the treasure he saw in his dreams. This is considered a universal truth in the novel:<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it&#8217;s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It&#8217;s your mission on earth.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The character of the alchemist that \u00a0Santiago meets along the way tells him that the only way for the universe to attain perfection is if all people and things complete the cycle of achieving their Personal Legends. Similarly, Kanye tells Kanye that the only way for the universe to attain perfect is if Kanye achieves his Personal Legend.<\/p>\n<p>His \u00a0tweets express the gravity \u00a0of his hopes and dreams, which are, as delineated above, to create &#8220;beautiful product[s]&#8221; and &#8220;help the world.&#8221; Those who put off Personal Legends only suffer regret, the alchemist continues, and it&#8217;s clear that Kanye adheres to a strict no-regrets policy.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Unity of Nature<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p>\nIt&#8217;s a beautiful time. I love my friends. I love my family. I love people. The human race.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/702564982853074944\">February 24, 2016<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I love the world bottom line and all I want is peace and positive energy<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/692435356029997056\">January 27, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Coelho pens the term \u00a0<em>T<\/em><em>he Soul of the World<\/em>, which is the force that binds together every living thing and material on Planet Earth. \u00a0According to Santiago&#8217;s alchemist mentor in the \u00a0story, all of these things share a common goal \u00a0of forming a single spirit, which is evidently what Kanye believes is the &#8220;bottom line.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dreams<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p>\nYou let me dream without limits\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/699505615635423232\">February 16, 2016<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p>\nthis country was built off of dreamers \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 never give up on your dreams, bro\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/699503463332474880\">February 16, 2016<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I&#8217;m proud as an entrepreneur that I gave everything I had to my dreams.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/702564673460314112\">February 24, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The entirety of \u00a0<em>The Alchemist \u00a0<\/em>is based on the dreams of Santiago, \u00a0who leaves behind his flock of sheep, the comforts of his home region, and his love interest to follow \u00a0them. Kanye is a dreamer, too, and his pursuit \u00a0of those is exactly how he came to \u00a0release \u00a0<em>College Dropout<\/em> \u00a0in 2004, and how he&#8217;s come \u00a0to be a \u00a0producer, fashion designer, and entrepreneur today.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Alchemist<\/em> \u00a0equates the ability to follow a dream to \u00a0personal enlightenment\u2014and by these standards (as well as his own), Kanye is surely \u00a0enlightened.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Adversity (The Desert)<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p>\nI write this to you my brothers while still 53 million dollars in personal debt&#8230; Please pray we overcome&#8230; This is my true heart&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/698699904303132672\">February 14, 2016<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p>I don&#8217;t have enough resources to create what I really can\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/699107442173599744\">February 15, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p>\nI want to help the world and I need help to do it. I am an artist and I care about humanity.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/699307776195973121\">February 15, 2016<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p>Fame is often looked down upon in the design world, so it&#8217;s actually been something I had to overcome.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/568799196234387457\">February 20, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Before Santiago and the Alchemist go their separate ways at the end of the novel, the Alchemist tells him:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cWhat you still need to know is this: before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way [&#8230;] It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we&#8217;ve learned as we&#8217;ve moved toward that dream.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Santiago&#8217;s test takes the form of the desert through which he has to travel. It becomes clear that its \u00a0harsh conditions\u2014wars, uncertainty, emptiness\u2014are necessary for his personal and spiritual growth. He learns that even though the desert is exhausting, it contains a lot of life, and, ultimately, the unifying Soul of the World. Santiago ends up using the desert to help free himself from captivity. Kanye&#8217;s desert has certainly been as rough as Santiago&#8217;s, and \u00a0is currently his state of debt (also apparently his fame). But, as the alchemist prophecies, he&#8217;s used all the adversity \u00a0he&#8217;s been faced with \u00a0to deliver to the world new \u00a0music, new projects, and new Kanye.<\/p>\n<p>Will Kanye emerge from the desert triumphant? He has before, and Kanye \u00a0thinks he will again, and that&#8217;s all that matters.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Danger of Fear<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p>\nYou can&#8217;t control me or use the debt against me no more \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/699502910019891200\">February 16, 2016<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p>I don&#8217;t give opinions because they are commonly agreed upon. I say what I feel.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/702561636729671680\">February 24, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Fear is the most significant obstacle that Santiago faces in achieving his Personal Legend. He fears \u00a0having his dreams interpreted by the gypsy woman, losing his wealth, and dying \u00a0in the desert. Kanye fears nothing\u2014not himself, not the \u00a0media, not public opinion, and \u00a0especially not death because he is probably immortal.<\/p>\n<p>In \u00a0<em>The Alchemist<\/em>, \u00a0fear is deemed \u00a0irrelevant if one can \u00a0pursue one&#8217;s \u00a0dreams to their potential, and that a life led by fear is unhappy and unfulfilled. From an interview two years ago:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<em>The<\/em><em> \u00a0risk for me would be in not taking one\u2014that&#8217;s the only thing that&#8217;s really risky for me. I live inside, and I&#8217;ve learned how to swim through backlash, or maintain through the current of a negative public opinion and create from that and come through it and spring forth to completely surprise everyone\u2014to satisfy all believers and annihilate all doubters. And at this point, it&#8217;s just fun.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion: The Story of Narcissus<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s conclude with the Prologue, in which the alchemist reads the story of Narcissus (Narcissus kneels down to admire his reflection in a lake until one day he falls in and drowns\u2014the danger of vanity). Except \u00a0<em>this<\/em> story is extended: the forest goddess finds the water has transformed into salty tears. The lake says it&#8217;s crying for Narcissus, because it enjoyed its \u00a0<em>own<\/em> beauty reflected in Narcissus&#8217;s eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Is Kanye a narcissist?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p>\nNow they know <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6c3OXYmkPG\">pic.twitter.com\/6c3OXYmkPG<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kanyewest\/status\/697185038350360577\">February 9, 2016<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Yes. But the moral of this prologue is that vanity actually does some good despite the harm. \u00a0We feed Kanye&#8217;s narcissism, and in turn, Kanye feeds us with the content we so crave: a symbiotic relationship for the greater good of modernity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em>Do you think Kanye&#8217;s read \u00a0<\/em>The Alchemist?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kanye West&#8217;s Twitter feed is a cultural phenomenon. The whole world has eyes on \u00a0his rants (he knows it), and just about everything he posts gets \u00a0tens of thousands of likes and retweets within seconds.   <a class=\"continue-reading\" href=\"#\"><span class=\"continue-text\">continue reading<\/span><svg class=\"continue-icon\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"\">\n    <path fill=\"#007acd\" fill-rule=\"nonzero\" d=\"M13.442 5.558L19.885 12l-6.443 6.442-.884-.884 4.934-4.934L4 12.625v-1.25l13.492-.001-4.934-4.932.884-.884z\"><\/path>\n  <\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5246,9],"tags":[7,386,325,3013,7456,18],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386684"}],"collection":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1386684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386684\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1386684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1386684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1386684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}