The Alchemist

1. The Alchemist Please have your daybooks ready to take notes.

2. PART TWO • This section of Part Two shows how the example and experiences of others can lead you to the right path. The crystal merchant has put his dream on hold out of fear that it won’t live up to his expectations. Without knowing it, he has shown Santiago that regrets for unfulfilled dreams can reduce the quality of one’s life. Santiago will watch this man over the next year and he will come to the realization that he cannot give up. • The boy’s ingenuity about the crystal merchant’s business impacts favorably not only on the profits of the store, but also on Santiago’s self-esteem. This will help him make the right decision to continue searching for his treasure.

3. Pg 65 • Point of view changes to the Englishman • Shift in POV

4. Urim and Thummim • FYI- In the Bible, Urim and Thummim are the only divination permitted by God for usage.

5. Here the omens show Santiago that he can accomplish much with just his wits and ingenuity. The crystal merchant is afraid of change, but Santiago is not, and that is the difference when one seeks his own Personal Legend. The phrase “Maktub” implies the idea of fate, but in reality it is a sign of what path God has intended for each and every one of us. His is the hand that writes everything.

6. This section prepares the reader for what the merchant already knows: Santiago will not be able to give up his dream and will continue his journey.

7. The two stones falling out of Santiago’s pack are omens of the future and so foreshadow his decision to carry on. He knows he is supported and protected by the universe, and because he is not afraid of change, he can face • the uncertainty of a new world in Africa.

8. Elements of Foreshadowing • When the crystal merchant tells Santiago that he is never going to Mecca and the boy is never going to buy more sheep, it prepares us for Santiago’s decision to move on with his journey. • Just as Santiago packs up to head back to Spain, the two stones, Urim and Thummim fall out of his knapsack. This foreshadows that he must go to Egypt and find the pyramids.

9. Important Quotations • “If I can learn to understand this language without words, I can learn to understand the world.” (page 44) • Santiago makes this observation after he helps some Arabs erect their stalls and yet neither can understand the language of the other.

10. “That’s the principle that governs all things. In alchemy, it’s called the Soul of the World.” (page 78) • The Englishman explains this Santiago after he listens to the boy’s story about working in the crystal shop.

11. “Because I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present.” (85). – Camel Driver to Santiago

12. More Geographical Locations in the Novel: • Andalusia • Al-Fayoum(oasis in Egypt) • Tarifa • El Cairum (p.76) • Salem (Jeru”salem”) • Nile • Tangier (p. 44) • Coptic Monastery • Ceuta (p. 44) • Moors (p.27) • Mecca (p. 54) • Sahara Desert (36)

13. Regional, Cultural or Spiritual Allusions and Terms: • Narcissus (Prologue) • Esperanto (p.66) - an artificial language based as far as possible on words common to all the European languages • King Melchizedek (Genesis14, “King Most High”) • Helvetius, Elias, Fulcanelli, Geber (p.82)- famous scientists • Koran (p. 54) • Scarab (p.161)- A scarabaeid beetle, especially Scarabaeussacer, regarded as sacred by the ancient Egyptians. • Muslim • Simum- p.148- rhino • Mecca • Coptic (153,154)- Refers to Egyptian Christians and their language. • Allah (p. 71, 97) • Tiberius (p.158)- son-in-law of Augustus who became a suspicious tyrannical Emperor of Rome after a brilliant military career (42 BC to AD 37) Levanter (p.27) • hookah (p. 114)

14. Vocabulary for Word List • scabbard - sword • Treasonous • conspire • elixir • scimitar – curved sword • contemplate • brandish • dialect • flourish • prognostication – forecast/omen • sirocco – southeast wind that blows through Italy • Centurion- A rank in the Roman army. As the name implies, a centurion had 100 men in his command • scarab - Egyptian beetleheld in high reverence

15. Concepts • Master Work • Personal Legend • Soul of the World • Unspoken Language • Emerald Tablet, Elixir of Life, Alchemy, Philosopher’s Stone (not just “terms” and “things”, but symbolic concepts) • Oasis (not just “term” and “place”, but symbolic concept)

16. Literary Terms/Techniques/Elements • Characterization • Allusion • Symbol • Allegory • Metaphor/Simile • Foreshadowing

17. Archetype of the Alchemist • The archetype of the alchemist is similar to that of the magician, wizard or even scientist. As with any archetype the alchemist depicts processes or forces within you, and with the alchemist it is about transformation. A negative aspect of this is the sense of superiority that possesses some people, leading them to a conviction they are in control of the forces of nature and can manifest magical powers or perform miracles at will. Sometimes, to achieve a result, the person operating under this archetype will use trickery, lies and threats or pressure, as with those who subtly pressurise others to do their bidding.

18. Archetype Review • Archetypes are used as the ideal representation of a character, event, situation, or symbol • It helps us all to relate to what is occurring in the story. • When we see Star Wars, we recognize the archetype of “good vs. evil” or “the hero” or “the wise man”.

19. The Alchemist:Themes, Motifs, Allusions, Vocabulary Alchemy: [al-kuh-mee] -noun, plural -mies for 2. 1. a form of chemistry and speculative philosophy practiced in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and concerned principally with discovering methods for transmuting baser metals into gold and with finding a universal solvent and an elixir of life. 2. any magical power or process of transmuting a common substance, usually of little value, into a substance of great value.

20. Biography • Paulo Coelho has led an extremely interesting life. Rebelliousness defined his youth. He was a hippie. He wrote popular lyrics for some of Brazil's most famous pop music stars, including Elis Regina and Raul Seixas. Shortly after, he worked as a journalist. • In 1986 Paulo Coelho walked the Road to Santiago, a medieval pilgrim's route between France and Spain. He later described this experience in ‘The Pilgrimage’, published in 1987. The following year, his second book ‘The Alchemist’ established his worldwide fame.

21. Biography Paulo Coelho on the Road to Santiago

22. Themes • Theme: /theem/ -noun 1. a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition; topic: The need for world peace was the theme of the meeting. 2. a unifying or dominant idea, motif, etc., as in a work of art.

23. Themes • Fate versus Will Fate is constantly intertwined with will, and a key theme of the book focuses on how much in life is under one's control, and how much is controlled by fate. The old king states that the world's greatest lie is that "at some point during our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate."

24. Themes • Love Love is described as a part of the Soul of the World. Love occurs in life and Nature. As everything supports each other, they love each other. Santiago tells the desert that it shows love for the alchemist's falcon by offering it game, after which the falcon shows love to man as it offers the game to eat, and the man shows love for the desert as after one dies, his body is reintegrated into the desert sands. There is also love in people, demonstrated by Santiago's love of Fatima's beauty, and Santiago's knowing that it is part of his Personal Legend to love her. Also, there is true love, a brief definition given by the alchemist; "True love is love that allows you to reach your Personal Legend."

25. Themes • Controlled Luck The theme of controlled luck is prominent in this book, as the old king and the alchemist both tell Santiago about how if one really wants to fulfill his or her Personal Legend, the whole universe will conspire to help make it happen. Coelho refers to this as the idea of "beginner's luck", or the concept of favorability. Santiago is blessed with beginner's luck, when he decides to go to Africa. He manages to sell all of his sheep very easily, and is given "a taste of success" that whets the appetite to fulfill one's Personal Legend.

26. Themes • Spiritual Enlightenment In The Alchemist, a kind of spiritual enlightenment is accomplished by fulfilling one's Personal Legend, and adding to the Soul of the World, which is the "light" of most religions. The spiritual influence of this book is omniscient, for example in Santiago's "turning himself into the wind" stunt. He learns the Language of the World, which is basically the language of the Soul of the World. As the Soul of the World is related to the Soul of God, Santiago is able to perform miracles after he has reached into the Soul of the World. • Omniscient: [om-nish-uhnt] adjective 1. having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things. –noun 2. an omniscient being. 3. the Omniscient, God.

27. Motifs • Motif: [moh-teef] -noun 1. a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., esp. in a literary, artistic, or musical work. 2. a distinctive and recurring form, shape, figure, etc., in a design, as in a painting or on wallpaper. 3. a dominant idea or feature: the profit motif of free enterprise.

28. Motifs • Omens Omen: [oh-muhn] -noun 1. anything perceived or happening that is believed to portend a good or evil event or circumstance in the future; portent. 2. a prognostic. 3. prophetic significance; presage: a bird of ill omen. –verb (used with object) 4. to be an omen of; portend. 5. to divine, as if from omens. Being able to observe and read omens is a key motif throughout the book. Santiago recognizes the hole in his pouch through which Urim and Thummin fell in Tangier as an omen, as he had promised the old king that he would make his own decisions, not let the stones do it for him. The crystal merchant of Tangier recognizes Santiago's presence in the shop as an omen, as two customers came into the shop as he was cleaning the crystals for the merchant. Santiago later finds that going to the desert was a good omen, as he was able to meet Fatima, his love. Santiago reads omens in the flight of two hawks and has a premonition of an attack on the oasis as he is in the Sahara Desert. Omens play a key role in the unraveling of Santiago's fate.

29. Motifs • Personal Legend The Personal Legend is a being's reason to live. Everything in the world has a Personal Legend, and by reaching one's Personal Legend, one adds to the Soul of the World, the purity of the world. The boy's Personal Legend is obvious, to find his treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. The alchemist fulfilled his Personal Legend, to become a true alchemist and accomplish the Master Work. The crystal merchant's Personal Legend is to visit Mecca, and the Tarifa baker's Personal Legend is to travel the world. The Personal Legend of a person surfaces at childhood, and one can never find true happiness without fulfilling it. The Personal Legend of Santiago drives him to his treasure as he chooses to accomplish his Personal Legend, just as the alchemist’s was to become the most famed alchemist in the world. Others, like the Tarifa baker and the crystal merchant, choose to ignore the Personal Legend, and thus shape their life to be forever wanting.

30. Allusions • Allusion: [uh-loo-zhuhn] -noun 1. a passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication: an allusion to Shakespeare. 2. the act of alluding. 3. Obsolete. a metaphor; parable.

31. Allusions Statue of Melchizedek. Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome.

32. Allusions • In the Tanakh, Melchizedek brought bread and wine to Abraham after Abraham's victory over the four kings (led by Chedorlaomer) who had besieged Sodom and Gomorrah and had taken Abraham's nephew, Lot, prisoner. Melchizedek is also described as blessing Abraham in the name of El Elyon (God), and in return for these favors, Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe, from the spoils gained in the battle.

33. Allusions Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek by Dieric Bouts the Elder, 1464-1467

34. Allusions • Tithe: [tahyth] noun, verb, tithed, tith·ing. -noun 1. Sometimes, tithes. the tenth part of agricultural produce or personal income set apart as an offering to God or for works of mercy, or the same amount regarded as an obligation or tax for the support of the church, priesthood, or the like. 2. any tax, levy, or the like, esp. of one-tenth. 3. a tenth part or any indefinitely small part of anything. -verb (used with object) 4. to give or pay a tithe or tenth of (produce, money, etc.). 5. to give or pay tithes on (crops, income, etc.). 6. to exact a tithe from (a person, community, parish, etc.). 7. to levy a tithe on (crops, income, etc.). -verb (used without object) 8. to give or pay a tithe. • In The Alchemist, Santiago must twice pay one-tenth of his possessions. In the first instance, he pays one-tenth of his flock; in the second, he pays one-tenth of his treasure. In the Biblical reference, Abraham pays Melchizedek one-tenth of his battle winnings in exchange for being blessed in the name of God.

35. Allusions • The Melchizedek priesthood is a prominent feature of "Mormonism" - that is, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. • Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah spoken of as "a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:4), and so Jesus plays the role of High Priest once and for all. Jesus is considered a priest in the order of Melchizedek because, like Melchizedek, Jesus was not a Levite, and thus would not qualify for the Levitical priesthood (Heb. 7:13-17). • The Book of Mormon of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints describes the work of Melchizedek in Salem in Alma 13:17-18. According to Alma, Melchizedek was King over the wicked people of Salem, but because of his righteousness, his people repented of their wickedness and became a peaceful city. • A collection of early Gnostic scripts found in 1945, known as the Nag Hammadi Library, contains a tractate pertaining to Melchizedek. Here it is revealed that Melchizedek is Jesus Christ[8]. Melchizedek, as Jesus Christ, lives, preaches, dies and is resurrected.

36. Gnostic Scriptures • Although manuscripts of New Testament books are the most plentiful of early Christian texts known to us, other writings have survived as well. One important group of such writings were produced in the context of an early Christian movement known as Gnosticism. • Long rejected by the mainstream church as heretical, many of the Gnostic writings were likely regarded as sacred texts by those who compiled them - in fact as more sacred than the canonical texts of the New Testament. In addition, they provide further context to the canonical writings of the New Testament and offer different perspectives on the lives and teachings of Jesus and the apostles.

37. Allusions • Santiago The Way of St. James or St. James' Way, often known by its Spanish name, el Camino de Santiago, is the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where legend has it that the remains of the apostle, Saint James the Great, are buried. A major Christian pilgrimage route: The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is the ultimate goal of the pilgrimage.The Way of St James has existed for over a thousand years. It was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times. It was considered one of three pilgrimages on which a plenary indulgence could be earned; the others are the Via Francigena to Rome and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Legend holds that St. James's remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain where they were buried on the site of what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. There are some, however, who claim that the bodily remains at Santiago belong to Priscillian, the fourth-century Galician leader of an ascetic Christian sect, Priscillianism, who was one of the first Christian heretics to be executed. There is not a single route; the Way can take one of any number of pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. However a few of the routes are considered main ones. Santiago is such an important pilgrimage destination because it is considered the burial site of the apostle, James the Great. During the middle ages, the route was highly travelled. However, the Black Plague, the Protestant Reformation and political unrest in 16th- century Europe resulted in its decline. Until the 1980s, only a few pilgrims arrived in Santiago annually. However, since then, the route has attracted a growing number of modern-day pilgrims from around the globe. The route was declared the first European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe in October 1987; it was also named one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 1993. • Paulo Coelho made the journey and wrote about it. The Pilgrimage (Diário de Um Mago, in Portuguese) is a 1987 novel by Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho. It is a recollection of Paulo's experiences as he made his way across Northern Spain on the Pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela in 1986.

38. Allusions • The Philosopher’s Stone The philosopher's stone (Latin: lapis philosophorum; Greek: chrysopoeia) is a legendary substance, supposedly capable of turning inexpensive metals into gold; it was also sometimes believed to be a means of making people younger. For a long time it was the "holy grail" of Western alchemy. In the view of spiritual alchemy, making the philosopher's stone would bring enlightenment upon the maker and conclude the Great Work. • The first book in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is entitled, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. In the United States, the title was changed to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

39. Vocabulary • Alchemy • Theme • Omniscient • Motif • Omen • Allusion • Tithe • Dross

40. Images The VR Romanesque Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela Paulo Coelho

41. Images The Alchemist in Search of the Philosophers Stone, by Joseph Wright. 1771.

43. Images

44. Works Cited • http://paulocoelhofanclub.com/eng/pc_bio.htm • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alchemist_(book) • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melchizedek • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tithe • http://dictionary.reference.com/ • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pilgrimage • http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/santiago/iagohome.html • http://www.paulocoelho.com/engl/ • http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/wright/ • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher's_stone

45. Students will write about whether or not they believe in fate. • Do they think that there is something in life that they are meant to do? What are their dreams for themselves? Are their families and friends supportive of them following their dreams? Do they feel that they have the power to achieve their dreams?

46. Evening with Paulo Coelho • http://www.theherald.co.uk/paulocoelho/Introduction