BCTELA

Braden O'Donnell and Lisa Mason

Braden O'Donnell has a masters in Medieval and Renaissance Literature from the University of Glasgow

Lisa Mason has a masters in Family Studies from the University of British Columbia. Both are currently Education students at UBC.

As a teacher new to the profession in BC, I have been scouring the land in search of materials or texts to add to my lessons that will stun and amaze my students while simultaneously tying all of the points I am trying to make up in a neat little bow. In short, I have been searching for the holy grail of the literary world. However, like Lancelot or Gawain, I have come up a little short – I have not found the grail per se, but have unearthed a rather nice chalice.

As novels go, Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is the perfect accompaniment to the senior English classroom. In the most immediate and technical sense, it matches up nicely with the Ministry of Education PLOs. As the Ministry notes, senior English students should, amongst other things, be able to “make connections between their own values, beliefs, and cultures and those reflected in literature”, “demonstrate a willingness to explore diverse perspectives to develop or modify viewpoints” and “demonstrate an appreciation of the power and beauty of language”.

The Alchemist meets these and many other objectives, making it distinctly relevant and useful. What The Alchemist offers outside of the broad parameters outlined by the Ministry, however, is where the real value of the novel begins to become apparent. The most important aspect to this novel is that it can serve as a foundational text – an easy-to-read introduction for students into the worlds of critical literary analysis and understanding of major literary motifs (such as questing). Some of the other important benefits to teaching this novel include:

• It is a short text so that students will not be overwhelmed, but it is loaded with metaphor and symbol which can be discussed in detail
• It opens up discussion on a number of issues that will foster classroom debate
• It provides a segue into the discussion of other literary works
• It is written by a contemporary author n It has an adolescent protagonist
• It exposes students to the merits of contemporary world literature
• The text is distinctly accessible to students
• It touches on many archetypes, motifs, symbols and issues which pervade the corpus of literature
• It may foster a non-denominational discussion on religion in literature
• It has clear parallels to many other texts
• The subject matter should resonate with senior high students who are about to begin their own ‘journeys’ into the world
• It is age-appropriate to senior high school students

 

In the following pages, I will attempt to make a case for the inclusion of this text in BC English classrooms and, hopefully, provide you with a resource that includes some pretty nifty ideas for activities and multi-media assessment techniques that you may wish to use in your classrooms. So, strap in and accompany me on a journey through The Alchemist.

To begin, it is probably most useful to provide a brief plot summation so that you have a better idea of where I am going and why. So, without further ado, the plot:

The story begins with a shepherd boy named Santiago stopping for the night beneath a sycamore tree in the courtyard of an abandoned church and dreaming of treasure. Curious about his dream, Santiago visits Tarfia where Melchizedek tells him the location of the treasure, convincing him to embark upon a physical and spiritual journey in search of self and financial reward. Santiago sets out from his homeland in Spain for the Egyptian pyramids and, in Tangier, he is robbed of his money and is forced to work at a crystal shop where he learns there is an unspoken Language of The World. After a year with the crystal merchant, Santiago decides to fulfill his ‘personal legend’- the journey towards his treasure – and joins a caravan traveling across the desert. In the middle of the desert, the caravan arrives at an oasis where Santiago falls in love with Fatima and meets the alchemist. He faces a choice of remaining with his love or continuing his journey. He chooses the latter and, after journeying a little, is captured by tribal warriors. The alchemist attempts to convince the captors Santiago possesses the power of the wind and the captors demand a demonstration. Over a three day period Santiago learns to speak with the elements of the natural world and initiates a competition between the wind, sun and sand This convinces his captors he has great powers and they allow him to go free. Three hours from the pyramids, the alchemist vanishes and Santiago continues. Arriving at his goal, Santiago digs in the sand for his treasure, uncovers it and is robbed by thieves. One of the thieves mentions a dream of treasure hidden under a sycamore tree in the Andalusian countryside. Santiago realizes his real treasure is located where his journey began and travels back to the Spain, finding his treasure and reflecting upon his journey.

The next step is to evaluate the teachability of the text and to consider some possible objectives for unit plans. After completing a unit on The Alchemist, it would be reasonable to expect that students will be able to:

• Relate the themes in the novel (questing, fate versus free will, etc.) to present-day issues.
• Summarize and demonstrate an understanding of the key events, characters, symbols, and themes in The Alchemist. Organize details and information that they have read, heard, or viewed using a variety of written or graphic for
• ms.  Make connections between ideas and information presented in literary, mass media, works and their own experiences.
• Support their opinions or respond to questions and tasks about the work they have read.
• Make connections among the themes and ideas expressed in a novel.  Demonstrate an ability to critically analyze the text.
• Demonstrate confidence in their own abilities to communicate effectively in a variety of formal and informal contexts.
• Communicate effectively using media.
• Communicate to clarify their ideas, understandings and opinions.
• Select information and expand their knowledge base.

As with any teachable literary work, The Alchemist boasts a wealth of themes, motifs and issues that are well worth delving into during classroom study. Some of the most important themes I uncovered include the following:

Questing

• The notion of the journey as displayed in The Alchemist is identical to Joseph Campbell’s monomyth idea, in which all mythical cycles can be broken down. As Campbell states: “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” 1
• Questing is a common archetypal motif that extends throughout literature in every age and, as such, The Alchemist becomes an easy-to-access text that opens the discussion on a contemporary level. It is a terrific frame text.
• The Alchemist is a frame narrative that serves as a method for Paulo Coelho to espouse his philosophical tenants; this is not unlike the works of Chaucer or Dante.
• The ‘personal legend’ is Santiago’s reason for living – his driving force – and the quest for it is of extreme importance to understanding the novel. 

Fate v. Free Will:

• A key focus of the novel is how much of one’s life is controlled by fate and how much is controlled by one’s self.
• Melchizedek says, “[A]t a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie”(p. 10). This suggests that we have the power to control our lives, but that it is within the confines of fate.
• Further, Coelho suggests that fate conspires with free will to aid an individual as long as the individual is following his/her dreams (the concept of favorability).
• This discussion may be augmented with philosophical concepts of free will like that of Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy and would be sure to ignite classroom debate. 

Love:

• What is the nature of love?
• Coelho investigates the relationships between humans and humans, humans and the natural world and humans and animals.
• Familial love is compared to romantic love and self-love, which segues into discussions of love in other literary works.
• This can be compared to Eleanor of Aquitaine’s court of courtly love and/or Andreas Capellaneus’ The Art of Courtly Love. Spritual Enlightenment
• The search for the ‘personal legend’ is a spiritual journey of self discovery.  Santiago is in a spiritual crisis.
• There is a distinct discovery of one‘s nature, limitations and beliefs.
• The language of the soul and “soul of the world” have clear religious connotations as Santiago, in learning them, is able to perform miracles.  This is a good segue into a discussion of religion in literature while, at the same instance, remains non-denominational, as the “soul of the world” is essentially the “light” prominent in many world religions.

Omens and Dreams:

• Dreams precipitate and end action in the text; they bookend the story and initiate discussion on the role of the subconscious mind.
• Conscious self versus subconscious self. This could bring about the idea of the collective unconscious by Carl Jung.
• Reading and interpreting omens is key within the text. Omens move the plot along and foreshadow events.
• Omens reveal Santiago’s fate within the text.
• Omens and dreams and the interpretation thereof are important throughout literature in all ages.

Numerology:

• The text is full of numerical references which are significant to interpretations of meaning.
• This is a strategy employed throughout historical and modern literature. Dante’s Commedia, for instance, is built upon a numerical structure that both enhances and provides meaning.
• n As the bible uses numerology to enhance its meaning (and as a didactic memory aid), this conversation easily builds upon, or opens up, discussions on spirituality.

Finally, once the decision is made to teach the novel and how to approach it, there is always the question of how to assess the progress of the students. The Alchemist really shines in this department as it opens up a wealth of possibilities for creative and varied assessment that can be easily carried out in classrooms.

Below is a quick explanation of some of my favorite ideas, suggestions and adaptations.

Book Clubs:

In this activity, students will break off into small groups of 3 or 4 to discuss various topics raised in the work. Students will be provided with a sheet of questions designed to focus and facilitate their group discussions. Each group will make note of their answers/thoughts as they will be used in the class discussion. Further, various other strategies, such as 5-3-1 or Gallery Walk may be employed through these book clubs as a way for students to express the results of their conversations. Book clubs may be established for the following topics:

• The Journey
• Spirituality
• Numerology
• Gender Roles

 

Modern Day Sangrail:

Have your students, in teams of 2-4, use their knowledge of journeying or questing as portrayed in the novel to develop modern community service project proposals. Project proposals will begin with a statement or dream and include the various steps needed to achieve it. They must also include potential issues or problems that may be experienced. Have your students present their quest proposals as a multimedia presentation combining text and images with relevant online information. Their proposals would be organized with the intention of delivery to a specific audience.

 

POV Writing:

Gender Reversal: Have your students engage in a creative response exercise in which they write a narrative or journal entry from the point of view of Fatima (the female love interest of Santiago). They may also wish to explore what differences may have occurred in the story if Santiago was female. This exercise can even be done as an in-class assessment.

 

Love Letter Writing:

Have your students engage in a creative response exercise in which they write a fictional love letter from Santiago to Fatima or Fatima to Santiago. This exercise is to encourage students to examine, in detail, the relationships between characters in the novel.

 

Mapping Alchemy:

Have your students map out Santiago’s journey, including key plot moments and conflicts, etc., in geographically correct locations. Include a legend for progress, symbolism, etc. (This could also be a great opportunity to collaborate with a SS/History class.)

 

Response Journals:

Have your students keep an ongoing response journal (throughout the unit) on various topics relevant to the novel. Topics could include Fate, journeys (physical and spiritual), personal legends, and regret. Another variant would be to have students keep a dream journal for a week. Write what you think they mean; interpret them according to dream theories or ancient beliefs (e.g., ancient Greek, Egyptian, or medieval).

 

Santiageo Picasso:

Have your students create a painting, collage, photo-essay, or 3-D representation of an idea or theme or scene from the story, with a written explanation.

 

Lyrical Pursuits:

Try having your students write/create a song or two (with lyrics) from “The Alchemist: The Musical.” This musical really does exist and it may be possible to get hold of a copy. Moreover, there is a feature film in the works for this novel which may spark some interest. You may want to consider having your students dramatically re-create sections of the text or even film sections based on their own interpretations. It’s always fun experimenting with technology and you may be surprised by what students will come up with!

 

Scrapbooking:

Have your students create a scrapbook (with commentary) of Santiago’s travels. This could include pictures, items, etc.

 

Guiding Light:

Have your students write an excerpt for Santiago‘s “Guide to Personal Legends.” Paulo Coelho has published a couple of volumes, Warrior of the Light and Life, that use quotes or ideas from The Alchemist to create a motivational guide book for following personal legends. You may wish to use one of these volumes as an example. You may also try having your students create found poems based on the text.

 

Game Show:

You may want to have your students create (or do it yourself for a fun classroom review) a PowerPoint Jeopardy version for the novel. PowerPoint Jeopardy templates are available free on the internet and are extremely easy to use and operate.

Finally, you may want to consider thought-provoking research topics for further exploration in or out of class. Luckily, The Alchemist provides a beautiful forum for further discussion topics. As you may guess by now, I have a few examples for your consideration, exploration and general interest. The best ideas that I have come up with include:

1. What is alchemy? What is the history, the process involved, and who are some famous alchemists?
2. Explore the concept of Soul of the World, looking at different philosophies and/or religions.
3. Research the Bedouin, looking at tribal aspects and their history (perhaps collaborate with a History teacher to create a joint project).
4. Create a catalogue of dreams in The Alchemist. Choose one dream to interpret, using dream analysis (e.g., Jung).
5. Research and present on one of the symbols from The Alchemist. (Symbols include numbers, the philosopher’s stone, the caravan, Melchizedek, birds, oases, etc.)

 

That brings me to the conclusion of my review of The Alchemist. I hope that my words have convinced you of the book’s merits and excited you about the possibilities it opens in your English classrooms. As a final note, I did some research into how and where the novel is being taught and discovered, to my amazement, that it is being taught throughout Canada and the USA in grades 4 through 12. As a result, there are a great deal of resources available to you on the world wide web that offer still more ways to teach or adapt this novel for your classrooms. I have included some of the online (and print) resources I uncovered.

• Joseph Campbell. The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
• Boethius. The Consolation of Philosophy.
• Andreas Capellaneus. The Art of Courtly Love.
• Carl Jung. Man and his Symbols, Chapter 1
• Collins Readers Website
• Harper Academic.com. A Teacher’s Guide to Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist
• HarperCollins Reading Guide, 10th Anniversary Edition of The Alchemist.
• Perma-Bound Living Literature Series: The Alchemist, Teacher’s Guide (Mary Ellen Snodgrass)
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho website: http://home.cogeco.ca/~rayser3/litera1.htm#alchemist