Definitions
An event or happening that you take as sign of something to come (example: a black cat...)
What is an omen?
Muse (verb)
To ponder, daydream, or reflect
Santiago left _______ to travel the world as a shepherd.
Santiago left seminary to travel the world as a shepherd.
Which modern-day country did the Romani people migrate from?
India
Andalusia is located in...
Spain
A room in a church where a priest prepares for a service, and where items used in worship are kept.
What is a sacristy?
Crook
A staff or stick carried by a shepherd.
What recurring dream pushes Santiago to seek advice?
That he will find treasure near the pyramids in Egypt.
For centuries, the Romani were often treated unfairly in Europe. Name one type of discrimination they faced.
Forced to live on the edges of towns, stereotypes, slavery in some regions, bans on travel, violence, exclusion from schools or jobs.
In what year did the Moors invade Andalusia? (within 25 years)
711.
(1) The time at which something is most powerful or successful or (2) the highest point.
What is zenith?
Recurrent
Why does Santiago resist staying in one place too long, even when people want him to?
He values freedom and fears being trapped by others’ expectations.
Many Romani became known for skills in fortune telling, music, and metalwork. Why might these traveling jobs have been important?
Because they were portable skills they could carry from place to place when moving or being forced out.
The Alhambra in Granada is known for its beauty. What else is it known for today?
Its innovative technology (water systems, bathhouses, cooling systems, etc.)
To think deeply or carefully about something.
What is contemplate?
Prod
Poke, push, urge into action
What might the abandoned church with a sycamore tree symbolize at the beginning of the book?
A blending of the sacred (church) with nature/life (tree); foreshadows growth from old traditions.
The word gypsy comes from a mistaken belief about the Romani. What country did Europeans think they came from?
Egypt (hence “gypsy”), though their roots are in India.
Córdoba was once called the “jewel of the world.” Name one reason why it was famous during the Islamic Golden Age.
Its library/university, cultural diversity, philosophy, poetry, or architecture.
What is alchemy and why might it be significant to the story?
A medieval science aimed at turning metals into gold; symbolically, a process of personal transformation.
Proprietor
Owner; keeper
How does Santiago’s sheep herd comfort and limit his life?
Comfort: they provide routine, livelihood, and travel, which he wants. Limitation: they keep him tied to repetition instead of true adventure.
The Romani were often excluded from power in Spain. Why might Coelho have chosen a Romani woman, not a priest or scholar, to interpret Santiago’s dream?
To show that truth can come from marginalized voices, not just authority figures, and to set a theme of looking for wisdom in unlikely places.
Instead of showing people or animals, Islamic art in Andalusia often used repeating geometric patterns and calligraphy that spiral (seemingly) for eternity. Why?
To symbolize God’s infinite nature.