The Alchemist 1
What does Santiago do for a living (his job) at the beginning of the novel?
He is a shepherd
What bad luck does Santiago experience when he arrives in Tangier Africa?
He is robbed
Why does the gypsy woman tell Santiago his dream is difficult to interpret?
It's a dream that's rooted in "the language of the world".
What is the Englishman searching for?
An Arabian alchemist that's over 200 years old.
What is Santiago's personal legend?
to travel to the pyramids in Egypt in search of treasure
Santiago goes to work for this man to earn back his money: Additionally, this man's greatest fear is:
Who is the crystal merchant and what is he fears change?
How do we know Melchizedek is a king & not an imposter?
He knew things about Santiago he never told anyone.
"Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living right now" (87).
Where is Santiago from? Be specific to the part of the country
Andalusia
What are the names of the stones the old king gives him?
What are Urim and Thummim?
According to Melchizedek, what's the world's greatest lie?
that at some point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and fate rules our lives.
Identify the figurative language device:
"The travelers were talking incessantly, laughing and shouting, as if they had emerged from the spiritual world and found themselves once again in the world of people" (90-91).
What is the King of Salem's name?
Melchizedek
What is Santiago's inner conflict as he is preparing to leave the crystal merchant?
Identify this device: "When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed..." (70).
What is an extended metaphor comparing making a decision to swimming in a strong current on an adventure/journey?
What is a person's Personal Legend?
The thing you want most in life/ your reason for being.
What does the old woman (gypsy) want for interpreting Santiago's dream?
one tenth of his treasure
Identify three or four different devices here in this passage:
"His heart has always been ready to tell its story...his heart was never quiet, even when the boy and the alchemist had fallen into silence...'wherever your heart is, that is where you'll find your treasure'...'my heart is a traitor...'" (132-133).
What is irony, paradox, personification, and metaphor?
Identify the figurative language device:
"The earth is alive...and it has a soul...the caravan and the desert speak the same language..." (81)
What is personification of the earth and desert?
Identify two literary devices here:
"She smiled, and that was certainly an omen...it was the pure Language of the World. It required no explanation...he was in the presence of the only woman in his life..." (96).
What is a metaphor and hyperbole?