Teaching The Alchemist

Instructions for You

Objective: Santiago could've written a killer blog. It could've been a travel blog, spiritual blog, and mystical blog all rolled into one. After all, not only does Santiago travel throughout Spain and Africa…and not only does he grow spiritually…but he meets a king who may or may not be a god, reads the omens from God or the Universe, and even turns himself into the wind (well, kind of).

In this activity, your students will write a series of blog posts from Santiago's perspective. You can assign this after you read the part where Santiago supposedly turns himself into the wind (148–157). At that point, they'll have more than enough material to work with because his journey is so strange and wonderful. Just stress that this isn't meant to simply summarize various parts of the book. They'll have to include some plot details, of course, but the focus should really be on how Santiago feels, and how he changes and grows throughout his journey.

Materials Needed: Copies of the The Alchemist, internet access

Step 1: Begin the lesson by showing your students a couple of examples of blogs. The first link is for a travel blog, and the second is for a personal growth blog.

These are both the types of blogs Santiago might write. Each link shows the blog's main page, which includes links to all the most recent posts.

Have them skim that first blog so they can see there are a variety of posts on a similar subject or theme. On the travel blog, have students click on and read the post titled, "Keep Calm and…I'm Going to Africa in TWO Days!" On the personal growth blog, have them click on the one titled, "4 Ways to Embrace Uncertainty." Stress to them the personal nature of each blog post, and how each one deals not just with the topic but with the writer's feelings about the topic. Give them 15 minutes to read these two posts.

Step 2: Engage your students in a brief discussion about blogs they're familiar with, and ask if they follow any particular people's blogs. What do they get out of them? Are they entertaining? Enlightening? Inspiring? Funny? About a specific topic they're passionate about, like travel or personal growth?

Step 3: Steer the discussion toward the book now and ask which aspects would make for a good blog for Santiago. His feelings toward any of the characters he meets along the way would make great material. Here are a few other possibilities that could provide fodder for an entertaining blog post:

• His anticipation when he's getting ready to see the merchant's daughter for the first time in a year
• The bittersweet sensation he feels as he leaves the crystal merchant's shop
• His fear and desperation as he struggles to figure out how to turn himself into the wind

Step 4: After about ten minutes discussing Steps 2 and 3, allow students about 20 minutes to write their first blog post. Tell them to follow these guidelines:

• The blog post should be in the 300–500 word range. 
• It should include a quote from the book, whether from Santiago, a different character, or the narrator, at the top of the post and as a jumping off point to begin.
• The focus should be about how Santiago feels, and they can have him, at least in part, directly respond to this quote. 
• They'll really need to get inside his head and his heart to write a successful post.
• The post should only include as many plot details as are necessary, and they should avoid summarizing.

For an example of a good beginning quote, if they want to write a post about Santiago's fear over not knowing how to turn himself into the wind, they might include the alchemist's quote: "Then you'll die in the midst of trying to realize your Personal Legend. That's a lot better than dying like millions of other people, who never even knew what their Personal Legends were." (146).

Step 5: With each blog post, which they'll complete in Microsoft Word, they should also go online and find one or two relevant pictures to go along with the post. If the focus of a particular post has more to do with where he's traveled to, a picture of the city or of some landmark will work great. If it has more to do with a character he's interacted with, a picture representing that character would make sense. They can use some creativity here, too, to find pictures or graphics that make sense for their writing.

Step 6: Provide two more 20- to 30-minute work sessions, or allow students another two nights to write two more blog posts. Each will be 300 to 500 words, and each will include one or two graphic elements. You can then collect the whole packet together and grade according to your own grading standards.

Instructions for Your Students

One of the coolest things about the internet is that anyone can start a blog. Some of them are worth reading, and some…well, you still have to commend the writer for trying. You know who could've written a killer blog, though? Santiago. Man, he had some stuff to talk about. Just think about the places he goes, and the people he meets along the way. He almost dies a few times, and he sees some things that can only be described as magic. He sees others that must be signs from God.

Since Santiago is from pre-internet days, though (and since, you know, he's fictional), you're going to write his blog for him. You'll have no shortage of material to consider. Just make sure you focus on how he feels about his journey (the physical and the spiritual aspects) and the people he meets. A blog isn't meant to be a summary of events, but more a timely snapshot of a person's thoughts and feelings.

Step 1: Check out this link and this link to see a couple of really cool examples of blogs. Each link will take you to the blog's main page, so you can start by skimming those main pages just to see the titles of all the most recent posts. Then, on the first blog, which is a travel blog, click on the post titled, "Keep Calm and…I'm Going to Africa in TWO Days!" Read this account of how the writer feels about heading out for the trip of a lifetime, and check out all the cool pics she includes.

Then, click the second link, which will take you to the main page for a personal growth blog. Click the post titled, "4 Ways to Embrace Uncertainty." This is a list post where the author gets very personal about how she was feeling at a particular time in her life, and how she overcame her struggles.

Step 2: Do you read any blogs regularly? Share some information about your preferred blogs with your teacher and classmates:

• What do you get out of them? 
• Do you just read them for entertainment? 
• Do they inspire you? 
• What's really their purpose? 
• Are you passionate about the topic?

Step 3: What parts of Santiago's journey would make for a great blog? Again, share ideas with your teacher and classmates. Which parts did you find most interesting to read about in the book? Would they be the best parts to hear about directly from Santiago?

Step 4: Okay, now you need to put yourself in Santiago's shoes and write your first blog post from his perspective. Follow these guidelines:

• The blog post should be in the 300 to 500 word range. 
• Choose a part of the book, or an interaction with a character, that Santiago would have particularly strong feelings about.
• Include a quote from the book, whether from Santiago, a different character, or the narrator, at the top of the post and as a jumping off point to begin.
• The focus should be about how Santiago feels, and you can have him, at least in part, directly respond to this quote. 
• You'll really need to get inside his head and his heart to write a successful post.
• The post should only include as many plot details as are necessary; don't summarize.

Step 5: Go online and find one or two pictures or graphics you can add to your Word document, which is where you'll be writing your blog posts. If this post focuses on travel, a picture of the city he's in or a landmark he sees would work great. If he's dealing with another character, you can find a picture that makes sense as a representation of that character. Or just be creative and find whatever pictures you think make sense to accompany that blog post.

Step 6: Lastly, you'll write two more blog posts. Same rules apply. Thoughts. Feelings. Pictures. A quote (and citation) at the top. Go easy on plot. And keep it in the 300 to 500 word range. Your teacher will collect the group of them on the due date.