PAULO COELHO THE ALCHEMIST
THE FABLE
THE ALCHEMIST THE FABLE Literary Genre Succinct fictional story 1 Often anthropomorphized Illustrates a moral lesson or moral" May end with a pithy2 maxim3. 1 The 2 (of 3A attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object language or style) concise and forcefully expressive. short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct
THE ALCHEMIST THE FABLE 1 The attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object Wait isn t that personification? Personification: seems like it s doing something human Anthropomorphism most commonly animals Anthropomorphism: it is doing something human
THE ALCHEMIST THE FABLE 1 The attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object Anthropomorphism: it is doing something human Etymology Anthropomorphism most commonly animals anthropos human being morphe form
THE ALCHEMIST THE FABLE 1 literature Enduring form of folk Oral transmission Found in the literature of almost every country A writer of fables: fabulist 1 Relating to the traditional art or culture of a community or nation
THE ALCHEMIST AESOP S FABLES Accredited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller from ancient Greece 620 564 BCE Anthropomorphized animals Used typical traits of animals to express truths about humans Aesop: the fabulous fabulist
...Like those who dine well off the plainest dishes, he made use of humble incidents to teach great truths; by announcing a story which everyone knows not to be true, [he] told the truth by the very fact that he did not claim to be relating real events. Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana, Book V:14
DETERMINING THE MORAL OF A FABLE
THE ALCHEMIST VIDEO REVIEW What was the story modern Aesop told his daughter? The Fox and the Grapes How did it relate to her situation?
THE ALCHEMIST TASK Read one of Aesop s fables Decide its moral/maxim with your group Brainstorm: a modern adaptation in our school
THE ALCHEMIST AESOP S MAXIMS Never trust a friend who deserts you at a pinch. Do not trust interested advice. Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to be your ruin. Fate helps them that help themselves. Gratitude is the sign of noble souls. One cannot be first in everything.
GROUPS OF FOUR Narrator/Boss: Keep your group on task; give everyone something to do at all times; narrate the story for presentation. Illustrator 2 halves of an A4 sheet; Aesop s fable your modern fable. Story teller/writer (on back of A4 sheet) Rewrite Aesop s fable in your own words; write a modern adaptation of Aesop s fable (8-10 sentences). Silent Actor/Group assistant acts out the story with only their body; helps with any other necessary tasks (research, helping the writer, et cetera).
PERSONAL LEGEND HOW MUCH OF A PERSON S LIFE IS UNDER ONE S CONTROL? HOW MUCH IS CONTROLLED BY FATE?
PAULO COELHO THE ALCHEMIST
PAULO COELHO Born: 24 August 1947 Brazil Novelist and lyricist Highest social media followers amongst writers Facebook 29.5 million Twitter 12.2 million
EARLY LIFE Teenager wants to become a writer Mother: My dear, your father is an engineer do you actually know what it means to be a writer? At 17 years old: sent to a mental institution where he escapes three times before the age of twenty Response: They did not do that to destroy me, they did that to save me.
FORMATIVE YEARS Attends college and abandons his dreams as a writer One year later drops out and becomes a hippie, traveling through South America, North Africa, Mexico, and Europe in the 1960s Return to Brazil Composes lyrics for famous Brazilian rock stars such as Raul Seixas.
ROAD OF SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA 500 mile trail in Northwest Spain Turning point in his life Spiritual Awakening I was verb happy in the things I was doing I was working, I had a person whom I loved, I had money, but I was not fulfilling my dream. My dream was, and still is, to be a writer. Coelho leaves his career becomes a full-time writer.
WRITING CAREER Publishes first book Hell Archives and later the Practical Manual of Vampirism No substantial impact 1987 writes The Alchemist 900 copies; no reprint 1994 HarperCollins (largest publisher in the US)
SUCCESS WITH THE ALCHEMIST Sells 83 million copies One of the best selling books in history Most translated book by a living author 81 million languages
PLOT SUMMARY
PLOT SUMMARY Young Shepard Leaves his homeland of Spain Travels to Egypt in search of treasure buried beneath the pyramids Journey to discover material wealth turns into a journey to discover inner enlightenment
HOW THE ALCHEMIST CHANGED MY LIFE PHARRELL WILLIAMS
PHARRELL WILLIAMS
PHARRELL WILLIAMS Everyone read The Alchemist by @paulocoelho. You have no idea what you are capable of...read it and find out. #GREATNESS VIA TWITTER
PHARRELL WILLIAMS
WHAT IS IT? ALCHEMY
ALCHEMY Ancient practice shrouded in mystery 100AD 18th century (dawn of modern chemistry) Sought to turn lead into gold Rooted in a complex spiritual worldview Everything contains a universal spirit Metals are alive Lead = immature Gold = mature All the same thing in a different form
THE ALCHEMIST ALCHEMY Part experiment part magic Philosopher s Stone Mythical substance (waxy liquid) Heal, prolong life, change base metals to precious metals Symbolism Lead = sinful; dark Gold = spiritual beauty
THE ALCHEMIST PSYCHOLOGY + ALCHEMY Carl Jung Swiss Psychologist Connection between symbols in alchemy and symbols in dreams Process: Individuation Symbolic process of coming into wholeness as a human inner, outer, spirit, and matter are combined
THE ALCHEMIST SPIRITUAL ALCHEMY Original Alchemy a pseudoscience of transforming lead into gold. Spiritual Alchemy the secret science of inner liberation and spiritual awakening.
THE HERO S JOURNEY
Joseph Campbell THE ALCHEMIST JOSEPH CAMPBELL S HERO'S JOURNEY Joseph Campbell Created a set of observations known as The Hero s Journey. Compares the myths and legends of many cultures. All-embracing metaphor for the deep inner journey of transformation that heroes in every time and place seem to share A path that leads them through great movements of separation, descent, ordeal, and return.
HERO S ADVENTURE