9/29 post

Santiago is a Shepherd boy from Andalusia, Spain, and is the protagonist of The Alchemist. He is curious to learn about the world around him, so he chooses to travel around Spain and be a shepherd instead of being a priest like his parents wanted him to be. Santiago has a dream leading him to Egypt to find treasure, per King Melchizedek teaching him about Personal Legends. As Santiago’s journey goes on, he becomes more curious about the Soul of the World. As he crosses the desert with The Alchemist, he learns more about the Soul of the World through listening to his heart. Ultimately, he learns most from looking at the omens around him.

due 5/22

Prompt: On page 24, the king of Salem tells Santiago, "When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it." Do you believe that this is true? Why or why not?

I do not think this is necessarily true, despite the fact that I really want it to be. I think that in this world we make person decisions and set personal goals, and we work towards accomplishing them ourselves, without the help of the universe. I think that the universe just exists and does its thang without intermingling with our ambitions. 

Personal Legend- The Alchemist

A Personal Legend is, in the words of the King of Salem, "what you have always wanted to accomplish" (21). I think this will play an important role for the rest of the book in that Santiago, the main character, has already broken out of becoming a priest like his parents wanted him to be. He wanted to have a career that would allow him to travel to new places, and ended up becoming a shepherd, which gives him the opportunity to travel. Now, it seems like he wants to accomplish getting this mysterious girl. So far in the book, he seems to be setting his sights on something (or someone) he wants to attain, and does his best to attain it.

1st Post Of the Year!

This year in ELA, I'm hoping to improve my writing and annotating skills. I'm hoping to achieve this while reading new books. Last year, I really enjoyed seminars in class and I would love if we continued doing seminars in class this year.