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https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwp9kNoFknrlcTlwQkxfMnNzNGM/view?usp=sharing

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When I was introduced to the idea of Genius Hour, I was told to pick something I was passionate about and not limit myself. Although it took a lot of time and effort, I’m happy with how my Genius Hour turned out. I was able to make a real difference to the community by inspiring the next generation of engineers and impacting over 100 elementary school students. My favorite thing about EngineerGear, the after-school engineering education camp at Weber (my local elementary school) is that not only was it affordable, but it was also very easy to implement because of the extensive curriculum I had written. It’s really fun to write curriculum and plan cool projects which can come to life during the next session of the camp.

My elementary school did not have any engineering related after school teams so I knew that our community was lacking there. My program uses cheap and easily obtainable materials for the projects so it wasn’t expensive or hard to implement at Weber. Since this curriculum was affordable, I’m hoping to release it online eventually so that schools across the nation can use this curriculum as a basis for planning engineering related activities in school or at home. This fulfills my goals of getting minority groups, girls, and low income students into STEM activities and engineering education before stereotypes take hold. We have built a straw shooter, a bridge, a lightbulb, a circuit box, a balloon car, and a model tower, and they loved all of them. That’s thing that I really enjoyed about teaching elementary school kids—they were able to apply their creativity and when they understood something, their faces lit up and they got excited, a reaction I was looking for.

I was not expecting so much success of the program and I’m glad that it doesn’t end here. I started a VEX IQ robotics team that will be there following school year. I will mentor it and now kids in my area can finally have access to engineering education and may want to join the VEX IQ team the next year. These types of afterschool activities also really push for a higher level of thinking and challenges gifted students.

This project turned out exactly how I had hoped so given the chance, I wouldn’t change anything about the project. My sophomore year as a whole has also turned out pretty good as well. I have put in continuous effort for good grades balanced with my extracurriculars and although things can never be perfect, I’m glad how it has turned out. In the end, I have done the best I could do in my given situation so I don’t really like to think if it could have been better because that leads to disatisfaction on how much I’ve already done. Instead, I’m proud of myself for being able to handle the stress and seemily eternal coursework. I’ve grown to accept myself for how I am. I used to and still do struggle with being too much of a perfectionist and anxiety gets to me many times, but I’ve learned to appreciate my accomplishments rather than thinking what could have been. So in addition to my school work, I’m also content with my friends which I’ve had a great time with this year and I’m really looking forward to this year.

In English Leadership specifically, I definitely have grown as a writer. I got commended on the STAAR test and my writing, especially rhetorical analysis, has much improved since that in the beginning of the year. But most of all, my writing now has a style and a voice. I have a way of writing to call my own which no doubt will be changed and perfected over the next few years but I’m glad to have this over robotic choppy sentences. Also, I’ve gotten to re-experience what it is like to read something I enjoy and for fun – which I hadn’t got to do in a while. I liked all of the novels that we read in class and my choice novels as well.

I’ve also learned that I’m a student who is motivated by my studying environment. I can focus working at a café rather than at my house where I’m tempted to talk to my sister or watch TV. As silly as this sounds, I also really enjoy doing work when I have good supplies. If I have a cool set of colorful pens or nice sticky notes I’m more inclined to use them and do my work with a better attitude than if I dreadingly just wrote down information with a black pen. So, I’ve decided to make the best of this stationary addiction and get some fun supplies that can help me out the next school year.

This Genius Hour project was definitely my favorite project of the year because it let me change things in the real world. I didn’t just read things, I actually did them with results to show for it. I’m glad I had this opportunity to do such a project and it’s been a meaningful experience for me to be able to share my passion of engineering with others. I’ve learned a lot about curriculum writing and now have a great appreciation for teachers, especially elementary teachers who have a lot of patience. Many students, teachers, and parents repeatedly expressed their enjoyment of this program and have asked to continue these mentoring sessions during the summer. I’m still shocked to have it even come this far so to be honest I wasn’t expecting to have to expand on this project. But since the whole summer awaits and I already do tutoring and babysitting, so I thought, why not add summer engineering camp mentor to that list too? After all this was all only possible because I didn’t limit myself, so when even the sky’s not the limit, I can reach the moon.

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Wow... That's all I have to say about my first week of the program. Just wow, I'm so overwhelmed with how great it turned out. I was nervous the first day for a couple of minutes but as soon as I began talking and saw all of the kids, I thought, "They're just kids. I don't need to be nervous, after all look how excited they are." But this whole process hasn't been just rainbows and butterflies, there's been struggles and since this is a rather large community impact project that I chose to do, sometimes I feel the pressure of it. First of all, there’s just too many students. When I started the program, I thought there couldn’t be more than 30 or 40, but now on some days we hit more than 100 students. I’m really thankful that there are a couple of teachers and parent volunteers to help out and keep the students in line because although I have a higher presence, I feel like I couldn’t possibly handle them all alone. Also, I'm putting in 6 hours a week for two weeks just for the mentoring portion of this project, but in addition to that, I'm constantly writing, adding to, and modifying my curriculum as I've gained experience with what works and doesn't. For example, on Friday of last week, I was planning the project that we did this Friday. The project is to make a light bulb out of household items, the filament being mechanical pencil led. When I did it at home, everything went smoothly but was trying to show it to the teachers, it wasn’t working for some reason. Thankfully, we decided to do the idea anyway with the kids and use brand new batteries. It worked perfectly and the students were ecstatic as their lightbulb gave off smoke and light. When I see my students excited or say comments like “thanks, this is fun” and “wow, that’s so cool. Why does that happen?” it makes me feel like in the end, all this effort I’m doing is paying off to help them out.

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I finally finished the novel and I can't even begin to describe how good it was. The ending does technically leave a cliff hanger so I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series in the summer! What I think makes this book such a unique way of showing suspense is that the characters will know something but the thoughts will not be revealed to the reader. For example, towards the end, Kara regains trust in Mary, however the reader is never told about their secret plot to take down Sordyr, so when Mary betrayed Kara for the second time (as part of the plot to get closer to Sordyr), I was furious. Then it is suddenly revealed to us that they were working together this whole time so when Sordyr “dies”, they were both part of the plan. I was really shocked at the end as well—it seems like the author was just using plot twist after plot twist. The good witch who was trapped underground by Sordyr is finally released by Kara when her and Mary take down Sordyr, but he doesn’t die, he just wakes up from the spell Rygoth had used for controlling him to be evil. It turns out that Rygoth is actually the evil one and now she’s planning to leave the island to wreak havoc on the rest of the world. My favorite side character in the novel is definitely Mary. She shows so much growth and in the end she gives away her magic toys to Kara and Taff – a symbol of her moving on from her evil and broken past. In a sense, Kara has learned from her, but she has also learned from her and Taff.

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I'm one of those people who can't stop reading once I get into a book. That's how I ended up reading almost all of the Thickety in one day. I'm almost to the end of the book and I have enjoyed it so much! This series is definitely one of my favorites and unlike some series where the excitement is gone as the series progresses, I was constantly hooked as the chapters progressed. There's so much that has happened since the last time. Kara has grown so much and Mary was her mentor figure. Then when Sordyr, the forest demon, came in, it turned out that Mary only trained Kara so that she would go strong and Sordyr could use her-- plot twist! According to Taff, Mary is acting like this but she's actually nice. It turns out he's right. Mary wanted to correct the horrible things she did like killing and using children when she was still an evil witch. So that's why she traded Kara for a new Grimoire. This is a really interesting action from Mary because it shows just how much she has changed but the guilt still haunts her. Once you do something so awful, it's hard to forget and move on. I think that Kara and Taff's acceptance of her will definitely help her regain her confidence and goodness again. Another thing that I that was really interesting was the very powerful obstacle that Kara faces, Imogen. Imogene used to just be a normal person with the power to create anything that someone has lost and at first, she helped people by doing this but as the feeling made her more and more addicted, she began seeking more and more feelings. She promised her body to a monster with memory hallucination tentacles and the power to project memories on to people. Imogen is now a monster that even traps Kara and Taff into a dream about their mother and father but luckily Kara is able to help them escape. This concept of eating feelings was so interesting to me because she literally gets power from feeding on others pain, happiness, and fear by creating illusions for them.

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This week was very productive for my genius hour project. I am more than half-way done writing curriculum with 3/6 days done. Ms. Chaney, the elementary school principal has collected some flyers that we had sent home with the kids and as of Friday, at least 40 kids are attending! This is such a big turnout than what I thought there would be. Since I'm the only mentor, I requested for some teachers to help out as well because I couldn't handle so many elementary school kids at once by myself. It seems I might get a couple of teachers, but by the time we get all of the permission slips, the number of kids attending will be much higher. I will have to do some research on how to keep kids under control and entertained. As glad as I am that my impact for elementary engineering education will be teaching so many kids and their families, I'm a bit nervous to be doing something as big as this on my own! Although this project is due on Monday, I will be continuing the mentoring for the rest of that week so for my final product, I am just turning in my written curriculum. I am also hoping to get some video footage of at least the first project so that I can show how this idea has really been put into place. Something that this project made me realize with writing curriculum was how one thing created the foundation for another. I am teaching a range of kids from 2nd to 5th grade so that means that they are all in different spots in learning the foundations of engineering such as kinetic vs potential energy, electricity or even just creative thinking and problem-solving skills. To solve this we will have groups of roughly the same level and talk to them and help them individually.

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This week has been pretty productive for me to work on my genius hour project. I have been emailing my elementary school principal back and forth. I finished the curriculum for the first week which is the first 3 days. The program is going to be for 6 days over two weeks so I’m already half way done with writing the curriculum. For each day of the camp, I’ve made an activity handout with diagrams that they can follow along with. I also made an instructor’s notes handout so that I don’t forget anything that I want to talk about with the students and if this program needs to be repeated in the future, other teachers have guidelines to go off of. The first day is an activity that teaches the engineering method as well as how to work creatively with materials to build a straw shooter. The second day is an activity that teaches civil and architectural engineering. In my research, I noticed that having open ended projects that allow for creativity yet still have constraints are the best to teach certain subjects. I tried to incorporate such projects as the first two because it will be a fun start for the students and it’s a great tool for me to gauge where they are already so I know where to go from here in the following lessons (how much to explain to them, do they already now some basic stuff?) for the next week. The last project is a lab activity in which the students follow along with my demonstration to build a lightbulb and learn about circuits. They will also write down their observations in an objective manner – a skill that is important in the future, not just for engineering. My research has led me to pick these two types of activities for the first week. I’m also planning to take notes on what worked and didn’t so I can tweak the lesson plans as necessary.

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These last few chapters of the Thickety have been really interesting. Mary turned out to be a good mentor figure to Kara who needs guidance to develop not only as a witch, but as a girl growing without a mother. Mary has an “issue” that magic has caused her to randomly change her age, so sometimes she wakes up as a little girl and sometimes an old lady. Being Kara’s mentor, Mary attempts to give helpful advice on magic but also stresses individuality and exploration. Kara’s special ability is to communicate with the forest creatures in the Thickety and she begins to learn to listen to their thoughts. The Watcher, a bird with a color changing eye on his chest, is the slave of Sordyr, the forest demon of the Thickety. Sordyr is an interesting character because he seems really wise like he’d be looking out for Kara but he’s clearly an evil demon who slaves the forest creatures to control the land. The Watcher isn’t a follower like the other watchers and he has already helped Kara in the previous novel by telling her about her mother. Mary is a rather experienced witch and she doubts the loyalty of The Watcher but trusts Kara’s decision since she is the one with the power to talk to the creatures on a deeper level. I think the interactions between Mary, Kara, and Taff are interesting and it’s nice to see them all bond and grow. The enslaves forest creatures as Kara to free them by killing Sordyr, but she says she’s not strong enough. I feel like she will grow and eventually realize that she must fight to save them.

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The second novel starts off with a captivating epilog of a girl in a forest having a bad dream. She tells her father that her dream will come true, some magic girl will come and cause destruction. This part was either a foreshadowing for what will happen when Kara enters the forest, or a different twist end altogether. The first chapter started off with Kara and Taff riding into the Thickety. Different parts of the Thickety have different “personalities” so it’s sunshine and peace in one part while thick air and darkness in another. Unfortunately, they are traveling through the not so good part of the Thickety, and almost get killed by different plants and obstacles. They meet Mary, a famous historically known witch who has used her magic to live for over 200 years in the Thickety, and she also knows Kara’s mom for some reason. Kara is puzzled as Mary leads Taff and her to a stream to drink water and then to safety. Kara is weary of Mary since she’s a known witch who has killed people in her past.

I thought this first chapter was really interesting and I was hooked to keep reading more. It’s really interesting to see how Kara is dealing with the loss of her father and magic in her life. I’m also very curious about Mary who obviously isn’t just a nice little old lady and could serve as a threat or a mentor from here depending on how she is.

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I read the first novel in the Thickety series about a year ago and I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I did not have free time since then to finish reading the series so I decided to take this opportunity of reading a novel of our choice to continue where I left off. The first book tells the story of a young girl, Kara, and her little brother Taff. Ever since their mother was executed after being deemed a witch, the village has treated her and her brother terribly, and the mayor’s daughter, Grace, excels at the task of making life miserable for Kara. Kara begins to discover that she can communicate and make animals do what she wants. Both excited and frightened at this potential power she holds, Kara attempts to resist using magic but it’s as if it’s a part of her and the call is addictive. Then, one night, Kara discovers her mother’s Grimoire (a spell book for witches) and her use of magic takes off. She attempts to go to the Thickety, a dark and capricious forest which has been sectioned off from their village, to bury the Grimoire. It eventually ends up back in her hands by magic and by then there are whispers of her being a witch in the village. The last page of the Grimoire gives strong power but should never be used as it’ll seal one into the book itself. Grace is also revealed to be a witch and with a Grimoire, castes a dark spell on the village. Kara undoes it but Grace uses the last page to turn Kara’s father into Timothy, a historical “hero” who burns witches. Kara and her brother Taff flee into the Thickety.

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I finished the outline for the curriculum and sent it to the sponsor teachers. They said it was perfect and we have worked out 6 dates and times that I can come over to the elementary school and mentor the students.

Day 1

Lesson: engineering design process and potential and kinetic energy
Activity: Straw Shooter

Day 2

Lesson: civil engineering and architecture

Activity: Build a Bridge

Day 3

Lesson: electrical engineering and basic circuits

Activity: Circuit box

Day 4

Lesson: Newton’s laws and structural design

Activity: Balloon Car

Day 5

Lesson: Materials, cost, and effectiveness

Activity: Marshmallow Tower

Day 6

Lesson: Introduction to VEX and robotics

Activity: Engineering based education kits such as VEX IQ kits, LittleBits, Lego Mindstorm, K’nex, etc.

After discussing the curriculum to see if it would be the appropriate level for an elementary school child, the elementary school principal asked me if I could make a flyer for that could go out to the students and their parents. I designed the flyer and I’m hoping to do a quick handout that they would read on the announcements. I’m also researching how children learn best and they different ways to approach STEM education. So far I’ve noticed that most engineering education is project and challenge based, which is similar to the outline of the curriculum that I have created.

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I made some handouts to bring to the meeting. The handouts consisted of 4 example projects with the challenge and materials needed for the project. I decided to title my project "EngineerGear" because the goal is that these activities will be the be the gear that students use to equip themselves with knowledge about engineering and it will lead them to join the robotics team the next year. On Thursday, I had a meeting with Ms. Chaney, the principal at Weber Elementary, and Mr. Collins, my fourth-grade teacher and the sponsor teacher for the project. We decided on some dates that I would be able to mentor the kids after school. We are also working on getting the paperwork done to get a VEX IQ team by the following school year. We decided on Monday, Thursdays, and Fridays for two weeks so that gives me a total of 6 days for doing the engineering activities. I want to spend each day doing a new project that focuses on a specific type of engineering. I’m going to attempt to do a robotics related activity for the last day of the camp but that requires me to get/ borrow VEX IQ, LegoMindstorm, K’nex, or LittleBits kits which can pretty expensive. I’m planning to talk to my robotics mentor and ask if we have any extra kits that we would use for mentoring other elementary schools.

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I will develop a curriculum to implement an after school engineering club/camp for 1-2 weeks. The goal of this project is to get students, particularly girls and low income students, involved in engineering and STEM by introducing it to them through fun after school activities. This is meant to introduce engineering to the students so that they will want to join a VEX IQ robotics team at their elementary (which I will continue to mentor). I, along with a sponsor teacher, will mentor the children for this after school club. The curriculum will be very flexible and allow for creativity while being very detailed so that it may also be used by teachers who are inexperienced in engineering.

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Why is The Alchemist divided into two parts? What lesson or point does each part make? Throughout the novel, Santiago is going after a literal treasure buried gold. Why do you think that Coelho chose such a concrete, obvious treasure instead of something more abstract?

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I really liked the character development that Santiago has as he realizes how things in the world work and what destiny and love really is. Overall I thought the book was ok, and I thought the twist at the end where he goes back to Spain to find the treasure was interesting, but there were some rather cliche parts as well. I wish Coelho had used an abstract treasure for Santiago to find because during the journey he learns and grows, but in the end, it's really only leading to gold and jewels. The story is really hard to connect to for me on a personal level not only because of the end, but also due to the using a use of magic and personification such as Santiago talking to the sun, desert, and the wind while attempting to turn into the wind. Even as this is a theme, it does not connect to an idea in my life, so it seemed rather literal and too magical. I did, however, really like the characters of the crystal merchant and the Alchemist which really advanced the plot.

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A major theme was the language of the world, a universal form of communication by love. This is seen as Santiago and the Alchemist are taken hostage by a group of warring Arabs. The Alchemist says that Santiago will prove his freedom by turning into the wind. Santiago who believes he can't do this, asks help from the sun and the wind. The wind is described as confident, having been everywhere around the world, and is curious when Santiago says that he does not know love. Similarly, Santiago also talks to the sun about how he can turn into the wind and even the sun who knows love says it is something only God can do. Finally, Santiago prays to God to be able to turn into the wind and with the help of the desert and the wind, he's able to. The theme of the wind being universal like the language of the world is prominent many times. This theme is lastly seen when at the end of the novel there is a wind blowing across his lips and he remembers Fatima as if she has blown a kiss to him.

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When he gets to the pyramids, he hears from a man that he had a recurrent dream that treasure was buried in Spain by the sycamore tree but he ignored the dream thinking it was silly. Santiago recognizes that this is an omen and he follows his heart to go back to where this treasure is buried, unlike the man who had ignored it and lost his opportunity to gain treasure. When he gets back, Santiago realizes that the Alchemist knew that something like this would happen and even left some gold for his return journey. Santiago is a bit irritated that he had to go through all of this just to end up where he started until the wind says that if the Alchemist had told him, he wouldn't have got to see the beautiful pyramids. Here, Santiago has an aha moment as he realizes that even though his journey has led him to be physically where he started, he has developed so much mentally and emotionally from his trip and for following his Personal Legend. This realization not only shows the character development but brings to attention how even though one may seem to be the same, in the inside they have changed and learned a lot.

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So far, I have brainstormed 8 ideas for quick engineering projects that I could use as curriculum for the students. Each idea focuses on a different type of engineering or a fundamental that is important. Some of these projects need a mentor's (my) guidance while others just use household materials so the students can try it on their own later at home too. I put quick instructions and a materials list next to a couple of inspiration pictures for each project. I've been emailing my elementary school principal back and forth for a couple of days about being able to implement this idea as a precursor to starting a VEX IQ robotics team the following school year. I will be having a meeting with her tomorrow after school, and hopefully we can discuss some curriculum requirements and ideas. The ideas that I brainstormed have all been put on powerpoint slides so I can bring in some samples to present to her. I also plan on informing her about how to start a robotics team and how it works as well as implementing this project idea at the elementary before the team is started. I am also working on a handout about how this program will work and why I am doing it so that she will be able to keep it with her. I will try to get it done in class or as homework so that I can have it printed out and ready for our meeting tomorrow.

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I thought this part in the story where Fatima and Santiago meet and he says he wants to marry her just a day after is a lot like Romeo and Juliet. Both characters declare their "love" after just a quick meeting and then promptly decide to get married without thinking it through. Luckily, Santiago has the Alchemist to guide him. I wonder if they really like each other or if he just likes how she looks. I think it's very unrealistic for people to meet and after just a brief introduction, fall in love with each other. This makes me quite skeptical if love is really a universal language or if the language allows people to get closer and fall in love. I don't really like this introduction of shallow love interests so I'm glad that he continues on his journey. I also thought that the alchemist was different from what I had expected, and he's not at all like an Englishman. He seems wise, free spirited and deep but not at all strict and formulaic about anything like the Englishman was, constantly reading rather than observing the world around him.

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Some wise words are of course from the "mentor" figure himself, the Alchemist. The Alchemist says love shouldn’t stop someone from pursuing their personal legend and that if you abandon your journey for love, then it isn't really love, because love "speaks the Language of the World." He's saying that if Santiago and Fatima's love is really meant to be, then the world will allow it to happen and still let Santiago fulfill his fate. This advice is important because it once again persuades Santiago to complete his journey and not stop and settle at any point. Not only does this further the plot, but it also brings in the theme of individual dreams. I feel like this idea is still relevant today as we all have a goal such as a career we wish to accomplish. It's important that we don't stop these goals in the middle or settle just for someone in our lives such as family because they should be understanding that this is our "personal legend".

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Santiago has to ask himself if he should leave the desert to continue his journey to Egypt. He is conflicted because he wants to continue his journey and follow his personal legend, but to do so he is having to constantly leave his life behind. He can't settle down and keep things that he has such as the gold, his spot on the tribal council, and spend time with Fatima. This is an internal struggle within Santiago and tells us a lot about his characterization and growth. He is becoming more and more open to letting go of what he has to more forward with the possibility that he could gain more. We have seen this situation previously before when Santiago was considering buying sheep and going back home again after being with the crystal merchant but then decided against it. This tough question for Santiago lends itself the answer to a better future once the alchemist essentially answers it for him saying that life might turn out seemingly good for him if he settled and stayed in the desert with Fatima, but eventually he would grow to regret not following the omens to the treasure and by then, it would be too late. With this persuasion from the Alchemist, Santiago makes the decision to say a temporary goodbye to Fatima and go off on his personal legend once again.

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What is the significance of Santiago studying the hawks flying above and later eating them with the Alchemist? Is it better to know one’s future so you can be better prepared or let it remain a mystery? Is it better to die in pursuit of a personal legend or live in safety?

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Something that I thought was really interesting was the relationship between Santiago and the crystal merchant. After nearly a year of staying together, they had learned how to work together really well. Santiago had great original ideas on how to grow business while the crystal merchant was kind enough to take Santiago in and give him a job and place to stay. They work together so well that their business really improves selling tea in the crystal glasses. When Santiago realizes that he has enough money and must keep going, he is so sad to leave and the merchant is equally somber during this. Santiago leaves without a proper goodbye because he knew that if he stayed to long, he’d cry because of how close he had gotten with the crystal merchant.
I also think they both deeply impacted each other and thus changed how the used to think. The crystal merchant acknowledges how Santiago has helped him change his ways and try new things, however he says he won’t go to Mecca. I think that he may go to Mecca in the future as he thinks about what he’s learned because being with Santiago has really sparked some change in him. Santiago has also changed with the crystal merchant and learned hard work, how to speak Arabic, and how even drastically different people somehow communicate with a universal language.
I also saw a “allusion” to the story Melchizedek had told Santiago about the king telling the boy to walk around and enjoy his kingdom holding a spoon with a drop of oil in it. Throughout their travel across the desert, the Englishman reads his books while Santiago watches the caravan and observes. They both even temporarily switch to try each other’s learning method. I wonder if the Englishman is like that boy from the story. He is so busy reading his books as the boy is so busy watching the oil that they both miss the journey around them, things that they could learn from and admire.

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Part 2a Signposts: Contrasts and Contradictions

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Part 2a Signposts: Contrasts and Contradictions

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A major contrast from the normal characterization of the Englishman and Santiago is during their caravan trip during the desert. Santiago learns from observing the world around him while the Englishman reads books about alchemy. Both of them believe that their way of learning is beneficial especially to their dream and personal goal. As they become closer through the journey, Santiago shares his life story and what he has learned from his surroundings while the Englishman tells his goal to meet the alchemist and the importance of the knowledge and practice from his books. As they have sharp contrasts in personality, it’s very interesting when they decide to switch roles for a while to learn more how the other person does. Santiago reads the Englishman’s books about “mercury, salt, dragons, and kings” but he doesn’t really understand any of it. Similarly, the Englishman watches the caravan but feels as though he hasn’t learned anything from that. This contrast is short lived as they both decide to go back to their respective learning methods. This serves as a learning experience for Santiago who realizes that although the Englishman has his own way of learning but they are “both in search of [their] Personal Legends” so he respects that. This contrast gave way for a learning and growing opportunity as well as exposed that there are others out there with the same passion but a different dream.

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Santiago has a stark realization about his journey when he is leaving the crystal merchant. The merchant says that although he has enough money, he won’t go to Mecca, just as Santiago won’t buy his sheep. Santiago packs up and leaves, still set on going back to the predicable and easy life as a shepherd until the Urim and Thummim fall out of his pocket. This brings to mind that it has been many months since he has first encountered Melchizedek. He realizes that for a year, he had been “working incessantly” and the stones lead him to remember the old king’s words to “never stop dreaming”. Santiago realizes that the road ahead will be hard and ridden with obstacles and he could just go back to Spain and live life how things were before. But he does not like this decision because he realizes how much he has learned from this journey such as how to speak Arabic—something his sheep couldn’t teach him. He has also gained confidence and done things he never thought he’d know how such as successfully selling teach and crystal. Through this “aha moment”, Santiago realizes that he has learned so much and still knows about his sheep so if he wanted to, he could go back to that at any time but this is an opportunity he should not pass up. This scene is important as it is the deciding factor where his journey continues instead of him just returning home. This realization allows for further character development for Santiago and continues building the plot.

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Do you think that Santiago made the decision to continue the journey on his own after leaving the crystal merchant or did the king’s stones guide him to do so?

What are the similarities between the characterization of Santiago and the Englishman? What about differences?

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I thought it was really interesting how the things that Santiago has learned from observing and being with his sheep parallel what he is learning and experiencing with people on his journey. He understood his sheep although he could not speak to them, and the same way he is able to communicate with a merchant with a candy store. Like his sheep who are only focused on food and water, he realizes that people are really the same. People are focused on their day to day lives and want to leave their comfortable and patterned lives to “risk” something and follow their dreams or travel.

Weirdly enough, I thought the merchant’s daughter who Santiago likes was similar to his sheep, personality wise. Like his sheep, the girl had never seen the world and lived her everyday life focused on only what she was doing. The sheep also are only focused on eating grass and drinking water. Santiago read to his sheep and he talks to her, telling her stories about his adventures. As strange as it sounds, I feel like Santiago liked her because she reminded him of his sheep (unconsciously of course), something he was familiar with.

I’m very interested in the old man who has told Santiago he is the King of Salem. His character is very mysterious and he even claims that he helps people who decide to follow their dreams. I wonder if the story he told Santiago about turning into a gem for the discouraged miner who believed in his fate was real, and he really has magic powers, or if he just told it to Santiago to get his faith and trust. It’ll be interesting to find out more about his character.

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Santiago has two encounters with “wiser” people who advise him to follow his dream and find the treasure in Egypt. The first is the gypsy woman who reads his palm and says that although she does not know Egypt or what it even means, she interprets that he must go to Eygpt to find the treasure. She doesn’t charge him but instead says that if the treasure is found, he must give her a tenth of it. Her characterization shows her to be a human with flaws and struggles and her advice is simply a talent with no personal depth to Santiago.

The second person who Santiago encounters is “the King of Salem” who gives him many advices. He seems to know a lot about Santiago as he writes his family’s names in the dirt and reads his mind on multiple occasions. Although he tells Santiago he is Melchizedek, the King of Salem, in one scene he looks up to God, apologizing for this vanity. There is a lot of mystery surrounding his power and character, but he serves as a wiser figure to Santiago. Like the gypsy, he tells Santiago to follow his dream in exchange for a tenth of his flock. The interesting thing about his advice compared to that of the gypsy is his emotion and encouragement attached to the personal words. He almost seems to know Santiago on a personal level as tells him the importance of following destiny and that the world will help those who see this. He even gives Santiago “magic” black and white stones to take on his journey. His words of encouragement and wisdom finally push Santiago to start his journey in a way that the gypsy’s did not completely. The old man's influence has taught him these life lessons that he will value for the rest of his journey and life.

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An important memory moment is when Santiago recalls speaking to his father about his dream to travel. His family had wanted him to become a priest but Santiago tells his father that he wants to travel and see the world so being a priest is just not for him. His father eventually agrees to let him travel as a shepherd. This moment is important because it was the first time that he was able to choose his own fate and follow his dream of traveling. He doesn’t settle for the job that life has offered him like many others that he sees in his travels do. However, the old man tells him that many people will just go with destiny after they have chosen one thing in their life and they end up settling with how things are. This serves as a sort of wake-up call for Santiago to leave this mundane life as a shepherd behind and keep moving forward to reach his dreams. This moment is the start of his inspiration that differs from many others and leads him to remember that he chose this path when he is traveling so it serves as an important memory for him. I am wondering if later in the story this memory will come up again or if it will foreshadow an important event such as stopping his journey to become a shepherd again.

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What do you think the black and white stones given by the old man to Santiago symbolize? Do you think the stones actually have powers or do they just serve as a reminder of the old man to provide motivation for Santiago?

How was Santiago able to communicate with the merchant with the candy stall if they both spoke different languages? What is this feeling or ability that transcends speech and allows for humans to communicate and understand each other?