1. Fully describe a goal or dream that you are working toward.

2. What is the purpose of this goal?

3. What are the steps necessary to attain your goal?

4. What strengths do you possess that will help you along the way?

What happens to a dream deferred?Does it dry up

like a raisin in the sun?Or fester like a sore—

And then run?Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over –like a syrupy sweet?Maybe it just sagslike a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1947.

His parents had him institutionalized in a mental hospital (3 times) for wanting to pursue his dream of becoming a writer.

Became rebellious and got involved in the hippie movement in the 1960’s.

Wrote popular Brazilian rock songs.

He was imprisoned and beaten by a military dictatorship.

He then decided to tame his radical behavior.

He had a spiritual awakening in Spain and wrote about it in his first book The Pilgrimmage(1987).

He was 38 when he published his first book.

His second book, The Alchemist, has made him famous.

A representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms.

The Alchemist is an allegory about following your dreams.

1. Setting: Spain and Egypt

Introduction

1.

Find the obstacles in the introduction, write them below your quick write, and challenge yourself to see if you have faced these or foresee yourself facing them.

1. We are told from childhood onward that everything we want to do is impossible.

2. Love3. Fear of the defeats we will meet on the

path.4. The fear of realizing the dream for which

we fought all our lives. “Universe is conspiring in our favor, even

though we may not understand how” (vii). “The secret of life is to fall seven times and to

get up eight times”(vii). Personal Legend = your destiny

“It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them” (15).

What is a simple thing in your life?

Predict how Paulo Coelho’s life experiences could have possibly contributed to his writing of The Alchemist.

Personal Legend = Destiny

Our job is to pursue our personal legend despite the many distractions placed in our path

Trust your heart

Read the seemingly inconspicuous signs

Understand that as you look to fulfill a dream, it looks to find you, if you let it

Sometimes you can find extraordinary in the ordinary.

Once upon a time, there was a boy called Narcissus. He was the son of a god and he was very, very handsome. Many women fell in love with him, but he turned them away. One of the women who loved Narcissus was a nymph called Echo. Echo could not speak properly - she could only repeat what was said to her, so she couldn't tell Narcissus that she loved him. One day, when Narcissus was walking in the woods with some friends, he became separated from them. He called out "Is anyone here?" Echo replied "Here, Here". Echo stepped forward with open arms, wanting to cuddle him. But Narcissus refused to accept Echo's love. Echo was so upset that she left and hid in a cave, until nothing was left of her, except her voice.

The Maiden, a goddess, found out about this, and she was very angry. She made Narcissus fall in love with himself. When Narcissus looked at his reflection in a pond one day, he fell in love. He stayed on that spot forever, until he died one day. Where he died a flower grew, and that flower is called a Narcissus.

audio version of The Alchemist

Pharrell and The Alchemist Coelho and Oprah