The Alchemist Unit written by: Gene Brunak Introduction to Unit Concerns have been expressed about the pessimistic nature of the body of works widely available and taught at the sophomore level (Of Mice and Men, Night, Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies, to name a few) – and the dearth of material that might provide a more optimistic perspective on things for the 10th graders. The Alchemist (by Paulo Coelho) would appear to be an opportunity to offer a story which provides hope, while also offering 10th grade students a contemporary example of something other than a “Western” perspective (in an academic year which frequently viewed as a “survey of world literature”). Having been translated into 41 languages, the novel has captured the imagination of a wide audience beyond the United States; it could serve to help our students as they become “citizens of the world”. The Alchemist deals with universal themes (duty versus passion, loving and losing, being taken advantage of) that many high school students (indeed, many people) faces on a regular basis. The beauty of this novel is that its perceived “simplicity” can (a) engage reluctant readers, and (b) be a “springboard” for advanced readers (who can be encouraged to read other works of “magical realism” that are available to PPS students, including (but not limited to) Gabriel Garcia-Marquez’s 100 Years of Solitude, Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits, Toni Morrison’s Beloved; students can also be encouraged to read other Coelho works (Veronika Decides to Die is highly recommended for more sophisticated readers – similar thematically to The Alchemist, it examines the “will to live”, but also deals with suicide, mild sexuality). The Alchemist is also very cinematic (its film rights having been purchased by Laurence Fishburne); the film adaptation of Veronika Decides to Die is slated to premier in 2010. In addition to exposing students to a richly rewarding novel and the literary tradition on magical realism, the unit helps students to develop close reading and analysis skills, particularly with theme and character. And because of the personal nature of the narrative, the unit also asks students to improve their narrative writing abilities, which are assessed at various times throughout the unit and on the culminating assessment. Unlike many others in this guide, this unit actually has two final assessments with the other one being a personal, independently designed project that synthesize the students’ knowledge of the novel. Like Santigo, the protagonist in The Alchemist, your students will embark on a journey that I hope is a satisfying and enriching one. 1 The Alchemist Planning Template Stage 1 – Desired Results Priority Standards (4-5 only): Number and brief summary 10.07. Draw conclusions about reasons for actions/beliefs and support assertions 10.09. Identify and analyze the development of themes 10.10. Identify the qualities the character, and analyze the effect of these qualities 10.12. Differentiate among the different types of fiction: 10.15. Evaluate how literary elements (are used to establish mood, place, time period, and cultures, and contribute to the development of its theme. 10.18.10. Exclude extraneous details and inconsistencies. 10.18.11. Reveal the significance of, the subject and events. 10.18.12. Develop a commonplace, specific occasion as the basis for the reflection Understandings Essential Questions Students will understand that … What is your Personal Legend? Life is filled with cycles (Hero’s Journey) What “hats” do you wear (roles do you play)? Santiago is an archetype, a symbolic What does it mean to lead a good life? representation (in this case of “everyman”), How do we find meaning in life? conflicted by passion vs. duty. Students will know ….(facts and knowledge) Students will be able to ….(apply skills) What elements are associated with the genre of Write an effective, well supported personal “magical realism”? narrative. How to interpret literature on a literal and Summarize a story utilizing panels (storyboard). metaphorical level. Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence Culminating Assessment (authentic): Other Evidence (variety of forms and modes) Student Initiated/teacher approved project Mandala (graphic organizer) and a Personal Narrative Storyboard (graphic organizer) Story Map (graphic organizer) 2 Stage 3: Learning Plan – The Alchemist Activity Title Priority Standards Page Lesson #1: “Magical 10.12. Differentiate among the different types of 6 Realism” – “Very Old fiction: Man” 10.15. Evaluate how literary elements (are used to establish mood, place, time period, and cultures, and contribute to the development of its theme. Lesson #2: Pre- 10.09. Identify and analyze the development of themes 9 Assessment 10.10. Identify the qualities the character, and analyze the effect of these qualities 10.18.10. Exclude extraneous details and inconsistencies. 10.18.11. Reveal the significance of, the subject and events. 10.18.12. Develop a commonplace, specific occasion as the basis for the reflection Lesson #3: 10.18.11. Reveal the significance of, the subject and 15 Metaphorical Journeys events. 10.18.12. Develop a commonplace, specific occasion as the basis for the reflection Lesson #4: Choices and 10.09. Identify and analyze the development of themes 24 Consequences 10.10. Identify the qualities the character, and analyze the effect of these qualities Lesson #5: Intro to 10.07. Draw conclusions about reasons for 27 Novel actions/beliefs and support assertions 10.09. Identify and analyze the development of themes 10.10. Identify the qualities the character, and analyze the effect of these qualities 10.12. Differentiate among the different types of fiction: 10.15. Evaluate how literary elements (are used to establish mood, place, time period, and cultures, and contribute to the development of its theme. Lesson #6: 10.07. Draw conclusions about reasons for 33 Dialectical Journal actions/beliefs and support assertions 10.09. Identify and analyze the development of themes 10.10. Identify the qualities the character, and analyze the effect of these qualities Lesson #7: 10.07. Draw conclusions about reasons for 41 Philosophical Chairs actions/beliefs and support assertions 10.09. Identify and analyze the development of themes 10.10. Identify the qualities the character, and analyze the effect of these qualities Lesson #8: Children’s 10.09. Identify and analyze the development of themes 45 Book 10.10. Identify the qualities the character, and analyze the effect of these qualities Lesson #9: Mandala 10.09. Identify and analyze the development of themes 46 3 Activity Title Priority Standards Page 10.10. Identify the qualities the character, and analyze the effect of these qualities Lesson #10: Found 10.09. Identify and analyze the development of themes 48 poem 10.10. Identify the qualities the character, and analyze the effect of these qualities Lesson #11: Story map 10.18.10. Exclude extraneous details and 49 inconsistencies. 10.18.11. Reveal the significance of, the subject and events. Lesson #12: Narrative 10.18.10. Exclude extraneous details and 53 Elements inconsistencies. 10.18.11. Reveal the significance of, the subject and events. 10.18.12. Develop a commonplace, specific occasion as the basis for the reflection Culminating 10.18.10. Exclude extraneous details and 62 Assessment #1: Personal inconsistencies. Narrative 10.18.11. Reveal the significance of, the subject and events. 10.18.12. Develop a commonplace, specific occasion as the basis for the reflection Lesson #12: Parable of 10.09. Identify and analyze the development of themes 69 the Elephant 10.10. Identify the qualities the character, and analyze the effect of these qualities Culminating 10.09. Identify and analyze the development of themes 72 Assessment #2 and other TBD by student Alchemist Project Lesson # 16 10.09. Identify and analyze the development of themes 78 Unit Reflection Resources 79 4 Academic Vocabulary General literary terms: Genre Fable Myth Response Enjambment Repetition Stanza Juxtaposition “Magical realism” “Hero’s journey” Concepts from the novel: Soul of the World Maktub Personal Legend 5 Lesson #1 magical realism” – “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” Duration: 90 min. Priority Standards: 10.07, 10.12, 10.13, 10.15 Overview: The Elements of Literature anthology (4th course), which every 10th grade student district wide should have access to, contains the short story “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez. Marquez, along with receiving a Nobel Prize, is credited with popularizing the genre of “magical realism”. The genre has come to be associated with writers from Latin America; Brazilian Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is another example. Because of its complex - and unusual - nature, many students will need the teacher’s help in arriving at an understanding. Materials: Elements of Literature – 4th Course (Holt), Edward Scissorhands clip Hook: If you have access to the film Edward Scissorhands, the first fifteen minutes makes for a perfect introduction to the concept of magical realism. It starts with a grandmother telling her daughter about where snow comes from. In a seeming non sequitur, she says it’s about “scissors,” but with this line, she takes us into a world that is both magical and realistic, tinged with myth making. Continue to play as these two worlds collide when Peg’s Avon Lady meets the fantastical Edward. End the film after Edward has been introduced to Peg’s house and family. Ask students to write the beginnings of a definition of “magical realism” from just this clip. Steps / Procedures: 1. Begin reading the story “The Very Old Man …” aloud with students. The language and setting will seem difficult to students at first. Pause the reading once they have brought the old man back to their house and put him in the coop. 2. Hand out the sheet with the description of “magical realism.” Divide the text into three sections – intro/background, characteristics, and themes – and assign each student one section. It’s a pretty scholarly article, so encourage them to mark up the text and talk with their classmates about their sections. Ask students to prepare a brief summary of their section, along with questions they have. Next, ask students to identify what they have seen in Edward Scissorhands and/or the story so far that seems like magical realism according to the article. 3. Continue to read the story, though you may want students to read it aloud in pairs or groups and independently at times. Afterward, you may want to direct students to discuss the accompanying questions, especially those that relate to the theme. 4. This story can also serve as a discussion for how “magical realism” has influenced art in the United States, including many films* (Pan’s Labyrinth, Like Water for Chocolate. A more recent example would be Terry Gilliam’s film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Though teachers clearly should use careful discretion, cinema can be an effective way to engage many of today’s “screen- savvy” students; selecting a film that focuses on similar themes (rather than the film adaptation of the work itself) can be used to reinforce key ideas and concepts, and help a student recognize a writer’s style. There is a film version (though not widely available) of this story – Garcia-Marquez wrote the screenplay. 6 Magical Realism A literary mode rather than a distinguishable genre, magical realism aims to seize the paradox of the union of opposites. For instance, it challenges polar opposites like life and death and the pre-colonial past versus the post-industrial present. Magical realism is characterized by two conflicting perspectives, one based on a rational view of reality and the other on the acceptance of the supernatural as prosaic reality. Magical realism differs from pure fantasy primarily because it is set in a normal, modern world with authentic descriptions of humans and society. According to Angel Flores, magical realism involves the fusion of the real and the fantastic, or as he claims, "an amalgamation of realism and fantasy". The presence of the supernatural in magical realism is often connected to the primeval or "magical’ Indian mentality, which exists in conjunction with European rationality. According to Ray Verzasconi, as well as other critics, magical realism is "an expression of the New World reality which at once combines the rational elements of the European super-civilization, and the irrational elements of a primitive America." Gonzalez Echchevarria believes that magical realism offers a world view that is not based on natural or physical laws nor objective reality. However, the fictional world is not separated from reality either. Background The term "magical realism" was first introduced by Franz Roh, a German art critic, who considered magical realism an art category. To him, it was a way of representing and responding to reality and pictorially depicting the enigmas of reality. In Latin America in the 1940s, magical realism was a way to express the realistic American mentality and create an autonomous style of literature. Characteristics of Magical Realism Hybridity—Magical realists incorporate many techniques that have been linked to post- colonialism, with hybridity being a primary feature. Specifically, magical realism is illustrated in the inharmonious arenas of such opposites as urban and rural, and Western and indigenous. The plots of magical realist works involve issues of borders, mixing, and change. Authors establish these plots to reveal a crucial purpose of magical realism: a more deep and true reality than conventional realist techniques would illustrate. Irony Regarding Author’s Perspective—The writer must have ironic distance from the magical world view for the realism not to be compromised. Simultaneously, the writer must strongly respect the magic, or else the magic dissolves into simple folk belief or complete fantasy, split from the real instead of synchronized with it. The term "magic" relates to the fact that the point of view that the text depicts explicitly is not adopted according to the implied world view of the author. As Gonzales Echevarria expresses, the act of distancing oneself from the beliefs held by a certain social group makes it impossible to be thought of as a representative of that society. Authorial Reticence—Authorial reticence refers to the lack of clear opinions about the accuracy of events and the credibility of the world views expressed by the characters in the text. This technique promotes acceptance in magical realism. In magical realism, the simple act of explaining the supernatural would eradicate its position of equality 7 regarding a person’s conventional view of reality. Because it would then be less valid, the supernatural world would be discarded as false testimony. The Supernatural and Natural—In magical realism, the supernatural is not displayed as questionable. While the reader realizes that the rational and irrational are opposite and conflicting polarities, they are not disconcerted because the supernatural is integrated within the norms of perception of the narrator and characters in the fictional world. Themes The idea of terror overwhelms the possibility of rejuvenation in magical realism. Several prominent authoritarian figures, such as soldiers, police, and sadists all have the power to torture and kill. Time is another conspicuous theme, which is frequently displayed as cyclical instead of linear. What happens once is destined to happen again. Characters rarely, if ever, realize the promise of a better life. As a result, irony and paradox stay rooted in recurring social and political aspirations. Another particularly complex theme in magical realism is the carnivalesque. The carnivalesque is carnival’s reflection in literature. The concept of carnival celebrates the body, the senses, and the relations between humans. "Carnival" refers to cultural manifestations that take place in different related forms in North and South America, Europe, and the Caribbean, often including particular language and dress, as well as the presence of a madman, fool, or clown. In addition, people organize and participate in dance, music, or theater. Latin American magical realists, for instance, explore the bright life-affirming side of the carnivalesque. The reality of revolution, and continual political upheaval in certain parts of the world, also relates to magical realism. Specifically, South America is characterized by the endless struggle for a political ideal. Magical Realist Authors Gabriel Garcia Marquez Ben Okri Isabel Allende Syl Cheney-Coker Kojo Laing Allejo Carpentier Toni Morrison Kwsme Anthony Appiah Mario Vargas Llosa 8 Lesson #2 Pre-Assessment for The Alchemist Duration: 90 minutes Standards: 10.18.11, 10.18.12 Overview: This is an opportunity to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses in the two areas that this unit will explore: personal connections to literature and personal narrative writing. Steps: 1. As with any pre-assessment, it is important that students know that there is no risk with this assignment. They are expected to do their best in order to give the most accurate picture of their current skill levels. 2. Ask students to complete part one of the assessment where they make connections to famous characters from mythology and other sources. This section can be completed in pairs or small groups: this may help those students who may not know some of the names on the list. The goal of this part is only to start students making the connection between literature and their own lives. 3. You may want to read the story of Icarus aloud and answer any questions about it, but the narrative writing should be completed independently. 4. When their assessments are returned, be sure to give them an opportunity to reflect for themselves on their current abilities with the identified standards. 9