The Alchemist – Paulo Coehlo
The Alchemist Project and Our Personal Legends
Fre Previw
It's a challenging time for young people, and many face anxiety, not over
their tests or their grades, but over their identity. As they hurtle forward
toward adulthood, they pause. They struggle because, for many, they do not
know who they are. These kids are in search of their “personal
legend.” And Paulo Cohelo's classic parable about a shepherd in search of
treasure - The Alchemist - may be just the guidebook they need. Various
activities can be designed to help the kids along the way - not the least of
which is a series of study questions about the book. They can learn much
from the stories of the Englishman, the parable of the oil and the spoon,
Santiago's time with the Crystal Merchant, the idea of maktub, the lessons of
the camel driver, and more. Each person has a Raison d'etre - a purpose in
life, but there is no guarantee we will live the life we were meant to live and
fulfill the role we were meant to complete. So, some soul searching is in
order.
Raison d’etre – The Alchemist Project
The Alchemist can certainly be read and discussed like any other novel, or
novella. However, it is so rich as a “mirror book” that it begs for
supplemental activities. These pieces can be drawn from countless sources,
but the best ideas seem to come from columns and commentary in the paper
or self-examination and journaling books. Some possibilities to include
and/or draw material from are:
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All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Life Strategies for Teens
Seven Habits of Highly Successful Teens
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul
A Whole New Mind
The Tipping Point
What Color is Your Parachute?
So Good They Can’t Ignore You
Background & Personal Activities
Making Your Life Matter
Fre Previw
Robert Fulghum’s books of essays are great resources for generating
discussion in the classroom. In our study of Paulo Cohelo’s The Alchemist, I
use two essays from Fulghum’s second book It Was On Fire When I Lay
Down On It. Begin class by reading the passage out loud to the class.
Following the reading, ask the students to reflect on the passage and write
down their thoughts. These journals should generate discussion, and
students should know that their journals must be complete and meaningful,
as they will be turned in as a portfolio at the end of the unit.
 The book contains one essay about the idea of a “census” and how a
person’s life is “counted,” posing ideas about how a life “counts.” He
introduces his idea of Fulghum’s Exchange Principle, which posits
that everyone “passing through life unknowingly leaves something
behind.” Noting to students that their lives “can’t help but matter,”
ask them to journal about …
o “What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
 This is a question/quote from poet Georgia Heard
 A second essay is about a chance encounter Fulghum had with a girl
who feared she would miss her flight after losing her ticket. It turns
out she had been “sitting on her ticket.” After reading the essay and
discussing the ideas, ask students to journal about …
o “What are ways in which you are sitting on your ticket?” In
other words, how are they “sitting on” whatever it is that will
get them to their destination, or whatever is next in their life.