Reading Schedule: The Alchemist

Basic Reading 2: Reading Schedule for The Alchemist

• ·      Oct 12th- Pages 1-47
• ·      Oct 19th Pages 48-112 (at the break)
• ·      Oct 26th Pages 112-end

In order to actively participate in the discussion, you will complete 2 TSR Journals for each discussion plus draft 2 questions pertaining to the reading for that class.

Here is what I am looking for:

Take note of any questions you have while reading and then prepare them for class where you will offer them to the group for analysis.  These should be typed and prepared ahead of time as a for credit assignment.

Here is an example of a well-constructed question:  

·      Why doesn’t the shopkeeper pursue his own dream instead of maintaining the status quo?

or should be something you did not understand about the novel or circumstances in the novel, for example:

·    Why didn’t Fatima just go with Santiago on his journey instead of turning down his marriage proposal?

Questions should not be asked for the sake of fulfilling the assignment but should have merit for discussion or to clarify a point about the reading.  An example of a poorly constructed question would be: 

•       Who wrote The Alchemist?

or points that are clearly stated in the text, making the question useless:

• ·      What did Santiago do after getting robbed? 

    

You do NOT need to answer the questions you pose, but you DO need to ask them!

Please feel free to use Spark Notes as a resource in ADDITION to reading the novel.