Why are Santiago and the Englishman similar?

When you take a quick glance at Santiago and the Englishman at first they seem to contradict each other. Santiago is a boy who was sent to school to be a priest, while the Englishman is an older gentleman with a lot of knowledge on several different subjects. If you take a closer look the reader can see that they are quite similar in a few different ways. The first way being that both characters have left their home land in search of some type of treasure. Both believe this treasure to be something physical that will make them rich. Another bond between these two characters is the fact that they must both trust and depend on others to help them achieve this goal. The boy must trusts many different characters through out the story when they try to help him discover his personal treasure, some of these characters might include the king, the crystal salesman, and the alchemist. While the Englishman is putting all of his trust in the people who told him where he could find the alchemist, who he hopes will reveal the secrets of alchemy to him. Both of these characters also have an interest in alchemy. They both have a knowledge of the subject and they both know that the secret is purity. And they must both learn how to use this "secret" in order to finally discover their treasure. And finally both characters take steps in the end to finally find their treasure. Although the Englishman tried to use alchemy to create his treasure, while the Santiago discovers his treasure is truly his soul and his connection to the Earth's spirit. 

Personal Legends

While reading The Alchemist adventure has been a main theme. The main character is always in search of a new beginning or a life different than what everyone else is living. The only time he decides to settle down for a short while is when he needs money or when he decides he wants to be in love. Even during theses slow times he is always thinking about what he wants in the future; whether it's more sheep or making it to the pyramids to find his treasure. I am excited to see where his sense of adventure will bring him in the future. I am also excited to see if he actually ends up settling down with a girl that he "loves". If all of these events take place I think that the book will be extremely interesting. Plus, he's foreshadowing that the war will enter the oasis, so maybe he will even get involved in the war. I feel like he will fight in the war and then find the sword that he wanted when he was in the market place. I feel that everything will start falling into place again, and he will succeed at what ever he chooses to do. Although, I do think that as soon as he has his treasure he'll decide that what he really wants is to be a sheppard again.

So Many Differences

While I was watching the movie clip during class all I could think about was the eccentric costumes that the characters wore. I know that Wonderland is supposed to be kind of whimsical and unpredictable but those are not the type of outfits that I envisioned the characters to wear. In my head I saw Alice in a conservative dress and stockings that would be fit for a girl from a wealthy family. As for the Hatter, I imagined much simpler clothes and gray hair. I think I envisioned him being old because you don't often think of "mad" men being young. I also thought he would be much smaller than what he was portrayed to be in the clip. I thought he would about the same size as Alice, not five times her size.

Even though I was surprised by all of these cosmetic differences I feel that I really shouldn't have been. This is such a crazy book and can be interpreted so many ways that the movie could be made a million different times. And none of these movies would even be close to the last one made. It was interesting seeing someone else's point of view, but I will still keep imaging things the way I  have been when I read the book.

The Day I Almost Died

It was a beautiful summer day out, but from the moment I walked onto the scene I knew that something oddwas going on. There were a bunch of my friends standing around looking at the white rabbits house. Everyone looked on in shock and awe, as I came closer I finally realized what they were all staring at. There was a giant girl trapped inside of the house. Of course at first I was extremely worried, because I didn't want the white rabbit's house to be ruined!

As I snuck closer I was suddenly grabbed. The white rabbit started to tell me what had already taken place, and he finished with, "And you will be the one to go in and see what's going on". He made it seem as if I were a hero about to save the day, but I was so scared . As I crawled up the ladder they had placed against the house my nerves got even worse, but I did as I was instructed and eased my slim body down the chimney. I didn't have the slightest clue as to what to expect once I was finally in the house. As I was thinking about all of the horrible things that could happen a jack in the box type thing popped out of no where and shot me right back out where I came from. I landed with a hard thud and was still dazed as other animals started to gather around me and ask what had happened. I tried my best to describe what had taken place, but it had all happened so fast. I worked myself up so much that I fainted, and didn't come through until a small girl came out of the house.

Victorian Recreations

During the Victorian time period dance and music were very popular past times for both men and women. It was especially popular during the cold winter months.Governesses were supposed to teach young women the refinements of music during these long nights. People often assumed if a person was skilled in one of these recreations they were skilled in the other as well. And during this time new forms of dance were sweeping the nation. Dances such as jigs and country dances were being replaced by the polka and the waltz. Queen Victoria was an avid dancer herself and had a huge influence on her country and the different styles of dance that they practiced. Men and women were seen as equals they participated in these recreations.

Other places such as theaters, music halls, and fairs were also popular attractions for the people who lived in the Victorian age. Both men and women attended these events and during this era people from the middle class and upper class started to mix. However only  men were allowed into pleasure gardens where they drank, ate, and listened to music. The only women that were found in these areas were prostitutes and were affordable to only middle and upper class men.

The Jelly Bean Fun Book

When I was in the first grade we always had a show and tell time, sadly so many kids would bring things in not everyone always got to go. One day I was looking through our school library and I found this book,The Jelly Bean Fen Book, I read it over and over again. I was infatuated with this seemingly simple book. I decided that this would be something great to share with the rest of my class during show and tell. The colors were vibrant, we all still loved learning, and it had pictures, everything about this book was so perfect. Time after time I raised my hand to go to the front of the class room and share my newly found treasure, but I never got picked. So I thought to myself, "That's OK I'll just bring it back next week." So I renewed the book at the library that week, but once again I didn't get picked to go to the front for show and tell. This process went on for weeks and still I never got sick of reading this book about counting with jelly beans. Then one week the librarian told me that other kids were asking about the book because they had seen me reading it all the time, and asked if I would check it back in so that others could it enjoy as much as I did. I reluctantly agreed, because it was show and tell day that day. When I got home there was a bag sitting on the table, and inside of the bag was The Jelly Bean Fun Book! Sometimes I sit down and read this seemingly simple book just to remind myself of the the joys of life. And this is why The Jelly Bean Fun Book is still to this day my favorite book.