Research Question

The topic I decided to do deals with the Universal Language aspect of The Alchemist. My research question is, "How is the universal communication of Santiago mirrored to the present day means of communication?" As far as answering the question I am still kind of stuck. The sub-points I have thought of are either nature and culture or verbal and nonverbal ways of communicating. Through some research most articles suggest that there is not much evidence to support my claim of a universal language even existing. 

As a second topic I chose that of simplicity. In The Alchemist a common theme seems to be simplicity as I explained in my last blog. The research question is "How is Santiago's fascination with riches reflective of today's society of instant gratification?" I find this to me interesting because Santiago waited patiently for years to be able to interpret his dreams and we have a hard time waiting more than 5 seconds for our internet to load. While those two things aren't necessarily comparable in context, you get the picture. We're demanding.

The Alchemist

So far The Alchemist has been pretty good. One trend I notice in the story is that of omens. Santiago lets the stones do the picking instead of making a choice. Also when the Tangier recognizes Santiago's presence in the shop as an omen. There are signs the characters follow throughout the book because of suspicion or past behaviors.

The second recognizable theme is controlled luck. The King and The Alchemist convince Santiago that the world will work to improve his personal legend once he names it. Santiago then makes a decision to go to Africa and sells his sheep easily making him work toward his goal even more. The first decision ended up leading to future positive outcomes.

Burton's Alice

Burton's Mad Tea Party's characters seemed even more over exaggerated than Carroll's book. It makes it easier for me to envision the setting of the table too. In the book I was sort of confused as to what was going on in that chapter, but the movie seems to set me straight. Burton's interpretation was different than mine. When I was reading I didn't realize Alice was such a small size as portrayed in the movie. Similar to that of the Dormouse, he looked little in the movie but quite big in the book. As to similarities, the character's voices and tone were the same in both the movie and the book. The main difference was that setting along with the sizes of the characters.

Chesire-Cat

My grin is mischievous and comparing to most, my wit is distinct. Alice seems nice, but sometimes not logical. When she asked "Would you tell me please, where I ought to go from here?" I had to tell her that if she does not know where she wants to go then anywhere will take her somewhere as long as you walk long enough. 

I am mad because we are all mad in Wonderland. A dog is not mad because dogs growl when they're angry, and wag their tails when they're pleased. I on the other hand growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. "Therefore I'm mad." I am similar to other cats in the fact that vanishing acts are my niche, but I will not stop because I feel it gives me character. 

Victorian Ages

When I think of the Victorian Ages, the first thing that comes to mind is Queen Victoria herself. As I have little knowledge on economic status of the time period focusing on fashion seems to be suitable for me. The main goal of the fashion of the Victorian Age was to get rid of any hint of savage or animal nature in humans. The people succeeded with that goal by their frilly, lacy, elegant clothing. It was improper for skin to be showing on women, even seeing an ankle was said to be risque. Likewise, men had an odd way of portraying class by their hats. Lower class would wear a cap, the middle class would wear a derby-hat and the upper class would wear top-hats. Status could be known simply through clothing which I find very interesting.

The Logic of Life

My favorite book is The Logic of Life, by Tim Harford. I came across it when I was searching for an oratory topic for my high school debate team. I started reading it and was hooked. It is my favorite because it discusses how everyone makes rational decisions even if others don't think the choices are rational. Not only that but the Rational Choice Theory links individual decisions to bigger societal outcomes. Economics has always been interesting to me therefore this book is great. I have read it many times and every time I discover something I didn't before, that is why it is my favorite.