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Denouement: What is a “conflict” in literature?  What is the main conflict in your book?  How does the ending resolve (or not resolve) the main conflict?  (Is the ending happy, unhappy, or indeterminate?)  Was the ending an appropriate ending for the book?  Explain.

When I completed this book the ending was happy and it was also appropriate for the book and the reader. As a reader of this book I was able to see Phil come from a small house to living large with 11 NBA titles and two rings won in 1970 and 1973 with the New York Knicks. Phil’s time in the NBA league has gained him a lot of friends and a lot role models. “I can tell he is a friend of mine” Dolan Said (pg 336 Peter Richmond). During his career Phil has bounced around from team to team but his success came when he stumbled across an opportunity to coach for the young Laker team, he has won five championship rings. IT was great to read this book and see Phil come from a one bedroom house in the county to now being one of most respected basketball coaches in the NBA. As a reader I feel like even though I have never Phil Jackson before, I am able to relate to his life and all the hard work he had to put in to make it to the top. I think the ending of the book is resolved because I was able to read about how Phil went from playing high school basketball to playing in the NBA. Phil also takes it to another level because he starts his coaching career, and without a doubt has more championship rings than any other coach. With all of hardships that Phil faced he continued to keep his head high and when it did get low he knew how to pick it back up and start all over again. Phil has taught me one good lesson throughout this book, if you have a dream aim for it and when people come in your way and try to change your direction get on the path and aim for the stars.

Work Cited

Richmond, Peter. “Afterword.” Phil Jackson: Lord of the Rings. New York: Blue Rider, a Member of Penguin Group (USA), 2013. 336. Print.

Character and Plot: Choose a character who is not the protagonist.  How does he/she change or affect the plot?  If this character did not exist in the novel, how would the plot have been different?

A character that is not a protagonist in this novel is Scottie Pippen. He does not have a big part in the novel but he plays an important part in the book. Scottie is the second best person on the Chicago Bulls team. When Phil gets transferred to Bulls to couch he finds that Scotties talent is underrated and he needs to be playing more. Fans of Chicago know that Scotties talent is overlooked and all the Bulls training staff seem to focus on Michael Jordan. Phil wants to push Scottie to get more minutes and just get the respect that he needs in general.Chicago not only underestimated Scottie but Scottie stood his ground and he knew when he was being cut short. During the start of his sophomore season he demanded a pay increase. Other players around the NBA who were not as good as Scottie were getting paid double his salary. Scottie went to his GM’s office and had a discussion about the situation. Chicago’s general manager Jerry Krause refused to take his offer. Scottie not only didn’t play until his demands were met he didn’t even attend practice sessions. “Pippen missed practice the next day. Said he had a bad stomach. But “sources close to Pippen, “according to Jet magazine, said he was unhappy with the pace of contract negotiations” (pg.158 Peter Richmond).  Scottie wanted to stay on the Bulls and lead them to a championship but if his demands were not met he was going to leave. Scottie Pippen makes the book a little interesting because if you are a true Bulls fan like I am, you know Scotties history and you also know that he was the next best player to Michael Jordan.

Work Cited

Richmond, Peter. “Chapter Fourteen.” Phil Jackson: Lord of the Rings. New York: Blue Rider, a Member of Penguin Group (USA), 2013. 158. Print.

Conflict: What is a “conflict” in literature?  What is the main conflict in your book?  Which type of conflict is it: character vs. character, character vs. nature, character vs. society, character vs. self, or character vs. technology?  Explain.

When you play with a team you hear that same line,there is no I in team. New York is having a problem with that. In this book the conflict is character vs. character. On a team you deal with a lot of different personalities and especially on a sports team everyone plays different. If the shot clock is at 5 seconds, it’s your choice to make or break the shot. If you make the shot the locker room will be loud and filled with people saying good job but if you miss the shot the locker room will be silent and they will make you sleep on the small couch on the bus. Phil will make it over these hurdles with the Knicks but it will be a little difficult.

Phil’s stats starting to get better overtime but the team that he was on needed some help. In the playoffs the knick’s fell short to their rivals the Detroit Pistons but Phil knew what he had to do. Phil has a great time playing basketball but when he plays for fun he does not play well. “When I play for fun, when i’m loose, I do not play well” (pg.56 Peter Richmond). Phil has a conflict with himself he needs to learn how to play for fun and still guide his team to the win. Phil says that’s something he needs to work on. Since Phil was playing for fun and he lose that caused them to lose the game. After that lost Phil spent most of his time in training camp trying to perfect his game.

Work Cited

Richmond, Peter. “Chapter Four.” Phil Jackson: Lord of the Rings. New York: Blue Rider, a Member of Penguin Group (USA), 2013. 56. Print.

Developing Characters: Are any of the characters a developing character, changing over time?  Explain how the character changed in the story. (What were they like before? What were they like after?  Who or what changed them?)  Was the change a large or a small change?  Is the change believable for the character in his/her situation?

In this book Phil jackson is the main character. In the beginning of the book it takes us on a journey throughout his life and all of the steps he had to take to make it in the NBA.  Phil has played ball all of his life he started when he was three on a hoop that his father had in his backyard it was not until middle school when Phil said “I want to do this for the rest of his life.” His father respected his decision and put him in one of the most elite schools in North Dakota. Phil’s high school basketball team won the championship in their senior year they beat their rival Coyote. Phil still to this day remembers the speech that he gave at the championship dinner that night. He thanked his parents and he also thanked his teammates for accepting him on this team and for playing together as an unit. Phil constantly moves from team to team but he is learning a lot ways on how to lead a team.

When Phil was assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls in 1995 he saw that they were a good team but they were not playing together as a unit. Phil has seen the Bulls play and Michael Jordan is the main attraction. Phil has had talks with Jordan in the locker room about his play on the court. Michael Jordan respects Phil as a person and as a basketball player. “If Phil feels i’m out of line he’ll let me know”(pg.142 Peter Richmond). This is just Jordan’s way of saying I respect Phil, I listen to him and he is a good person to get advice from. Phil’s leadership skills have grown overtime, he is gaining respect from the Bulls top players.

Work Cited

Richmond, Peter. ” Chapter Thirteen.” Phil Jackson: Lord Of The Rings. New York: Blue Rider, a Member of Penguin Group (USA), 2013. 142. Print.

 

Question: What is the setting of the story? Is the setting familiar or unfamiliar to you?

Finnegan grew up in California and learned how to surf at a young age. This kid is kind of like a child prodigy,he had it naturally. When he was just a teenager his parents moved to Hawaii because of a job opportunity,his father worked in television. Now someone would think that life in Hawaii is always sweet,waves, good views,and sunshine all the time,but not for Finnegan when he is attending High School he is bullied most of the time. The term that the people in Hawaii at school call him is a haole but that did not stop Finnegan from pursuing his dream. Finnegan has graduated from High School and shortly after he attends UC Santa Cruz. While he was attending this school Finnegan thought that it would be best for him to put a hold on his education and focus full time on surfing so that gave him the idea to drop out. Shortly after he dropped out he met a guy by the name of Bryan Di Salvatore. Finnegan is really putting all of his time into surfing,he is doing what you call catching some waves 247 constantly at the beach. Now that I am able to look at Finnegan from a reader’s perspective, I wonder what will be the next step he will take. He seems like a very interesting character that will do anything to anyone to get what he wants. I wonder if his friend Bryan will help him get where he needs to get in order to become a world class surfer.

 

Question:What is the setting of the story? Does it create obstacles for the characters?

Finnegan is starting to take his surfing career into full circle. Surfing has taken Finnegan around the world. Finnegan is wanting to take his career to the next level so now he is looking for the biggest wave to surf. He has began to search high and low for a wave that will make him forget about all the others. Finnegan has to remember that he needs to train in order to get the best experience of a wave. Finnegan has been training for this moment every since he was a little kid but he says he needs to train more. It is starting to get harder and harder for Finnegan to find that wave. As his adventure starts to progress he is starting to find himself going further and further in the world. While reading this I have to ask myself what is Finnegans idea of a perfect wave? I wonder what makes a wave so good and what can make a wave not great. To determine a good wave the water has to be nice and smooth most surfers say you refer to it as glassy. For Finnegan to find that wave he has been told to go overseas. This Finnigan guy is really wanting to find that perfect wave. All of the people that has attended the trip with him has been helping him find that wave to. Finnegan and his crew have heard about this place called Fiji. It is his goal to travel there and see if that place has the perfect wave.

Question: What are the meaning of the symbols used in the book? How do you know? How do these symbols reinforce the meaning
Finnegan found the perfect empty wave back in 1978, off a tiny island in Fiji. Finnegan said that this is the best wave that he has experienced. It was a long, tapering a very long, very precisely tapering. Finnegan is still trying to find another wave to surf. Once Finnegan returns to living a normal life he then writes a book called “Playing Docs Game”. In this book he talks about a young surfer named Doc who surfs in San Francisco. This guy,named Doc finds himself hanging around his crew which is called the Doc squad. Most people in this crew are high class surfers that have traveled the world doing what they do best which is surf. This crew surfs everyday around the world at different beaches. Doc says that meeting these people was the greatest experience of his life. While in the Doc squad Doc has learned new tips from his surfing mates and he has learned about new spots to surf. Doc does not have any problems with his squad,they are like a family and they do everything together. Finnegan writes this book to tell people what goes on in his head. Finnegan writes this story and he wants it to come to life so, he gathers a couple of his close friends and they start the Doc squad. Now Finnegan and his friends have grown closer and closer together and now he finally has people that he can surf with. Finnegan is very happy about this,getting some friends to surf with was a big deal for him.

Question: Is the main conflict between sharply differentiated good and evil, or is it more subtle and complex? Sharply differentiated means that it is easy to see the contrast and the characters are clearly good or evil.

A 200 years old man known as the alchemist, is a mysterious character and an extremely powerful practitioner of alchemy who resides at the Al-Fayoum oasis. and even the tribal chieftains must request an audience if they wish to see him. He has among his possessions the Master Work, considered the ultimate goal of alchemy, which is  the Philosopher’s Stone, capable of turning any metal into gold. In addition, he appears to possess powers. The alchemist is a teacher to Santiago, though he often speaks in riddles and expects Santiago to learn more through experience than through verbal instruction. The alchemist’s teaching is connect to  the book’s dominant metaphor of alchemy transforming one element into another more valuable element. The alchemist’s wisdom connects him to the mystical Soul of the World. This connection provides him with his supernatural powers and it allows him to guide Santiago on his own quest. In other words, Santiago eventually undergoes his own transformation. The alchemist’s hands-off method of teaching, however, suggests that no direct form of instruction can allow someone to connect with the Soul of the World. Instead, Santiago, and in fact any student, must teach and transform himself by listening to his own heart and to his environment.

 

Question: Characterize the main conflicts: physical, moral, or emotional. You have to first decide what the main conflict is or the main conflicts are. Think of what the protagonist desires and who or what is keeping him/her from getting what he/she wants. Is that conflict physical (how?), moral (how?), or emotional (how? what emotion(s) and why?).

 

“We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it’s our life or our possessions or our property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand.” Here, the driver addresses fear while he tells Santiago his story about his life  during the trip to Al-Fayoum. Fear acts as the biggest impediment to achieving a Personal goal. Santiago faces many obstacles during his journey, but he regularly feels nervous to abandon his quest when he fears losing what he has already worked for in the past. Santiago initially talks about  giving up his flock of sheep to Melchizedek. In Tangier, Santiago fears losing the money he earned with the crystal merchant.  Before Melchizedek leaves, he tells Santiago the story of a shopkeeper who sends his son to learn the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world.  

Question: Characterize the main conflicts: physical, moral, or emotional. You have to first decide what the main conflict is or the main conflicts are. Think of what the protagonist desires and who or what is keeping him/her from getting what he/she wants. Is that conflict physical (how?), moral (how?), or emotional (how? what emotion(s) and why?).

 

Santiago’s meeting with Melchizedek teaches him about Personal Legends and their importance to anyone who wants to live a fulfilling life essentially. The Alchemist subsequently resembles other “follow your dream narratives,” though Melchizedek’s lesson differs from the lessons in those narrative in a few important ways. One thing that this book  insists that everyone know their Personal Legend when they are young. Personal Legends do not become clear to people only in later in life. In addition, the baker’s story illustrates that society works as an enemy of Personal Legends. In this section of the book the Alchemist starts to employ new theories. He introduces phrases and concepts such as The Soul of the World, the Personal Legend, and the Warriors of the Light that continue to appear throughout the book. These phrases resonate by their repetition and because they often appear in capital letters. HE also uses phrases from the Bible such as the Lamb of God or Inshallah (“if Allah wills”), they make The Alchemist resemble a spiritual text. They also give the reader a good  sense of a higher power in the book guiding the material world we see. Another strategy Coelho uses to give the book a mythic tone involves using stories as moral lessons.