Siddhartha Reflection

The Educated Imagination discusses major ideas that answer the question “what good is the study of literature?”. Frye does so by discussing concepts such as the desire of humans to connect to nature, the conformity to conventions and deviation from reality in literature, and the ideal manner in which literature should be taught. Northrop Frye’s The Educated Imagination proposes the idea that through the consumption of literature, the individual is able to develop an imagination which allows him to connect to society from an educated perspective.

“How Reading Changed My Life” is the book from where the piece of fragment that we read was taken. This book was written by Anna Quindlen. I was able to relate to Quindlen’s perspective and strongly agree with her. Although children have more extra time to read their favorite books over and over again, adults were children and if they liked to re-read books in the past because the book was in their interest, they will also reread their favorite novel in the present.

There have been many teachers in one’s lifetime, some more important than others. These teachers and instructors affect different people in different ways, and lessons are learned that are important to prepare for real life situations. In the book Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, a young Brahmin named Siddhartha is not content with his current spiritual self. Siddhartha is directed to spiritual enlightenment and Nirvana because of his guidance and teaching from Kamala, Kamaswami, and Vasudeva.

Enlightenment is defined as the understanding and knowledge with the lack of hope and pain. The idea of enlightenment can be found I different situations that can be connected through the spiritual awakening of one’s self. Siddhartha and the little boy from The Ocean at the End of the Lane are worlds apart in age, creed, culture and historical era, they are similar in that they are both on a journey of spiritual awakening.

Siddhartha begins out as a Brahmin in the book Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. He is the son of a Brahmin and he is expected to become a very successful Brahmin as he grows older. However, Siddhartha is not completely happy with his life. The other Brahmins have not receive enlightenment yet when he is a child and he wonders that if he stays where his home is he never will reach enlightenment. He begins his journey through life by leaving home. Siddhartha has a major theme of self throughout. Self can be referred to as your inner self or who you truly are inside. Siddhartha through his journey realizes self plays a role in life and he believes that you should release your being of self. I disagree with many ideas of self that is portrayed throughout this book. I believe that self is important in life and how you get along in life.

Throughout all of time, literature has played an important role in people’s lives. Books are more than just stories to laugh at, cry with, or fall asleep to, but books can teach. Books can teach a person a simple task such as baking cookies or an extremely complex one such as solving for the derivative of a trigonometric path and its parabolic motion. Whatever the subject, whomever the reader, books can teach people many lessons. One of the most important lessons that a book can teach a reader is a lesson about himself, about the difficulties of life, and about living a good life. As time has passed, so has literature itself. Older books focused on historical events, fictional poetry, and important figures; however, books now have evolved to

Lessons are best learned through experience. This holds true in Hermann Hesse’s Novel Siddhartha. On his path to enlightenment, Siddhartha experiences many different circumstances that shape the way he becomes by the end of the novel. He encounters trials and tribulations, such as affection, self exploration, and sadness, much like I have. Through these experiences, both Siddhartha and I were not only guaranteed knowledge of our situations, but eternal wisdom through our experiences.

The ferryman came to rescue Siddhartha from his agony of his son’s suddenly departure. They both went back to their home in the ferry. As a great friend, the ferryman did not spoke a word about this issue, but always showed support to his dear friend in his depression. “Even bad people, even thieves and robbers have children and love them, and are being loved by them, all except for me” (125). As time passed, Siddhartha’s heart was still hurt as he watched travelers with their children on board. He felt envious of others, and wounded by the pain.

In nature, the river is a powerful being that rushes and cuts through the earth with definitive curves that leave lasting marks even after it has disappeared. The path it follows is one that is reconstructive and continuous, a circular path, from the source to down a mountain, the ocean and back to the beginning. This circular construction is often mimicked in literature and is a critical factor in giving the reader a tighter grasp on the power behind individual events along with triggering their logos. In Hermann Hesse’s robust and thought-provoking novel “Siddhartha”, Hesse does a phenomenal job of describing the life of a man named Siddhartha who is born into a prominent and rich lifestyle yet embarks on a journey to seek out himself, who he is himself and all the twists and turns that burn into it. Through this he has written a piece of literature that forces people to see this world in another light and sometimes evaluate their lifestyles. Like the river, Hesse's use of circular construction is powerful and ensures a mental connection to the literature and provokes the idea that throughout every stage in his life. Even though he had certain aspects about him that separated him from society and put him on another level, he still lacked something, or instead had too much of it.

The thin rustic pages scrape past my loose fingers as I sit engaged. My heart pounds harder and faster with every word my eyes pass over. My ears hear nothing, even within booming noise. My complete focus is on the book that lays in my hand with a laminated cover, and I have no choice but to submit to the content. My breath tastes of spearmint and the aroma of fresh paper floats past my nose. I couldn’t resist but delve into the worlds and mysteries that books hold. Once opened, everything around me becomes a distant blur. I am hooked. Books have always created an escape for creativity and fancies to run free. Books are used as a medium for reason. Books are formative to the development of human beings. In my instance, books changed my life.

Damp orange leaves stuck to my shoes as I trudged my way toward the back entrance of the school. A chilly wind whooshed past me, spraying my face with vapor. It felt good, almost numbing. Shoving my hands into my jean pockets, I then began to think of the red book. A tingle of warmth spread throughout my body as I recalled the way my fingers had glided over the embossed gold design on the cover. The gold always seemed to glitter when it touched the light; it was worthy of admiration, praise. As if suddenly slapped across the face, I came to my senses. Daydreaming about a book, especially one that was that was supposedly inherently evil, was not normal behavior. That was such a random thought, think about something else Jared, I scolded myself.

This week in the process of gathering information and conducting my ITMU duties, the days seemed to offer a little more than the previous had. A little more action, more conversing, and learning opportunities keep me busy all week.

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse Study Guide Questions The Brahmin’s Son 1. Siddhartha is characterized to be not only a well-known character in the area he lives in, but a beloved one as well. Siddhartha is the “perfect” person in his parents, Govinda’s, and many others’ eyes as he is a master of meditation, a handsome person born into the religious group of the area, and is well-mannered. However, despite his “perfections”, he is not satisfied with who he is.

Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, tells about how Siddhartha, the main character, is not taught by any essentialistic truths that Buddha may have to offer, but by the non-essentialistic behaviors in the movement of the water. The motion and life-likeness of water is classified as an important symbol of the impermanence that Buddhists embrace in their thinking. Water to Siddhartha and his mentor, Vasudeva, is not just something for them to ferry people across, but a teacher to help them understand the constantly changing nature of existence. The water taught Siddhartha many lessons, but most importantly it taught him to live in the present, the past always comes back; hence, life is transitory and truths impermanent.

What concepts, principles, or ideas that you have learned, do you think you will remember the most after you leave this class?