1. Agenda: Warm-up Assign Vocabulary Quiz (Monday) Assign Siddhartha Quiz (Thursday) Review Kamala Read Amongst the People –dialectic journal Review Amongst the People

2.  I used to ______, but now I ________.  Write as many of these sentences as you can in 5 minutes.  Examples: I used to think that I had to be perfect in order to be loved, but now I know imperfections make me loveable. I used to call my aunts, but now I call my nieces.

3.  Homework: Read Samsara  There will be an open book quiz (30 pts) on Thursday on chapter 6, 7, and 8. I will ask you to explain two specific things (quotes, reasons, significance) about each chapter and incorporate at least one quotation into you response.  Vocabulary Quiz on Monday.

4. GOTAMA  Teaches the Four Noble Truths and that life is pain.  Called the Enlightened One.  Wanted to solve suffering for all humans.  Attained Nirvana SIDDHARTHA  Went on quest for enlightenment.  Adopted Indian Asceticism.  Born into a leader’s family  Is called Siddhartha and the Awakened One.  Does not believe in a personal God.

5.  Why do you think Hesse chose to create two characters whose names, actions, and beliefs relate to the historical figure of the Buddha?  Clearly the difference between Gotama and Siddhartha is important. They are not the same, but they exist at the same moment in time.  Siddhartha is truly on his own. He does not want or need followers. His goal is to achieve peace for himself.  Siddhartha’s way is his own –not Govinda’s, not the Buddha’s, not even Hesse’s.  Perhaps Hesse needed to restore peace to his world and belief in humanity after the turmoil of WWI.  Hesse sorts things out through Siddhartha?

6.  What do you make of the exotically formal style?

7.  Why did Hesse not include a clear reference to a particular time period or geographical region?  He wanted to created a legendary or magical world.  Hesse didn’t want readers to be terribly concerned with trying to figure out the truth about actual events. It’s not an explanation of Indian philosophy.  But by placing Siddhartha in ancient India with the Buddha, he creates a timeless, mythic validity.  “The legendary times allow the reader to lose the sense of differentiation and to come nearer to the oneness of the human race.”  The parallels to the Buddha’s life contribute to the legendary quality, too.

8.  Why is it hard to trust one’s own voice?/Why is it hard to listen to yourself?  How do males and females balance each other?  What can you learn from treating someone as an equal?

9.  What are the three things that Siddhartha claims to do well?

10.  What on Earth does it mean? (48)

11.  After meeting the ferryman, Siddhartha says, “All whom I meet on the way are like Govinda. All are grateful, although they themselves deserve thanks. All are subservient, all wish to be my friend, to obey and to think little. People are children” (49).  What does he mean by child-like? See page 46, too.

12.  There is a feeling of rebirth.  Siddhartha now knows he must listen to both his senses and his thoughts. Visible and Invisible  Sees the world with child-like wonder  Finds his sexuality, but still listens to his inward voice.  Receives his first kiss  Endeavors to earn money, fine clothes and shoes so that he can learn from a new teacher  Restored sense of balance 

13.  Remember Siddhartha said he would never again seek lessons from a teacher.  She is a teacher of experiences.  *This is the start of chapter 6. (Quiz)

14.  Dialectic journal  you are responsible for two dialectic journal entries.  When you are finished, answer this question in a paragraph with one quotation from this chapter: Why does Hesse continually refer to Siddhartha’s activities in this chapter as “play” and “game”?

15.  Is it best to leave emotions to the side when making decisions?  What can you learn from treating someone equally and fairly?  Is life nothing more than a game?  What is love?

16.  What makes Siddhartha so good at business?

17. Why does Hesse continually refer to Siddhartha’s activities in chapter 6 as “play” and “game”?  From the start Siddhartha says, “I am not in need.”  Kamaswami is fully invested and Siddhartha is fully detached, never fearing failure.  Kamaswami has many troubles, but Siddhartha is separated from them because he was a Samana.  He sees others lament, but he laughs.  His inner voice complains because he feels more like a player in a game, observing from elsewhere.

18.  Explain this quote: “Perhaps people like us cannot love. Ordinary people can –it is their secret” (73). Secret to what?   Open up your books and your minds

19. “Perhaps people like us cannot love. Ordinary people can –it is their secret” (73).  Kamala cannot/should not love because she is a courtesan. It is a skill/art.  Siddhartha, the Samana, has the ability to separate himself from pain and pleasure.  They both have a “stillness and sanctuary to which [they] can retreat at anytime” (71).  Most people find sanctuary in the outside (things, other people, experiences, etc.)  For ordinary people, the secret to their fulfillment IS love. Siddhartha is not ordinary.