Hi Friends, I think Blogging is a wonderful common platform to voice and publish brain-waves, but it has to be precise and absolutely pertinent to the point because it consumes the time of masses! Nan
Thanks Nan! Your blog page looks great and I absolutely agree about the benefits of blogging. However, I'm not sure what you mean by "consumes the time of the masses." Could you explain?
I mean if the blog is not brief and pertinent,the time required to read the irrelevant part of blog multiplied by the number of people reading it (ie human hours)would be wasted. Nan
Hi Buddies, Check out my following URL. Copy and paste the URL into your browser. You will find interesting video clip about “Desi Cultural Day” and see how gorgeous the President and professors look in desi attire! Nan
http://nanbijlani.blogspot.com/search/label/Desi Cutural Day
Hi friends, Nice meeting you. Hope you have already read and enjoyed the first chapter of “Siddhartha”. As you read, you come across new words and some baffling questions. Let’s see. Did you really understand the meaning of following words? Brahmin, Om, Atman, Ascetics, Samana, Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, Upanishads, Ablutions. We will gradually go to baffling questions in next blog. Good Luck Nan
question #1 Why is Siddhartha unhappy? The Siddhartha was unhappy because dreams and restless thougnts came flowing to him and he began to feel the seeds of discontent. Why is his spirit like a "waiting vessel"? It was not full, his intellect was not satisfied his soul was not at peace,his heart was not still.
question #2 Why is Govinda willing to follow him? Govinda knew that Siddhartha would not become an ordinary Brahmin.If Siddhartha ever became a god,Govinda wanted to follow his friend.
Question #3 How are the Samonas described? They are wandering ascetics,thin wornout men,neither old not young,with dusty and bleeding shoulders,practically naked, scorched by the sun.
Question #4 How did Siddhartha convince his father? Siddhartha stood firmly in place for very long. His father became convinced that his son had already left him. Why did not he just go? Siddhartha always obeyed his father and will always do what his father tells him.
Question#5 Why do you suppose, Siddhartha's mother does not have more of the role in the decision? I think that maybe the father is more important than the mother in Siddhartha's country.
Hi all my classmates! I have finished answering the questions.I posted my answers to share with all of you. If you guys have any more ideas to share with me,post a comment. Nicely, Magic.
Hi Nans. and Magic! This is my answer for those question. I can answer only 4, others Qs i was still confused. 1. Siddhartha ate once day and never cooked food, and fasted for fourteen days. 2. He wants to become empty of thirst, dreams, desire, and pleasure. 3. siddhartha lerned to save and hold his breath. 5. Siddhartha feft that his learning from samanas had not satisfied his knowledge. Even though he could learn very quickly from others, he could not still learn very simple things from samanas.
Hi friends, Thanks, Magic Nguyen and Thuthanh" Ican see your replies but there is no sight of Yen, Khoi and Kelvin;s answers. Anyway we did discuss them in the class. Hope you have seen chapter 3 questions posted by Helen.We thought we needed to reply all the questions but she has clarified that just one question may be replied. So now it is very easy. Please pick one question and respond. Good luck. Nan
1. How has his point of view changed? How does the writing style reflect this? Answer: Siddhartha’s point of view has changed a lot. He learned something new on every step of his path, for the world was transformed and he was enthralled.
2. Complete the quote: “To obey no other eternal command __. Nothing else was necessary.” What does this quote mean? Answer: The quote: “To obey no other eternal command, only the voice, to be prepared __that was good, that was necessary. Nothing else was necessary.” It means when Gotama sat down beneath the bo tree and received enlightenment, he only obeyed prepared commands and trapped external commands.
3. What dream does Siddhartha see? Will this woman lead him to enlightenment? Answer: Siddhartha sees the dream in which he drew and kissed Govinda but suddenly Govinda changed into a woman. Siddhartha drank the milk from her breast. This woman will lead him to depravity.
4. What does Siddhartha think of the ferryman and of the river? Answer: Siddhartha thinks that the ferryman likes Govinda in his thought and smile. He is also grateful and friendliness. Siddhartha thinks that the river is beautiful.
5. Why doesn’t Siddhartha “ascend the tree” with the woman? Answer: Siddhartha doesn’t “ascend the tree” with the woman because he recognizes his dream again at that moment.
6. Hesse uses a simile to describe the woman’s (Kamala’s) mouth. What is it? What does that say about the woman? Answer: Hesse uses a simile to describe the woman’s (Kamala’s) mouth. A bright red mouth like a freshly cut fig. It says that Kamala is a young beautiful woman.
7. How does Siddhartha prepare for Kamala? What does he want from her? Answer: He had his beard shaved off by the barber’s assistant, his hair combed and rubbed with fine oil. He went to bathe in the river. He wants to speak to her and asks her to be his friend, his teacher.
8. Why might the portrayal of Kamala be politically incorrect? Answer: The portrayal of Kamala might be politically incorrect because she is an experienced woman, a courtesan.
9. What three things can Siddhartha do? Answer: Three things that Siddhartha can do are thinking, wait and fast.
10. When Siddhartha receives his first kiss, the style changes. How? Why? Answer: When Siddhartha receives his first kiss, the style changes. Siddhartha is overwhelmed with a felling of pride. He was a Samanas no longer: it was no longer fitting that he should beg for food. Now everything is easy as the instruction in kissing which Kamala gave him.
11. Who is Kamaswami? Answer: Kawasami is the richest powerful merchant in the town.
12. Siddhartha compares himself to a stone. How is this so? Answer: Siddhartha compares himself to a stone. He goes through the affairs of the world like the stone through the water, without doing anything, without bestirring himself: he is drawn and let himself fall. He is drawn by his goal, for he does not allow anything to enter his mind which opposes his goal. Added questions: 1. What major change happened to Siddhartha’s friendship with Govinda? Answer: They were separate for the first time. 2. At whose house does Siddhartha stay at the beginning of his journey? Answer: Siddhartha stays in the ferryman’s straw hut at the beginning of his journey. 3. What strange dream does Siddhartha have? What is the meaning of this dream? Answer: Siddhartha sees the dream in which he drew and kissed Govinda but suddenly Govinda changed into a woman. This dream means that after Siddhartha departed from the Samanas, he will be enticed to deprave. 4. Who is Kamala? What is her occupation? Answer: Kamala is the first person who Siddhartha met before he reached the town. Her occupation is courtesan, having sex with rich or important men for money. 5. What does Siddhartha need to gain before he can become friends with Kamala? Answer: Siddhartha must have clothes, shoes, and plenty of money in his purse and present for Kamala to become friends with her.
Hi Sreypich, Thuthanh, Trang, We have already replied to questions in Chapter 7. Now,Please answer atleast two of the following questions on chapter 8. Good luck. Nan
Chapter 8 – By the River
1. Why does Siddhartha wish to kill himself? 2. What is the tone of this section. is it entirely serious? 3. What sound does he hear? How does he react? 4. How is he different when he wakes up? Who is sitting with him? 5. What does Siddhartha start lecturing his friend about?
1. Does Siddhartha have a bad life? What is good about it? Answer: No, he doesn’t. His life is plenty. He has possessed his own houses, servants, and a garden at the outskirts of the town, by the river. He has become rich and powerful. 2. What had Siddhartha learned “amongst the people”? Answer: He had learned how to transact business affairs, to exercise power over people, to amuse himself with women; he had learned to wear fine clothes, to command servants, to bathe in sweet-smelling waters. He had learned to eat sweet and carefully prepared foods, also fish and meat and fowl, spices and dainties, and to drink wine which made him lazy and forgetful. He had learned to play dice and chess, to watch dancers, to be carried in sedan chairs, to sleep on a soft bed. 3. What happened when the property finally became chain and a burden? Answer: Siddhartha rarely laughed, and gradually his face assumed the expressions which are so often found among rich people- the expressions of discontent, of sickliness, of displeasure, of idleness, of lovelessness. 4. How does his dice playing echo his real life? Answer: Since the time Siddhartha has stopped being a Samana in his heart, he began to play dice for money and jewels with increasing fervor, a game in which he had previously smilingly and indulgently taken part as a custom of the ordinary people. He was a formidable player; few dared play with him for his stakes were so high and reckless. He played the game as a result of a heartfelt need. He derived a passionate pleasure through the gambling away and squandering of wretched money. 5. What was his Kamala dream about? Answer: His Kamala dream was about the fear of the old age and the death when he recognized fine lines and wrinkles on Kamala’ face also gray hairs in his black hairs. 6. What was the Bird dream about? What does it mean? Answer: The Bird dream was about the death of a small rare songbird which was kept in Kamala’s small golden cage. It means one day he will also die as the songbird of Kamala.
7. Why does he feel dead? Answer: He feels dead because he recognized that he had endeavored and longed all these years to be like all other people, like children, and his life had been much more wretched and poorer than theirs, for their aims were not his, nor their sorrows his. The whole world of the Kamaswami people had only been a game to him. He had played Samsara, a game for children which was perhaps enjoyable played once, twice, ten times- but it isn’t worth playing continually. 8. Why is it important that Kamala is pregnant? Why out of that last trip? Answer: It’s important that Kamala is pregnant because it is the result of her last meeting with Siddhartha.
Chapter 7: “Samsara” Added Questions: 1. What addiction does Siddhartha acquire? Answer: He has possessed his own houses, servants, and a garden at the outskirts of the town, by the river. He has become rich and powerful. He had learned how to transact business affairs, to exercise power over people, to amuse him-self with women; he had learned to wear fine clothes, to command servants, to bathe in sweet-smelling waters. He had learned to eat sweet and carefully prepared foods, also fish and meat and fowl, spices and dainties, and to drink wine which made him lazy and forgetful. He had learned to play dice and chess, to watch dancers, to be carried in sedan chairs, to sleep on a soft bed.
2. Why does Siddhartha now fear death? Why has he experienced this change?
Answer: Siddhartha now fears the death because now he is also ordinary people. He has experienced this change because he was unhappy and has two dreams about the fears of the old age and the death.
3. What does Siddhartha do to change his life? Answer: He leaf the town and everything he possess behind and never returned. 4. What is Kamala's reaction? Answer: Kamala goes to the window where she keeps a rare songbird in a golden cage. She opens the door, takes the bird out and let it fly away. For a long time she looks after the disappearing bird. From that day she receives no more visitors and keeps the door closed. 5. What do we learn about Kamala? What life change does she make? Answer: One thing we can learn about Kamala that no one has no sentiment, even a courtesan. She makes the changes on her own life and Siddhartha’s.
Chapter 8: Study Questions: “By the River” 1.Why does Siddhartha wish to kill himself? Answer: Siddhartha wishes to kill himself because he was at the end. There was nothing more for him but to efface himself, to destroy the unsuccessful structure of his life, to throw it away, mocked at by the gods. That was the deed which he longed to commit, to destroy the form which he hated.
2. What is the tone of this section. Is it entirely serious? Answer: The tone of this section is despondent. It is entirely serious to describe Siddhartha’s feeling.
3. What sound does he hear? How does he react?
Answer: The sound was one word, one syllable which without thinking he spoke indistinctly, the ancient beginning and ending of all Brahmin prayers, the holly Om, which had meaning of “the Perfect One” or “Perfection”. At that moment, when the sound of Om reached Siddhartha’s ears, his slumbering soul suddenly awakened and he recognized the folly of his action.
4. How is he different when he wakes up? Who is sitting with him?
Answer: When he awakened after many hours, it seemed to him as if ten years had passed. He looked the world like a new man. Govinda is sitting with him.
5. What does Siddhartha start lecturing his friend about?
Answer: Siddhartha starts lecturing his friend that he is making a pilgrimage.
1. What does the songbird on page 87, 96 and 88 present? Answer: It presents for Siddhartha’s soul.
2. What is Samsara? Answer: Samsara is the game for children which perhaps enjoyable played once, twice, ten times. It presents for the game which Siddhartha has played with ordinary people in his life.
3. What is Siddhartha’s mood in the beginning of this chapter? What does he wish for? Answer: Siddhartha’s mood in the beginning of this chapter is impasse, anguish. He wishes to kill himself. 4. What stopped Siddhartha from committing suicide? Answer: The sound which had meaning of “the Perfect One” or “Perfection” stopped him from committing suicide.
1. What does Siddhartha learn from the Ferryman? Answer: Siddhartha learns from Ferryman in listening respect. He learned how to look after the boat, how to make oars, how to improve the boat and to make baskets.
2. How are the skills he is learning now important to him for life? Answer: He was pleased with everything that he did and learned and the days and months passed quickly. Above all, he learned from the river how to listen , to listen with a still heart, with a waiting, open soul, without passion, without desire, without judgment, without opinions.
3.What do people say about Siddhartha and the Ferryman? Answer: People say that Siddhartha and the Ferryman are brothers.
4. How are they becoming alike? Is this a good thing? Answer: As the time went on his smile began to resemble the Ferryman’s, was almost equally radiant, almost equally full of happiness, equally lighting up through a thousand little wrinkles, equally childish, equally senile.
5. Describe the events surrounding Kamala’s meeting Siddhartha again. Answer: On Kamala’s pilgrimage with her son, she was bitten by a small black snake. She and her son ran to find help and they met the Ferryman and Siddhartha.
6. How has Siddhartha changed since their last meeting? How has Kamala changed? Answer: Since their last meeting, Siddhartha had grown old and had become gray. His eyes had changed. He has lived as a ferryman in peacefulness and happiness. Kamala had also grown old. She had long retired from her previous way of life, had presented her garden to Gotama’s monks, taking refuge in his teachings, and belonged to the women and benefactresses attached to the pilgrims.
7. What happens to Kamala? How does this effect Siddhartha? Answer: Kamala dies because the bite of poisoning small black snake. Siddhartha was overwhelmed with a feeling of the present and contemporary existence. He felt more accurately of every indestructibleness of every life, the eternity of every moment. He wasn’t sad because he has a son.
Hi Shreypich, Thanks for your replies to questions on chapter 9. Appreciate your interest, sincerity and efforts to grasp the crux of the novel. Please put your blogs in Blogging, instead of Nan’s Blogs, so we will have all the blogs at one place. As regards your question, if you have to write an essay on Siddhartha, you will have to take into account the whole story and write in brief. You cannot write about one particular episode only. If time permits, I am going to write the synopsis.Thanks. Nan
1. What about Siddhartha would make him a lousy father? Answer: Siddhartha understands that his spoilt and grieving son can’t suddenly be content after Kamala’s death in a strange and poor living place. He doesn’t press him; he does a great deal for him and always saves the best morsels for him. His son doesn’t obey him but he doesn’t strike or punish him because Siddhartha knows that gentleness is stronger than severity, water is stronger than rock, love stronger than force. For another reason, he loves his son above all. 2. How does young Siddhartha take advantage of the father? Answer: Young Siddhartha would do no work. He doesn’t obey his father and distresses him with his defiance and temper and has broken rice bowls. He let his father commit his follies, let his father strive, let his father be humbled by his mood. 3. What does he try and do for his son? Why won’t it work? Answer: He allows the boy to command him, to be disrespectful to him. He is silent and waited. He begins daily the mute battle of friendliness and patience. He tries to use his love and patience to win and change his son. However it won’t work because his son is so hard hearted. 4. Why doesn’t he punish the boy? Answer: He doesn’t punish his son because he thinks gentleness is stronger than severity. He wants to win his son’s heart by the love of a father. 5. Why is the river laughing? How has Siddhartha gotten “his own”? Answer: The river is laughing because the situation which Siddhartha is in now is the recurrence of the experiencing situation of Siddhartha’s father in the past. His father tried to keep Siddhartha by his side and protected him from Samsara but he couldn’t prevent Siddhartha from soiling himself with life. 6. How can love be “Samsara”? Answer: Love can be “ Samsara”. Especially, the love between father and son, it recurs in Siddhartha’s life and causes the sorrow, the pain, the sadness in Siddhartha. It likes an effect or a punishment for Siddhartha because he committed in playing Samsara. 7. Why does the son hate the father? Answer: The son hates the father because Siddhartha makes he feel small with the piety and the indulgence. He doesn’t want to become like Siddhartha, so pious, so gentle, so wise. 8. Why did he break the oar? Answer: He broke the oar because he didn’t wish to be followed. 9. In losing his son, what might Siddhartha have gained? Answer: In losing his son, Siddhartha might gained that he is also one of ordinary people. He also loves his son and couldn’t escape from Samsara.
1. What “wound” does Siddhartha have? What is the different light that he sees people in? Answer: The wound that Siddhartha have smarted for a long time. Siddhartha took many travelers who has a son or a daughter with them, and he could not see any of them without envying them, without thinking: So many people possess this very great happiness- Why not I? He now regarded people in a different light than he had previously; not very lever, not very proud and therefore all the more warm, curious and sympathetic. 2. What has been his biggest change since becoming a ferryman? As a result, how does the tone of the book change? Answer: When Siddhartha took the usual kind of travelers across, businessmen, soldier and women, they no longer seemed alien to him as they once had. He did not understand or share their thoughts and views, but he share with them life’s urges and desires. Although he had reached a high stage of self-discipline and bore his last wound well, he now felt as if these ordinary people were his brothers. Their vanities, desires and trivialities no longer seemed absurd to him; they had become understandable, lovable and even worthy of respect. As the result, the tone of the book becomes comprehension. 3. What does the river do when Siddhartha goes to see his son? Whose reflection does he see? Answer: The river was laughing clearly and merrily at Siddhartha when he went to see his son. He saw his face reflected in the quietly moving water, and there was something in this reflection that reminded him of something he had forgotten and when he reflected on it, he remembered. His face resembled the face oh his father and reminded him of once, at the youth, he has compelled his father to let him go and join the ascetics. He think of his father and himself being in a fateful circle. 4. Siddhartha and Vasudeva listen very, very closely to the river. What do they hear? Why is everything interconnected? Answer: Siddhartha and Vasudeva listen very closely to the river. The many voiced song of the river echoed softly. Siddhartha saw the pictures of his father, himself, his son, Kamala, Govinda and others in the flowing water. They all became part of the river. It was the goal of all of them, yearning, desiring, suffering. The river voice was full of longing, full of smarting woe, full of insatiable desire. 5. Where does Vasudeva go? (Hint: not just the woods) Answer: Vasudeva goes into the woods, into the unity of all things.
1. Why is there still restlessness in Govinda’s heart? Answer: There is still restlessness in Gvinda’s heart because he seeks too much but he couldn’t find as the result of his seeking 2. What is wrong with seeking, according to Siddhartha? Answer: According to Siddhartha, when someone is seeking, he just focuses on his goal. He is unable to find or absorb anything because he is obsessed with his goal. Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means; to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal. 3. Why doesn’t Siddhartha have a doctrine? How can wisdom not be communicable? Can you communicate knowledge? Answer: Siddhartha doesn’t have a doctrine because he always distrusts any doctrine and teachers. Wisdom cannot be communicable because everyone has to experience in life to be wisdom. How much of wisdom someone has depending on the ability of his perceiver. Therefore, I can communicate knowledge but I cannot communicate wisdom. 4. What is the symbolism of the stone? Answer: The symbolism of the stone is the change of everything over the time. .The stone is just a stone; it has no value, it belong to the world of Maya, but within the cycle of change it can also become man and spirit, it is also of important. It’s mean nothing has certain value, so do human. One can be evil after being good or can be good after being evil. 5. How can Nirvana and Samsara be the same? Answer: Nirvada and Samsara are the same because they are only the words. 6. What does Govinda see Siddhartha do? What does this show about Siddhartha’s final change? Answer: Govinda sees Siddhartha is a strange man and expresses strange thoughts. His ideas are different from Illustrious One’s doctrines but they affect Govinda. Govinda considers Siddhartha as a holly man. When Siddhartha asks Govinda kissing him on the forehead, Govinda was compelled by a great love and presentiment to obey him. Govinda was overwhelmed by the felling of a great love, of the most humble veneration. This show that Siddhartha’s final change is being peaceful and forgiving.
Thanks Nan! Your blog page looks great and I absolutely agree about the benefits of blogging. However, I'm not sure what you mean by "consumes the time of the masses." Could you explain?
ReplyDeleteI mean if the blog is not brief and pertinent,the time required to read the irrelevant part of blog multiplied by the number of people reading it (ie human hours)would be wasted.
ReplyDeleteNan
Hi Buddies,
ReplyDeleteCheck out my following URL.
Copy and paste the URL into your browser. You will find interesting video clip about “Desi Cultural Day” and see how gorgeous the President and professors look in desi attire!
Nan
http://nanbijlani.blogspot.com/search/label/Desi Cutural Day
Hi friends,
ReplyDeleteNice meeting you. Hope you have already read and enjoyed the first chapter of “Siddhartha”.
As you read, you come across new words and some baffling questions. Let’s see.
Did you really understand the meaning of following words?
Brahmin, Om, Atman, Ascetics, Samana, Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, Upanishads, Ablutions.
We will gradually go to baffling questions in next blog. Good Luck
Nan
hi everyone!
ReplyDeletequestion #1
ReplyDeleteWhy is Siddhartha unhappy?
The Siddhartha was unhappy because dreams and restless thougnts came flowing to him and he began to feel the seeds of discontent.
Why is his spirit like a "waiting vessel"?
It was not full, his intellect was not satisfied his soul was not at peace,his heart was not still.
question #2
ReplyDeleteWhy is Govinda willing to follow him?
Govinda knew that Siddhartha would not become an ordinary Brahmin.If Siddhartha ever became a god,Govinda wanted to follow his friend.
Question #3
ReplyDeleteHow are the Samonas described?
They are wandering ascetics,thin wornout men,neither old not young,with dusty and bleeding shoulders,practically naked, scorched by the sun.
#3 Continued.
ReplyDeleteFrom his description, how does the author feel about them?
They were completely committed to their beliefs.
Question #4
ReplyDeleteHow did Siddhartha convince his father?
Siddhartha stood firmly in place for very long. His father became convinced that his son had already left him.
Why did not he just go?
Siddhartha always obeyed his father and will always do what his father tells him.
Question#5
ReplyDeleteWhy do you suppose, Siddhartha's mother does not have more of the role in the decision?
I think that maybe the father is more important than the mother in Siddhartha's country.
Hi all my classmates!
ReplyDeleteI have finished answering the questions.I posted my answers to share with all of you.
If you guys have any more ideas to share with me,post a comment.
Nicely,
Magic.
Hi Nans. and Magic! This is my answer for those question. I can answer only 4, others Qs i was still confused.
ReplyDelete1. Siddhartha ate once day and never cooked food, and fasted for fourteen days.
2. He wants to become empty of thirst, dreams, desire, and pleasure.
3. siddhartha lerned to save and hold his breath.
5. Siddhartha feft that his learning from samanas had not satisfied his knowledge. Even though he could learn very quickly from others, he could not still learn very simple things from samanas.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi friends,
ReplyDeleteThanks, Magic Nguyen and Thuthanh" Ican see your replies but there is no sight of Yen, Khoi and Kelvin;s answers. Anyway we did discuss them in the class.
Hope you have seen chapter 3 questions posted by Helen.We thought we needed to reply all the questions but she has clarified that just one question may be replied. So now it is very easy. Please pick one question and respond. Good luck.
Nan
Ch.5: Study Question: “Kamala”
ReplyDelete1. How has his point of view changed? How does the writing style reflect this?
Answer: Siddhartha’s point of view has changed a lot. He learned something new on every step of his path, for the world was transformed and he was enthralled.
2. Complete the quote: “To obey no other eternal command __. Nothing else was necessary.” What does this quote mean?
Answer: The quote: “To obey no other eternal command, only the voice, to be prepared __that was good, that was necessary. Nothing else was necessary.” It means when Gotama sat down beneath the bo tree and received enlightenment, he only obeyed prepared commands and trapped external commands.
3. What dream does Siddhartha see? Will this woman lead him to enlightenment?
Answer: Siddhartha sees the dream in which he drew and kissed Govinda but suddenly Govinda changed into a woman. Siddhartha drank the milk from her breast. This woman will lead him to depravity.
4. What does Siddhartha think of the ferryman and of the river?
Answer: Siddhartha thinks that the ferryman likes Govinda in his thought and smile. He is also grateful and friendliness. Siddhartha thinks that the river is beautiful.
5. Why doesn’t Siddhartha “ascend the tree” with the woman?
Answer: Siddhartha doesn’t “ascend the tree” with the woman because he recognizes his dream again at that moment.
6. Hesse uses a simile to describe the woman’s (Kamala’s) mouth. What is it? What does that say about the woman?
Answer: Hesse uses a simile to describe the woman’s (Kamala’s) mouth. A bright red mouth like a freshly cut fig. It says that Kamala is a young beautiful woman.
7. How does Siddhartha prepare for Kamala? What does he want from her?
Answer: He had his beard shaved off by the barber’s assistant, his hair combed and rubbed with fine oil. He went to bathe in the river. He wants to speak to her and asks her to be his friend, his teacher.
8. Why might the portrayal of Kamala be politically incorrect?
Answer: The portrayal of Kamala might be politically incorrect because she is an experienced woman, a courtesan.
9. What three things can Siddhartha do?
Answer: Three things that Siddhartha can do are thinking, wait and fast.
10. When Siddhartha receives his first kiss, the style changes. How? Why?
Answer: When Siddhartha receives his first kiss, the style changes. Siddhartha is overwhelmed with a felling of pride. He was a Samanas no longer: it was no longer fitting that he should beg for food. Now everything is easy as the instruction in kissing which Kamala gave him.
11. Who is Kamaswami?
Answer: Kawasami is the richest powerful merchant in the town.
12. Siddhartha compares himself to a stone. How is this so?
Answer: Siddhartha compares himself to a stone. He goes through the affairs of the world like the stone through the water, without doing anything, without bestirring himself: he is drawn and let himself fall. He is drawn by his goal, for he does not allow anything to enter his mind which opposes his goal.
Added questions:
1. What major change happened to Siddhartha’s friendship with Govinda?
Answer: They were separate for the first time.
2. At whose house does Siddhartha stay at the beginning of his journey?
Answer: Siddhartha stays in the ferryman’s straw hut at the beginning of his journey.
3. What strange dream does Siddhartha have? What is the meaning of this dream?
Answer: Siddhartha sees the dream in which he drew and kissed Govinda but suddenly Govinda changed into a woman. This dream means that after Siddhartha departed from the Samanas, he will be enticed to deprave.
4. Who is Kamala? What is her occupation?
Answer: Kamala is the first person who Siddhartha met before he reached the town. Her occupation is courtesan, having sex with rich or important men for money.
5. What does Siddhartha need to gain before he can become friends with Kamala?
Answer: Siddhartha must have clothes, shoes, and plenty of money in his purse and present for Kamala to become friends with her.
Hi Sreypich, Thuthanh, Trang,
ReplyDeleteWe have already replied to questions in Chapter 7. Now,Please answer atleast two of the following questions on chapter 8. Good luck.
Nan
Chapter 8 – By the River
1. Why does Siddhartha wish to kill himself?
2. What is the tone of this section. is it entirely serious?
3. What sound does he hear? How does he react?
4. How is he different when he wakes up? Who is sitting with him?
5. What does Siddhartha start lecturing his friend about?
Chapter 7: Study Question: “Samsara”
ReplyDelete1. Does Siddhartha have a bad life? What is good about it?
Answer: No, he doesn’t. His life is plenty. He has possessed his own houses, servants, and a garden at the outskirts of the town, by the river. He has become rich and powerful.
2. What had Siddhartha learned “amongst the people”?
Answer: He had learned how to transact business affairs, to exercise power over people, to amuse himself with women; he had learned to wear fine clothes, to command servants, to bathe in sweet-smelling waters. He had learned to eat sweet and carefully prepared foods, also fish and meat and fowl, spices and dainties, and to drink wine which made him lazy and forgetful. He had learned to play dice and chess, to watch dancers, to be carried in sedan chairs, to sleep on a soft bed.
3. What happened when the property finally became chain and a burden?
Answer: Siddhartha rarely laughed, and gradually his face assumed the expressions which are so often found among rich people- the expressions of discontent, of sickliness, of displeasure, of idleness, of lovelessness.
4. How does his dice playing echo his real life?
Answer: Since the time Siddhartha has stopped being a Samana in his heart, he began to play dice for money and jewels with increasing fervor, a game in which he had previously smilingly and indulgently taken part as a custom of the ordinary people. He was a formidable player; few dared play with him for his stakes were so high and reckless. He played the game as a result of a heartfelt need. He derived a passionate pleasure through the gambling away and squandering of wretched money.
5. What was his Kamala dream about?
Answer: His Kamala dream was about the fear of the old age and the death when he recognized fine lines and wrinkles on Kamala’ face also gray hairs in his black hairs.
6. What was the Bird dream about? What does it mean?
Answer: The Bird dream was about the death of a small rare songbird which was kept in Kamala’s small golden cage. It means one day he will also die as the songbird of Kamala.
7. Why does he feel dead?
Answer: He feels dead because he recognized that he had endeavored and longed all these years to be like all other people, like children, and his life had been much more wretched and poorer than theirs, for their aims were not his, nor their sorrows his. The whole world of the Kamaswami people had only been a game to him. He had played Samsara, a game for children which was perhaps enjoyable played once, twice, ten times- but it isn’t worth playing continually.
8. Why is it important that Kamala is pregnant? Why out of that last trip?
Answer: It’s important that Kamala is pregnant because it is the result of her last meeting with Siddhartha.
Chapter 7: “Samsara”
ReplyDeleteAdded Questions:
1. What addiction does Siddhartha acquire?
Answer: He has possessed his own houses, servants, and a garden at the outskirts of the town, by the river. He has become rich and powerful. He had learned how to transact business affairs, to exercise power over people, to amuse him-self with women; he had learned to wear fine clothes, to command servants, to bathe in sweet-smelling waters. He had learned to eat sweet and carefully prepared foods, also fish and meat and fowl, spices and dainties, and to drink wine which made him lazy and forgetful. He had learned to play dice and chess, to watch dancers, to be carried in sedan chairs, to sleep on a soft bed.
2. Why does Siddhartha now fear death? Why has he experienced this change?
Answer: Siddhartha now fears the death because now he is also ordinary people. He has experienced this change because he was unhappy and has two dreams about the fears of the old age and the death.
3. What does Siddhartha do to change his life?
Answer: He leaf the town and everything he possess behind and never returned.
4. What is Kamala's reaction?
Answer: Kamala goes to the window where she keeps a rare songbird in a golden cage. She opens the door, takes the bird out and let it fly away. For a long time she looks after the disappearing bird. From that day she receives no more visitors and keeps the door closed.
5. What do we learn about Kamala? What life change does she make?
Answer: One thing we can learn about Kamala that no one has no sentiment, even a courtesan. She makes the changes on her own life and Siddhartha’s.
Chapter 8: Study Questions: “By the River”
ReplyDelete1.Why does Siddhartha wish to kill himself?
Answer: Siddhartha wishes to kill himself because he was at the end. There was nothing more for him but to efface himself, to destroy the unsuccessful structure of his life, to throw it away, mocked at by the gods. That was the deed which he longed to commit, to destroy the form which he hated.
2. What is the tone of this section. Is it entirely serious?
Answer: The tone of this section is despondent. It is entirely serious to describe Siddhartha’s feeling.
3. What sound does he hear? How does he react?
Answer: The sound was one word, one syllable which without thinking he spoke indistinctly, the ancient beginning and ending of all Brahmin prayers, the holly Om, which had meaning of “the Perfect One” or “Perfection”. At that moment, when the sound of Om reached Siddhartha’s ears, his slumbering soul suddenly awakened and he recognized the folly of his action.
4. How is he different when he wakes up? Who is sitting with him?
Answer: When he awakened after many hours, it seemed to him as if ten years had passed. He looked the world like a new man. Govinda is sitting with him.
5. What does Siddhartha start lecturing his friend about?
Answer: Siddhartha starts lecturing his friend that he is making a pilgrimage.
Chapter 8: " By the River"
ReplyDeleteAdded Questions:
1. What does the songbird on page 87, 96 and 88 present?
Answer: It presents for Siddhartha’s soul.
2. What is Samsara?
Answer: Samsara is the game for children which perhaps enjoyable played once, twice, ten times. It presents for the game which Siddhartha has played with ordinary people in his life.
3. What is Siddhartha’s mood in the beginning of this chapter? What does he wish for?
Answer: Siddhartha’s mood in the beginning of this chapter is impasse, anguish. He wishes to kill himself.
4. What stopped Siddhartha from committing suicide?
Answer: The sound which had meaning of “the Perfect One” or “Perfection” stopped him from committing suicide.
Chapter 9 – The Ferryman
ReplyDelete1. What does Siddhartha learn from the Ferryman?
Answer: Siddhartha learns from Ferryman in listening respect. He learned how to look after the boat, how to make oars, how to improve the boat and to make baskets.
2. How are the skills he is learning now important to him for life?
Answer: He was pleased with everything that he did and learned and the days and months passed quickly. Above all, he learned from the river how to listen , to listen with a still heart, with a waiting, open soul, without passion, without desire, without judgment, without opinions.
3.What do people say about Siddhartha and the Ferryman?
Answer: People say that Siddhartha and the Ferryman are brothers.
4. How are they becoming alike? Is this a good thing?
Answer: As the time went on his smile began to resemble the Ferryman’s, was almost equally radiant, almost equally full of happiness, equally lighting up through a thousand little wrinkles, equally childish, equally senile.
5. Describe the events surrounding Kamala’s meeting Siddhartha again.
Answer: On Kamala’s pilgrimage with her son, she was bitten by a small black snake. She and her son ran to find help and they met the Ferryman and Siddhartha.
6. How has Siddhartha changed since their last meeting? How has Kamala changed?
Answer: Since their last meeting, Siddhartha had grown old and had become gray. His eyes had changed. He has lived as a ferryman in peacefulness and happiness. Kamala had also grown old. She had long retired from her previous way of life, had presented her garden to Gotama’s monks, taking refuge in his teachings, and belonged to the women and benefactresses attached to the pilgrims.
7. What happens to Kamala? How does this effect Siddhartha?
Answer: Kamala dies because the bite of poisoning small black snake. Siddhartha was overwhelmed with a feeling of the present and contemporary existence. He felt more accurately of every indestructibleness of every life, the eternity of every moment. He wasn’t sad because he has a son.
Hi Shreypich,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your replies to questions on chapter 9. Appreciate your interest, sincerity and efforts to grasp the crux of the novel. Please put your blogs in Blogging, instead of Nan’s Blogs, so we will have all the blogs at one place.
As regards your question, if you have to write an essay on Siddhartha, you will have to take into account the whole story and write in brief. You cannot write about one particular episode only. If time permits, I am going to write the synopsis.Thanks.
Nan
Hi Trang,
ReplyDeleteGreat contribution on behalf of our group. Diligent work.
Thanks for your replies on chapter 7, 8, and 9. Please keep it up.
Nan
Chapter 10 – The Son
ReplyDelete1. What about Siddhartha would make him a lousy father?
Answer: Siddhartha understands that his spoilt and grieving son can’t suddenly be content after Kamala’s death in a strange and poor living place. He doesn’t press him; he does a great deal for him and always saves the best morsels for him. His son doesn’t obey him but he doesn’t strike or punish him because Siddhartha knows that gentleness is stronger than severity, water is stronger than rock, love stronger than force. For another reason, he loves his son above all.
2. How does young Siddhartha take advantage of the father?
Answer: Young Siddhartha would do no work. He doesn’t obey his father and distresses him with his defiance and temper and has broken rice bowls. He let his father commit his follies, let his father strive, let his father be humbled by his mood.
3. What does he try and do for his son? Why won’t it work?
Answer: He allows the boy to command him, to be disrespectful to him. He is silent and waited. He begins daily the mute battle of friendliness and patience. He tries to use his love and patience to win and change his son. However it won’t work because his son is so hard hearted.
4. Why doesn’t he punish the boy?
Answer: He doesn’t punish his son because he thinks gentleness is stronger than severity. He wants to win his son’s heart by the love of a father.
5. Why is the river laughing? How has Siddhartha gotten “his own”?
Answer: The river is laughing because the situation which Siddhartha is in now is the recurrence of the experiencing situation of Siddhartha’s father in the past. His father tried to keep Siddhartha by his side and protected him from Samsara but he couldn’t prevent Siddhartha from soiling himself with life.
6. How can love be “Samsara”?
Answer: Love can be “ Samsara”. Especially, the love between father and son, it recurs in Siddhartha’s life and causes the sorrow, the pain, the sadness in Siddhartha. It likes an effect or a punishment for Siddhartha because he committed in playing Samsara.
7. Why does the son hate the father?
Answer: The son hates the father because Siddhartha makes he feel small with the piety and the indulgence. He doesn’t want to become like Siddhartha, so pious, so gentle, so wise.
8. Why did he break the oar?
Answer: He broke the oar because he didn’t wish to be followed.
9. In losing his son, what might Siddhartha have gained?
Answer: In losing his son, Siddhartha might gained that he is also one of ordinary people. He also loves his son and couldn’t escape from Samsara.
Chapter 11 – Om
ReplyDelete1. What “wound” does Siddhartha have? What is the different light that he sees people in?
Answer: The wound that Siddhartha have smarted for a long time. Siddhartha took many travelers who has a son or a daughter with them, and he could not see any of them without envying them, without thinking: So many people possess this very great happiness- Why not I? He now regarded people in a different light than he had previously; not very lever, not very proud and therefore all the more warm, curious and sympathetic.
2. What has been his biggest change since becoming a ferryman? As a result, how does the tone of the book change?
Answer: When Siddhartha took the usual kind of travelers across, businessmen, soldier and women, they no longer seemed alien to him as they once had. He did not understand or share their thoughts and views, but he share with them life’s urges and desires. Although he had reached a high stage of self-discipline and bore his last wound well, he now felt as if these ordinary people were his brothers. Their vanities, desires and trivialities no longer seemed absurd to him; they had become understandable, lovable and even worthy of respect. As the result, the tone of the book becomes comprehension.
3. What does the river do when Siddhartha goes to see his son? Whose reflection does he see?
Answer: The river was laughing clearly and merrily at Siddhartha when he went to see his son. He saw his face reflected in the quietly moving water, and there was something in this reflection that reminded him of something he had forgotten and when he reflected on it, he remembered. His face resembled the face oh his father and reminded him of once, at the youth, he has compelled his father to let him go and join the ascetics. He think of his father and himself being in a fateful circle.
4. Siddhartha and Vasudeva listen very, very closely to the river. What do they hear? Why is everything interconnected?
Answer: Siddhartha and Vasudeva listen very closely to the river. The many voiced song of the river echoed softly. Siddhartha saw the pictures of his father, himself, his son, Kamala, Govinda and others in the flowing water. They all became part of the river. It was the goal of all of them, yearning, desiring, suffering. The river voice was full of longing, full of smarting woe, full of insatiable desire.
5. Where does Vasudeva go? (Hint: not just the woods)
Answer: Vasudeva goes into the woods, into the unity of all things.
Chapter 12 – Govinda
ReplyDelete1. Why is there still restlessness in Govinda’s heart?
Answer: There is still restlessness in Gvinda’s heart because he seeks too much but he couldn’t find as the result of his seeking
2. What is wrong with seeking, according to Siddhartha?
Answer: According to Siddhartha, when someone is seeking, he just focuses on his goal. He is unable to find or absorb anything because he is obsessed with his goal. Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means; to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal.
3. Why doesn’t Siddhartha have a doctrine? How can wisdom not be communicable? Can you communicate knowledge?
Answer: Siddhartha doesn’t have a doctrine because he always distrusts any doctrine and teachers. Wisdom cannot be communicable because everyone has to experience in life to be wisdom. How much of wisdom someone has depending on the ability of his perceiver. Therefore, I can communicate knowledge but I cannot communicate wisdom.
4. What is the symbolism of the stone?
Answer: The symbolism of the stone is the change of everything over the time. .The stone is just a stone; it has no value, it belong to the world of Maya, but within the cycle of change it can also become man and spirit, it is also of important. It’s mean nothing has certain value, so do human. One can be evil after being good or can be good after being evil.
5. How can Nirvana and Samsara be the same?
Answer: Nirvada and Samsara are the same because they are only the words.
6. What does Govinda see Siddhartha do? What does this show about Siddhartha’s final change?
Answer: Govinda sees Siddhartha is a strange man and expresses strange thoughts. His ideas are different from Illustrious One’s doctrines but they affect Govinda. Govinda considers Siddhartha as a holly man. When Siddhartha asks Govinda kissing him on the forehead, Govinda was compelled by a great love and presentiment to obey him. Govinda was overwhelmed by the felling of a great love, of the most humble veneration. This show that Siddhartha’s final change is being peaceful and forgiving.