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With the Samana's
__** The Assignment **__

To get a feeling for how the Samanas, Indian ascetics that are found in the novel Siddhartha, try to reach enlightenment, we gave up something we enjoy for a week. I chose to give up gum, to see if I could really go a week without chewing it.



__Beginning of the week__

Giving up gum was unbelievably hard for me. I'm so used to grabbing a piece of gum every day "Siddhartha gave away his robe" (Hesse 7) I didn't really think about how difficult it would be. It was really hard at first! There were multiple times I went to grab a piece, then realized "oh wait, I can't." I'm used to having the choice of gum whenever I feel the need to, so it was weird not having that choice this week. I will admit it was very hard for me!

__Middle of the week__ I did absolutely terrible 3rd and 4th day. Day 3, "The world had a bitter taste. Life was tourmaline" (7) I broke it because I had something with onions in it, which made my breath smell lovely. I felt really bad for giving in, but then again I wouldn't want to be walking around all day with bad breath. Day 4, I went to grab a piece of gum because it was during the 3 hour PSAT and I got really hungry. I'm really bad at giving up things. I think it would be a lot easier for me to give up Facebook then gum because I've given up Facebook before and know what it's like.

__ End of the week __

The last couple of days were still hard but I somewhat got used to not having gum. "He fasted for 28 days" (7) Day 5 was pretty simple, I didn't really think about it much. Day 6, I was so relieved that it was the last day! I really missed not having gum. (Even though I broke it a couple times) Although I didn't too well, it was a good experience. I don't think I'll be giving up gum again anytime soon, but it was an interesting time not having gum.

__Closing Reflection__

Overall, giving up gum was very difficult. I am so used to chewing it every single day. At the end of the week, I was able to accept it but the last day I was very happy it was over. I did break it twice. I don't think I'm going to be giving up gum again anytime soon! I think this was a cool experience for our class though!

The Awakening

// "All of it was beautiful, all of it was mysterious and magical." //

I drew this picture because it shows the scene very well. It has all three of the colors yellow, green, and blue in it. "Here was blue here was yellow; here was green" [pg 22] There is a river flowing in front of him, and he is standing in a nice, peaceful, forest underneath a large grove. The sun is about to go behind the clouds for the night, and the grass is becoming wet from the dew. It's getting a bit colder because of the wind. The trees are waving back and forward. You can no longer see the fish in the river anymore. Siddhartha is a happy man, in a peaceful place, surrounded by nature.


 * __ Kamala __**



**About Me**: **Name:** Kamala **Physical Features:** Brown hair, blue eyes.

Looking for a man that knows love and is willing to give his time to have a relationship. No secrets can be kept in a relationship. She doesn't want to be close to danger "In a friendly way he stroked her cheek" [pg 28]. She wants a man that can make her feel special and give his love to her.

Kamala introduces physical love. "He saw beneath high piled black hair a very fair, very soft, very clever face" [pg 28] She is a good teacher. Very interested in the art of love. She expects a lot but is still a beautiful woman. Kamala is Buddhist and followed Buddha when she got tired of her way of life. She has high expectations. She is very into 'love' and making sure people express love.

Hobbies: She is a follower of Buddha. She is very wealthy and likes knowing that. She wants you to be able to know how to write and draw. She is a very great teacher. She enjoys showing love and teaching.


 * __ Samsara: __**

//“What could I say to you that would be of value, except that perhaps you seek too much, that as a result of your seeking you cannot find.”//

__**Daily Routine:**__

I wake up in the morning, get up and go into the bathroom to wash my face. Then I go to my room and get dressed and ready for school. Then I go downstairs and figure out what I am going to eat for breakfast. After that, I get my school things together and leave for the bus stop or go out and catch a ride with my friend. When I get to school, I go to class. When it's time, I go to the cafeteria and eat lunch. After school, I usually go back home and grab a snack, then get started on my homework. After a little bit, we have dinner. After dinner I usually finish up on my homework then watch T.V, get on Facebook or something then head to bed. That's my daily routine! I didn't think much of it until I did this project, that I have such a boring routine every single day. I don't even think about what I'm doing because I've gotten so used to it. Some days go by very quick "The years sped by, cushioned by prosperity Siddhartha barely felt their passing" [pg 40] and some feel like they're never going to end.

__**The River**__

media type="youtube" key="ppYgrdJ0pWk" height="315" width="420"

"The Tide Is High" by Blondie

'The tide is high but I'm holding on.' - I think this song can relate to this part of the book because it's about a tide (like in water) and it's about holding on forever. Since the river is a symbol of eternity, I thought it would be a good relation.

media type="youtube" key="Glny4jSciVI" height="315" width="560" "We Are The World" (for Haiti) By Michael Jackson and others

'The world must come together as one.' - I think this song can relate to "The River" because it's talking about the world and how we're all apart of it. The River is about eternity in the universe (the world) so that's why I thought it would be good a connection. media type="youtube" key="vX07j9SDFcc" height="315" width="560" "The Circle of Life" by Carmen Twillie & Lebo M.

'It's the circle of life, and it moves us all through despair and hope through faith and love until we find our place.' - I picked this song because it's straight up about life and the world we live in. Since this part of the book is about eternity and the universe, it's the circle of life! It never ends, and that's why I thought this song was perfect.

"Serenely he gazed into the flowing river" [pg 54] "He felt as if the river had something special to tell him, something he did not yet know but was still awaiting him." [pg 54] "But the new Siddhartha felt a profound love for that flowing water and resolved in his mind not to leave it behind for quite some time." [pg 54]

__How does the plot structure affect the deeper meaning in the novel?__ The book Siddhartha has two parts to it. I think the plot is all over the place, I don't think it follows a straight line. It's pretty straight forward on what happens, when it's happening. Siddhartha's path to enlightenment is the big plot of the story. He lives a very nice, fine life as a young kid and into his teen years etc. He knows he won't be able to find enlightenment in his village he is living in. He knows of a bigger and better world out there, outside of his village. He left his village and saw so much more then he ever would have seen in his tiny village. He set out on his own because he believed the teaching of enlightenment could not be taught, it needed to be experienced. When Siddhartha leaves his village, he discovers what is a whole new world to him. He's never seen people suffering, or struggling for survival. He has had such a proper and 'easy' life in his little village, being the important person that he was. I think Siddhartha realized the world isn't all about him, and it's not all about being the 'most rich' or 'prettiest.' There's more in the world then those things. Siddhartha saw people fighting to survive, not being taken care of or pampered. He thought it was odd but I think he got used to it and realized there's more to life then being praised and worshiped. Siddhartha set out to find a better understanding of life. He wants to find the truth. Him and Govinda do believe it is possible. Siddhartha's thoughts about love definitely change throughout his path to enlightenment "He was awakened from that stupor by a hand touching his shoulder" [pg 69]. He eventually rejected love to a certain extent because he didn't think it would lead him to enlightenment or he didn't think it had anything to do with it. When Siddhartha encounters Om, it effects him in some way each time. The first one to be seen smiling was Govinda. Siddhartha saw him smile and he was very impressed. Even when they got into disagreements or didn't approve of something one another did, Govinda still had a smile on his face. Siddhartha at one point got a little bit jealous of Govinda from being the one to smile first. Although Siddhartha, along with anyone else in the world, will never have a full 100% understanding of life, "He now looked on people differently not as before but with less cleverness less pride" [pg 69] he knows a lot then he did or ever would have if he stayed in his little home village. As far as the 'smiles' go, enlightenment is better communicated without words. In the end, Siddhartha does end up finding enlightenment. I think Kamaela's death was a terrible tragedy to Siddhartha but in the same way, helping him realize what was important in life. He looked at his kid and saw himself as a youth. Even though there is much in the world to suffer from, and be upset about, there's many things to be thankful for and look forward to in life. Life is a cycle that keeps going and going and going. You can't just dwell on the bad things, "Although he was close to perfection and was suffering from his final wound he nevertheless felt that these child people were his brothers" [pg 69] which was what Siddhartha was doing at first. Later, he started realizing that's not what he should be doing, for his sons sake. I think it was great at the end when Siddhartha smiled, which meant he had finally found enlightenment. He definitely deserved it after all of the hard work he did, and the places he went in order continue and live his path to enlightenment. I think Siddhartha realized everything went through was worth it in the end, since he did eventually find enlightenment.