DavidDSB

David D'Atre's Scrapbook This is the place where I will write about the journey I follow to self-realization. My goal is to gain wisdom and takes steps towards enlightening myself. I will be following the journey of Siddhartha, the title character of Herman Hesse's // Siddhartha //, as a model for my own journey. The steps I have taken follow.


 * With The Samanas **

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 chocolate, because it's technically not something I ** need **. Technically.



First Two Days
The first two days of no chocolate were more or less uneventful. I was to busy with homework to concentrate on a lack of chocolate. Whenever chocolate crossed my mind it was as if chocolate had it's own will power. I simply had to overcome chocolate and I "conquered his will, commanded him silently to do as I wished" (Hesse 23). Then I would carry on and forget without the chocolate as normal.

Middle Two Days
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The middle two days of this assignment was rather less successful. At the beginning of a weekend trip one of my freinds surprised me with a box of Feror Rocher, My absolute favorite chocolate in the world, for a secret santa-like tradition. A long bus ride and an unsatisfactory dinner led me to think more and more of the chocolate, until eventually I decided that "I will not walk the path of the Samanas much longer" (22). With one last ceremonial effort, I gave up and demolished my chocolate, setting the tone for the rest of the weekend.

Last Two Days
The last two days were more or less business as usual. I had Hershey's kiss here, a chocolate bar there. I had failed in the middle and I saw no point to continue. I had "no desire to walk on water" (24), or any other such colossal feat caused through some means of deprivation. The project was more or less at the back of my mind, as was the chocolate. I was simply eating off reflex without effort to or not to eat. Awakening

[[image:David D'Atre Snapshot.jpg align="left"]]Quote:
As Siddhartha looked out he saw the world as it is. For the first time he was not searching for hidden meaning or striving to find what lay behind a veil that was reality. For the first time Siddhartha understood that "Meaning and reality were not hidden somewhere behind things, they were in them, in all of them" (39). There was meaning in the trees, in the water, and in the bushes. The meaning was that there were trees, there was water, and there were bushes.

Analysis:
I chose to paint the green grasses, blue sky and river, distant mountains, and trees because that is what Siddhartha mentions. The reflections in the water represent the fragility of any hidden meaning or truth beyond what they are. I believe that Hesse chose the setting with blue and green to represent a rebirth of Siddhartha as he discovers the truth of reality. The yellow symbolizes happiness. The woods represent the beggining of Siddhartha's life as well, and the water in the river represents his newfound wisdom.

Kamala:
Name: Kamala

Location: The Pleasure Grove

Eyes: Bluish Gray

Hair: Dark Brown

About Me (looks):
My favorite dress is colored green an gold, complementing "a bright red mouth like a freshly cut fig, artful eyebrows...and a clear slender neck," (51). Could you guess of my passion from the color of these lips and my desire for money from the color of my dress? My beauty is unparalleled by any other, making me desirable by all men named Siddhartha or otherwise. My face and eyes are bright, clever, and intriguing, as am I.

Hobbies/Profession (actions):
====I am a "well-known courtesan" (52) amongst the people in my town. I enjoy to spend time in my grove, though I also have a house in the town. Does my time in a grove of trees tell you anything of what I enjoy doing there? For it is my pleasure to teach those who come to me, for a price. I enjoy pretty things and the treating handsome men to my company. Can you tell how spoiled I am? Can you tell how much I love the fruits of passion and happy emotions in life?====

Looking for (speech, effect on others):
To hope to catch me the suitors must be young and "come to me in fine clothes, in fine shoes" (54). The suitors must smell nice and have deep purses. I am not hard to catch to one who has these things and is pleasing to look at. I enjoy my pre tty things. I want someone who will do what I want, or else it will not be as sweet. I want a man of wealth, love, and willing to listen to a woman.

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"Never Let Me Go" by Florence and the Machine
 * Song:**

"And the arms of the ocean are carrying me And all this devotion was rushing out of me In the crushes of heaven for a sinner like me But the arms of the ocean delivered me
 * Lyrics:**

Though the pressure's hard to take It's the only way I can escape It seems a heavy choice to make And now I am under all

And it's breaking over me A thousand miles down to the sea bed Found the place to rest my head Never let me go Never let me go Never let me go Never let me go

And the arms of the ocean are carrying me And all this devotion was rushing out of me In the crushes of heaven for a sinner like me But the arms of the ocean delivered me

And it's over And I'm going under But I'm not giving up I'm just giving in

I'm slipping underneath So cold and so sweet"

"I sat here and listened to the river. It has told me a great deal, it has filled me with great thoughts, with thoughts of unity," (Hesse 114).
 * Quote from the text:**


 * Analysis**:

Siddhartha was saved from the pain of loss and delivered from the individual Self by the river, having achieved peace and learned "of unity" (Hesse 114) from the river. The song speaks of "The arms of the ocean deliver[ing]," (Florence and the Machine). In both the flowing water was the savior, the source of strength, and the comfort.

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"I've Got Peace Like A River" by Gwyneth Walker
 * Song:**

"I've got peace, love, & joy like a river I've got peace, love, & joy like a river I've got peace, love, & joy like a river in my soul..."
 * Lyrics: **

"The new Siddhartha felt a deep love for this flowing water," (Hesse 100). After Siddhartha was re-awakened by the river and "The new Siddhartha felt a deep love for this flowing water," (Hesse 100), a love that he learned from a combination of sleep, meditation, and the river. The river symbolizes Siddhartha's renewal of faith and is the connection to all of his lives. He came to the river as a Samana seeking to cross, as a rich man seeking to die, and finally as the new Siddhartha who has "got peace, love, & joy like [the] river in [his] soul," (Walker). In both the song and the story the river represents peace, love, and joy.
 * Quote from the text:**
 * Analysis**:

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 * Song: I'll Make a Man out of You" by Disney**

"We must be swift as the coursing river, With all the force of the great typhoon With all the strength of the raging fire Mysterious as the dark side of the moon"
 * Lyrics: **

"Love this river, stay by it, learn from it," (Hesse 101)
 * Quote from the text:**


 * Analysis**:

Siddhartha decides that the river is a form of perfection and that he will "learn from it," (Hesse 101), just as the soldiers must learn to "be swift as the coursing river," (Disney) in Mulan. The river in both symbolizes a form of perfection to be attained, a force of nature. Mysterious, powerful, knowledgable, worthwhile, and desirable.