MaggyCSB

Maggy'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.

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== = With The Samanas :=

[[image:driddle10h/chocolate-08.jpg width="264" height="157" align="left"]] The Assignment :
To ge t 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.

= Beginning of the Week : = == At the beginning of the week my withdrawal from chocolate did not seem to be much of a challenge. The first day I barely even thought about the chocolate that I could not have. On the second day I started missing the sweet taste of chocolate. While Siddhartha is living with the ascetics he was often tempted and believed, "The world had a bitter taste, Life was torment"(7). I can relate to Siddhartha, because without chocolate everyday, everything was bitter. It was a bit hard getting out of my normal routine of eating chocolate everyday whenever I wanted to, but at the beginning of the week I didn't have many problems. = Middle of the Week **:** = Around the third and fourth days of the week I started really missing chocolate. Not eating any chocolate for two whole days started to get to me. I was constantly tempted by candy sitting around the house that I could easily pick up and eat but had to tell myself not to. Some parts of the day were better than others, like Siddhartha's journey where "he was moving through the cycle, he felt thirst, overcame his thirst, felt fresh thirst" (8). At certain points of the day I barely thought about chocolate so it wasn't hard to resist it, but at other times I felt like I needed to eat it and it took all my strength not to. = End of the Week = By the end of the week I was definitely ready to just give in and eat chocolate. It was a very hard challenge and I felt proud of myself for accomplishing it. It was like Siddhartha when "He took the path of liberation from self through pain, through voluntary suffering and conquest of the pain of hunger" (8). I conquered hunger, like Siddhartha, and was able to go a week without eating something that I was used to eating everyday. Overall the week was a sad and painful one that I hope I won't have to go through again, but I am glad I made it through.

= The Awakening :=

Analysis :
I drew the setting of Siddhartha's awakening like this because of the way it was described in the book. I used the colors "blue", "yellow", and "green" because those are the colors Siddhartha sees. Also I put in a "river" in the middle of "wood" with trees and in the background "mountains" because that is what the landscape looked like to Siddhartha. Hesse used this setting to contribute to Siddhartha's awakening experience. The colors described represent a variety of archetypes. Some include green, which represents earth and serenity, and blue, which represents water, purity, and change. Siddhartha's awakening was calm and a changing point in his life. Also the color yellow is mentioned, which represents light, wisdom, and enlightening, which makes sense because it is describing Siddhartha's awakening in which he gains wisdom. The different colors and the landscape add to Siddhartha's experience and help to describe the way he was feeling. =

= = Kamala: =

Name: Kamala

Location: I live in a grove by town.

Eyes: My eyes are "dark" and "alert"(28).

Hair: My hair is "black"(28).

About Me (looks):
I have a "very fair"(28) face, with ruby lips that resemble "a newly opened fig"(28) which are appealing to men. I keep my eyebrows well maintained and my eyes are "clever"(28) and help me attract men. My beauty along with my intelligence makes me unique.

Hobbies / Profession (actions):
I spend my time helping to teach men "the joys of love"(30). All kinds of men come to me to learn and I am a professional. I appreciate the finer things in life and seek out pleasures.

Looking For (speech, effect on others) :
Although I teach the art of love making to many men, I have high standards. The men that come to me must be in possession of "handsome clothes"(30), "good-looking shoes, and a lot of money in his purse"(30). I need a man that will shower me with lavish gifts. I can turn even the least experienced men into masters of the art of love making. After spending time with me my companions come around to see the world through my eyes and appreciate different things in life.

= Samsara :=

My Daily Life: 1. Wake up. 2. Eat breakfast. 3. Ride the bus to school. 4. Sit in classes for 7 hours. 5. Ride the bus home. 6. Do my homework. 7. Eat dinner. 8. Go to sleep.

The Comic :


= Analysis := Everyday I do the same thing. I wake up in the morning at 7:00 and get ready for the day. Then I go downstairs and have a quick boring breakfast to get me through the first two classes of the day. I ride the bus to school, getting there about five minutes before the bell and sit in classes for seven hours. After suffering through school I get back on the loud, crowded bus and get home at about 4:30. From there I go to my room and of all of my homework, taking a break for dinner with my family, and resuming my work. By the time I'm done with all my homework it's time for bed, I go to sleep and in the morning wake up and do it all again. I feel like Siddhartha because although I'm living my life in the world it seems as if I'm not "really belonging to it"(40). All the days seem exactly the same and my routine makes it feel like I'm not even living my life. Ever since school started I've been stuck in the same boring and stressful routine. =

= = The River: = "Watching the River Flow" By: Bob Dylan media type="custom" key="24523366"

Lyrics :
"But this ol' river keeps on rollin', though, No matter what gets in the way and which way the wind does blow, And as long as it does I'll just sit here And watch the river flow."

= Quote From Text : = "By that river he halted, lingering hesitantly on its bank"(47). "looked down into the green water that continued to flow by below him"(47).

Analysis :
In this song by Bob Dylan, he talks about getting away from his life and just "watch the river flow"(Bob Dylan). Siddhartha also leaves his whole life behind and comes to a river where he watched "the green water that continued to flow by behind him"(47). Bob Dylan also says even though life has problems and people don't always get along, the river continues to flow. This is like Siddhartha because he leaves his life behind which was full of problems and comes to the river to forget about it all.

"Counting Stars" By: One Republic media type="custom" key="24525818"

Lyrics :
"Sink in the river The lessons are learnt"

Quote From the Text :
"'Yes,' said the ferryman, 'It is a very beautiful river. I love it above everything. I have often listened to it, gazed at it, and I have always learned something from it. One can learn much from a river'" (27). "Siddhartha was transformed, he was renewed"(48).

Analysis :
One Republic talks about how "the lessons are learnt"(OneRepublic) from sinking in the river, which is much like Siddhartha's experience. Upon Siddhartha's first arrival on the river the ferry man says he has "always learned something from it"(27). When Siddhartha walks away from his life with Kamala and falls asleep by the river he wakes up "transformed"(48) and "renewed"(48). Siddhartha learns things from the river just like the ferryman did and One Republic sings about.

"The River" By: Good Charlotte media type="custom" key="24526164"

Lyrics :
"Now I'm trying to find my way back home. Baptized in the river, I'm delivered,"

Quote From the Text :
"Perhaps he had really died, had perished, and was now reborn in a new shape?"(48).

Analysis :
In Christian faith being baptized represents rebirth and renewal, like you are washed clean of all your sins. In this song Good Charlotte discusses finding their way back home by being "baptized in the river"(Good Charlotte). Siddhartha has the same kind of experience when he sleeps by the river and thinks he is "reborn in a new shape"(48). It seems as though he has been renewed and has a purpose in life once again. Both in the book and the song the river and baptism represent reawakening and cleansing.

= Works Cited: = Hesse, Herman. //Siddhartha//. New York: Bantam, 1971.