EmilyScrapbook2

=My Self-Deprivation Experience=

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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 desserts, like cookies and cake and ice cream, because I love sweet foods so much I knew it would be hard for me and I don't technically need it to survive.=====

In the Beginning
In the beginning of the week, I was feeling strong, but very annoyed that I had to live without my yummy treats. On days one and two, I was obedient to my promise and did not give in to my temptation. I thought I had learned to ignore my wants, like how Siddhartha stood under the sun "burning with pain, burning with thirst, and he stood there until he no longer felt pain or thirst" (Hesse 8). I would be numb to my desires for a short time, and then all of the sudden i would be hit with a sharp craving for a cookie, or some candy. I also baked rice krispie treats for my friend's birthday and it was torurous not to taste one, just to make sure they weren't poisoned, of course.





Halfway through the week, I became frustrated by the fact that I wasn't allowed to have any sweets. I didn't realize how much of a sweet tooth I have. On Day 4, I gave up and have a piece of cake. It was just sitting on the table and I had just run a 5K at cross country practice. It didn't matter any more, I was finished! My struggle was over because of my choice.

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At the end of my experience, I unfortunately had given up completely on a life without sweets, especially chocolate. Having been raised on two desserts a day, the temptation of delicious food was too great to resist. I think something that contributed to my weakness was the fact that I didn't take this seriously. During Lent, I recognize that my refusal to eat sweets is trivial compared with Jesus' sacrifice of his life. I have no problems abstaining because of my beliefs, but for something insignificant like this, I didn't want to sacrifice anything because no one was truly making me. Siddhartha poses the question, "Are we not rather going around in a circle? (10). Even though I attempted this journey, I am now back where I started- eating dessert. Nothing has changed for me, so I have not gained any knowledge. In addition, Siddhartha makes the point that the samanas "shall do exercises, and shall fast and shall meditate. But [they] shall never attain nirvana..." (10) This reminds me of how I can feel strong while I am resisting desires, but that makes me want them more after I am allowed to have it again. I learned from this experience that deprivation can only be temporary for me, at least with tastebud-happy food. =====

=Awakening=

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Siddhartha reached awakening after he talked to the Buddha in the grove and began to realize himself and nature more fully. To him, awakening looked like "he was seeing the world for the first time. The world was beautiful" (Hesse 21-22) I chose to draw a river, forest and mountains because he vividly describes "...sky flowed, and river; forest, jutted upward, and mountains...and in the midst of it all, he, Siddhartha, awakening..." (22) He also mentioned that "he stood alone like a star in the sky..." (23) so I included a star.

Kamala



 * Name ** : Kamala


 * Location ** : The Pleasure Grove


 * Eyes ** : dark


 * Hair ** : black

I am an extremely beautiful woman who is very wealthy. I have many servants and I am fair, soft, and clever, with highly arched eyebrows. I wear lots of jewelry, and am very mysterious. **Hobbies / Profession** I am a professional lover, teaching men, the art of love. I spend my time relaxing in the lap of luxury and enjoying myself. I can be an "instructress"(34) as I was for Siddhartha, and I have many suitors for you to compete with for my love. **Looking For** Men who seek my services must come in elegant, handsome shoes,and be very very wealthy, with many gifts for me. As I told Siddhartha, "' You will need a lot of money if you wish to be Kamala's friend'" (32) If you meet these requirements, come and talk to me.
 * About Me**

= My Daily Life =

//Write down a list of things you do every day or every week. What are your routines? What does a day in your life look like? What do you get caught up in day to day that may keep you from realizing the "meaning of life" or reaching enlightenment? Remember, you will need at least 6 frames for your comic - so you will need at least 6 "routines." You can write them here:// //1. Wake up// //2. Swim Practice// //3. Go to school// //4. Eat a packed lunch.// //5. Talk to friends.// //6. Run.// //7. Read a good book/do homework.// //8. Go to bed.//

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Analysis //After you have your routines and your comic strips, explain your comic strip here. Compare your life and routines to those of Siddhartha. Do you think your routines have a positive or negative effect on your life? You can write that here:// I have a pretty typical life routine I follow. I wake up around 4:30 am to go to swim practice, then I head to school for an exhausting and stressful day. If it is during the cross-country season, I head for an about-4 mile run. Afterwards I come home and do homework/ go on facebook, and then go to bed ready for another tiring day. It can be astonishing sometimes how after a morning swim I can feel so wide-awake and ready to tackle the day. I experience something similar to the feeling Siddhartha once felt- "that lofty, clear sensation of wakefulness" (40) I feel that my sports are very important to my well-being, however, they do keep me up late and tired/stressed with homework and school.

=The River= media type="youtube" key="0_RWsCZYnu8" height="315" width="560" Song: River Song, by Ally Rhodes

"You're a child of the darkness Born and bred to close your eyes."
 * Lyrics:**

"His sleep was deep and dreamless, for a long time he had not known such sleep... 'I am standing once more in the sunshine...'" (48, 51)
 * Quote from the text:**

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When I was searching for river songs, I found this really pretty song that happens to relate closely to Siddhartha. It talks about waking up to the sound of the river and renewal, and being born anew in a way.The song says "You're a child of the darkness, born and bred to close your eyes", and the book makes a reference of Siddharths's "deep and dreamless" sleep as well. I think this song relates closely to Siddhartha's latest awakening in "By the River."======

media type="youtube" key="CdgJuP_htAE" height="315" width="420" Song: "Just Around the Riverbend", from Disney's Pocohantas

"You can't step in the same river twice The water's always changing, always flowing"
 * Lyrics:**

"...he saw the river going downward too, moving constantly downstream, but singing merrily as it went"(51)
 * Quote from the text:**

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I have always loved Disney and I immediately thought of this song when I read the river segment. It is true that "The water's always changing, always flowing," and Siddhartha contemplates the fact as well that the river "[moves] constantly downstream" but yet new water always appears in the same spot. I find it interesting to think of the water as moving and a whole but the river is always there being replaced by fresh water.======

media type="youtube" key="BeTu8twnGvU" height="315" width="420" Song: "Walk on the Water" by Britt Nicole

"If you take that first step into the unknown"..."Your insecurities try to alter you"
 * Lyrics:**

"He saw a frightful void in that water, corresponding to the void in his soul...that dog Siddhartha, that lunatic, that corrupt decayed body"(47)
 * Quote from the text:**

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The parallels between this favorite song of mine and Siddhartha are in the unknown, partially fearful aspect of water. Siddhartha stares into the river where he plans to drown himself and "he saw a frightful void in that water. Also he obviously has "insecurities" that try to alter him because he describes how he thinks of himself as a "dog...that lunatic, that corrupt, decayed body." I feel really sorry for Siddhartha at this point when he wants to use the river as a means of suicide that I am extremely glad that he finds om and enlightenment in it later.======