Siddhartha Exams

The blue book essay exam for Siddhartha is Thursday, November 8.

The 40-question multiple choice Siddhartha exam is on Friday, November 9. Be sure to study your vocabulary words too.

Siddhartha Chapters and Vocab

1. Brahmin’s Son
Hindu Ablutions

2. With the Samanas
Onerous cycle of samsara

3. Gotama
Siddhartha as Samana
The Illustrious One’s exalted teachings

4. Awakening
Siddhartha seeks Atman
Siddhartha’s years of asceticism

5. Kamala
Siddhartha’s thoughts and erudition
Kamala, the well-known courtesan

6. Amongst the People
Siddhartha surpasses Kamaswami’s equanimity.

7. Samsara
Knowledge engendered a new thirst in Siddhartha.

8. By the River
Siddhartha is full of ennui.
Siddhartha reflects back on expiation of his youth.

9. Ferryman
Kamala’s pallid face
Kamala’s funeral pyre

10. The Son
Siddhartha fears his son will be lost in samsara
Exhortation is no way to find oneself.

11. Om
The river voices were entwined in a thousand ways.
The river voices consisted of one word: om.

12. Govinda
Govinda, the venerable one
Is Nirvana only intrinsic?

Overall Siddhartha Discussion

Overall Book Discussion

1. Discuss the influence of the following characters on Siddhartha’s life:
A. Govinda
B. Kamala
C. Kamaswami
D. Vasudeva
E. Siddhartha’s son
F. Gotama

2. Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha has moved from a best-seller during the 1960s—a time known for self-exploration—to a classic novel on the “Top 100 Books to Read Before College. A novel that stands the test of time has a variety of life lessons that readers can learn. What major themes, or life lessons, did you discover as you read the novel? Discuss supporting quotations and examples.

3. What did you think of Hermann Hesse’s writing style, especially his use of similes and metaphors? Be sure to comment on the effect of the similes and metaphors on the work as a whole.

Hinduism Terms Due Friday, Oct. 26

On Friday, October 26, you must have a definition for each of the Hindu terms listed below in your notebook. You can find those definitions by exploring the World Lit student blogs linked to the right. Also, your notebook needs to have one sentence for each term that connects the term to the novel Siddhartha. While you are exploring the Hindu student blogs to find your definitions, you might want to comment on their blog since you need to comment on each blog created for your class.

Hindu terms found in Siddhartha:

meditation
Dharma
Brahmin
Karma
Samsara
Moksha
The Vedas
Om
Atman

Blog Comments Due Monday, Oct. 29

You must make at least one blog comment on each of your classmates' blogs by Monday, Oct. 29. This weekend as I am doing the final assessments of the blogs, I expect to see a lot of student comments.

Comment away!

Siddhartha Themes

Siddhartha contains a variety of life lessons (themes). As you read the novel, reflect on how the topics below are being developed into themes.

theme = topic + action verb + direct object and/or prepositional phrase

Topics to consider:

discontent
searching
love
parents
virtue
awakening
friendship
suffering
peacefulness
waiting
thinking
fasting
listening

Hesse's Metaphors in Siddhartha

As you read Siddhartha, notice the following metaphors and examine how those metaphors help to develop characters and themes in the novel.

river
spiral
circle
snake
potter's wheel
caged bird
trees

Buddhism in Siddhartha

Know the following Buddhist terms/concepts and how they relate to the novel Siddhartha. I have even indicated a few specific page numbers to explore.

ascetics (aka samanas)
Four Noble Truths (pages 14, 29)
Eightfold Noble Path (page 29)
meditation (pages 33, 38)
Enlightenment/nirvana (pages 33-34, 39)
Historical Buddha (pages 25-36)
Karma (page 32)
Dharma (teachings) (page 34)

The Historical Buddha vs. Hesse's Siddhartha

Hermann Hesse was fascinated by Eastern thought and had a good grasp on understanding Hinduism and Buddhism when he wrote Siddhartha. Some critics claim that the fictional character of Siddhartha in Hesse's novel Siddhartha is modeled after the Historical Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama.

Your task will be to create a double bubble map where you compare and contrast the Historical Buddha with Hesse's fictional Siddhartha. The frame of your map should contain key quotations from Hesse's text for your comparison as well as bridge maps that make analogies with relating factors between the two Siddharthas. Your frame should also contain your opinions regarding which aspects of the Historical Buddha were well portrayed in Hesse's novel. You may also wish to comment in the frame about why Hesse included both a Siddhartha and a Gotama character in his novel.

To learn about the Historical Buddha's life, click on your classmates' Buddhism blogs and review the brief outline of his life below.

The Historical Buddha (Shakyamuni Buddha)

1. His father shielded Gautama from suffering within castle walls.
2. Gautama goes out and sees cripple, old person, and corpse.
3. Studied with teachers but not satisfied.
4. Became ascetic—practicing self-denial
5. Sat under Bodhi tree and meditated for one week
6. Buddha—awakened one
7. Gave first sermon in Deer Park where he outlined The Four Noble Truths.

Siddhartha Vocabulary

You have two options for completing the vocabulary assignment for this novel. Choose one of the following:

1) Create a graphic novel flow map like you did with Brave New World where you illustrate the vocabulary words after you encounter them in the text.

Or

2) Write an original sentence where you demonstrate your understanding of the vocabulary word and then write three synonyms for the word. Creating "synonym triplets" extends your understanding of each word.

Here is the vocabulary list for Siddhartha with two words per reading night:

Ablutions: p. 3, a religious washing or cleansing of the body

Onerous: p. 16, troublesome, oppressive, burdensome

Samanas: p. 26, forest dweller, wandering ascetic (leads austere life of self-denial)

exalted: p. 32, elevated in character or rank; lofty, sublime

atman: p. 38, the individual soul
Atman: the supreme and universal soul

asceticism: p. 40, the practice of self-denial to let the soul release from bondage.

erudition: p. 47, deep and extensive learning

courtesan: p. 52, a kept woman associating with men of wealth

equanimity: p. 67, quality of being calm and even-tempered

engendered: p. 83, brought into existence, produced

ennui: p. 87, listlessness resulting from boredom or lack of interest

expiation: p. 96, act of making atonement, redress

pallid: p. 113, having a pale complexion

pyre: p. 115, a heap of combustibles for burning a corpse

samsara: p. 120, cycle of rebirth

exhortation: p. 121, a speech to advise or encourage

entwined: p. 135, twisted together

om: p. 136, perfection or the perfect syllable

venerable: p. 140, commanding respect because of great age or impressive dignity

intrinsic: p. 147, belonging to a thing by its very nature

Siddhartha Questions for Chapters 1 & 2

Stage 1 Questions: Re-tell the story.

These are content questions where the answer is right there in black and white. These questions are similar to reading quiz questions. You may ask a stage 1 question when you feel clarification is needed regarding the facts surrounding the plot, settings or characters.

Stage 1 Questions: Siddhartha Chapters 1 & 2

Why does Siddhartha leave his father?

What happens during Siddhartha’s stay with the Samanas? Why does he leave?

Stage 2 Questions: Extend the story to themes and explore literary devices.

These theme questions uncover the deeper meaning of a text. What is the author's central meaning or life lesson? Theme questions get at eliciting people's opinions that are supported with textual references. Stage 2 questions also uncover the author’s style and analyze literary devices used in the text.

Stage 2 Questions: Siddhartha Chapters 1 & 2

What themes is Hesse developing about parent/child relationships?

What are the necessary steps to finding yourself?

How do the circle and the sphere relate to the themes being developed in the book?

Stage 3 Questions: Connect the themes to personal experiences or world events.

These questions allow students to express their opinions about personal and world issues that they feel are relevant to their lives. To form a stage 3 question relate what you’ve read to your thoughts and feelings. Compare what you’ve read to other books, films and pop culture.

Stage 3 Questions: Siddhartha Chapters 1 & 2

Create a circle map where you define “search for self.” The frame of the map should include personal examples of you finding yourself.

Discuss a time when you disagreed with your parents. Be sure to comment on how the disagreement was resolved.

Siddhartha Reading Schedule

The date indicates the night you should read the pages listed as homework. For example, on October 23rd you will arrive in class having already read pages 3-24 the night before (October 22).

Oct. 22: pp. 3-24
Oct. 23: pp. 25-36
Oct 24: pp. 37-42
Oct. 25: pp. 45-61
Oct. 26: pp. 63-85
Oct. 29: pp. 87-100
Oct. 30: pp. 101-115
Oct. 31: pp.117-127
Nov. 1: pp. 129-137
Nov. 2: pp. 139-152

Frankenstein Field Trip

Remember to bring in your field trip permission form and $11 payment for the Frankenstein play field trip. Checks should be made out to EHS.

Science and Religion

In honor of the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded this week, we will read a piece written by a past Nobel Peace Prize winner--Jimmy Carter--on a topic timely for discussion this unit.

For a final word discussion next Tuesday, October 16, students will read a chapter from Jimmy Carter's book Our Endangered Values entitled "No Conflict Between Science and Religion."

Students will annotate the chapter as homework prior to the final word discussion. If you had trouble talking for your entire minute or two minute time frame during the last final word discussion, you may wish to annotate even more this time.

Here are some possible tasks that you might decide to do in the margins of the text while annotating the Carter chapter to ensure that you can speak intelligently for your given time.

1. TPCASTT Carter's poem in the chapter
2. clarify Carter's points
3. State why you agree with certain points that Carter raises
4. State why you disagree with certain points that Carter raises
5. Connect the selection back to Huxley and Brave New World
6. Connect the selection forward to the religion that you are researching

World Masterpieces and Religion

The class textbook, World Masterpieces, contains a vast array of nonfiction selections on the five major religions of the world as well as a collection of sacred texts. We will read not only the nonfiction selections to give you a better understanding of the five religions, but also some of the sacred texts. We will examine literary devices used in those texts, including character, setting, symbol, tone and theme.

Here is a list of the nonfiction sections of World Masterpieces that everyone in the class will read:

• Hinduism: “Religious Thought” and “Language” pp. 149-150; “The Rig Veda” pp. 152-153; “Upanishads” p. 160; “Religion in India” pp. 164-165; “Hindu dharma” p. 167.
• Buddhism: p. 217, p. 229, “Religious Traditions” p. 263
• Judaism: “Hebrews” p. 10; “Hebrew Literature” p. 38
• Christianity: “Christian Humanism and Reformation” p. 662-663
• Islam: “Persian and Arabic Lit” pp. 77-84; “Koran” pp. 106-107; “Sufism” p. 111.

Making a Blog and Group Roles

This 50-point assignment is as much as a unit final essay, so plan your work ethic accordingly.

All members of the group should equally contribute to the content of your group's blog. The teacher will be able to tell that people are equally contributing by the "posted by" that appears at the end of each blog post.

Your group should assign the following four roles so that one member of the group is an expert in each area:

Blog Administrator: This computer savvy student sets up the blog and makes sure it's graphically appealing and engaging. Perhaps the blog will include helpful links, a poll, and labels for posts to ease searching. The blog administrator for your group needs to set up a blog. It's easy in blogger. Just follow the instructions from Edina English teacher Jim Hatten by clicking here.

Textbook Reader: This strong reader signs out a Patterns of Religion textbook and reviews it for relevant information regarding history, beliefs, and practices. Since this book is a teacher-selected and school board approved book, information paraphrased from here does not have to be analyzed for credibility.

Copy Editor and Citation Cop: This strong writer proofreads all the group's blog entries for mechanical errors and to make sure all information is appropriately paraphrased or quoted directly. The citation cop also makes sure that all information and graphics are cited.

Internet Fact Checker/Evaluator: This strong evaluator reviews the websites being cited on your group's blog to determine credibility. Although authors will be determining if an Internet site is credible, the evaluator will double check the site's credibility by following the evaluation flow map for each site.

Religion Blog and Presentation Schedule

During this project students will study the five major religions of the world. Remember that the Supreme Court has ruled that studying religion in an academic manner is not a violation of church and state laws (Engel v. Vitale, 1962, 370 U.S. 421.). However, students need to be sensitive to others, and remember that preaching and praying are not allowed in public schools. Keep it academic, and all of us will benefit by increasing our cultural literacy.

Monday, Oct. 8

• Determine which religions you would be interested in studying on an academic level.
• Submit a ranked list of your top three “religions to study” choices.
• Your submission sheet may also include information about class members that you would like to work with and why.
  

Tuesday, Oct. 9

• Meet group members and determine blog administrator (although every member needs to post information and keep track of sources used).
• Discuss what you already know about the history, beliefs and practices of the religion that you were assigned. Record this information on a tree map in your notebook.
• Review the possible terms to research. You do not need to define and/or discuss every term. Every student will be making a tree map of history, beliefs, and practices during your presentation, so let that framework be your guide.
• Review your tree map and decide where to begin your research. For credibility and academic pursuits, you need to find sources for information that you already know.
  

Wednesday, Oct 10 and Thursday, Oct. 11

• Your class will meet in the media center for research and blogging.
• Also explore books on the religions. Picture books are a great way to get a quick, visual overview of a religion.
• Give the teacher the group’s URL for linking your blog to http://www.mrsroehl.blogspot.com/.
  For academic credibility, use the flow map in your notebook to evaluate all web sites used.
• For academic credibility, information on the blog needs to be cited. Links to the web site used from the relevant blog post are sufficient. Refer to MLA format for books.
• Images also need to be cited.
  

Friday, Oct. 12

• We are back in the classroom to synthesis information that you have already gathered on your religion.
• You will complete a “word inquisition” on your religion and add to your tree map. Those tasks will help your group determine what work still needs to be done.
• Silent reading of religion background selections that are found in World Masterpieces.
  

Monday, Oct. 15

• In media center for blogging.
• At this time the blog posts should be becoming visual.
  

Tuesday, Oct. 16 and Wednesday, Oct. 17

• Reading activities in the classroom.

Monday, Oct. 22

• Begin Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.

Tuesday, Oct. 23

• Groups use their blogs as visual aids during a class presentation on the history, beliefs and practices of their assigned religion. The presentation needs to be at least five minutes long.
• Audience members create a tree map for each presentation in their notebooks. The tree maps list details learned about the history, beliefs, and practices of each religion.
• Students need to review their classmates’ blogs this week and post comments to give feedback. The blogs will be linked to http://www.mrsroehl.blogspot.com/.
  

Religious Terms: Islam

Your blog and presentation needs to discuss the history, beliefs, and practices of your assigned religion. You may wish to consider reporting on some of the terms in this blog post.

The words below were found in E.D. Hirsch's Cultural Literacy.

Allah
jihad
Koran
Mecca
Mohammad
monotheism
mosque
Muslims
prayer rug
predestination
Ramadan
Shi’ite
Sunni

Terms that World Literature students studied in the past that were not found in Hirsch's Cultural Literacy:

Five Pillars
Six Articles

Religious Terms: Christianity

Your blog and presentation needs to discuss the history, beliefs, and practices of your assigned religion. You may wish to consider reporting on some of the terms in this blog post.

The words below were found in E.D. Hirsch's Cultural Literacy.

Eastern Orthodox

advent
Ash Wednesday
baptism
Bible
canonization
Christ
Christmas
Communion
confession
Easter
free will
Good Friday
Lent
Messiah
monotheism
original sin
Palm Sunday
priest
sacrament
saint
salvation
schism
sign of the cross
Trinity

Roman Catholic

advent
Ash Wednesday
Augustine
baptism
Bible
canonization
cardinals
Christmas
Communion
confession
Counter Reformation
Easter
encyclical
free will
Good Friday
infallibility, papal
Jesuits
Lent
limbo
Messiah
monotheism
mortal sin/venal sin
original sin
Palm Sunday
priest
purgatory
rosary
sacrament
saint
salvation
schism
sign of the cross
transubstantiation
Trinity

Protestant

advent
Amish
Ash Wednesday
baptism
Baptists
Bible
born-again Christian
Calvin, John
Christ
Christmas
Church of England
Communion
Easter
free will
Good Friday
Lent
Luther, Martin
Mennonites
Messiah
minister
monotheism
original sin
Palm Sunday
predestination
Presbyterian Church
sacrament
saint
salvation
Trinity
Wesley, John
Work ethic

Religious Terms: Judaism

Your blog and presentation needs to discuss the history, beliefs, and practices of your assigned religion. You may wish to consider reporting on some of the terms in this blog post.

The words below were found in E.D. Hirsch's Cultural Literacy.

bar mitzvah
Conservative Judaism
Day of Atonement
Hanukkah
Hasidism
kosher
matzo
menorah
Messiah
monotheism
Orthodox Judaism Passover
Purim
rabbi
Reform Judaism
Rosh Hashanah
synagogue
Talmud
Torah
yarmulke
Yom Kippur

Terms that World Literature students studied in the past that were not found in Hirsch's Cultural Literacy:

Bat Mitzvah
Sabbath
Shavout
Sukkoth
Holocaust
Abraham

Religious Terms: Buddhism

Your blog and presentation needs to discuss the history, beliefs, and practices of your assigned religion. You may wish to consider reporting on some of the terms in this blog post.

The words below were found in E.D. Hirsch's Cultural Literacy.

Buddha
lama
monks
nirvana
prayer wheel
reincarnation
Zen

Terms that World Literature students studied in the past that were not found in Hirsch's Cultural Literacy:

Dharma
Anatta
Karma
The Four Nobel Truths
The Eightfold Noble Path
Koan

Religious Terms: Hinduism

Your blog and presentation needs to discuss the history, beliefs, and practices of your assigned religion. You may wish to consider reporting on some of the terms in this blog post.

The words below were found in E.D. Hirsch's Cultural Literacy.

asceticism
avatar
Bhagavad Gita
Brahmins
guru
reincarnation
Upanishads
Vishnu
yoga

Terms that World Literature students studied in the past that were not found in Hirsch's Cultural Literacy:

Caste system
Untouchables
Dharma
ashrama
karma
samsara
moksha
atman
Brahman
Samskaras
Vedas
Shiva

Upcoming Tests

Final exams for Brave New World

On Friday, Oct. 5 students will write an in-class blue book essay. On Friday, students will be given four essay questions, and they get to choose which one they wish to answer. The essay will be worth 50 points. Students are allowed to use their notebook and their novel on this essay exam.

On Monday, Oct. 8 students will answer a 50-question multiple choice exam (also for 50 points). The test has multiple choice questions on plot, a character matching section, a vocabulary matching section, and a miscellaneous multiple choice section with questions on Huxley's life and the three short pieces of fiction we studied--"Assembly Line," "Unknown Citizen," and Stanislaw Lem's "Electronic Bard." If you wish to review any of those short selections, links are available on this blog.