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

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