...difference times and cultures, Siddhartha and Antigone took steps to do what they believed was right even though they failed some expectations by doing so; in other words, they followed their inner sense of truth instead of fulfilling the obligations. Their journeys to their ideal good lives share both similarities and differences. Both Siddhartha and Antigone sacrificed and advanced, but they experienced difference consequences. Both Siddhartha and Antigone achieved...
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...the field of not only your morality but the morality of others and how they influence you. In Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha, Siddhartha’s voyage to find his Self closely follows Lawrence Kohlberg’s Levels of Moral Development by the different moral stages Siddhartha experiences throughout his journey. Kohlberg’s theory is split into three levels each with two stages. The first level is Pre-conventional morality with stage one: Obedience and punishment orientation, and stage two: Instrumental Orientation. Which basically...
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...Throughout the novel “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha was on a journey to find enlightenment by whatever means available. He worshipped as a Brahman and a Semana; he was a merchantman, a business tycoon; he apprenticed under a wiser river man, learning from the reflective river. He spent his entire life searching for enlightenment on his own, and in the end he was satisfied. But can you be enlightened if your religious belief system is adopted from somebody else? Shouldn’t something as abstract as faith be the journey of an individual? Adhering to somebody else’s rules and ideas really takes the personal factor out of finding enlightenment or leading a peaceful happy life. Humans are always asking questions and challenging ideas....
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...In the book “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha had to embrace experiences that helped him to grow, and to be a better person. This happened when he left Govinda, and continued on his journey, without the encouraging words of Govinda guiding him. I have had an experience such as this when our family picked out a Christmas tree for our home. I realized my brother would not always be there. I saw that he would not always be there physically, but he would always be there for me if I needed him, just as Govinda was there for Siddhartha when he needed him the most. My brother, Matt, was a good brother, great friend, and an amazing advisor; and until last Christmas, when we were picking out a tree, I believed he would always be with me. When...
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...The novel Siddhartha by Herman Hesse examines the life of Siddhartha, the main character as he goes on a journey searching for Nirvana. Likewise, the poem “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman also depicts a man’s journey of personal discovery. Whitman begins his poem exclaiming to an unknown listener that is “large and contains multitudes” (Whitman 8). With these words, the poet is saying he is a complex person who is interested about the world. The poet sees the world as exciting and multifaceted. Similar to his vision of the world, the poet’s soul is convoluted and contradictory. Like Whiteman, Siddhartha has a restless soul. For example, “his intellect was not satisfied, his soul was not at peace, his heart was not still” (Hesse 5). Moreover,...
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...Siddhartha by german writer, Hermann Hesse, follows the journey of a boy as he becomes an enlightened man. The journey of Siddhartha is an inspiring one, going through several stages to achieve one goal. Personally, I believe that in today’s society we are deprived of taking journeys to find ourselves. Some human beings could use a transformation, or two, or three. The novel is littered with aspects of romanticism, which is very lacking in the “real life.” It is also lacking in modern literature. Romanticism has six main characteristics: emotion over reason, character introspection, love as a spiritual entity, emphasis on nature, preference to rural society over urban society, and subjectivity on the author’s part. Siddhartha has ample evidence to supply for its focus on emotions, introspection, love, nature, and rural societies. Siddhartha focuses primarily on the emotions of the titular character. His drive is viewed as unreasonable, fueled strictly by how he feels throughout his journey. Siddhartha’s feelings of discontent among the Brahman are what lead on the path he chooses. Under the banyan tree, his meditation brings him this conclusion, “It had to be found, the pristine source in one's own self, it had to be possessed! Everything else was searching, was a detour, was getting lost. Thus were Siddhartha's thoughts, this was his thirst, this was his suffering.” (Hesse, Kindle Locations 74-76). He feels so strongly about finding the cure for his discontent, that he feels...
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...the world and his own path in life. Siddhartha has many experiences throughout his life, which affect his path and his views about attaining inner peace. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is about Siddhartha a young man living in India who is trying to find happiness within himself. The book describes his spiritual journey and quest to reach happiness with his companion, Govinda. Siddhartha realizes that he should not follow specific directions or teachings of other people to reach enlightenment, as demonstrated by his experience living as a Brahmin, joining the Samanas and learning the teachings of the Buddha, but should rather follow his own unique path...
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...Gao #6 K. Kassakatis C&C Honors World Literature 17 September 2015 Siddhartha Socratic Seminar Questions 1. While Siddhartha’s journey is uniquely his own, it is also everyone’s journey. What connections to Siddhartha’s journey toward shaping and understanding his identity can you see within your own? Siddhartha’s life journey is representative of the worldly human desire to find meaning and success within oneself. In his youth Siddhartha is eager to achieve spiritual enlightenment, attempting to satisfy his desire for knowledge and acquire the answers to the aspects of life. Like all individuals, Siddhartha must overcome the hardships and difficulties presented by the path of life. Through every ‘rebirth’ after each phase of his...
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...D. Themes and Symbolism/Archetypes 1. a. When Siddhartha first crosses the river he comes across the ferryman and they become friends which is of importance later on in the book. When this happened the ferryman spoke to Siddhartha, he said, "One can learn much from a river....everything comes back, You, too, Samana, will come back. Now farewell, May your friendship be my payment!"(49). Also, when he crosses the river for the first time he meets this woman named Kamala, who later in the book teaches Siddhartha the secrets of love. b.The second time Siddhartha runs across the river is when he contemplates his suicide the wakes up and sees Govinda. The river is important in this part of the book because it cleanses him and he realizes he must leave his rich life behind him. When Siddhartha falls asleep by the river under the coconut tree he replies by saying, "Never had a sleep so refreshed him, so renewed him, so rejuvenated him! Perhaps he had really died, perhaps he had been drowned and was reborn in another form."(91)....
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...behaviors and the path they take in life? In Hermann Hesse’s novel Siddhartha, friendships teach Siddhartha the essential elements of life. As he searches for enlightenment, he meets friends along the way that teach him loyalty, love, business, and contentment. Through his writing, Hermann Hesse shows that friendships teach Siddhartha the things he needs to know to reach enlightenment when he learns loyalty through his friendship with Govinda and learns to love through his relationship with Kamala. In the novel, Siddhartha is taught the qualities of loyalty through his friendship with Govinda. Govinda’s loyalty is proven when Siddhartha says, “You have always been my...
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...A Search for Meaning Everyone has purpose in life. Some find it hard to find life happiness. The novel Siddhartha shows us the life of a man who has had everything handed to him but wants to change and find true enlightenment. In the movie It's a Wonderful Life we find our main character George Bailey on a similar path to finding himself and true happiness. Throughout their journey both of these men go through spiritual and emotional trials and tribulations. Each character has different reasons for their journeys. In Siddhartha's case he feels as though he has no control over the self. He feels in order to gain control he needs to break himself to achieve enlightenment. George Bailey on the other hand has grown up his whole life putting others...
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...travels in India, and The glass bead game which was Herman Hesse’s way of protesting war. Throughout his career, Herman Hesse’s life experiences is recurring in his many works, including his novels, poems, and short stories which includes Siddhartha, The Three Linden Trees, and “Stages”. (“Sobel”) A Biographical Perspective is when we are connecting an author’s work with events or experiences with the author’s own life. This...
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...In the 6th century B.C., when Siddhartha Gautama was born, he was raised in royalty and was never exposed to sickness, old age, death, or any other suffering imaginable. One day, he went out of his plaza’s boundaries and discovered all the pain and unhappiness in the world. His father was furious, as he wanted his son to live his life without any contact with suffering, and for Siddhartha to become the new king of the land. Siddhartha said that he could no longer live in his villa in peace, and vowed to go out into the world and find a way to end suffering and reach enlightenment. When he achieved his goal after many years of searching and discovering, he became known as the Buddha, and his religion/teachings have spread around the world and...
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...In Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha, the audience follows a young man on his journey to find true enlightenment. Through numerous teachers and many life experiences, the stories main protagonist, Siddhartha, ends the story realizing that true enlightenment is found within one’s self rather than taught from a teacher. Hesse develops his story of a man’s search for himself through the use of symbolism, allegory, and his own personal bias. Throughout the story of Siddhartha, many symbols are mentioned to the reader and hold a deeper meaning. For example, in chapter seven, Hesse uses a songbird to symbolize Siddhartha’s life. The bird is mentioned during a dream, in which Siddhartha had been living a wonderful life as a rich man for many years. In his dream, the songbird dies. The bird died because Siddhartha had spent too much time as a rich man and learning about reality, rather than learning about himself. Another important symbol used throughout this novel is the smile. Each of the three characters in the story who attain a final state of enlightenment is describes by having a beautiful smile which reflects their peaceful and happy state within. In each case this smile is a completely natural phenomenon and it cannot be created by people who have not attained the prerequisite state of harmony. One last symbol that frequently appears in Hesse’s story is the river. As a constant, yet changing source of life for many species, it only makes sense that this natural beauty would be used...
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...Siddhartha is a book about a young man who goes on a endeavor to reach enlightenment. Through his journey he travels with a group of Samanas and his friend Govinda but when he reaches the Illustrious one (Buddha) he leave’s all of them to find a new way of enlightenment. He travels to a women named Kamala who tells Siddhartha to get a job. A man named Kamaswami gives him a job which allows Siddhartha to have money and the love of Kamala. He later leaves after one two many parties and goes to learn the ways of the river and how to be a ferryman. The book was written by Hermann Hesse who was born in 1877 in Calw, which was on the edge of the Black Forest where he was raised in a missionary household, people believed that he would some day...
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