This is your final summer blog assignment. Responses should be posted by September 15th.
Over the course of the summer, you have examined several themes and connected those themes to pieces of literature (belief systems, geography, turning points, and imperialism). For this assignment, select two or three other themes that you uncovered while reading Siddhartha and "Shooting an Elephant." Define each theme and use evidence from the readings to explain why you chose those themes.
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Peter Hansen
ReplyDeleteThere are other themes to Siddhartha other than the themes we have found already. One of the themes is on the title of this blog, Global Connections. Global Connections is about how we interact with the world and those who live on it. In the book, Siddhartha sees the world as connected."And all of it together, all voices, all goals, all yearnings, all sufferings, all pleasures, all good and evil- the world was everything together"(118). Another theme of history seen in Siddhartha is production, distribution, and consumption. This theme basically refers to the trading business. In the book, Siddhartha worked for a merchant named Kamaswami."Kamaswami told him about his business, he showed him wares and warehouses, showed him accounts"(59). I chose these themes because they seemed appropriate for history and for the book Siddhartha.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOne theme that I uncovered is the theme of economics. Economics has to deal with money and trading. In the book Siddhartha, business is describe to Siddhartha by Kamaswami. Another theme is Social. Social is the interaction between people. Siddhartha travels around many different places and finds that there are many different people in the world. He talks to people from many other different villages like the courtesan in the first village he visits atfter he leaves the grove where Buddha was and left Govinda too.
ReplyDeleteThere are many themes that are connected to Siddhartha. One of the theme is turing point which is when a big event happens change a person's life. A turing point in Siddhartha's life is when he goes to the Buddha named Gautama,the perfect one, changing his life forever and the way he lives. Another theme that was uncovered while reading Siddhartha was belief systems,which means that you mediate for a thign you believe in. In this book, Siddhartha's belief was Buddhism which was when he mediated for days to overcome his desires!
ReplyDeletePeer Response
ReplyDeleteI agree with Peter that A theme realted to Siddhartha is Global connections because it was about how Siddhartha interacted with the world.
I agree with Tony that econmics was a theme becasue it talks about business
Peer Responses
ReplyDelete1)I agree with peter about production because siddhartha listens to kamaswami about the warehouse.
2)I also agree with Henry about the truning points because when he saw Buddha he decided to reach enlightment like the Buddha.
One theme i have uncovered while reading was family. Family has to deal with the people in the family and how they treat each other. In Siddhartha, his father was very strict on Siddhartha but in the end he let him join the samana's. "You will , he said, go into the forest and become a samana"(pg 11). Another theme is power. Power works when someones ego takes over them and they think they can be a "big shot". In Siddhartha, he's ego got the best of him and he didn't follow the buddha with his friend. "Siddhartha surfaced, more ego than before"(39).
ReplyDeletePeer Responses
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tony on the social theme because that really was important in the book.
I also agree with Henry on the belief systems theme because that's what Siddhartha was trying to find in the beginning.
Alisia Chan
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Siddhartha and "Shooting an Elephant", one theme would be religion. Religion is the practice of religious beliefs or something someone follows & believes in. In the book Siddhartha, Siddhartha believed that in order to achieve nirvana, one must not have any desires. And to add in, he founded Buddhism. Another theme would be interaction with the environment. Siddhartha set out on a journey to reach enlightenment. And in "Shooting an Elephant", the narrator had to dealt with an elephant who had went berserk.
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Peer Responses
I agree with peter. Global Connections is what Siddhartha did entirely or mainly during the journey he went to reach enlightenment.
Shenelle Reddick
ReplyDeleteOne main theme in Siddhartha is Religion and Belief Systems.Religion and Belief Systems are traditions and certain people you value and honor in your life. In Siddhartha, the main character's journey leads him to different civilizations which means different beliefs and traditions. He started out a Brahmin. "They knew everything,the Brahmins and their holy books,they knew everything,they had concerned themselves with everything and more than everything:..."(page 6). Then he became a samana. "Taught by the eldest of the samanas,Siddhartha practiced unselfing, practiced meditation, according to the samana rules"(page 14). Siddhartha's journey helped him adapt to different beliefs and daily lifestyles. Imperailism is a major theme in "Shooting An Elephant". Imperialism is when one country tries to dominate other countries and civilizations through war or other harsh forms of domination. Orwell felt that Imperialism was very harsh and needed to be rebelled against. "... I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it the better"(page 1 paragraph 2).
Shenelle Reddick
ReplyDeletePeer Responses
I strongly agree with Anastasio about family. Siddhartha's father was very hard on him, but that showed he cared. Siddhartha also cared very much for his son.
I agree with Henry about turning points. Once Siddhartha met Gautama, his life was changed completely.
A theme in Siddhartha is independence. When Siddhartha decides to be a samana and goes a different way from Govinda he learns to be independent. Another theme is religion. Siddhartha does very religious things throughout the book due to his beliefs. "We have learned and we ar elearning more. You will beome a great samana." I chose these themes because it's what I noticed the most. When Siddartha focused on religions and beliefs, he himself changed just a bit and being independent is definently something good that he's done.
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ReplyDelete-Claudia Wang-
ReplyDeleteOne other theme that I have uncovered while reading Siddhartha and “Shooting an Elephant” was sense of self, which would be realizing or figuring out things that you apply to yourself that makes up who you are or what u think. In the story Siddhartha, “He was deeply entangled in samsara, he had sucked in death and disgust from all sides...He was full of surfeit, full of misery, full of death…” (Page 77). Siddhartha at one point felt disgusted from what he had become. He realized that he didn’t want the kind of life with all the suffering and other emotions or feelings others had in their everyday life. Also that he turned into someone that he thought he would’ve never become. In “Shooting an Elephant”, Orwell realized that he killed the elephant in order to avoid looking like a fool in front of the crowd of people who hated him due to the town being anti-European. At first he didn’t want to shoot the elephant, but he chose to take the other path for his own cause.
Another theme that I have uncovered would be suffering. Suffering is what one encounters that they have to struggle in and aren’t happy about. Siddhartha went through a lot of suffering throughout his journeys that he went on. For example, when he joined the samanas, he had to go through fasting, the blazing sun, thirst, and more. With these encounters though, it had taught Siddhartha a lot of things and it had helped him realize things that he had never realized before about the world. In “Shooting an Elephant”, “In the end the sneering yellow faces of young men that met me everywhere, the insults hooted after me when I was at a safe distance, got badly on my nerves.” (Paragraph one). Orwell suffered in the Indian town he lived in from the people’s hateful comments and unrighteous acts that he had to go through.
A theme that I discovered in Siddhartha is love because Siddhartha loved Kamala with one look and it usually takes time for one to like someone. Also, his love for something made him work harder on that particular subject which was finding peace in one self, and it took a long time for Siddhartha to find his peace. Another theme that I found in Siddhartha is business because Siddhartha does business throughout his whole life. He did business with his father into letting him join the Samanas. Also, he did business with the Buddha about his teachings, business of love with Kamala, and with the merchants so he became one himself. He has even done business with the boat man that helped him get across to town, and lived with him later on in his life.
ReplyDelete~Elizabeth Bonilla
ReplyDeleteThere are other themes i've found in "Shooting An Elephant" and "Siddhartha" than the ones we have already uncovered. Other themes i've found were, first off,from Siddhartha,a theme was family. Throught Siddhartha, Siddhartha wanted to go out to the world and find his bliss, in order to do so he asked his dad which in the end said yes and gave him his full on support.(p.11)Also in the book, siddhartha meets the Ferryman Vasuveda,Vasuveda in his way then tries to get him to find what is looking for instead of the confusion he had when the ferryman first met him, helpin him throughout, giving him food,shelter,care,trust,and more.(p.120)
Another theme that Siddhartha has is adventure,through all the book it was basically based upon Siddhartha going and going from place to place to find what he's been looking for. Starting at his home town to the Samans to the Samara and then ending with Vasuveda the ferryman.He finds good and bad feelings like, love and aspirations for gambling, plius others. He gets the adventure of his life discovering things he has never known which helped him figure out hiss joy better.(p.85)
In "Shooting An Elephant" other themes that i think are included were hatred and cliques.The theme hatred because of the Burmans seeing this police man from different race and skin tone, laughing and teasing him while on the job, critisizing his every move and making him feel bad for it."A white man mustn't be frightened in front of "natives"; and so, in general, he isn't frightened. The sole thought in my mind was that if anything went wrong those two thousand Burmans would see me pursued, caught, trampled on and reduced to a grinning corpse like that Indian up the hill. And if that happened it was quite probable that some of them would laugh. That would never do."(paragraph 9)Cliques because it seemed to the Burmans that they felt comfortable or like if they were in there own high class as if they were the top because they ruled where they were at, as well as the white police man, he did not feel loved while sorrounded by the Burmans he felt more intimidated."But at that moment I glanced round at the crowd that had followed me...They did not like me, but with the magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching.And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all. The people expected it of me and I had got to do it; I could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward, irresistibly."(paragraph 7)
~ Elizabeth Bonilla
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anastasio, family was one of the huge and repetitional themes in the book. Wherever Siddhartha was he had it. His journey wouldn't have been as succesful as it was if it wasn't because of the love, trust, and other things he had encountered.
I strongly agree with Claudia on "Shooting an Elephant", its theme, what she said,because Orwell was sorrounded by the anti- europeans, Natives or Burmans, he had to over go the thought of killing or not and with the crowd it gave him pressure and choice of killing the poor elephant.
- ElizaBeth Saballos
ReplyDeleteA theme I uncovered while reading "Siddhartha" and "Shooting an Elephant" was society. Society is a community of people living in a country with shared customs and laws. In both stories, society affects the main characters. Siddhartha was born a Brahmin, which is the highest status in the caste system. He goes against society and becomes part of a lower caste system because he feels that it will help him find enlightenment. "I have come to say that I long to leave your house tomorrow and join the ascetics. My longing is to become a samana." ("Siddhartha" ; page 9 - Paragraph 1) Society also affects the main character in "Shooting and Elephant". It affects the police officer because he is expected to work for society, even if he disagrees with it. "For at that time I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it the better. Theoretically – and secretly, of course – I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British. As for the job I was doing, I hated it more bitterly than I can perhaps make clear." ("Shooting an Elephant ; Paragraph 2) Another theme I uncovered while reading was determination. Determination is willing to do something. Siddhartha was determined to give up everything to reach his goal in life. "Siddhartha had a goal, a single one: to become empty- empty of thirst,empty of desire, empty of dreams, empty of joy and sorrow." ("Siddhartha" page 13 ; paragraph 3) In "Shooting an Elephant", the police officer was determined to shoot the elephant because he was peer pressured by the watching crowd of thousands of people waiting for him to shoot it. He didn't not want to embarrass himself and be laughed at by the people, so he shoots the elephant, even if he didn't want to. "I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool." ("Shooting an Elephant; Last Paragraph")
- Peer Responses ;
1. I agree with Claudia Wang on the theme of sense of self. Adding on to her response, both main characters in the stories realize who they are based on different associations. Siddhartha had a sense of self based on his spirituality and the police officer has a sense of self based on his actions and occupation as a police officer.
2. I also agree with Shenelle Reddick on the theme of religion and belief systems. I agree because most of Siddhartha's life was influenced by his beliefs and religion.
Claudia Wang
ReplyDelete-Peers' Responses-
I agree with Tony Chu’s theme of social. Siddhartha had met many different people throughout his journeys. Without meeting them, he wouldn’t have found out about his true self and what he should believe in, which was the purpose of his journey. The acquaintances he made with others had truly helped him in finding peace and perfection.
I liked how Elizabeth Bonilla descriptively describes how Orwell felt through the theme of hatred and cliques. From the Burmans, Orwell faces many hardships and struggles trying to survive in the town where many hated him. I think it’s true how they believe that they feel like they are better and superior than him and he can’t do anything about it.
Wan Yu Fung (Alice)
ReplyDeleteI was able to uncover many themes while reading Siddhartha and “Shooting of an Elephant”. The theme community was found in the short story. Community is very powerful, but can be sometimes harmful. It is when a large group of people combines their thoughts and ideas in one place and form a city, a town, or a village. In this case, community had made Orwell shoot the elephant, “And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all. The people expected it of me and I had got to do it; I could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward, irresistibly.” (From the novel “Shooting of an Elephant”) Community gave Orwell peer pressure. He was afraid of how the Indians would view him and had done something really wrong. Another theme that I found during my summer reading is social class. Social classes are categorized by income, education, and background. In many civilizations, money represents power and power will get the person to have respect. In the novel Siddhartha, Siddhartha had experienced wealth and poverty. He was once the leader of many people, but was also a Samana who beg for food to survive. “For a long time Siddhartha had lived the life of the world and the pleasure without actually belonging to it.” (page67) Being in an upper social classman provided Siddhartha a lot of opportunities. He was the helper in the town; many people would go to him and ask for solution and help. In the other hand, when Siddhartha was a poor fisherman, he was happier. Money doesn’t bring Siddhartha happiness and he was able to view things in a different perspective.
I agree with Claudia’s response. The idea of self as a theme is very new to me, but I found it to be very true. The proof that she brought up from the story “shooting of an elephant “are also related to community (the theme that I had uncovered). I believe that the themes in history are chain up and can be related.
I like the response that Peter wrote. He was able to connect the main idea of Siddhartha’s teaching to the theme. The teaching of how the river, the rocks, and the soil are all the same.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTiana Nunez
ReplyDeleteThere are other themes to the story Shooting an Elephant and the novel Siddhartha than we discussed. Two themes i discovered are Conscience and once again belief systems, going for what you strongly believe in. In the Story Shooting An Elephant the man feels obligated to shoot the elephant. He has a big Crowd of Indians who watch him. As a colonial policeman he feels its his duty to shoot the elephant and in his mind he feels like he will look like a coward if he doesn't shoot the elephant, so he shoots it. In the end his conscience was right. "The owner was furious, but he was only an Indian and could do nothing. Besides, legally i had done the right thing, for a mad elephant has to be killed, like a mad dog, if its owner fails to control it".
Also In the novel Siddhartha his conscience is him wanting to find the meaning of life. He felt like even tho he made others happy he didn't make himself happy. "Siddhartha did not bring joy to himself, he did not delight himself". (p.4) He had to go with what he felt and go on a journey. His conscience was that his life was empty and his soul was not satisfied. "Tomorrow at daybreak I will begin the life of the samanas".(p.8) Siddhartha made his journey.Conscience and belief systems can bring out positive things.
Tiana Nunez
ReplyDelete- I agree with Wan Yu Fung about The theme community was found in the short story and how Community is very powerful, but can be sometimes harmful. This is True because the community is what pressures the officer to feel like his duty is to shoot the elephant.
- I also agree with Alisia on the theme religion. Religion takes a big part on Siddhartha's life and when he sets out on his journey.
Cassidy Charles
ReplyDeleteLoyalty- faithful adherence to a soverign, government, leader, cause, etc.
Perseverance- Steady persistance in a course of action, a purpose.
I chose these themes because in Siddhartha, perseverance is what makes Siddhartha begin his journey. He is not satisfied with his teachings and wishes to find the ultimate teaching that he fully agrees with. Perseverance is how he goes on through his life. "Yoga-Veda will no longer teach me, nor will Atharva-Veda, nor the ascetics, nor any kind if teaching. I will learn from me, from myself, I will be my own pupil: I will get to know myself, the secret that is Siddhartha." (pg. 36) Siddharta sets a goal or himself that gives him a purpose through all of his different travels.
I chose loyalty for "Shooting An Elephant" because it is one of the motives Orwell acts upon when he kills the elephant. Noted that it was about his own reputation, Orwell has to shoot the elephant to keep up Britan's reputation as well. "All I knew was that I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible." (paragraph 2, sentence 9). He is loyal to Britan and as such, he must do his job and shoot the elephant.
Peer Responses
I agree with Shenelle. Belief Systems are very essential to the Siddhartha book. It's about finding one that he wants to believe in and you displayed that very well.
I really like the way that Claudia phrased how sense of self ties into both stories. You go through the thoughts of both characters in proving how they work to improve their own lives solely. It was very nicely put.
Liang Zhang
ReplyDeleteWisdom
One of the most important themes in Siddhartha would be true wisdom comes from experience."He has grown no wiser,he has gathered no knowledge,has ascended no levels And Siddhartha said with a smile:"I do not know I have never been a drinker."(Pg 17) Knowledge can be taught and can be read in a book.But does that mean you truly understand what you've been taught what you've been read?Throughout Siddhartha life he's always been taught and hear teachings which he cannot fully comprehend.He questioned himself in the teaching of the samana."Are we really approaching knowledge?Are we really approaching redemption?"Siddhartha found this way of getting knowledge to be pointless and useless.And now he went on a journey to gain true wisdom.He wanted to learn for real.Only real life experience can truly taught what he wants.He met Kamala and found love,he learned the way of merchant,he found answers from a river,and he learned from a ferryman.These encounters and his pain and happiness so what true wisdom comes from.Overall learning from a person who just repeats themselves all over again cannot grasp the knowledge you need.It just continues getting pass down all over again.
Love
Another important theme in Siddhartha would be love."You do not love me,you love no one.Is that so?"On his journey in searching for enlightenment he met women called Kamala.Siddhartha wanted to learn love from her.Siddhartha's love is not sincere.Kamala teaches Siddhartha aspects of love and the importance of love.Siddhartha himself rejects love since it's part of the teaching.Love is something Siddhartha cannot have to reach enlightenment.He does not love Kamala.He does not know how to return or give love.He rejects love and all the things he can received in love.So Siddhartha has now left Kamala.Kamala bore Siddhartha his son."Siddhartha too,............,a fool for love."(Pg 107) Siddhartha who now has a son knows the meaning of love.He was a fool struggling in love.He has a son who he can love but rejects the love.He did not accept this love.Siddhartha son ran away and he felt pain and sadness.That was because he love his son.His love for Kamala and his son led him to such a state.
Aileen Gonzalez
ReplyDeleteA new theme I discovered was individualism. In the book "Siddhartha", Siddhartha a wise and thoughtful person reaches out and looks for what he believes in. In the short story "Shooting an Elephant" Orwell acts for himself. He hates the fact that the British are controlling him and his freedom is limited. Siddhartha freedom was limited when he lived with his father but he must have broken his rules to find true bliss. Nothing comes easy and for Siddhartha he had to go through many ugly years in order to find out that the calling might not come. Orwell had to prove himself worthy to the British so they won’t talk about him. Both Siddhartha and Orwell went though many obstacles to reach their goal.
Another theme I found in both stories was community. Community and Siddhartha and Orwell’s surrounding can affect them emotionally and mentally. Community can have a negative and positive affect. They may cause gossip and rumors or they can motivate and guide you in lifelong lessons. Orwell community was against him because he was Indian and made his job harder every day. Siddhartha is lucky because communicates well with people and sometimes was really lucky when he needed up with the child people. But not all good came from it he lost his old ways as fasting thinking and waiting.
Aileen Gonzalez
ReplyDeletePeer responses.
I agree with the theme of love by Liang Zhang love has taken a big part of Siddhartha life and intimate life with Kamala. it has shown him many things how to love and brought him joy as in a baby boy.
I agree with with Cassidy she picked loyalty as a theme for both siddhartha and orwell . orwell has to be loyal in keeping his reputationg high and also the british. Siddhartha was loyal to himself in looking for the calling .
-Cindy Chan
ReplyDeleteFrom reading Siddhartha and the short story, “Shooting an Elephant”, I was able to uncover some themes. A theme that I uncovered from “Shooting an Elephant” was peer pressure. Peer pressure is when there’s social pressure by members of one’s peer group. “The people expected it of me and I had got to do it;” (paragraph 7). The Indians were expecting Orwell to shoot the elephant. Orwell didn’t want to shoot the elephant but the people around him were very excited and eager to see the elephant dead. Because of the pressure that Orwell had faced, he decided to shoot the elephant to get it over with. A theme that I uncovered from Siddhartha was love. Love is a passionate affection that one person has for another. “Siddhartha was silent, and they played the game of love, one of the thirty or forty different games that Kamala knew.”(65). Siddhartha and Kamala were similar when it came to love and they both grew close to each other. They both didn’t take love so seriously and practiced love as an art.
I agree with Peter Hansen on his theme about global connections. Siddhartha connected with the world through traveling.
I agree with Shenelle Reddick on her theme about religion and belief systems. Siddhartha started out as a Brahmin to a samana. Throughout his life, he adapted to different environments and religions.
Victor Acevedo
ReplyDeleteDetermination- the act of fulfilling one's goal no matter what
Reputation- the estimation or name of a person, having, being or having done something
1. A theme I discovered in Siddhatha is determination. Throughout Siddhartha's journey in the book, he was determined to do whatever it takes in order to reach nirvana. "Siddhartha stood silent in the vertical baze of the sun, burning with pain, burning with thirst, and he stood till he felt no pain or thirst. He stood silent in the rainy season, the water dripping from his hair, over freezing shoulders, over freezing hips and legs, and the penitent stood until his legs and shoulders were no longer freezing, until they fell silent, until they were still. Silently he crouched in the twisting brambles, the blood dripping from his burning skin, the pus from abscesses, and Siddhartha lingered rigid, lingered motionless until no more blood flowed, until nothing more pricked, until nothing more burned."(pg 14) This shows that Siddhartha was determined to reach his goal and that he would suffer and risk anything to reach a goal in mind.
2. I chose reputation for "Shooting An Elephant" because it has a major influence on Orwell. "all these oppressed me with an intolerable sense of guilt. But I could get nothing into perspective. I was young and ill-educated and I had had to think out my problems in the utter silence that is imposed on every Englishman in the East. I did not even know that the British Empire is dying, still less did I know that it is a great deal better than the younger empires that are going to supplant it. All I knew was that I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible."(paragraph 2, sentence 6) He was loyal to the british, but in order to keep his reputation positive with the British, he had to do his job and kill the elephant.
Victor Acevedo
ReplyDeleteI agree with cassidy because loyalty is also easy to lose and Orwell didn't want to lose a bond that is hard to regain once it's lost. That is why loyalthy is what made him kill the elephant and therefore, is an important theme.
Victor Acevedo
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elizabeth Saballos about society being a major theme in Siddhartha. That's because society is what created the caste system that influenced Siddhartha to leave his family and move to a lower rank.
The book was filled with themes expressed in it. One theme that I noticed in the book was family and or love. The theme wasn't maintained throughout the story but it did show up every once in a while. For example, Siddhartha and his father had a strong connection between each other. "And came again from hour to hour, silent, peered (Siddhartha's father) into the room saw the unmoved stander (siddhartha), filled his heart with anger, filled his heart with apprehenion, filled his heart with fear, filled it with sorrow.....If you find bliss in the forest, then come back and teach me bliss. If you find disillusion, then come back and let us jointly sacrifice to the gods again." (page 10-11) The father cared about his son alot but even though the son was leaving, the father still wanted the son to come back. This also happened to Siddhartha and his child with Kamala. "Timid and weeping, the boy attended had attended his mother's funeral, gloomy anf timid, he had listened to Siddartha who had greeted him as his son... Siddhartha understood that his son did not know him, that he could not love him as a father." (page 103) The father was trying to express his love for his son but the son just couldn't accept his love. Later on, Siddhartha's son ran away and left him in sadness. This shows that love means alot in life and without love and family, it would really hurt one person to live on.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme was morals in life. This theme is a bit broad but every story would teach the reader some lesson about life. Throughout the book, Siddhartha learned alot from his experiences. Siddartha expressed a few life lessons he learned. Referring back to the book, "I have felt knowledge in me the way we feel life in our hearts... There were a number of thoughts but it would be hard for me to comunicate theme to you...This is one of my thoughts that I have found; wisdom cannot be communcated. Wisdom that a wise man tries to communicate always sound foolish... This is it: The opposite of every truth is just as true! You see: A truth can be uttered and clad in words only if it is one-sided. One-sided is everything that can be thought with thoughts and said in words-everything one sided, everything half, everything is devoid of wholeness, of roundness, of oneness...And now listen: This 'someday' is an illusion, is merely a metaphor! The sinner is not on the way to becoming a Buddha, he is not involved in a development, although our thinking cannot imagine things in any other way. No, the sinner now and today, already contains the future Buddha, his future is fully here; you must worship the sinner, in you, in everyone, the developing, the possible, the hidden Buddha " (page 123-125) Life is full of lessons and there is always a purpose for something to happen but it is up to us to learn why or the lesson behind it.
Wendy Huang
ReplyDeletePeer Responses:
I also agree with what Cassidy had uncovered while she was reading. Those is what led the characters to take their actions. Loyalty and perseverance helped shape the characters and it does cause some turning points.
To what Alice (Wan Yu) had said, I would also agree with her reasons. Community and social classes do impact characters a lot and it is often one of the many things that makes a separation between characters in many stories and in life.
Justin Beskin
ReplyDeleteOne theme I noticed in Siddhartha was communication. On page 61, Siddhartha says "I became acquainted with people and places, I enjoyed friendliness, I found friendship". By communicating Siddhartha experienced friendship and knows more people. Another theme in Siddhartha was religion. On page 30, Siddhartha says to the Buddha "..my friend will remain with your followers, he has taken refuge with you". Govinda decided to follow the Buddha which creates more story.
In Shooting an Elephant there were many themes. One theme I noticed was community. In paragraph 7, "it says with two thousand people marching at my heels, and then to trail feebly away, having done nothing – no, that was impossible. The crowd would laugh at me. And my whole life, every white man's life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at." If the man didn't shoot the elephant, the community would dislike white men for a long time. Another theme I noticed in Shooting an Elephant was geography. In paragraph 5, it says "when you got away from the huts, there was a metalled road and beyond that a miry waste of paddy fields a thousand yards across". If there wasn't a big field, the man wouldn't have had a clear shot of the elephant.
Salma Nakhlawi
ReplyDeleteOver the course of the summer, I have examined several themes connected those themes to pieces of literature (belief systems, geography, turning points, and imperialism). Other themes that I have discovered while reading Siddhartha and "Shooting an Elephant" are movement, power, and social systems. In Siddhartha, movement is a theme that is imminent. Throughout the novel, Siddhartha is traveling, whether it is physically or spiritually. He goes from his life as a Brahmin to his life as a samana and so on. In the short story "Shooting an Elephant", power is a strong theme. Orwell shows power as an officer in British-ruled India. He also shows power by killing the elephant. This quote shows a time where Orwell feels powerful in front of the Burmese "There was only one alternative. I shoved the cartridges into the magazine and lay down on the road to get a better aim. The crowd grew very still, and a deep, low, happy sigh, as of people who see the theatre curtain go up at last, breathed from innumerable throats." Another theme found in both works of literature would be social systems. Both Siddhartha and Orwell are affected by the Hindu Caste System by living in India. It keeps the society structured, but at that same time, it limits a lot of people in their lives.
I agree with Wendy Huang that family plays a big role in Siddhartha even though it is only a recurring theme. This also ties in to the theme of movement because Siddhartha chose to move around from place to place on his spiritual search.
I agree with Alisia Chan's response. Religion plays a huge role in the novel and without it, Siddhartha would have not went on a quest to seek knowledge.
Justin Beskin
ReplyDeleteI agree with Victor Acevedo. A good theme for Shooting an Elephant was reputation. If the man did not shoot the elephant he would have looked like a coward and white people will be looked at the same way.
I agree with Wendy Huang. Family is a good theme for Siddhartha because family in the book had a big influence on Siddharthas life.
One theme in "Siddhartha" that we have not yet covered is social systems. Throughout Siddhartha's journey, we discover a wide variety of cultures (i.e. the samanas, the child people, the followers of Buddha, etc.) and how they each interact with each other. One significant interaction between the samanas and the child people is the begging for alms - in a way, it benefits both societies. The samanas receive nutrition, and the child people easily dispose of unwanted scraps.
ReplyDeletefrom Siddhartha, we can also see a good example of movement. Throughout Siddhartha's quest for peace, he travels through many places. His journey through different locations helps us to see how difficult it can be to adapt to a new environment, or to leave a familiar one. For example, Siddhartha, had a few issues when trying to live with Kamala amongst the child people, and needed to take a job to be successful. When he left the child people, he no longer had his skills of thinking, waiting, and fasting, making his journey more difficult.
Siddhartha's journey is also a fantastic example of cultural diffusion. From each person he visits, Siddhartha learns something new, trades ideas and thoughts, and inevitably leaves much closer to enlightenment.
I disagree with Salma about "shooting an elephant" showing power. I believe that as opposed to Orwell feeling powerful, he feels quite the opposite, and shoots the elephant merely because he is powerless to do anything else. Overall, "shooting an elephant" was all about how power can work against you and make you weak, not how it makes you strong.
I agree with Victor about determination. It is quite a prominent theme throughout history. Of course Siddhartha's determination to reach Nirvana is one example, but there are others. For example, the founding fathers faced many issues before finally passing the bill of rights, but they were determined to succeed and eventually did.
While reading Siddahartha i discovered Love and Social admiration as two trending themes reveled. For example,"Siddhartha learned something new at ever step along his path, for the world was transformed, and his heart was enchanted."(p.43)this quote shows his point of view on the world at a stage of his life. Siddhartha faces many diffrent habitats in life. From being the brahmins son and the joinging the samanas, to trying to find enlightmetn on his own, to joining the material world, he encountors many diffrent feelings and habits while this path is in procedure. As any other person facing something new in life, that gives off a postive feeling he gains admiration from this. Love also plays a major theme in Siddhartha's path in life. Love from his father, for his goal of enlightment, govinda, and kamala. Love comes with a strong desire, and strong determination into loving what you want. Determination to go off to find enlightment was a show of his love. Siddharthas love for his father, in respecting him and asking him to leave off to join the samanas, was a huge sense of appreciation and care for his road to enlightment. Lust is also a form of love in siddhartha's eyes. "Siddhartha likewise felt yearning and felt the source of sex, but since he had never touched a woman...he shuddered upon hearing his innermost voice, and the voice said mo."(47) The interaction between Kamala and Siddhartha portrayed a excess amout of lust, and love. With siddhartha saying no , it trancends his inner most goal, into trying to find enlightment without falling into the social admiration of the "Material World" which includes his desires of Kamala.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading "shooting an elephant" two trending themes i analyzed were Association and Influental Guidance. "I glanced round at the crowd that had followed me. For example, It was an immense crowd, two thousand at the least and growing every minute. It blocked the road for a long distance on either side. I looked at the sea of yellow faces above the garish clothes-faces all happy and excited over this bit of fun, all certain that the elephant was going to be shot. They were watching me as they would watch a conjurer about to perform a trick. They did not like me, but with the magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching. And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all. The people expected it of me and I had got to do it;" This quote shows how he was associated with in pressure being applied to him, and the stand byers were associated with the elephant being shot , as soem sort of show. This also leads onto Influental Guidance that was all around this short stroy. Imperialism was leading him to shoot the elephant, and his influenec was the hatred he had towards them.
Elizabeth's statement "Determination is willing to do something. Siddhartha was determined to give up everything to reach his goal in life. " lead me onto my idea of love having so many other topics within such as determination and etc.
ReplyDeleteVicto'rs statement "He was loyal to the british, but in order to keep his reputation positive with the British, he had to do his job and kill" reminded me of a do or die situation, it reminds me of all the racial crimes happening including hate, and peopel being forced to do something they arent really looking forward to.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteChange is one theme I uncovered while reading the book "Siddhartha". Siddhartha was a wise and generous person at the beginning.Siddhartha goals were to follow the way of a samana. But, when Siddhartha met the merchant Kamaswami , he started to go to a evil path. Siddhartha got taken over by money and greed. He started to gamble and lose tons of money and he would go insane. He became more mean and didn't follow the way of a samana anymore. Quote is "And after every great loss, he schemed to obtain new wealth, more zealously conducted his dealings, more rigorously forced his debtors to pay, for he wanted to keep on gambling, he wanted to keep on squandering,keep on showing his disdain of wealth"(pg 71).
ReplyDeleteA theme I uncovered reading " Shooting an elephant" was Human Rights and Ethics because people weren't treated equally because of who they are. Quote is "In a job like that you see the dirty work of Empire at close quarters. The wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of the lock-ups, the grey, cowed faces of the long-term convicts, the scarred buttocks of the men who had been Bogged with bamboos – all these oppressed me with an intolerable sense of guilt". Everyone should have rights and not be locked up just because of their race or religion.
I agree with Wendy Huang that love is one of the theme that occur many times in the book. Siddhartha was very close to his
ReplyDeletemother , father, Govinda , Kamala , and Vasudeva and when they weren't by Siddhartha sides, he would feel very sad and miss them.
I agree with Cassidy Charles that loyalty is definitely one of main theme in the book "Shooting An Elephant". Orwell have to listen to them or he would get punished, so he stayed loyal to the people.
Stephanie Wang
ReplyDeleteOne theme I uncovered while reading Siddhartha and "Shooting an Elephant" is change. After Siddhartha's great loss of wealth he changed a lot. He began to understand how life is and even became Vasudeva's assistant. He didn't care of wealth or becoming a samana anymore but just stayed by Vasudeva and learn to be him. "Ah, I would rather not travel farther at all. I would rather you gave me an old apron, ferryman, and kept me on as your assistant or, more precisely, as your apprentice, for first I must learn how to handle the boat." (90-91) And Orwell he was being hated by those people to not kill the elephant. He was unsure and then finally decided to kill it without any more struggles. He changed of not caring how other people think of him now. "Afterwards, of course, there were endless discussions about the shooting of the elephant. The owner was furious, but he was only an Indian and could do nothing. Besides, legally I had done the right thing, for a mad elephant has to be killed, like a mad dog, if its owner fails to control it." (site)
Another theme would be love for both stories. Siddhartha have found love with Kamala even though he left her a long time ago. Before she died, she left him their precious son. Siddhartha loved him but his son was not used to being poor. He ran away with Vasudeva's coins and never came back. Siddhartha knows that he might be in the town but still let him go no matter how much he loved him. "The goal of his wish, which had drawn him here, after the runaway son, was now replaced by emptiness. Sad, he settled down, felt something dying in his heart, feel emptiness, saw no more joy, no goal." (111) Orwell in "Shooting An Elephant" was not loved by people around him. He finally decided to shoot the elephant even though people would still hate him.
I agree with Salma that in "Shooting An Elephant" Orwell showed power by shooting the elephant. Because if he didn't shoot it then things would be a little different. Shooting the elephant showed to everyone that he can do whatever he wants and he does have the power for anything.
I also agree with Cindy that love is a theme for Siddhartha. He knew how to play the game of love with Kamala and even gained more feelings for her. Kamala herself even loved him for who he is. Love is strong to both of them.
-Rima Issa
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Siddhartha a theme that I uncovered was peace. Peace is a state where you are calmed and you fully understand the world.Throughout the novel, Siddhartha goes on a journey to find peace and bliss. But on the way he gets steered off course, which gets him closer to finding peace. At the end of the novel he finds bliss and also helps Govinda find bliss as well. "He bowed low, down to the ground, bowed to the motionless sitter, whose smile reminded him of everything that he had ever loved in his life, that had ever been valuable and holy to him in his life" (pg 132.)
A theme that I discovered while reading "Shooting An Elephant" was decisions. Decisions are choices that are made by a person. Orwell showed that he didn't have any of his own decisions because he wanted to please the people and the people he worked for. An example would be when he shot the elephant merely to please the "audience."
One main theme in Siddhartha was loyalty. After having to much wealth and prosperity, he remembered the ferryman, Vesudeva, who had journeyed him across the river when he sought his goal. He wanted to learn from Vesudeva and return his hospitality with his own.
ReplyDeleteOne theme in Shooting an Elephant would be independence. Orwell didn't believe people should be treated the way they were being treated and he wanted to change that.
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Peer Responses:
I agree with Cindy and add on to Stephanie's agreement. Siddhartha not only knew he loved Kamala but after they had parted, he remembered later when she died that he loved their son as well.
I also agree with Wendy that family had a huge role in Siddhartha because Vesudeva and Kamala had given him confidence and advice to see the world differently, shaping the rest of his journey.
-Rima Issa
ReplyDeletePeer Responses
1) I agree with Emily about Siddhartha having a love theme. This theme was especially shown when Siddhartha meets Kamala and she teaches him the game of love.
2) I agree with Claudia about Siddhartha having a suffering theme. Throughout the book Siddhartha suffers whether its from being a samana or from the pain of his run away son.
There are many different themes shown in Siddhartha. One theme I discovered is love. Siddhartha fell in love with Kamala from the moment he saw her and had a lot of love for his son. Throughout his journey he learns to love more things and that helps him reach enlightenment at the end. Another theme I discovered is determination. Siddhartha was determined to reach his goal by not letting anything stop him. Without the determination he might have not completed his goal.
ReplyDeleteWay Sey Leung
ReplyDeleteOne of the themes I discovered while reading Siddhartha is you cannot learn wisdom, you gain it. "Knowledge can bee communicated, but not wisdom."(124) People can tell others information which is knowledge but, to use that knowledge to their advantage, that is wisdom. Siddhartha learned that and in reality one would most likely to be very old when they learned this statement. In "Shooting an Elephant" one of the themes I discovered was pride. The shooter had a lot of pride because his country conquered the "natives" country. His pride made him shoot the elephant since "white men" would never be frightened in front of "natives". His pride conquered his thoughts of not shooting the elephant. Pride can be a strong feeling and can be really powerful.
Peer Response:
I agree with Wendy Huang, love is one of the themes in Siddhartha. Siddhartha never really truly loved anyone before. However, that all changed when Siddhartha met Siddhartha Junior. He truly love his son, his offspring, his flesh and bone. It was like he was a part of Siddhartha.
Claudia's theme was sense of self which I think is a very hard idea to think of. I agree with her. Siddhartha took some time to find that the path he wanted was the path of Siddhartha. He became more aware of his surroundings and of himself.
I agree with the first theme Burcu mentioned which was independence. Siddhartha realizes he has to go on his own after Govinda chooses his own path.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rima about the theme of peace because the book was all about Siddhartha trying to find peace.
Nour Jaradat
ReplyDeleteTwo other themes that i came across throughtout the book Siddhartha and "Shooting and Elephant" was the theme of power. I say this is another theme resulted in these passages because just like Siddhartha left his home to join the Samanas for self power and self secruity," and again as youth the goal of reflection, the goal of reflection soar higher and higher"(p74).In Shooting an Elephant, when orwell was came across the tough decision of whether or not he should shoot the elephant gave him self power. The power of knowing he could control and make or break the situation."It is a serious matter to shoot a working elephant – it is comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery". Orwell was well knowledged about the damage this could cost him or the power and praise it could give him.
Another theme that Ihave came across in the book Siddhartha alongside power was the theme of thrill.Siddhartha enjoyed the thrill of feeling like a man and being on his own. One example where this is shown is on page:" choosing the life of a Samana,and again when going the samanas to that perfect one, and then from him into the unknown:(p.74). these are other themes that i have discovered from these two passages that were evident to me.
Carmelinda Coppola
ReplyDelete(Siddhartha’s paragraphs)
The themes that I have uncovered while reading Siddhartha and “Shooting an Elephant,” are belief systems and turning points, that imitated the events in the book. During Siddhartha, belief systems were an affect to how Siddhartha believed the way life needed to transpire. Belief systems signify the set of beliefs, especially religious or political beliefs that form a unified system. For example, Siddhartha has dealt with the belief systems such as religion because he needed to find the way of less catastrophic times, and less conflicts. In the quote, “The Teaching of the illuminated Buddha contain a great deal, it teaches many how to live righteously, avoid evil. But there is one thing that the so clear, so venerable Teaching does not contain: it does not contain the secret of what the Sublime One himself has experienced, he alone among the hundreds of thousands. That is what I thought and realized when I heard the Teaching.” (33), this quote symbolizes that Siddhartha’s cleverness and intelligence had made him realize that a person can’t explain their experiences, so they can teach everyone else, which makes a lot of sense because a person can learn, follow, but sometimes can’t receive meditation skills so spectacular as the Buddha. Siddhartha’s belief systems has made him realize that he needed to arrive at his goal, and master it completely, because the best teacher is the one that can teach him.
Carmelinda Coppola
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, the book Siddhartha has also dealt with turning points due to Siddhartha’s rough time trying to cope with the samanas. In this book, turning points is a change in Siddhartha, and how his actions evolve his character. “Siddhartha sat upright and learned to save breath…learned to stop breath…learned how to calm his heart beat, learned how to lessen the strokes until there were few and almost none…What I have learned so far among the samanas, O Govinda, I could have learned more quickly…I could have learned it in any tavern of a red-light district my friend…” (14-16). Siddhartha thought the best way to gain liberation within the soul, was joining the samanas and leaving his father, but until he noticed that the samanas teaching didn’t help him become peaceful, if anything he felt reluctant with learning these teachings. Siddhartha was rising on the mountain because he figured out what his heart desires, but then he ponders, that this idea isn’t the best idea, so he seeks another odyssey to find the place he has always wanted to be. Therefore, this had led to Siddhartha’s motivational skills.
Carmelinda Coppola
ReplyDelete(“Shooting an Elephant” paragraphs)
The short story, “Shooting an Elephant has dealt with belief systems and turning points as well. The belief systems in the short story were the faith and religion, because he has put his life at risk for the community, and he has the ability to help people. “In Moulmein, in lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people - the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me…When a nimble Burman tripped me up on the football field and the referee (another Burman) looked the other way, the crowd yelled with hideous laughter” (1-7). This explains that even though people have put him down, and have not cared so much that he was a Burman, many people were against each other, and didn’t like each other because some individuals were Buddhists and Burmans‘. He has had tough times in his life, but he continues to be a police officer, because he knows safety is fantastic in a nation, without safety then everyone fends for themselves. Most people were against him because they didn’t want to get into the hole, so they can be committed of the crime, instead they just spit all over the police officer and the police officer has no regulation but to become a stronger person. Furthermore, faith is the dominant way to be accomplished in your life goals, even if people throw you away.
Carmelinda Coppola
ReplyDelete(Cotinued)
Lastly, the other theme that complied with the short story “Shooting an Elephant” was turning points. Turning points are a way that the police officers events has developed his character, and created himself into an invulnerable individual. “One day something happened which in a roundabout way was enlightening. It was a tiny incident in itself, but it gave me a better glimpse…the sub-inspector at a police station the other end of the town rang me up on the phone and said that an elephant was ravaging the bazaar…I took my rifle, an old 44 Winchester and much too small to kill an elephant…But all of a sudden I glanced round at the crowd that had followed me.” This quote expresses the turning points because the author that was a police officer that lived in lower Burma, has had a terrible time, and he when he had suddenly got a call from a mad elephant, everyone in the town was happy, because the elephant was making agitating noises, which most people were trying to adjourn. Instead, when they heard that the author in lower Burma had to shoot the elephant this was the turning point in his life, because everyone was staring at him, and they wanted to see him kill the infuriated elephant. As a result, he had a right to because according to the law, a man who doesn’t regulate his elephant, it has a right to be shot by the police officers. In all, “Shooting an Elephant” was very condensed but it painted a picture that there is always hope to be a sturdy person.
Abdul Sulaimani
ReplyDeleteOne of the themes I discovered while reading Siddhartha was destiny. It was not Siddhartha's destiny to be a wealthy merchant who drank and gambled. He stopped at an instant in the book once he noticed what he was doing. He knew that it was not his life to be a drinker and a gambler. And he went back on the path to reaching his true goal, and that was to find inner peace. In "Shooting an Elephant" it was not Orwell's destiny to be an imperialist. He had known it was not for him. He had hated imperialism.
Another theme I saw was emotions. Emotions cannot be ignored. In Siddhartha, Siddhartha cannot hide his emotions for Kamala or Govinda. He shows love for the both of them. In "Shooting an Elephant", Orwell feels for the people of Burma. He hates why he is there. He feels that the British should have not just tried to take over because they were bigger and wealthier.
Carmelinda Coppola
ReplyDeletePeer Response towards: Way Sey
I agree with Way Sey because this quote "you cannot learn wisdom, you gain it" this quote really makes sense throughout Siddhartha due to what happened with Siddhartha, since when he encountered the Buddha, he noticed that you can't experience someone elses experiences like the Buddha, to gain meditation and peacefulness throughout your life. This quote really breaks down the story in parts because it expresses what a person can achieve without the help of someone else.
Carmelinda Coppola
ReplyDeletePeer Responses: Abdul Sulaimani
I agree and disagree with Abdul's theme for many reasons. First off, he makes sense when he says Siddhartha is reaching destiny throughout the book, which is true because he most likely wanted the ability to gain peace. Then again it wasn't really destiny that brought him to his destiny, it was more of motivation, by being motivated he was able to follow his goals, and gain the ability with peace and serenity. Overall, motivational skills leads to devotion and then destiny.
Hannabelle Mendez
ReplyDeleteThere are many themes connected to Siddhartha and “Shooting an Elephant” One of the themes is love. Love is the emotion of strong affection. Siddhartha learns about love especially when he meets Kamala, his lover. “…he who had learned from her how to make love, was knowledgeable of many forms of lust…” (47) Kamala had taught Siddhartha a lot. In “Shooting an Elephant” the officer is seen having a love for the Elephant which he did not want to kill. “I had no intention of shooting the elephant”. One other theme in both Siddhartha and “Shooting an Elephant” is symbols. There are so many symbols in these pieces of literature. One of the symbols in Siddhartha is the river. The river in Siddhartha represents life itself, time, and the path to enlightenment. “The river is everywhere at the same time...” Siddhartha learns so much from the river. One symbol in “Shooting an Elephant” is the officer’s official role which makes him a symbol of the oppressive imperial power. “As for the job I was doing, I hated it more bitterly than I can perhaps make clear.” The officer was symbolizing imperialism, and he hated it.
I agree with Nour that power was a theme. It was very important to know who had power and who didn't.
I agree with Rima because peace is all about Siddhartha and the officer in "Shootin an Elephant" wants peace.
Loyalty: A strong feeling of duty.
ReplyDeleteChange: To become or make different.
For the book ‘Siddhartha’ I chose the theme of change. Change is an important theme in this book because as Siddhartha continues his pilgrimage the dominate religion is no longer the one of the Brahmin but the one of the Buddhist. “You see, the Sublime One is in Jetavana, in Anathapindika’s garden. There you pilgrims may spend the night, for it has enough room for the countless people flocking here to hear the Teachings from his lips.(pg 25)” This quote shows that the Brahmin beliefs are already weakening at this point in time while people are leaving the Brahmin and ‘flocking’ to hear the teachings of the Buddha. Change is an important theme in the book ‘Siddhartha.”
For the short story ‘Shooting an Elephant’ I chose the theme of loyalty. I chose this theme because it is what Orwell acts upon when he shoots the elephant. Orwell shot the elephant on hidden belief that he had to protect the reputation of the country he served. "All I knew was that I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible.(paragraph 2, sentence 9)” Orwell is loyal to Brittan so he did what his job required of him and shot the elephant. Loyalty is an important theme in the short story ’Shooting an Elephant’.
Peer Responses
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anastasio on his thoughts about family. I agree that family had a big effect on Siddhartha's life.
I disagree with Joy because when Siddhartha left his wealth and the city he did not go to see the ferryman he left to commit suicide.
1) There are major themes in the book Siddhartha. But two themes that standed out to me were economy and social. The book Siddhartha focuses on how Siddhartha meet his goal by socializing with other communities. Being social meens communicating with others in a community. I say i saw the theme Econommy show up when he meet the ferryman. Economy has to do with money, Siddhartha was going to pay the ferryman but he rejected it. This shows that money was not important to the ferryman.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Burcu Kandaz because independence was the main point and theme in the book.
ReplyDeletei also agree with Emily Mateo because throughout the book it shows how Siddhartha shows more feelings toward people and things
Ruben Huertero
ReplyDeleteThere are many themes in the book Siddhartha.One of those themes is faith and how Siddahartha started to disbelieve his fath."You know dear friend,as a young man,back then,when we lived with the penitents in the forest,I already came to distrust the teaching and teachers and I turned my back on them"(123).Another theme is loyalty.Siddhartha is loyal to his friends,while the man from"Shooting An Elephant" is loyal to his people.The third theme I found is learning since Siddhartha was taught by many teachers."Nevertheless I have had many teachers since then"(123).
Blanca Melendez
ReplyDeleteOne theme that I uncovered while reading Siddhartha was the themes of economy. Economy deals with managing money and other resources. I connect this theme to when Siddhartha interacts with Kamaswami. Another theme that I uncovered was identify. I think that at then beginning of the novel Siddhartha knew what he wanted which was to become a samana, but he didn't know who he was. I also think that when his son ran away to the city, he also may have left to find his identity.
Peer Response:
1)I think that when Peter connected how Siddhartha views the world to a theme of Global Connections was very intelligent and I agree.
2)I agree with Burcu when she says the Siddhartha demonstrated independence at the beginning of the novel. He went against the norm and against his father.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteVanessa Song
ReplyDeleteMovement - the act, process, or result of moving.
Imperialism - the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries.
One theme I saw when reading Siddhartha is movement. Siddhartha traveled in search of his ultimate goal. "At that instant, Govinda realized...and he began to weep.(pg 29)" Siddhartha would start traveling to different places to learn more things. I chose this theme because Siddhartha was traveling to different places throughout the whole book. This is one of the themes I saw when reading Siddhartha.
There were different themes in "Shooting an Elephant". One theme I recognized the most in "Shooting an Elephant" was imperialism. "For at that time I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it the better." Imperialism played a major role in "Shooting an Elephant". I decided to pick this theme because without imperialism the European would have never shot the elephant in the first place.
I agree with Blanca, another theme that was in Siddhartha was economy. His meeting with Kamala and Kamaswami made him change is perspective.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nour, power played a role in "Shooting an Elephant", power influences the way people think all the time.
-Samir Jasarat
ReplyDeleteOne theme that we haven't talked about, and is evident in both "Shooting an Elephant" and "Siddhartha", is the theme of social systems. In "Siddhartha", the theme of social systems is evident in the various communities that Siddhartha takes refuge in. As a samana, Siddhartha's social system was one that limited socializing and focused upon individual achievement. When he became a merchant, Siddhartha's social system was comprised of heavy social work and took pride in the achievements as a materialistic and group based society with interactions which influenced the trade that merchants needed to be successful with. Now, in "Shooting an Elephant", the theme of social systems is evident in the weak interactions between the British empire and the Indian natives. Its like they are in two different goals, to different mind sets, two different social systems! One is the native social system belong to the Indian natives which involves Hinduism, the social class system, and successful work ethics. The imperialistic social system is comprised of royalty, ancestral worship and self pride. As you can see, the theme of social systems is evident in both the book "Siddhartha" and the short story "Shooting an Elephant".
-Peer Comments
1)Luis, I like the way you related Siddhartha's goal with his ability to socialize well.
2)Logan, by change, do you mean turning points?
Two themes I noticed from the readings are religion and wisdom. Religion really connects because in the begining of the book Siddhartha was started questioning his religion which his parents raised him to know. " He saw him growing up to be a great sage and priest, a prince among the Brahmins."(3) Another theme that played a great role in the story was wisdom because Siddhartha had so much but at the same time he was always in search for more that will help lead him to enlightment. Siddhartha's wisdom and knowledge both helped him on his path and at the same time made it more difficult. '" You are clever, O samana" said the Venerable one. " You know how to speak cleverly, my friend. Beware of too much cleverness!"'(33)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Salma power was a theme that I noticed in "shooting elephants" because Orwell was living in a place where more people had power over others and he hated that very much.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Burcu because not only does Siddhartha show independence when he decides to leave his family to become a semana but Govinda shows independence too when he decides to go on his own path without Siddhartha by his side.
Michelle Wu
ReplyDeleteA theme that I have uncovered while reading the book "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse is Change. Change happens to Sidddhartha when he goes from living in the forest to living in the city and learning love from Kamala. Also during his time in the city, he met a merchant, and this merchant teaches siddhartha how to eat, drink, and dress wealth. Siddhartha also learns to dice which is gambling. After a long time of living in the city, he gets lost in his games of dicing and drinking and he loses his goal in life. "And Siddhartha's new life, begun after his parting with Govinda had like wise grown old and and so with the fletting years, his life lost color and luster..." (page 69 and 70 ). His lifestyle changes so much that he sorta of has a new life now and forgot his time in the forest, thus losing his goal.
Another theme I discovered is movement. "... we monks are always on the move, except in the rainy season. We wander from place to place, living according to Rule, proclaim the Teachings, receve alms,and wander on..." (page 82). The movement in this book is about the monks or the samanas that move from one place to another teaching Teachings and then moving on again. This was the road that Govinda decides to take, move on and on and live by the Rules. These are the themes that I have recognized while read Siddhartha.
There were many themes found in the book Siddhartha and in Shooting An Elephant. For example one theme I found was love. Siddhartha has a tricky time learning how to love, and how to get others to love back. For example in the book, Siddhartha loves his son, but the child doesn't feel the same way . Siddhartha works hard to make this relationship work, and tries to make his love mutual between him and his son. However, the child is ungrateful, and gives Siddhartha a hard time. On page 104 it states '' For a long time, long months, Siddhartha waited for his son to understand, to accept his love, perhaps to love him back. '' Siddhartha was patient and understanding but the boy wasn't appreciative. He knew that soft love was a lot stronger than tough love and tried his hardest but it didn't work. Siddhartha had a really hard time getting others to love him as much as he loved them. One theme I found in Shooting An Elephant is to not believe everything you hear. Many times rumors are false, and you are fooled to have believed in them. George Orwell believed the rumors that spread around town that the elephant wasn't tamed, but the instant he saw it with his own eyes, he knew the things he heard were false. For example, in paragraph 6 it states ''I had halted on the road. As soon as I saw the elephant I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him. It is a serious matter to shoot a working elephant. '' George Orwell could tell that the elephant was still a working properly and the things he heard were false. Just because a statement from someone, it doesn't mean it's true, and that is the theme in Shooting An Elephant.
ReplyDeleteJoe Chau
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading Siddhartha and Shoot an elephant, I notice two new themes that we haven't talk about. The two new themes are movement and community. Movement is moving from one place to another. "I am going nowhere. We monks are always on the move, except for rainy season."(p.g82) Govinda travel to different place throughout his life and spead the teaching of the Buddha. Another themes I found in Siddhartha are community. A community is the people around you that have a influence on you. Siddhartha join a lot of different community in his life. He start out as a Brahman, then he decide to join the samanas community. After his talk with the Buddha, Siddhartha became a dicer, a gambler,and a merchant. In the end of the story, Siddhartha become a ferryman. The theme of movement and community can often be find in Siddhartha.
I agree with Vanessa's song statementthat movement is a major theme in Siddhartha. He had to travel to different places in order to experience life to the fullest.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Michelle Wu's statement that change is a major theme in the novel Siddhartha. As he traveled through all the differnet places, he had to adjust to different surroundings and that is a huge change.
There are various themes that come up in Siddhartha. Two themes that we have not yet talked about are belief systems and religion. These two play a big role in the book. Siddhartha starts out as a Brahmin(Hinduism), who leaves home to become a Samana (Buddhism), then strays away from all beliefs in his days as a merchant and a lover. Later on, it is Siddhartha's belief systems that help him back on the right path to fulfill his destiny. In the book, both the themes belief systems and movement are connected because Siddhartha must travel and interact with many new people on his journey to achieve enlightenment.
ReplyDeleteKa Yan Ou
ReplyDeleteA theme I have uncovered while reading is movement and “Shooting an Elephant”. Movement is the physical motion between points in space. While reading the book Siddhartha, the theme movement is discovered. Siddhartha is set out on a quest for enlightenment. “Siddhartha learned much among the samanas, he learned to follow many paths away from his ego…But though the paths led away from the ego, in the end they always led back to the ego” (15). This describes Siddhartha is trying to find enlightenment so he traveled to learn from the samanas. In “Shooting an Elephant”, a large number of people moved to Moulmein because of Imperialism. Nation’s authority had been moved to other places. “All this was perplexing and upsetting. For at that time I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it the better” (paragraph 2). Because of imperialism, the nation’s things has been expanded to other place. Another theme I have uncovered while reading is destiny. Destiny is which any person or thing is destined. It is a predetermined state, fate, something that will sooner or later happen. Siddhartha is destined to be enlightened. “No longer knowing whether a Siddhartha existed, or a Gautama, or I and Thou, wounded in his innermost as if by a godly arrow…just as he had smiled, the Sublime One” (131-132). Siddhartha got enlightened at the end of the book. In “Shooting an Elephant”, it was destined for the place to conquered. “I was young and ill-educated and I had had to think out my problems in the utter silence that is imposed on every Englishman in the East. I did not even know that the British Empire is dying, still less did I know that it is a great deal better than the younger empires that are going to supplant it” (paragraph 2). The British Empire is dying and so it is destined for the empire to be conquered by other empires.
I agree with Shenelle Reddick that imperialism is a major theme in “Shooting an Elephant”. The story was mostly about what happen after the place was conquered by another nation and how people were after the place was conquered.
I agree with Claudia Wang that suffering is a theme in Siddhartha and “Shooting an Elephant”. Siddhartha was suffering in the book and went through a lot suffering. In “Shooting an Elephant”, some people were suffering because they weren’t like others. People has been giving hateful comments to others.
One theme in the book Siddhartha was community. Coumminity was a theme because Siddhartha went around to different communities and finding help to fulfill his goals in life. Another theme in the book Siddhartha was family. Family played a big role because Siddhartha had to ask his parents before he did any of his actions.(9)
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