Agenda:
Warm-up
Assign Vocabulary Quiz (Monday)
Assign Siddhartha Quiz (Thursday)
Review Kamala
Read Amongst the People –dialectic journal
Review Amongst the People
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11
HW: READ SAMSARA
WARM-UP
I used to ______, but now I ________.
 Write as many of these sentences as you can in
5 minutes.
 Examples:
I used to think that I had to be perfect in order to
be loved, but now I know imperfections make me
loveable.
I used to call my aunts, but now I call my nieces.

UPCOMING QUIZZES
Homework: Read Samsara
 There will be an open book quiz (30 pts) on
Thursday on chapter 6, 7, and 8. I will ask you
to explain two specific things (quotes, reasons,
significance) about each chapter and
incorporate at least one quotation into you
response.
 Vocabulary Quiz on Monday.

GOTAMA
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Teaches the Four Noble
Truths and that life is
pain.
Called the Enlightened
One.
Wanted to solve
suffering for all humans.
Attained Nirvana
SIDDHARTHA

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
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Went on quest for
enlightenment.
Adopted Indian Asceticism.
Born into a leader’s family
Is called Siddhartha and the
Awakened One.
Does not believe in a
personal God.
GOTAMA AND SIDDHARTHA
TWO DIFFERENT CHARACTERS?

Why do you think Hesse chose to create two characters whose names,
actions, and beliefs relate to the historical figure of the Buddha?
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Clearly the difference between Gotama and Siddhartha is
important. They are not the same, but they exist at the same
moment in time.
Siddhartha is truly on his own. He does not want or need
followers. His goal is to achieve peace for himself.
Siddhartha’s way is his own –not Govinda’s, not the
Buddha’s, not even Hesse’s.
Perhaps Hesse needed to restore peace to his world and
belief in humanity after the turmoil of WWI.
Hesse sorts things out through Siddhartha?
STYLE

What do you make of the exotically formal
style?
TIME AND PLACE?

Why did Hesse not include a clear reference to a
particular time period or geographical region?
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He wanted to created a legendary or magical world.
Hesse didn’t want readers to be terribly concerned with
trying to figure out the truth about actual events. It’s not an
explanation of Indian philosophy.
But by placing Siddhartha in ancient India with the Buddha,
he creates a timeless, mythic validity.
“The legendary times allow the reader to lose the sense of
differentiation and to come nearer to the oneness of the
human race.”
The parallels to the Buddha’s life contribute to the legendary
quality, too.
KAMALA: ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Why is it hard to trust one’s own voice?/Why is
it hard to listen to yourself?
 How do males and females balance each
other?
 What can you learn from treating someone as
an equal?

CHECK YOUR SHORT TERM MEMORY

What are the three things that Siddhartha
claims to do well?
SIDDHARTHA’S DREAM

What on Earth does it mean? (48)
PEOPLE ARE CHILDREN
After meeting the ferryman, Siddhartha says,
“All whom I meet on the way are like Govinda.
All are grateful, although they themselves
deserve thanks. All are subservient, all wish to
be my friend, to obey and to think little. People
are children” (49).
 What does he mean by child-like? See page 46,
too.

SIDDHARTHA COMES TO LIFE
There is a feeling of rebirth.
 Siddhartha now knows he must listen to both his
senses and his thoughts. Visible and Invisible
 Sees the world with child-like wonder
 Finds his sexuality, but still listens to his inward
voice.
 Receives his first kiss
 Endeavors to earn money, fine clothes and shoes
so that he can learn from a new teacher
 Restored sense of balance 

WHAT DOES KAMALA TEACH SIDDHARTHA?
Remember Siddhartha said he would never
again seek lessons from a teacher.
 She is a teacher of experiences.
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*This is the start of chapter 6. (Quiz)
READ “AMONGST THE PEOPLE”

Dialectic journal you are responsible for two
dialectic journal entries.
When you are finished, answer this question in
a paragraph with one quotation from this
chapter:
Why does Hesse continually refer to Siddhartha’s
activities in this chapter as “play” and “game”?

AMONGST THE PEOPLE: ESSENTIALS Q’S
Is it best to leave emotions to the side when
making decisions?
 What can you learn from treating someone
equally and fairly?
 Is life nothing more than a game?
 What is love?

WHAT IS THE HEART OF A SAMANA?

What makes Siddhartha so good at business?
Why does Hesse continually refer to Siddhartha’s
activities in chapter 6 as “play” and “game”?
 From the start Siddhartha says, “I am not in need.”
 Kamaswami is fully invested and Siddhartha is
fully detached, never fearing failure.
 Kamaswami has many troubles, but Siddhartha is
separated from them because he was a Samana.
 He sees others lament, but he laughs.
 His inner voice complains because he feels more
like a player in a game, observing from elsewhere.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN?
Explain this quote: “Perhaps people like us
cannot love. Ordinary people can –it is their
secret” (73). Secret to what?
  Open up your books and your minds

“Perhaps people like us cannot love. Ordinary
people can –it is their secret” (73).
 Kamala cannot/should not love because she is
a courtesan. It is a skill/art.
 Siddhartha, the Samana, has the ability to
separate himself from pain and pleasure.
 They both have a “stillness and sanctuary to
which [they] can retreat at anytime” (71).
 Most people find sanctuary in the outside
(things, other people, experiences, etc.)
 For ordinary people, the secret to their
fulfillment IS love. Siddhartha is not ordinary.