AP Prep Post 1: SIDDHARTHA

AP Questions:

1. (Essay topic)

A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Answer: The passage wouldn't be enough to cover several of the symbols expressed in the novel but the passage may be an significant part of the essay. Throughout the novel Herman Hesse portrays Siddhartha's emotions or thought processes through imagery, flashbacks of past events from the novel, change in tone and simply comparing him to something else, usually something in nature.

 

URL: jneff.wikispaces.com/.../Open+Question+Practice+Activity.doc

 

2. What the symbol reveals to Siddhartha (both character and theme) about the unity of all beings.

 Leads to his final epiphany and enlightenment. The river is a river, but it is also the connection of all

 creatures great, small, friend, and foe. Only when we realize that everyone we encounter in life is a

necessary part of our journey and someone to learn from will we achieve our own personal

enlightenment.

Answer: In the passage, it doesn't ellaborate on the importance of the symbol of water or the river. You may need to read the whole novel to get the big picture of why this element is so significant.

URL: jneff.wikispaces.com/.../Open+Question+Practice+Activity.doc

3. Does verbal communication play a positive role in the spiritual progression of characters in Siddhartha? What kind of communication is most effective in Siddhartha? Speeches? Body language?
Answer: By what we have read in the passage, it seems as though verbal communication is not the prominent tactic of speaking. I remember Siddhartha often, or most of the time meditates, feels nature, listens to nature, rather than having majjor associations with people.

URL: http://www.shmoop.com/siddhartha/language-communication-theme.html

4. Consider Siddhartha’s relationship with Govinda. How are they similar, and how are they different? What are the narrative functions of Govinda’s reappearance throughout the novel? How does their relationship impact the novel’s ending?
Answer: You can't really get much from the passage to answer this.. But you can understand that Govinda is a really significant figure in Siddhartha's life or journey to be reborn.

URL: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/siddhartha/study.html

5. What is the significance of the name Siddhartha?
Answer: You must read the novel or look up the meaning of his name.

URL: http://docsfiles.com/pdf_siddhartha_study_questions_part_one.html