Questions- Siddhartha

1) Why does Siddhartha leave his father?
Siddhartha left his father because he did not just was to be a follower of tradition he wanted to find the experience the notion that he had that the answers with what he needed was not in what he could be taught but by experience.

2)What are some of the reasons why writers like Herman Hesse would be interested in Eastern philosophy and religion?
I think it is because western religion is to them what eastern philosophy is to Siddhartha, it emphasis the spiritual and requires the individual to reject his natural self and experiences.

3) If Siddhartha never lived with Kamala and the people in the city would he have reached Enlightenment faster?
I do not believe he would, with out experience the thing that drove him to his down fall he would have never hit his rock bottom and would never find though his spiritual teaching what he was so searching for.

4) Who is Vasudeva?
Vesudeva is the man whom navigated the boat across the river. Siddhartha learns allot from him about life and the oneness with the universe through the river. Siddhartha also believed he might have been a god.

5) Why does Siddhartha feel the priests cannot see the true beauty of the world?
He thinks so because they have never experienced the other side, they only have the teaching but no real idea of what it is because for one it cannot be expressed in words. Also they have a particular numbness to the world that hinders them from experiencing the beauty of the world.

Siddhartha- Reflection

" I had to spend many years losing my spirit, to unlearn thinking again, to forget the oneness. Isn't it just as if I had turned slowly and on a long detour from a man into a child, from a thinker into a childlike person? And yet, this path has been very good; and yet, the bird in my chest has not died. But what a path has this been! I had to pass through so much stupidity, through so much vices, through so many errors, through so much disgust and disappointments and woe, just to become a child again and to be able to start over. But it was right so, my heart says "Yes" to it, my eyes smile to it. I've had to experience despair, I've had to sink down to the most foolish one of all thoughts, to the thought of suicide, in order to be able to experience divine grace, to hear Om again, to be able to sleep properly and awake properly again. I had to become a fool, to find Atman in me again."- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Before I go on to explain this passage I just want make a suggestion that is an attempt to answer Professor Murdaco, question on similarity of disenchantment to western religion being applicable to eastern religion as it correlates to this passage. Eastern religion according to the perspective of Siddhartha entails some of the same characteristics as 1922 western religion, that turned him away from the way it is practiced, taught and how it is received by the individual. Blindly practicing religion just for the sake of being apart of sect denounces the sole purpose of its promise. Experience is always the best teacher not the words of man because without the experience you will never be able to use what you've learned or appreciate the very thing you sacrifice your self for.

With that being said the meaning of this passage is simply Siddhartha expressing his appreciation for his all experience in his life. He appreciates his encounter with sin because though it he was able to lean on his spiritual/ holy teaching. He found himself when he set out to find an answer for himself, to think beyond what what told to him. To acknowledged what was really puzzling to him, not just accepting to be blind by the veil of tradition. Siddhartha understood that the good and the bad that life offers works together for good, even the very traditions he strayed from not feeling completed by it actually completed him in a later stage of life.

I chose this passage because it is a revelation I have come to myself, that just like a river no phase in life is isolated it is always connected. It is all one so it is never enough to just be content with one phase. Just as spirituality is an important in life experience is also an important teacher/master in life. One thing i know even with raising child there are some children who will listen when the parent say don't touch the fire you will get burned, there are also the children who will have to feel the heat before they get it, and some actually have to get burned. The one thing that I know for sure about these three different example of children is that people who have lost the most learn how to appreciate the most. So I am not surprised that Siddhartha is more learned on his life journey than his friend Govinda, though Siddhartha visited a dark place in life to consider suicide.

Raoul Hausmann

Raoul Hausmann was a native of Austria whom migrated to Berlin Germany in 1901. He was born in 1886 and he died at the age of 84 in 1971 in France. Hausmann was apart of the Dada movement he was an poignant artist, speaker and writer in the movement. He was connected to other important members of the Dada movement such as Hannah Hoch and Richard Huelsenbeck. Hausmann had one daughter two wife and an extensive collection of extramarital affairs.

 

DADA SIEGT 1920

This picture this first thing that catchs my eye is the half of globe with the word dada inside of it. I think that is a symbol of how large Hausmann expects the movement to go. There are no women in this photograph, but there is a man with the brain exposed. there is something that goes off in my head that makes me think of strategy. The is also a basketball in the background which is cool because though it is marked dada it tell me the sport is so important it gets recognition. Anatomy as well as color is a big theme in this photo. Also overlapping and the art of photography.

ELASTICUM 1920

this picture is another one of Hausmann photomontage works. unlike his photographs these collages are a mixture bright and dark colors. This work has colors of yellow blue, orange green, black and white. The image has the presence of a man and a lot of chaos around him. There are all sorts of parts such as tires, screws meter, bolts and even the head of a man in the a background with a hat on. Though the photo has more color it seems very masculine and also very firm as in serious. There are letters floating around in black and white and yellow and orange but it is very hard to make out and decipher it.

TWO NUDES ON A BEACH 1930

this picture is of two nudist on a beach suposidly it is of Hausmann two lovers in whom he photograhy frequent. In this picture unlike the previous two the pictures are lacking color just grey. Both women seem to be turned from the camera maybe to imply face is not important or might be too personal. they are also laying down in the sames manor with knees bended and crossed maybe to symbolize feminism. The subject of the picture both seem to be young due to skin texture and sexuality liberation.

Dada Manifesto- Written Part

 "Quite terribly simple. To make of it an artistic tendency must mean that one is anticipating complications. Dada Psychology, dada Germany cum indigestion and fog paroxysm" - Hugo Ball, Dada Manifesto 


I chose this quote because, for one it is very powerful. I say this because the meaning behind it is deep conceptually. This is highly intelligent yet deemed so simple and to think people were punished for such brilliance of artistic ability.


The meaning of this quote is that the concept of dada is the reality of what is being avoided. To see reality  is much easier than to admit it, but through dada, admitting the facts and seeing the facts have become unified thus causing a very big problem and becoming something obnoxious. Dada is a artistic outlet of expressing the obvious though it is hard to look upon, highly distorted and can be ugly, it is what it is. I also think that it means lack of care, it means that things are meaningless and plain at that point.


The image depicted of Germany is that of a combination of pain/discomfort and a naive vision of the problem, even the way the people are thinking is irregular. So this artistic tendency clearly portray this misconstrue


I think the Author is saying this because he purposed to be ironic, he uses this very simple word to explain a concept that is quite concentrated and sophisticated and it boldly stand for what is faced by the movement. He was his audience to know that this art is the image of what really is, in a way the clear picture even though the reality is the distortion. 


The quote actually made me think about what might have been going on during this time that would inspire such honesty ideology of society and it defiantly bring be to imagine what it would be like if people were really to call things how they see it (scary). In a way I do agree with what the author is proposing and though he was using irony and truth, dada is not simple but complications should be expected. There is no way dada can be comfortable for some people. Dada can be seen going on today, Is it always accurate this artistic tenancy in our society absolutely not for example the Hitler mustache on President Obama face in political posters.