Aphorism

Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything-- Plato

This aphorism holds importance in my life because its very true for me. Just as it was for Plato, music inspires my mind and imagination, and definitely brings another charm to life, one that wouldn't exist without it. I haven't always been obsessed with music, or listened to it as methodically as I do now, however going back to before would seem impossible now. I find it very interesting that even since the beginning of civilization, music has had the same appreciation that it does now.

I relate this aphorism to what Joseph Campbell says about heroes because many heroes throughout history have been musicians. Orpheus, who I will act as on Thursday, was a musician. This profession has been wont to experience tragedy in many stories in history, and though many times it is attributed to the libertine and bohemian lifestyle its practitioners lead, I believe that the role of the musician, to turn tragedy into beautiful songs, makes them the bearers of many calamities. As Orpheus sings to Hades in the underworld, he is weaving his sadness only through the power of music, and it manages to move the god of death.

Siddhartha Blog Part 4

In the chapter “The Son”, Siddhartha wants to make his son adapt to his father’s lifestyle, but not by strength, but by gently coaxing him without any type of chastising. This reminds me of Gandhi’s nonviolence campaign in India, because it is based not on action, but on persuading and making the other person see the error of their ways through their own wisdom. It does vary a little from Siddhartha, in that it is more aggressive and antagonistic than Siddhartha, since it is his own son, but even so the principle is the same; to give wisdom to the person to make them see the error of their ways. Also, it differs in that it was not effective, while Gandhi’s campaign in India was. In fact, Siddhartha’s son seemed more alienated with his father’s efforts. I guess it could also be connected to Gandhi, not in his Indian campaign, but his attempts to unify the Hindu and Muslim populations in one nation, and his failure. After India gained its independence, Muslim separatists formed Pakistan. This resembles Siddhartha’s son running away from home. Just as the Muslims were forced into one nation by the British, Siddhartha’s son was forced to live with his father. 

Erysichthon Questions

1) Why does Erysichthon cut down the tree?He cuts it down because he needs the wood, and doesn't care that the tree is sacred2) Define piety. Piety is devotion and reverence to what is holy
3) How does this term relate to Erysichthon?Erysichthon is not pious, he is the complete opposite, thinking always of worldly things and never to what's above
4) What connections can be made between this scene and this children's story?The children's story deals with sacrifice and giving, something that Erysichthon would never do, but people did for him in the story, such as his mother, who he sold into slavery to buy food.
5) Relate the events in this scene to a specific passage in Siddhartha.One thing which made me think of Siddhartha was the role that hunger played in the story. Siddhartha joins the Samanas and lives a life of asceticism voluntarily, while Erysichthon was forced to. Siddhartha did it to find peace with himself, and maybe Ceres wanted to teach him the same lesson in making him hungry. 

Google Day 3/Presentation

Goals

• Learn more about what it takes to be a journalist
• Learn more about what I would be working on
• Find universities which could interest people who want to study journalism

http://collegemediamatters.com/2012/01/30/best-journalism-schools-at-u-s-colleges-and-universities/

Useful for goal 3, where I asked myself where I wanted to study journalism.

http://www.independent.co.uk/student/postgraduate/postgraduate-study/so-you-want-to-be-a-journalist-a-masters-has-never-been-more-important-7953355.html

Useful for goal 1, because it told me what I need to become a successful journalist

http://www.freelancewriting.com/articles/do-you-want-to-become-a-journalist.php

Useful for goal 2, because it explains what things people would like if they wanted to become a journalist

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/11/09/top-10-tips-for-young-aspiring-journalists/

Useful for goals 1 and 2, told me what journalists do, get paid, and a lot of other information

Evidence

I know now that to be a journalist you have to be an extrovert, and that may change a lot of things for my opinion on journalism. 

Siddhartha Reading Blog Part 3

What purpose does the bed that Kamala and Vasudeva's wife died have?
What differences are there between Kamala and Siddhartha? How do these differences reconcile or repel?
What is the purpose of the golden bird, and why did it seem interested in bringing Siddhartha back on track?
What role does Govina play in Siddhartha's journey to nirvana? Is he a positive, negative or neutral influence?
What will the secret knowledge which Siddhartha will learn at the river do to Siddhartha?
What does Siddhartha mean when he says that samsara is a game which "can only be played once, twice, or at most ten times"?
What is the role of suicide in Buddhism, and how would Siddhartha's suicidal thoughts be reflected on his doctrine? Would he still stand by these thoughts later on?
What does it really mean when Govinda doesn't cry for Siddhartha?
 How has Siddhartha's self dissapeared and is it even true?
 

Siddhartha Reading Blog Section 2

I connected the passage in which Siddhartha says "I can think, I can wait, I can fast" to the book The Savage Detectives. The reason is because his quest for knowledge reminds me of the way in which the poets starved and wrote and promulgated revolution. Their quests are quite similar, because Juan García Madero, who also lived a privileged life, left it to walk with the proletarian poets in Mexico in the 70s. 

I also connect the relationship with Kamaswami and Siddhartha with the generic kid-hating adult which has to take care of a kid but in the end the adult learns more from the kid than the kid with the adult, for example Martian Child. This movie model isn't exactly my favorite, and I admit to critique it, however I can still appreciate it in terms of trying to show the spirit of Siddhartha in terms of the people which surround him.

Reading Blog Section One

  Here are some of the questions I asked myself while reading:


          • How did the relationship between Govinda and Siddhartha emerge? Are they more than friends? How will they overcome the obstacles within the story together? Will they continue together?

          • Why does Siddhartha decide to go beyond his usual practices and search for the enlightenment in such a radical way? Is there a specific reason for this?

• Why is Govinda so attached to Siddhartha? Is he in love with him beyond a platonic relationship?
• Why was Gautama Buddha not enough for Siddhartha's thirst for knowledge?
• Why wasn't he satisfied with the Samanas?
• Does Siddhartha have special powers, and if so, how did he use them with the Samanas?
• Are Siddhartha's feelings towards Govina reciprocal? If not, how will Govinda react to this?
• Where does Siddhartha's quest for knowledge come from?  Why is he so persistent on being enlightened?