AP Prep Post 1: SIDDHARTHA

Question 1-5:
http://www.greatbooks.org/resources/guides/novels/siddhartha/

1) What does Siddhartha mean when he refers to the "path of paths" that must be found? (p. 17) Why is he so certain that neither the Brahmans nor the samanas have found it?
ANS: Though I can't answer the question in the intended context, when you think about the passage we just read and the "path of paths" we can make the assumption that these Brahmans and samanas have not found their true path because they haven't explored all the paths. Siddhartha left his societal expectations in order to find his own path by exploring all paths that were available to him. In doing so he was able to transform and create the person he needed to become.

2) Does Gautama adequately answer Siddhartha's contention that "no one is granted deliverance through a teaching"? (p. 32) Why doesn't Siddhartha become one of Gautama's followers?
ANS: In order to answer this question I need to learn who Gautama is and read the conversation that took place between the two. Yet the reason why I chose this question is because I believe that this conversation plays a vital role in the passage that is soon to come.

3) What is the connection between Siddhartha losing his friend Govinda to Gautama and Siddhartha's "awakening"? What does it mean that "the awakening man was on the way to himself"? (p. 37)
ANS: When Siddhartha lost his only friend, Govinda, he lost the last connection he had to his former life and with that loss he was forced to face what he became hence the quote, "the awakening man was on the way to himself" because you can only embrace who you are if you accept who you are.

4) After waking up by the river, why does Siddhartha say, "I have nothing, I know nothing, I can do nothing, I have learned nothing. How wondrous this is!"? (p. 84)
ANS: Because he has abandoned all he has and all he has known to explore a world outside of his own and what he soon realizes is that we all live in vast metaphysical world in which unanswered questions, new experiences, and mysteries are infinite. Which in some ways can seem daunting because you are venturing into a world that is hard to prepare for but is also liberating in the sense that somewhere in that world is a place just for you.

5) How can we know who is the right teacher for us? Can wisdom be taught?
What is the relation of words to wisdom? Do words tend to enhance or limit wisdom?
ANS: These questions would be more suited as an essay question you would answer after reading the passage, but I'd you we're to answer them I believe the key points to address are individuality, self-discovery, and performative utterances.

NOTES: After going through all these questions it showed that I definitely need to have a strong understanding of themes, symbolism, and abstract thoughts within the text.