Instructions: The chapter "Gotama" from the novel will be discussed and ""What Does Writing

Involve?" and "How Do You ocus and !rgani"e a Writing #ro$ect?" from the te%tboo& will be
covered'
(Gotama)* (What Does Writing Involve?* and (How Do You ocus and !rgani"e a Writing
#ro$ect?*
(Gotama*
+fter leaving the ,amanas) Govinda and ,iddhartha travel to hear the teachings of the -uddha' It
is interesting to notice that it was Govinda.s idea to see& out Gotama) (The -uddha'*/emember)
Govinda represents ,iddhartha.s shadow) and it is interesting that Govinda is ma&ing choices and
decisions) which will lead to him sta0ing and becoming one of -uddha.s disciples' + reference is
made in the chapter where a woman tells ,iddhartha and Govinda that the0 ma0 sleep among
the pilgrims' The ne%t morning among the bustling of the town and the -uddhist) who loo& e%actl0
ali&e with their 0ellow cowls) ,iddhartha notices Gotama for the first time' Despite his
commonplace appearance and traditional 0ellow mon&.s garb) Gotama stands out because he
radiates inner peace' +lso) ,iddhartha notices Gotama.s smile which is similar to a new born
child' The reference to the smile is often made in the novel) and it is a reoccurring s0mbol of
enlightenment' or the first time) ,iddhartha is able to see a manifestation of what he is tr0ing to
achieve in the form of Gotama'
That evening) -uddha preaches before the crowd that there is salvation from pain and suffering
for those who follow the prescribed course of -uddhism1that is) the our 2oble Truths1of which
the fourth involves the ta&ing of the 3ightfold #ath' Govinda volunteers to $oin the -uddhist
pilgrims and hopes that ,iddhartha will also $oin' ,iddhartha decides not to follow) and the two
friends have a tearful separation' It is as if the follower aspect of ,iddhartha.s personalit0)
represented b0 his shadow Govinda) has left him' ,iddhartha see&s out the -uddha) respectfull0)
to discuss the -uddha.s doctrine of salvation from suffering'
,iddhartha believes the -uddha.s theor0 of cause and effect and the understanding of the world
as a complete and unbro&en chain are brilliant' The idea that there is no such thing as fate or
superstition) and the individual is capable) through good actions) of creating good and
harmonious reactions) or is capable of creating his or her own realit0 is a revelation for
,iddhartha' However) ,iddhartha points out this doctrine of salvation is neither shown nor proven'
,iddhartha again voices the central idea of the novel: he reminds the -uddha that the process of
enlightenment which he underwent is unteachable'
There is no wa0 of communicating first4hand e%perience to disciples' !ne can find the secret of
self1reali"ation onl0 b0 going one.s own wa0' Gotama concedes this point: however) he is
teaching salvation and not what ,iddhartha is see&ing' There is a distinction between the idea of
salvation and self1reali"ation' ,o far) ,iddhartha has re$ected Hinduism) +sceticism) and
-uddhism) in other words all formal doctrine' He believes enlightenment defies structure) and it
transcends the teaching process'
(What Does Writing Involve?*
Through writing) people share what the0 &now' 5an0 people use writing to thin& through ideas
on an issue or to help organi"e comple% material' 6onsider writing then as thin&ing made visible)
as thin&ing in slow motion) a process whereb0 we can inspect and reflect on what we are
thin&ing' The abilit0 to write has become even more important with the integration of electronic
media into our dail0 lives' Writing can be intimidating and the te%tboo& describes certain m0ths
concerning writing' The most important aspect to remember about writing is that it is craft that one
can develop and master' Writing well comes from practice and process' In the te%tboo&) it reviews
the stages of writing in chart 7'7) which is on page five' It is impossible to start and finish a
research pro$ect or report at the college level without budgeting 0our time and following a
process' However) before starting the process of writing and researching a topic) 0ou must decide
on what 0ou hope to accomplish' 6enturies ago) theorists of rhetoric) the art of persuasive
communication identified three basic steps of writing'
8 To inform or teaching readers new information'
8 To persuade or writing that convinces readers to believe or act in new wa0s'
8 To entertain or writing that diverts and engages the reader'
In this class) we will be doing a combination of writing to persuade and to inform' With our
research papers) discussed in our ,0llabus) and with our Discussion -oard writing) we are tr0ing
to convince our peers) the other students and facilitator of this particular course) through our
researched &nowledge and the argumentative format of claim) support) and warrant our informed
and insightful opinion on the 9uestion at issue'
We begin the process b0 showing our readers we are credible' /eaders e%pect 0ou to show that
0ou &now what 0ou are tal&ing about before the0 will give 0our ideas serious consideration' In
0our research paper) 0ou will be presenting 0our argument and supporting 0our argument with the
research 0ou have done on the topic' You are not presenting and e%plaining what other people
thin& on the topic or 9uestion at issue' You are presenting 0our researched opinion) and 0ou are
using outside credible sources to support 0our point of view'
+lso) 0ou must present that information fairl0 and honestl0' You will need to present material
accuratel0 and fairl0 in a writing pro$ect' -ase 0our arguments on reputable sources) and be
truthful about gaps or limitations in what 0ou &now' In addition) 0ou must use a civil tone' It is fine
to disagree strongl0 with another.s ideas) and I hope 0ou do: however) confine 0our criticism to
issues rather than attac& 0our opponents' You should avoid name calling and inflammator0
language' ,o) as writers we must follow a process) define our purpose) define our audience) and
present ourselves as a fair and credible source of information'
(How Do You ocus and !rgani"e a Writing #ro$ect?*
The most important part of a formal academic paper is crafting a thesis statement' +
thesis statement is two or three sentences that e%plicitl0 identif0 the main idea of a paper'
Depending on the pro$ect) it ma0 be a conclusion 0ou draw as a result of doing research) 0our
answer to a pu""ling 9uestion about 0our topic) or a claim 0ou will spend the rest of the paper
e%plaining or supporting' There are two t0pes of thesis statement' 2ote the two e%amples of
thesis statements that follow' How do the0 differ? How might the differences affect the paper that
follows?
a; ,iddhartha.s e%periences in ,ansara are an essential component to him achieving 2irvana'
b; ,iddhartha.s e%periences in ,ansara are an essential component to him achieving 2irvana)
for he rids himself of his arrogance) he comes to understand the c0clical nature of realit0) and he
begins to understand the importance of unconditional love'
We can call <a; an open thesis' It states the writer.s opinion but not the reasons for his or her
opinion' In contrast) a complete thesis <b; includes both the writer.s opinion and the reasons that
support his or her claim) which thesis statement is preferable? It is a matter of choice 4 the
writer.s choice' However) as a general guideline to assist 0ou in deciding on the most suitable
form of 0our thesis) consider the comple%it0 of the topic) the length of the paper) the needs of 0our
audience) and the purpose of 0our pro$ect' In long paper on a comple% topic) the reader ma0
welcome the clarit0 of a thesis with stated reasons' -ut in a short essa0 on a simple topic) the
open thesis ma0 be enough and less mechanical' The te%tboo& discusses what ma&es a strong
thesis in chapter three) page => of the te%t' The following is a bullet list of those &e0 attributes of a
strong thesis statement'
8 + thesis should be a complete sentence or two'
8 + thesis should tell the readers what 0our paper is about'
8 + thesis should ma&e readers notice 0our paper'
8 + thesis should ma&e a claim that 0ou can ade9uatel0 support with evidence'
When 0ou are considering an organi"ational pattern for 0our research paper) 0ou should
incorporate an introduction) bod0) conclusion pattern with counterarguments' When 0ou ma&e a
point or support an argument) 0ou must usuall0 deal with opposing views' If 0ou loo& at the above
e%ample of an open and complete thesis statement) I am ma&ing a claim concerning ,iddhartha.s
time spent in ,ansara' I feel it is necessar0 for him to e%perience this despair) or he will not reach
his goal of 2irvana' However) another person could believe that ,iddhartha.s time spent in
,ansara was an unnecessar0 detour' If he would have practiced what he preached) he could
have avoided sin and suffering' 5ost religions ma&e a point of clarif0ing that an individual must
avoid sin and temptation to become at peace' +s a writer) I must address this point of view' If I do
not address it) m0 paper will seem to avoid &e0 9uestions' 6ounterarguments) discussions of
opposing views) inevitabl0 ma&e the structure of the paper more comple%' The0 should be
addressed immediatel0) or near the beginning of the research paper' If 0ou end with a
counterargument) it will onl0 wea&en 0our claim' or the e%amination) ma&e sure 0ou review
those sections of the chapter that discuss incorporating an outline for 0our paper'
2e%t ,teps
!nce 0ou have completed this wee&s reading and lecture notes) answer the 9uestion in
Discussion and #rivate 5essages' /emember to ta&e the e%amination in +ssignments)Tests and
,urve0s no later than ,aturda0 evening'