Echoes of the Tao

Echoes of the Tao
Name:
As I have said, every book we read will have elements or echoes of Taoism that the careful and attentive reader will notice. One of the things you may be asked to do for your semester final is write an essay that analyzes how every book we read is essentially Taoist in nature. Your task is to look for themes, terms, ideas, concepts, or philosophies that echo Taoism in some way. It may be overt or subtle – it’s your job to make a case for your entries. You must find three for each book we read. This assignment is on-going throughout the whole semester, so you will keep this with you until mid-December so that you see this idea as a whole, rather than a fragment. Keep it in your binder so you don’t lose it. It’s worth 100 points, and will be collected at the end of each quarter.
Life of Pi
Passage from text (write word for word and include page number in parentheses): Echo from the Tao (state concept in your own words and place at least one entry that support your idea):
…to be a castaway is to be caught up in grim and exhausting opposites… (216). Taoism contains many references to duality, high and low, back and front, black and white – and it’s these opposites that allow us to see wholeness (2, 19, 24).















The Power of One
Passage from text (write word for word and include page number in parentheses): Echo from the Tao (state concept in your own words and place at least one entry that support your idea):


















The Alchemist
Passage from text (write word for word and include page number in parentheses): Echo from the Tao (state concept in your own words and place at least one entry that support your idea):















Siddhratha
Passage from text (write word for word and include page number in parentheses): Echo from the Tao (state concept in your own words and place at least one entry that support your idea):















The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Passage from text (write word for word and include page number in parentheses): Echo from the Tao (state concept in your own words and place at least one entry that support your idea):