Siddhartha in-class essay

Siddhartha in-class essay: Due by 11:59 pm Monday evening.

paper grade: 60 pts

revision 40 pts


  1. Tuesday: choose your essay question, outline your argument and find evidence to support your claim.
  2. Wednesday: write a first draft of your essay
  3. Friday: Finish the final draft and turn in by Monday evening to Turnitin.com.
  4. Monday: Peer and self evaluation of paper

You are to write an essay on one of the topics below.

Your essay should include:

  1. proper MLA heading,
  2. unique title that reflects your claim,
  3. a clear claim or thesis in the introduction,
  4. state the title and author early in the introduction.
  5. at least four pieces of quoted evidence (with page numbers) from the text to support your points.

Essay topics:

1. Compare and contrast aspects of Siddhartha’s inward journey and experiences with aspects of your own life pathways. Focusing on one theme that you found significant in Siddhartha, compare it with your own personal experience and/or that of others you have known personally.

2. Siddhartha is constantly testing and examining how he learns about himself and the world (as a Brahman, a samana, with Kamaswami, etc). Discuss the role of teachers and learning, knowledge and wisdom, in Siddhartha. In what ways does education play a part in his journey? How does it help him find a code of values?

3. The theme of parent and child relationships plays in integral part in the novel. Compare and contrast the relationship of Siddhartha to his father, with that of Siddhartha to his son, and explain how each relationship helped Siddhartha on his inward journey.

4. There is a theme of circularity in Siddhartha, with the novel incorporating cycles into its symbolism, plot development, and characterization. What sort of impact do cycles have on Siddhartha’s life? Remember to consider how “enlightenment” frees one from a cycle of suffering, and the idea of reincarnation in general. Give examples of these cycles from the text, and examine their importance to the story.



Sehome manuscript guidelines: Sample

Joseph Student

Mr. Don Helling

World Lit

January 27, 2000

Title: Subtitle

Use 12 point Times New Roman, Calibri or Arial font. Double-space all papers unless otherwise specified. Do not include extra spacing between paragraphs. Any tables, graphs, illustrations, etc. should be appended to the paper, not included in the text. Use default Word margins (usually 1" on left - top - bottom, 3/4 " on right). Title and subtitle should be centered in the same font as the body text (no bold or underline). Heading on left, double spaced.