Themes+for+Nowhere+and+Nothing,+The+Now+of+Pooh,+Backward

=Thematic Analysis = =Nowhere and Nothing, The Now of Pooh, and Backword =

Introduction:
The three chapters--Nowhere and Nothing, The Now of Pooh, and Backword-- focuses on the main point broadly: the way to Tao. The last chapters basically sum up the whole idea of Taoism. The themes of Nowhere and Nothing, The Now of Pooh, and Backword are the way that leads to Tao.

The Value of Nothing
“The power of a clear mind is beyond description. But it can be attained by anyone who can appreciate and utilize the value of Nothing” (Hoff 150). In the current society, people tend to over think for certain things, leaving their mind to be stuffed and confused, causing more difficulties than it did in the first place. For example, if people just walked along the path of the forest without setting a destination than it would be valuing the Nothing. They are just walking and listening to nature, practicing their religion and controlling one’s mind. No body takes the walk without having a set destination. If they just took a walk without the destination, they would hear and learn more things than they did in the society. Stepping back from the keen competition and actually doing something without a plan, relaxing, would let one to follow the nature, enhancing their life and relaxing from the world

The Emptiness
Before valuing the Nothing, it is important to understand the meaning of Emptiness. “To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things everyday” (Hoff 149). One cannot value the nothing with a stuffed mind for it will only cause trouble. For example, in the book, Eeyore lost his tail and was having troubles with finding it. The rabbit didn’t help the Eeyore; instead it was busy doing things that are considered to be “clever.” The owl wasn’t helpful at all because although he saw it later on, he didn’t even recognize the tail. Eeyore himself couldn’t find it because he didn’t even believe the tail to be gone in the first place. Pooh was the one who found after emptying his mind and heading to the forest, just walking without a purpose. The others who stuffed their mind with knowledge ended up lost and couldn’t reach their goal. Emptying mind also means think like a child does. The Taoist describes the development of human as child, adolescent, adult, and then child again. When one becomes a child again after becoming an adult having a clear mind, and observing everything, then the individual has finally gained the wisdom. “Return to the beginning; become a child again” (Hoff 151). The childhood is the time period where one had the most emptied mind, filled with wisdom of the Great Nothing.

Overall Theme
The cleverness and the knowledge one has does not really matter in one’s life; having wisdom and an emptied mind is the one that matters the most. Everyone can earn wisdom but they will never learn wisdom through knowledge and cleverness. Living a life like the owl and the rabbit will only make one end up complaining about one’s life more like Eeyore, but living like Pooh will lead one to the way of Tao and one would earn the way out through the forest, the world.

= = =Bibliographies: = Lurie, April. "The Tao of Pooh." __April Afloat__. 16 Jan. 2009. 05 Mar. 2009 .

Ms. Bookington, and Lizzi. "Everything you wanted to know about Taoism but were afraid to ask.." __The eStory__. 3 Dec. 2007. 05 Mar. 2009 .

"Story from the Tao of Pooh." __The Color of Truth__. 18 Jan. 2009. 05 Mar. 2009 .