Thematic+Analysis

=Thematic Analysis = by Kristin Chung

 Does spelling Tuesday really matter? Owl claims he knows how to spell it, but we realize that it is incorrect. Then, for which purposes does the Owl use his knowledge?

Hoff compares the Owl to the Confucianist, Dessicated scholar. According to Hoff, Confucianist scholars are like "busy ants spoiling the picnic of life, rushing back and forth to pick up the bits and pieces dropped from above." (24) The Confucianist scholars spend their time studying and analyzing things that never apply to real life situations.  Hoff uses words such as dry, bleached-out, and desiccated to describe the scholars because their knowledge brings nothing valuable and enlightening to the others. Because they learn intellectually and indirectly from books, they do not understand the true meanings of their interpretations. This reveals an important theme in "Spelling Tuesday" that the things learned from experience are far more valuable than those learned from the knowledge of scholars. In fact, scholars only study knowledge for the sake of knowledge, and fail to understand the truly important things in life. Just like the Owl, scholars impose unnecessary questions to others by trying to force knowledge into everything. "Quite often, struggling like a scholar over relatively unimportant matters can make one increasingly confused." (30)

They also purposefully use complex words to try intimidating others to make themselves seem superior. "Well," said the Owl, "the customary procedure in such cases is as follows." "What does Crustimoney Proseedcake mean?" said Pooh. "It means the Thing to Do." "As long as it means that, I don't mind," said Pooh humbly. (28)

Hoff uses a very simple, yet elucidating analog y to explain the restricted minds of the scholars. "To the Desicated Scholars, putting names on things is the most vital activity in the world. //Tree. Flower. Dog.// But Don't ask them to prune the tree, plant the flower, or take care of the dog, unless you enjoy Unpleasant Surprises. Living, growing things re beyond them, it seems." (30-31)

But at the end of the day, what really matters is the ability to learn from our own experiences to apply that knowledge in other situations in the future. Taoist ideals go beyond just the knowledge of Confucian scholars. "...there is Something More, and that Something More is what life is really all about."(31) Scholars, because of their nearsightedness and the creation of rules and restrictions, they neglect the true meaning of life. The true meaning of life is shown through the humble and simple mind of Pooh that follows his natural instincts when approaching different situations.

Pictures from http://www.vanwensveen.nl/rants/deepthought/images/pooh_owl.gif http://us.penguingroup.com/static/packages/us/yreaders/pooh75/characters/images/owl.jpg