The Tao Of Pooh Analysis

“Have the willingness to go into the roots of your worst fear until you feel the essence of what you are, your pure potential, the foundation of what you really are”, Brandon Bays. Searching for information about the uncarved block and pure potentiality, I came across this quote by the American motivational speaker and author, Brandon Bays. Defined as the state of pure consciousness and the uncarved block, pure potentiality is an important principle of Taoism. Taoism emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao and teaches the simplicity of the uncarved block. Benjamin Hoff, in The Tao of Pooh, teaches the principles of Taoism through the characters of Pooh and each character represents individuals we encounter on our journey throughout life.

Journeying through various works of art, it stood out that the protagonists in each of the works embodied various traits of each of the Pooh characters within them. Ralph Ellison’s, Invisible Man, is about an African American man, who struggles to find his visibility in an oppressive society, which fails to accept him. The protagonist goes on a journey to carve away at his block until he learns to accept himself rather than searching for acceptance from others. Directed by David Anspaugh, Rudy is a movie about a young male who has dreamed of playing football at the University of Notre Dame, but did not have the emotional or financial support necessary to attend. In addition, Rudy did not have the grades that qualified to enter the school; Rudy carves away at his block and continues to strive for his goal. Herman Hesse’s, Siddhartha, is about a young man named Siddhartha, who grew up in an upper-class Brahmin family, and is favored by many. Although, Siddhartha is not favored by the most important individual in his life, himself. Siddhartha goes on a journey, carving away at his block, understanding that his happiness arrives once he follows his own