The Tao Of Pooh

51 pages • 1 hour read

The Tao Of Pooh

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1982

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Introduction

Before Reading

During Reading

After Reading

During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

FOREWORD

Reading Check

1. What does Hoff read to his group of peers?

2. With what does a thousand-mile journey start, according to a Taoist saying?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does Hoff counter his peer’s beliefs about the Great Masters?

2. What is the significance of this foreword and its purpose to the reader?

Paired Resource

This discussion points out specific comparisons between the general philosophies of Eastern and Western cultures.
The information in this video connects to the theme Taoism.
Do you agree with of the premise that Western and Eastern philosophy is actually quite similar? Why or why not? Why might it be important for both sides of the world to examine philosophy from a different culture?

CHAPTERS 1-3

Reading Check

1. How are K’ung Fu-tse’s and Buddha’s reactions described in The Vinegar Tasters?

2. Which two Taoist ancestors does Pooh claim to be his own?

3. What, according to Hoff, are potential problems with scholars studying and explaining Taoism?

4. Which character best demonstrates the idea of “scholarly thought”?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does the analogy of The Vinegar Tasters relate to Taoism?

2. How does the “uncarved block” relate to the theme of Simplicity?

3. Why is Pooh seemingly the only one of his friends who is happy?

4. What does Hoff mean when he states “A well-frog cannot imagine the ocean” (Chapter 3)?

Paired Resource

“In Which Pooh Goes Visiting and Gets Stuck in a Tight Space”

This short story by A. A. Milne in which Pooh tries to visit his friend Rabbit but becomes stuck in the entrance to Rabbit’s home is one of the first Winnie-the-Pooh narratives.
The story situation and characters’ reactions connect to the theme of Taoism.
How does this story demonstrate what you know of Taoism so far? Consider how each of the characters reacted to the conflict.

CHAPTER 4-6

Reading Check

1. What makes Rabbit attempt to rid the forest of Kanga and Roo?

2. What does Wu Wei mean, literally?

3. Which character is the opposite of Wu Wei?

4. Who were the first Bisy Backsons in the United States?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. In what ways does the “Cottleston Pie Principle” relate to Inner Nature?

2. How does the analogy of Chuang-tse demonstrate the concept of Inner Nature?

3. In relation to Wu Wei¸ how does the man in the analogy survive his fall in the water?

4. How might someone describe an individual labeled as Bisy Backson?

Paired Resource

“Hustle Culture: Is This the End of Rise-and-Grind?”

This BBC article discusses the rise of “hustle culture” and its various detrimental effects on the human body, mind, and society.
The ideas in this discussion connect to the themes of Taoism, Simplicity, and Inner Nature.
How does Taoism specifically counter the idea of “hustle culture?”

CHAPTER 7-9

Reading Check

1. In a word, how does the stonecutter feel about each position he turns into during his life?

2. Which character is happy to allow life to unfold naturally?

3. Though people fear silence, what should they strive for?

4. Which three characters does everyone emulate to varying degrees?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does “The Stonecutter” analogy relate to Taoism ideals?

2. Why does Hirohito enjoy his absent appointment?

3. Why do the masters of life know The Way?

4. Why do the smartest of people follow the way of Pooh?

Paired Resource

“The Guest House”

This poem by Jalauddin Rumi uses a metaphor to describe the human body as a house and personifies various emotions as daily visitors, encouraging individuals to welcome all emotions and experiences as guests; the tone and symbolism of the poem promote self-acceptance and inner growth.
The poem can be connected to the themes Taoism and Inner Nature.
How does Rumi utilize various literary devices to promote the Taoist ideology and Inner Nature?

AFTERWORD

Reading Check

1. What is the purpose of the afterword?

2. What are two of the main concepts Hoff summarizes?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does Pooh respond when asked how he would describe The Tao of Pooh?

Recommended Next Reads

The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler

This book explores the principles of Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama’s insights on happiness and well-being, which are similar to the philosophical concepts in The Tao of Pooh.
Shared themes include Taoism, Inner Nature, and Positivity.
Shared topics include Taoism, well-being, philosophy, and happiness.
The Art of Happiness on SuperSummary

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This philosophical novel tells the story of Santiago, a shepherd from Spain who has a reoccurring dream about finding treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. Encouraged by his dream, he embarks on a journey to fulfill his “personal legend,” a term used in the book to describe one’s true purpose in life.
Shared themes include Inner Nature and Positivity.
Shared topics include finding purpose, one’s personal quest, listening to one’s heart, and Taoist ideology.
The Alchemist on SuperSummary

Reading Questions Answer Key

FOREWORD

Reading Check

1. Winnie-the-Pooh (Foreword)

2. One step (Foreword)

Short Answer

1. In Hoff’s discussion with his peers, they explain that all the Great Masters came from the East. Hoff makes a parallel to Winnie-the-Pooh and by extension, author Milne as an example of a Western text that demonstrates Taoist ideals. (Foreword)

2. The purpose of the foreword is to demonstrate the impetus for Hoff’s creation of this book, The Tao of Pooh. (Foreword)

CHAPTERS 1-3

Reading Check

1. K’ung Fu-tse’s and Buddha’s expressions show they think the vinegar is sour and bitter, respectively. (Chapter 1)

2. Wu-tse and Li Po (Chapter 2)

3. Hoff mentions scholars’ lack of experience, dull academic jargon, and obsession with minutiae. (Chapter 3)

4. Owl (Chapter 3)

Short Answer

1. The analogy demonstrates three schools of thought (Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism). For Confucianism and Buddhism, Hoff explains that their rigid beliefs get in the way of an appreciative mind and the happiness found in life. (Chapter 1)

2. The uncarved block in its original form has the most power in its simplicity, and when it is carved, the power is diminished. (Chapter 2)

3. Pooh is the only one of his friends who is simplistic and spontaneous; these qualities contribute directly to his state of happiness. (Chapter 3)

4. He means that scholars cannot teach about Taoism if they themselves have not experienced it. (Chapter 3)

CHAPTERS 4-6

Reading Check

1. Rabbit’s biases against those different from him (Chapter 4)

2. “Without doing, causing, or making” (Chapter 5)

3. Rabbit (Chapter 5)

4. The Puritans (Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. The Cottleston Pie Principle dictates that once someone understands who they truly are, they know where they do and do not belong. (Chapter 4)

2. Chuang-tse refuses to live in the castle because he knows that is place he does not truly belong, and he would not find happiness there. (Chapter 4)

3. The man survives the fall because he allows himself to be pushed and pulled by the water rather than resisting, eventually making it back to the surface. (Chapter 5)

4. A Bisy Backson person must always be “desperately busy,” possibly working themselves to death. (Chapter 6)

CHAPTERS 7-9

Reading Check

1. Dissatisfied (Chapter 7)

2. Pooh (Chapter 7)

3. Emptiness (Chapter 8)

4. Owl, Pooh, and Rabbit (Chapter 9)

Short Answer

1. The stonecutter constantly changes who he is in life in order to be what he perceives as better, but eventually he learns that constantly chasing change does not lead to happiness. (Chapter 7)

2. Hirohito constantly moved from meeting to meeting, so when he arrives at the appointment for which his counterpart does not attend he enjoys the rest and the solitude. (Chapter 8)

3. The masters listen to an inner voice of simplicity and wisdom that transcends knowledge and cleverness. (Chapter 9)

4. The smartest people are those who are the epitome of simplicity. They do not rely on knowledge or chase superficiality. (Chapter 9)

AFTERWORD

Reading Check

1. To summarize key points (Afterword)

2. Cottleston Pie Principle, Uncarved Stone (Afterword)

Short Answer

1. If people try too hard, “The Way” will escape them, so it is better to be true to oneself in order for “The Way” to find them. (Afterword)