51 pages • 1 hour read
Benjamin HoffThe Tao Of Pooh
Benjamin HoffNonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1982A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Key Figures
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
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BetaChapters 7-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 7 Summary: “That Sort of Bear”
As Chapter 7 opens, Hoff, the writer-narrator, and Pooh discuss Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”; Pooh declares the song is one of his favorites because of its lyrics: “Sing Ho! for the life of a Bear!” (115). Hoff gently explains that these words are not in “Ode to Joy.” Hoff reflects on Pooh’s desire to have his own song. This conversation leads to the chapter’s main focus: all creatures are special and valuable, though some may not realize their own value.
Hoff uses “The Stonecutter,” a Chinese story, to illustrate. The main character works as a stonecutter, but he is dissatisfied with his position in life. One day the stonecutter passes a wealthy merchant’s house, filled with finery, and wishes that he could become a merchant. His life is changed instantly. Soon, he sees an official carried on a sedan chair by attendants. The man wishes to become the official, and his life is changed. When he becomes aware of the sun’s power on a particularly hot day, he wishes to become the sun. After this transformation, the clouds come between the sun and the earth, so he wishes to become a cloud.
Once he becomes a cloud, the wind blows him away. The man now wishes to become the wind, but he encounters one thing that the wind cannot move: stone. The man wishes he could become a stone to be able to withstand the wind. He is changed into a stone as soon as he makes the wish. He immediately notices that something is chiseling away at him. He looks down and is surprised to see that the chiseling is being done by a stonecutter.
Hoff includes in this chapter the stories of two historical figures, Buckminster Fuller and Thomas Edison, whose belief in themselves allowed them to accomplish their goals. The stories of two rescues in the Hundred Acre Wood illustrate the Taoist term Tz'u, which means caring. Lao-tse says, “From caring comes courage” (128).
Chapter 8 Summary: “Nowhere and Nothing”
The first tale in Chapter 8 illustrates the Great Secret, but Hoff further clarifies this Taoist concept. Hoff says, "To have no thought and put forth no effort is the first step towards understanding the Tao. To go nowhere and do nothing is the first step towards finding peace in the Tao”(143).
Pooh is a good example of character who is happy to allow experiences to unfold naturally. For example, when Eeyore loses his tail, the other creatures search frantically for it. Pooh, on the other hand, finds the tail easily because he is content to “go nowhere and do nothing” (143).
Hoff also explores the idea of “Emptiness, the space that is not filled in” (147). Many people are afraid of the silence that fills the empty spaces, but Hoff says emptiness clears the mind, and great ideas often come from nothing.
One memorable example of the importance of emptiness is the story of Japanese emperor Hirohito. One day, the busy emperor was scheduled to attend meetings all day, and his assistants frantically shuttled him from place to place for the appointments. When he arrived at one of the appointments, the person he was to meet was not there. The emperor walked into the empty room where the appointment was to take place, paused for a moment, and then bowed. Hirohito then turned to assistants and smiled. "We must schedule more appointments like this," he told them. "I haven't enjoyed myself so much in a long time" (148).
Chapter 8 is the end of the Pooh stories, but Hoff reminds the reader that the Enchanted Forest is always available to those who practice the Great Secret.
Chapter 9 Summary: “The Now of Pooh”
It may seem ironic, Hoff says, to follow a small-brained bear like Winnie-the-Pooh, but brains sometimes lead people to make mistakes. “The masters of life know the Way,” Hoff says, “for they listen to the voice within them, the voice of wisdom and simplicity, the voice that reasons beyond Cleverness and knows beyond Knowledge” (154).
Everyone contains a bit of Owl, Rabbit, and Pooh, Hoff says. If people allow Owl to control their paths, they rely on knowledge. If they emulate Rabbit, they are so busy exploring the surface of things that they never see beyond the superficial. Smart people choose to follow Pooh, who is the epitome of simplicity.
Chapters 7-9 Analysis
Chapter 7 through 9 continue to use dialogue to explain the concept of Taoism. This rhetorical device, along with the writer’s employment of brief narratives or parables, clarify the concepts. Some of the parables are reminiscent of folk tales, stories that are often passed on orally and are sometimes populated with animals. The light, humorous tone echoes the sense of the text, which meanders toward the idea of allowing events to take their own course.
Chapter 7 includes one of the most memorable parables in the work, the story of the stonecutter. The modern-day maxim about greener grass is not nearly as eloquently expressed as in the story of the stonecutter, whose ambitions are fulfilled. He achieves everything he dreams of, only to discover that he was better off being a stonecutter. This chapter emphasizes the benefits of following the designs of the universe rather than trying to replicate other people’s lives.
Chapter 7 depicts Pooh as an example of using positivity to achieve goals. Pooh often finds the things he needs are at hand, and his positive attitude allows him to see the possibilities in things like used honey jars. The chapter equates courage with caring and argues that courage is a natural result of caring. The dramatic rescues described in the chapter occur not because of courage, but because the inhabitants of the Thousand Acre Wood care enough for each other to put fear aside to do what needs to be done.
Chapter 8 discusses the positive aspects of going nowhere and doing nothing. One of the chapter’s parables says, "To have no thought and put forth no effort is the first step towards understanding the Tao. To go nowhere and do nothing is the first step towards finding peace in the Tao. To start from no point and follow no road is the first step towards reaching the Tao" (143).
The chapter introduces the idea of “the Empty Mind,” a state of non-engagement which is actually productive because it operates without preconceptions. It is the reason Pooh is able to find Eeyore’s tail; Pooh is open to the possibility of a bell-rope that is actually a tail.
Ideas come to people in the same way, and the writer says that ideas, when traced back to their source, usually come from nothing. There are many benefits to relaxation and an uncluttered mind.
Chapter 9 cautions against overthinking. Intuition, a process beyond knowledge, abides in everyone, but far too few rely on it to “find our way through the Forest” (155).
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