How of Pooh
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The How of Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh just is. He is a simple-minded bear that travels around and has many adventures without becoming smarter, or losing his simple mindedness. As a result, he is the perfect symbol to explain Taoism and the eastern worldview to the average busy Western thinker. In the Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff explains Taoism through the extensive use of symbolism coupled with numerous allusions to the characters and stories written by Alan Milne. As such, the best place to start analyzing the Tao of Pooh is to look at these allusions in depth.
"P'u the Uncarved Block the idea that all things in their original form have a natural power." (10) Pooh is the absolute symbol of the Uncarved Block. As Hoff points out, he is simple minded, so he is always able to do what needs to be done without too much trouble. Winnie-the-Pooh is used to demonstrate this and the other principals of Taoism, such as taking time to stop and smell the roses because if one doesn't, as Pooh says, "[one will] burn [one's] toast a lot."(99) Pooh helps the "Bisy Backsons" of the world understand what Taoism is all about...