Critical Analysis Of Eeyore's The Tao Of Pooh

One morning, when posed with the question of what is the matter by Pooh, Eeyore responds with the credo: “’Nothing, Pooh Bear, nothing. We can’t all, and some of us don’t. That’s all there is to it’” (Milne 74). Eeyore is known as a very gloomy, sad character, and is often even diagnosed with depression. Almost everything Eeyore says is laced with hints of his negative outlook and attitude on life. The word “nothing” is defined as “not anything; no single thing” and “something of no importance or concern.” By repeating the word, it puts emphasize on the idea that there is a huge amount of bleakness in Eeyore’s life. He is explaining that anything of significance never happens, since, in his mind, real, genuine significance doesn’t exist. There …show more content…
He points out: “The Emptiness, the space that’s not filled in. What is it about fresh snow, clean air, pure water? Or good music?” (Hoff 147). The word “emptiness” is capitalized as if it were a proper noun. Here, Hoff is stressing that the principle of emptiness is very important, and is too crucial to be treated or grouped with all the other “normal” words. He defines this Emptiness as “the space that’s not filled in”, a rather positive interpretation of a word that is usually viewed with negative connotations. The positivity comes from the conscious choice to avoid using words commonly associated with emptiness like “desolate” and “lonely.” Instead, “the space that’s not filled in” recognizes that there are spaces that are in fact filled in, or not empty. It creates a distinction between the stereotypical emptiness and Taoism Emptiness. The definition is followed by a few examples of this Taoist Emptiness. Between those two components though, there is a missing thought process that isn’t ellipses, but a jump that would normally require a more explicit transition. It’s almost as if Hoff is playing with Emptiness in his writing by leaving the intentional space between the textbook like definition and the more personal and picturesque examples. The first three, which are all nature related, use a strong sense of imagery. The phrases, “fresh snow”, “clean air”, and “pure water” all elicit images and sensory details. The adjectives “fresh”, “clean”, and “pure” all hold the connection of being untainted, or in other words, not filled in. The fourth example is a little different, which is why it’s separated from the others. When people think of music, especially the good kind, they tend to go in the opposite direction as emptiness. Hoff however, is solidifying and legitimizing what he is saying by presenting an instance that makes sense once it’s thought