Genre
Philosophy, Eastern Religion
Setting and Context
The only real setting is Thousand Acre Wood, home of Winnie the Pooh,
Narrator and Point of View
The author is the narrator postulating his theory of Winnie the Pooh as an example of Taoism
Tone and Mood
Upbeat and positive in tone reflecting the tone of Taoism
Protagonist and Antagonist
Winnie the Pooh is the protagonist, Owl with his reliance on scholarly knowledge is the antagonist
Major Conflict
The major conflict in the book is between the optimistic Pooh and the more negative characters such as Owl and Eeyore
Climax
The climax of the book is Hoff's conclusion that Winnie the Pooh is an example of the Taoist view of life
Foreshadowing
Owl's book Knowledge foreshadows his inability to take things at face value
Understatement
Piglet calls Pooh a bear of very little brain which is an understatement because Pooh is not a thinker in any way at all
Allusions
Throughout the book, Hoff alludes to anecdotes from "The House at Pooh Corner"
Imagery
No specific examples of imagery
Paradox
Pooh's lack of brainpower enables him to be the most enlightened character amongst his friends
Parallelism
There is a parallel between the way Pooh looks at the world and the world that Taoists experience
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Thousand Acre Wood is sometimes used as the representative term for all of the characters living in it
Personification
No specific examples
