Week 7 Storytelling: Sita's Innocence

Rama, covered in blood and sweat, slowly walked over to where his beloved Sita lie in wait. Rama had just defeated the mighty demon Ravana, all to rescue Sita away from his clutches. You would think that after such an epic battle, Rama would just want to hug Sita and ask her if she was okay, but no. Rama just walked up to Sita and looked her up and down, as if she was tainted by something. Sita looked back at Rama with a confused look on her face.

“What is wrong, my love?” she asked Rama in a worried voice.

Rama seemed to be acting very odd towards her and she did not like it one bit. She looked him in the eyes, searching for an answer. She could figure out nothing from his blank expression. Rama still just stood there, looking at her carefully as if he was observing a specimen in the lab.

“How can I be so sure that you and Ravana didn’t….,” Rama began to say but he couldn't even finish speaking.

Sita felt like a dagger had pierced her heart. Her insides were screaming in disbelief. Her heart shattered at the thought that Rama didn’t trust her anymore. Still, Sita kept her calm and replied confidently.

“I have not done anything that will jeopardize our love for each other. I was simply a hostage in a demon’s territory. A demon who was infatuated by my beauty. I only love you, Rama, and I would dare not to mess around with another man or let another man take advantage of me!” exclaimed Sita.

Rama still did not seem convinced. He paced back and forth, mulling over the situation in his head. He knew Sita loved him and that she would never do anything or let anything like that happen to her. But then again, Ravana was the type of demon to force himself upon others without a second thought. His stomach turned as an image flashed before his eyes. His knees started to feel weak so he sat down, disgusted with himself. Sita was not that type of woman. Still…he was not assured. At that moment, the fire god, Agni, appeared next to Sita.

“If you are innocent, my child, step into the flames. Nothing will happen to you if you tell the truth,” roared Agni.

Sita glanced over at Rama, immersed in his own inner battle with himself. She knew she had to convince him that nothing had happened. Without any hesitation, Sita walked up into the flames and was immediately engulfed in a fiery whirl of red and orange. She didn’t even seem fazed about walking into a roaring trial by fire. Rama snapped out of his thoughts and watched, his jaws clenched, hoping that Sita was right. As the flames died down, Sita was still standing where Agni had been, unharmed by the scorching fire. Rama ran up to Sita and embraced her, joyous at the fact that she was still pure and faithful to him.

Sita's trial by fire to prove her innocence; Web Source 

Author's Note: I thought this was an interesting part of the Ramayana, partly because I didn't expect Rama to question Sita's innocence. When reading this part in the book, I expected Rama to be happy to see Sita and embrace her right away. Obviously, that’s not what occurred. I thought it would be a good story to retell because I wanted to depict both character's thoughts and feelings to an extent. This also occurs immediately after the death of Ravana so it adds an extra element of intensity to the setting. Buck tells this story one way, while Narayan tells it another way. My way ended up being very different from either of them because I added so much of Rama and Sita's inner thoughts.

I didn’t really change the story much. I just added extra details to convey Rama’s and Sita’s thoughts and feelings of the situation at hand. I wish I could’ve thought of a better way to describe Agni. I just couldn’t find the right words to portray my image of him.

I chose the picture because it gave a visual representation of Sita's trial by fire. She seems so calm in the picture, as if she has nothing to worry about. Even if I wasn’t guilty, I would still be a tiny bit nervous of stepping into a fire. Her unwavering love and loyalty to Rama helped her brave the trial without a doubt of being burnt. She left the fire unscathed and regained Rama's trust.

Bibliography: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way. 

Week 7 Reading Diary B: Rama is Coronated

On his way back to Ayodhya aboard the Pushpaka chariot, Rama stops at Kishkindha and the Bharadwaja’s hermitage. As they travel, Rama shows Sita where he met Hanuman for the first time and where Jatayu’s body was cremated. As his fourteen years of exile nears an end, Rama sends Hanuman ahead to Ayodhya to announce that Rama is on his way to resume his rightful position as king and relieve Bharatha of the duty. When Hanuman reaches Bharatha and informs him of the good news, Bharatha breaks down and weeps tears of absolute joy!

Not long after Hanuman’s announcement, Rama arrives back in Ayodhya and the celebrations begin! Bharatha ties Rama’s sandals back to his feet as a symbol of his return. Coronation preparation is in full swing as everyone is busy getting ready for the ceremony. Sugriva sends Hanuman to retrieve water from all the rivers in the world as a gift to Rama while in return, Rama gives an abundance of presents to Sugriva for all the assistance he has given him in the last fourteen years. Hanuman also receives a present, this one from Sita, as a token of her appreciation. She gifts him her very own pearl necklace which he graciously accepts.

After the coronation is complete and all is well in Ayodhya, Sugriva and Vibhishana return back to their homes and resume their normal lives. Rama also sends the Pushpaka chariot back to Vaishravana on Mount Kailasa. After that, all is well for about ten thousand years.

Rama returns to coronation festivities in Ayodhya; Wikipedia

Week 7 Reading Diary A: Ravana's Downfall

This week’s reading was really interesting because it marked the death of Ravana and Rama’s return to his rightful throne. The reading starts out with Jambavan, Hanuman, and Sugriva slaying the demons of Lanka with apparent ease. The demon magicians, Lightning Tongue and Thunder Tooth are killed by Hanuman and Sugriva, while Jambavan is a ruthless force to be reckoned with! Ravana, sensing that the time is near for battle, prepares himself under the stars. He dances and causes a great wind storm! Kala (time) comes and scolds Ravana for being a fool but Ravana just smirks at her and dismisses her threats.

The time for the final battle has arrived and Rama and Ravana are facing off in an epic battle. Rama succeeds in cutting off Ravana’s heads but they just keep growing back. The two use an array of weapons, mantras, and astras to fight each other. Ravana’s mace knocks Matali, his chariot’s driver, off the chariot but Rama revives him. Ravana then turns himself into Indra, which leaves Rama in a state or shock/paralysis, but Matali comes to the rescue and is able to see through the disguise. Rama takes advantage of this and slays Ravana with his bow and arrow.

I thought the battle scene in this version had a lot more detail than the first version we read in class. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the scene because it was vivid and I could definitely imagine it all happening in my head. The death of Ravana is kind of like the end, but also a new beginning because now Rama can go peacefully back to Ayodhya and rule as King when his fourteen years of exile are up.

Rama battles Ravana; Wikipedia

Famous Last Words: Week 6

This week was, once again, pretty crazy. No exams, but I had a couple of quizzes in a couple classes and I had to go to a concert for one of my classes and write a report over it. The concert was pretty interesting at first but then it got kind of boring because the concert was so long. I also lost my OU ID earlier this week and I can’t find it for the life of me so I guess I’ll be getting another replacement ID. This class went pretty smooth this week. I didn’t have any trouble managing any of the assignments or getting them done. I think my best writing this week was the storytelling assignment. I enjoyed writing more about Hanuman and expanding on another one of his stories. I also added a story to my portfolio so I had to write a little bit more to reach the minimum word count and I felt like that story was pretty good as well.

I read some other interesting stories this week as well. Both of the people in my blog commenting group wrote about Hanuman’s experience as a cat so that was pretty interesting. They both had different perspectives on what Hanuman experienced as a cat so it was a cool to compare and contrast the two. My other classes are going pretty well…besides physics. It’s probably the hardest class I have taken yet. I enjoyed organic chemistry and microbiology more than this class…I guess I’m just not a physics person like my roommate is. My calculus and other science classes are going pretty smoothly so that’s good. Work is also pretty smooth although the kids that I work with have been super hyper all week.

All in all, I can’t really complain about the week because I’ve definitely had worse. At least I can say I got to relax this weekend without having to worry too much about classes.

Except for the busyness, this semester has been smooth sailing so far; Wikipedia

Week 6 Storytelling: Hanuman Wreaks Havoc

“Alas, I have found her at last!” exclaimed Hanuman triumphantly. “Now I can return to Rama and prepare for what is to come next.”

Hanuman had just found Sita in the ashoka grove, safe and sound as can be when being held hostage by a demon. He assured her that she will be rescued soon and that Rama will be on his way to save her in the very near future. Ecstatic that he had succeeded in finding Sita, Hanuman decided to have a little fun before heading back to Rama to give him the good news. What could he possibly do though? As Hanuman scanned the city of Lanka, a huge grin slowly crept up onto his face.

“Until we meet again!” he said to Sita as he ran off towards the middle of town, feeling reckless and mischievous as can be.

He jumps into the air and flies towards what looks like Ravana’s lavish home with a smirk on his face.

“This is for all the unnecessary trouble you’re causing us!” Hanuman exclaims as he uproots Ravana’s neatly trimmed lawn.

He rips down all the trees and pulls out all the beautiful flowers, making Ravana’s once beautiful garden into a full blown wreckage site! Due to all the commotion that Hanuman is causing, the animals are spooked and proceed to stampede out into the city. Elephants are pummeling homes and crushing fences, while the quicker and faster animals, such as the horses, are creating chaos by galloping in between the resident of Lanka, knocking them over and stampeding them.

Ravana hears the ruckus outside and is furious! He sends his royal bodyguard to take care of Hanuman. The bodyguard charges at Hanuman but is way too slow. Hanuman sees him coming and dodges the guard’s attack. In one swift, counteracting motion, Hanuman lashes his tail out and strangles the royal bodyguard to his unfortunate death.

“Too easy,” Hanuman says to himself with a chuckle.

Hanuman decides that he has caused enough trouble and proceeds to head back to Rama when he suddenly sees a massive temple in his peripheral vision.

“One more thing I need to do,” Hanuman says.

He flies over to the temple and smashes it to bits, ramming it with all his strength. At this point, Ravana is desperate for help so he can save his beloved Lanka. He goes to Indrajit for assistance who eventually uses the spell of Shiva’s noose to capture Hanuman. With Hanuman in Ravana’s clutches, what is Rama to do now???

Hanuman creates chaos in Lanka; Wikimedia

Author's Note: I took the part of the Ramayana where Hanuman runs wild and creates chaos in Lanka and added my own twist to it. I didn't necessarily change much or anything but I did expand on it.

Bibliography: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way. 

Week 6 Reading Diary B: War Is Brewing

Hanuman returns to Rama with his news of Sita. Upon hearing this news, Rama and his allies head south towards the ocean, in hope of finding a way to cross to get to Lanka. Rama gets frustrated, as he cannot find a reasonable way to get across the ocean with all his allies. He grows angry at the ocean and curses it. In response, Samudra, the water king, rises up from out of the water and explains to Rama that the monkey, Nala, is able to make rocks float in water. Rama is enthused, as this solves his main problem of having to cross the ocean! With the help of Nala and his useful skill, and the help of the squirrels and other animals, a bridge to Lanka is built in no time!

Rama, his allies, and the other animals proceed to cross the bridge and come to Trikuta Hill. There, they spot Shuka, a hawk who is spying on their activities on behalf of Ravana. Angada seizes Shuka and tried to strangle him but Sugriva stops him from doing so in the nick of time! Sugriva send Shuka back to Ravana with a grave message and Ravana retaliates by sending two more demon spies that go by the names of Sardula and Sarana, respectively. They appear in the form of monkeys, but again, they are detected as traitors, this time by Vibhishana. He captures them and brings them to Rama but Sarana vanishes into thin air. Rama send Sardula back to Ravana with another message. War is nearing.

Building the bridge to Lanka; Wikipedia

Week 6 Reading Diary A: Hanuman's Journey to Lanka

After Sita’s abduction, Hanuman takes it upon himself to find the whereabouts of Sita. Sampati, Jatayu’s brother, explains to Hanuman that he has seen Ravana flying high in the sky, towards the city of Lanka. Hanuman is the only one capable of making the hundred league journey across the ocean to Lanka, which he does. Along the way, Hanuman catches a rest when the mountain Mainaka rises up from out of hiding. Mainaka had been hiding under the ocean in fear of Indra. As Hanuman gets closer and closer to Lanka, a female rakshasi, named Sinhika, appears from out of the water and ingests Hanuman! Hanuman is going to have none of this nonsense, as he easily crushes her heart and escapes from her ear. I thought this part of the story was super interesting because it had not been mentioned in the other version of the Ramayana.

Finally, after what seems like forever, Hanuman arrives at Lanka. To keep himself void of detection, he changes himself into the shape of a cat so he can move around freely without any trouble. Lanka appears in front of Hanuman and kicks him, which he returns swiftly with a punch. Lanka then realizes that Hanuman’s arrival is part of a curse that has yet to be fulfilled. Hanuman searches everywhere for Sita but cannot find her. As he is about to give up, his father, Vayu, the wind god, directs him to Sita’s whereabouts in the ashoka grove. At last, he has found Sita!!

Hanuman's journey across the ocean to Lanka; Web Source

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Week 5 Storytelling: Hanuman

Hanuman swung through the trees, on the hunt for something delicious to eat. His father was the mighty Vayu, the wind god, of the world. His mother was named Anjana, but she had abandoned Hanuman shortly after his birth, when he was still a baby monkey. In the absence of his mother, Hanuman had no one to teach him the things he was supposed to eat and the things he was to avoid eating since his father was so busy throughout the day making wind for people in need. Hanuman didn’t really know the difference between dangerous and safe as a young monkey. All he knew was that sometimes there was tasty fruit hanging from the branches of the trees, ready to be picked off and eaten.

This day, it was taking especially long for Hanuman to find food. The longer he swung through the trees, the more tired and careless he became. This proved to be harmful because Hanuman accidentally swung from one tree and grabbed the branch of another tree that was very thin and weak. The branch snapped in half instantly and down went Hanuman…

As Hanuman woke up in a daze, his head and body aching from the impact he made on the ground, he noticed an orange circle through the canopy of leaves above him. It looked oddly like a mango to him. Hanuman grew more excited by the second, thinking he had finally found food! What he thought was a mango was actually the sun out in the distance, ready to set. Hanuman reached out for the “mango,” licking his chops, eager to eat, when Vayu stopped him from burning himself in the nick of time!

“Don’t touch that!” Vayu roared, causing Hanuman to falter and tumble to the ground.

Hanuman looked up at his father with a confused expression on his face because he still thought the sun was a mango.

“That’s not a mango, you clown. That is the sun and you will burn yourself if you touch it,” said Vayu.

Vayu, worried about Hanuman after this incident, quit his job as the God of the wind and decided to pay more attention to Hanuman. After all, raising baby Hanuman was Vayu’s job since Anjana had abandoned them. This, though, caused a problem within the world. Without wind, there would be no air, and with no air there would be no oxygen, and without oxygen, there would be no life! What a dilemma this had caused! So Vayu went to Brahma, the creator of the universe and asked for advice. Brahma, in turn, granted Hanuman the gift of eternal life. Surya, the god of the sun, gave Hanuman an unlimited supply of mangoes so he would never go hungry again. This way, Hanuman doesn’t have to risk hurting himself while looking for food. This allows Vayu to resume his job because he doesn’t have to worry about baby Hanuman hurting himself. All is right again in the world once again and everyone lives happily ever after.

Author's Note: I just took the story of Hanuman and expanded on it a little bit. I thought it would be a good idea to describe the story of how Hanuman thought the sun was a mango in more detail. I imagined him being a clueless, innocent little monkey who didn’t even know the basics of finding food. Vayu, being the wind god, doesn't have much time to look after Hanuman so he doesn't get very much guidance. He always gets into some kind of trouble and has to learn from his countless mistakes.

The picture I used for this story assignment was pretty much perfect because it depicts basically my whole story into that one picture. It's Hanuman reaching for a mango (which is actually the sun in the distant sky). I don't think I could have found a better picture for this story.

I chose to write this story because I thought it would be a funny story to write. I knew by adding in some choice vocabulary and depicting Hanuman as an innocent baby monkey, I could get a lighthearted, comical story. At the same time, I wanted to show how Hanuman uses his mistakes as learning experiences and how his father still teaches him even though he's pretty busy. I liked how it turned out overall.

Bibliography: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way. 

Hanuman mistakes the sun for a mango; Wikipedia

Week 5 Reading Diary B: Sita's Abduction

In this section of the Ramayana, Ravana tried to concoct a plan that will help him abduct Sita away from Rama. He wants to do this because Panchavati tells him that Sita is more beautiful than all his wives. It is something he must have! The plan is for Maricha to turn into a magnificent, golden deer which would hopefully distract Rama. At Sita’s insistence, Rama chases the deer and kills it. Maricha (the deer) lets out a horrible cry of help of Rama’s voice, which fools Sita. She sends Lakshmana into the forest to find Rama, and to make sure he is okay.

At this point, Ravana’s plan has worked marvelously. He has succeeded in luring Rama and Lakshamana away from Sita so he can complete the abduction. He disguises himself as an old man and fools Sita once again. He quickly reveals himself and carries Sita off in his chariot against Sita’s will. He cannot rape her because he is cursed to have his head blown off if he does. He must convince Sita to willingly sleep with him.

Before Ravana can go very far, Jatayu appears and valiantly tries to fight off Ravana. Unfortunately, he is no match and has his wings cut off. He lies there wounded as Ravana speeds off with Sita to Lanka. Rama and Lakshmana arrive just in the nick of time to hear from Jatayu that Sita has been abducted be Ravana and that they were heading South. Off go Ravana and Lakshmana to retrieve Sita.

Ravana abducts Sita and kills Jatayu; Wikimedia

Week 5 Reading Diary A: Rama's Exile

In this section of the Ramayana, Dasaratha has just died due to his foolish decision in fulfilling Kaikeyi’s request to exile Rama for fourteen years. Bharata hears this news through messengers sent from Ayodhya. He cannot believe what his mother has done so he ventures into the forest with a massive crew to find Rama and tell him of the bad news. They run into Guha, who directs them to the sage Bharadwaja, who then directs Bharatha and his crew, including the queens, to Chitrakuta. Once Bharatha find Rama there, he tells Rama about the death of their father and insists that Rama come back to be King. Still, Rama refuses to return until the end of his fourteen year exile and insists that Bharatha rule as King in his stead until he returns from exile. Bharata reluctantly agrees to rule in Rama’s stead and takes his sandals as a memento of Rama’s return.

I found this whole section to be very interesting because Bharatha clearly does not want to be the King of Ayodhya. In my opinion, if I was in Bharatha’s place, I would be sad to know that Rama was exiled, but at the same time, I would be somewhat ecstatic that I was going to be the new King! I don’t really understand why the sage Bharadwaja blesses Kaikeyi because she is the sole reason why this mess happened in the first place. She should feel guilty for ultimately causing the death of Dasaratha instead of receiving blessings for her deed.

Rama leaves in exile for 14 years; Wikimedia

Famous Last Words: Week 4

So this week was, once again, another hectic week. I had two exams, which I think I did really well in. All I can do now is wait until the grades are posted. I also had a quiz which wasn't too hard either. All in all, I think I did pretty well this week considering all that I had to do. Next week isn't getting any easier though since I have two more exams coming up...After this upcoming week though, I'll finally be able to relax a little bit. It’ll be a much needed break after this hectic first month back. I wouldn't have it any other way though because I like keeping myself busy. I would rather be busy than be bored doing nothing.

This class is actually going pretty well now. I've come up with a routine that works pretty well and I haven't missed any assignments or anything since I've been following the routine. I really enjoyed writing this week's storytelling post. I think it's my best one yet, although it's only the second one I have written so far. I think I am going to be doing the portfolio as my project for this class because I feel like I could have more fun with it. The storybook assignment seems interesting too but I'm still not sure exactly how I want to do it so I'm just going to do the portfolio!

Other than that, work has been going pretty good. I’ve finally memorized all the kids’ names and they actually listen to me now when I tell them to do something so I’m making progress! I think I might be getting sick, but I really can’t afford for that to happen because of class so I’ve been taking medicine and resting in advance just to prevent it from getting bad. 

My upcoming week...; Web Source

Week 4 Storytelling: Dasharatha's Death

Dasharatha stared blankly into space. He had been like this since his decision, or technically, Kaikeyi’s decision to exile Rama. He had second-guessed his decision to listen to Kaikeyi’s request so many times that his mind had basically gone crazy, stricken with grief and worry. His cheeks had sunk in and he had lost an unusual amount of weight, making him look old and frail. He didn’t speak to anyone, didn't eat or drink anything, nor did he sleep. His body and mind had gone into some sort of shock, and news of his fragile state had spread like wildfire across the kingdom. The people questioned his ability to carry out the king’s duties and the worse Dasaratha got, the more they longed for Rama to come back. Rama was deeply shaken up by Rama's departure. Vivid memories from the past were flooding his mind, distracting him from his duties and making him all the more sick and distraught.

Kausalya, who was the eldest of his wives and mother of Rama, was becoming increasingly worried about Dasharatha. Even she had not taken the news of Rama’s exile as badly as Dasharatha did because she knew he was bound to his promise to fulfill the two requests of Kaikeyi. Rama was more than capable of surviving on his own, and she believed that with all her heart. Yes, she longed for Rama’s return but what could she do? The decision had been made and it was too late to go back.

Kaikeyi, on the other hand, was so happy that her request had been fulfilled and that her own son, Bharatha, would become king in Rama’s stead, that she didn’t even realize that Dasharatha was suffering. She was busy daydreaming about all the great things Bharatha would do and fantasizing about which other prominent women he would marry and other things that were less relevant than Dasharatha’s current state. Her vision of being the mother of the future king had driven her crazy, so that she was filled with greed and selfishness. She didn’t even know if she loved her husband anymore. By the time it dawned on her that something was terribly wrong, it was too late…

Dasharatha had passed away during the night, lying in his bed with his eyes open. Kausalya had found him in the morning when she had awoken and had been weeping all morning. It was a sad sight to witness. She could still see the sorrow in his eyes, mourning over his son whom he had foolishly exiled.

The kingdom mourned greatly over their lost King. The funeral procession was a grand event, with people lining the streets to pay their respects one last time before the King was to be cremated. Kaikeyi wept, finally realizing what she had done. She had driven her husband past his limits and had ultimately taken his life.

Rama heard of his father’s death in the forest through the language of the animals. People who Rama didn’t even know came and found him and paid their respects to him for the King. Rama's mind was ablaze, his thoughts springing up like wildfire, memories dancing across his mind of his father. It was then that Rama realized what he would be coming back to in fourteen years…he was the ruler and the Kingdom was his.

Rama's exile, the cause of Dasharatha's death; Wikipedia

Author's Note: In this section of the Ramayana, Dasaratha has just exiled his own son, Rama, per Keikeyi’s request for fourteen years. He was supposed to be Dasaratha’s successor. At this point, Dasaratha is falling ill due to sorrow and regret of fulfilling Kaikeyi’s request. One morning, Kausalya (Dasaratha’s first wife and mother of Rama) finds him dead in his bed.

My story basically follows the original with a few embellishments. I elaborated on Dasaratha’s thoughts and feelings and I also conveyed thoughts and feelings of Kausalya and Kaikeyi. I wanted people to have a better idea of the impact Rama’s exile had on Dasaratha and the Kingdom and how this part of the story is so vital to the advancement of the Ramayana.

I chose Dasharatha's death to write my story about because I feel like it's a big moment in the Ramayana. I wanted to convey the feelings of some of his wives and also his Kingdom while also somewhat describing what Dasharatha was going through himself after his decision to exile Rama.

I chose my image because it was so simple. One decision changed Dasaratha’s life forever and ultimately caused his own death. Maybe he should’ve been selfish and told Kaikeyi to request another wish.

Bibliography: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

Week 4 Reading Diary B: Rama's Exile

In this portion of the Ramayana, I wanted to focus on Rama's exile. Dasharatha originally declared Rama as his successor and Kaikeyi is ecstatic as first until her servant Manthara convinces her that it’s a bad idea if Rama happens to end up being the King. Dasharatha owes Kaikeyi two promises and she takes advantage of those two promises by telling Dasharatha to make Bharata king and to send Rama into the forest in exile for fourteen years. Dasharatha is helpless and has no choice but to honor Kaikeyi’s requests. Rama obediently agrees without any hesitation. The citizens of the Kingdom really don’t want Rama to leave and are adamant on following him wherever he goes. Sumantra does all he can to try and persuade Dasharatha to change his mind but his efforts go to waste as Rama and Sita still make the trek into the forest. Before Rama leaves, he tells Dasharatha not to be mad at Kaikeyi. Rama seems unusually understanding in this situation. I would’ve expected him to at least question Dasharatha as to why exactly he is being exiled. Rama is received in the forest by Guha. After Rama leaves, Dasharatha dies of guilt at how easily he let his own son Rama go. He was supposed to be his successor after all. He remembers something in his past that he can relate to now.

I feel like this is a huge moment in the Ramayana because after Rama is exiled so much happens to him and Sita and everyone else. 

Rama leaving for 14 years of exile; Wikimedia

Week 4 Reading Diary A: Ravana's Conquests

First off, I liked how this version of the Ramayana was so much more in depth and focused on other character as well. I especially liked that Ravana was more of a focal point in this first part of the reading because I feel like he wasn’t developed much in the other version of the Ramayana. It’s cool to know all the different kinds of gods surrendered to him because he was pretty much invincible. Ravana could not be conquered by gods, asuras, yakshas, rakshases, or nagas. Only mere human beings could try and overthrow him. An emissary was sent to Ravana but Ravana killed him and ate him. Ravana then attacked Mount Kailasa and attacked Manibhadra and the yakshas. After this, he was cursed by Indra and Shiva’s bull, Nandi.

Some of the other characters Ravana conquered were Yama (the god of death), Surya (the sun), and Chandra (the moon). Ravana then attacked Amaravati, Indra’s heaven. A huge battle erupted there, but in the end, Ravana’s son, Meghananda, captured Indra. Thus, Meghananda acquired the name Indrajit, which means conqueror of Indra. Arjuna of the Thousand arms and the Haihaya people were some of the only beings that Ravana was not able to make surrender to him. Ravana tried attacking the king Arjuna while he was taking a bath in the river, but the king caught Ravana and squeezed him with his plentiful arms! Pulastya, Ravana’s grandfather, had to rescue him from Arjuna’s grasp.

I think I enjoy this version of the Ramayana more than the version we read the last two weeks!

Statue of Ravana; Wikimedia

Famous Last Words: Week 3

Well, it’s been another really long week but I’m finally starting to get used to the business of this semester. I got a much needed chance to relax yesterday and I’m so grateful for that opportunity. The routine for this class is getting easier and I have set certain days and times to get all the required work done for this class so I don’t forget to do assignments. I think my best writing for this week was the storytelling post, although I did have to rush to be honest. I am looking forward to the next book we will be reading. I hope to start it tonight so I don’t have to cram the reading portion on the day the assignment is due.

My upcoming week isn't looking too great…I have a quiz on Monday and a test of Wednesday and Friday so I’m going to have a lot on my plate. Hopefully I do excellent on my exams and quiz and still have time to do all the work for other classes. On the bright side, my roommates and I will be going to tour a couple houses in Norman to rent for the next school year! It’s about time we moved out of our apartment and found something else.

Work at CASP has been going extremely well. I’ve finally gotten to know all the kid’s names and I have the weekly routine down. I enjoy interacting with the kids even though they can be quite a handful at times. It makes my day interesting because they say and do some questionable things! It’s a good contrast from the rigor of classes and school though because I can relax and just interact with the kids and have fun while I work.

Another week down, a lot more to go!

It's test week!; Wikimedia

Possible Storybook Styles

Topic: My storybook will be about the hero, Arjuna. I plan on finding about three to four situations in which he displayed the qualities of a hero/leader. I shouldn’t have trouble finding stories about Arjuna, since he is such a big part of old, ancient Indian history. The stories could range from Arjuna being a hero in battle, to Arjuna just being a leader outside of battle. I still haven’t found any specific stories I want to use, but I will very soon.

Possible Styles:

Fellow warrior as storyteller: As I was browsing through the different styles, I came across one particular style that describes the topic of the storybook through an adventurer’s (a separate character unrelated to the main character) point of view. I thought it would be cool to describe Arjuna’s epic battles and moments through the eyes of a fellow warrior who he fights alongside. That way, Arjuna’s biggest moments can be seen as they happen in battle, or in the heat of the moment! Imagine a story being told from the eyes of someone who is also fighting in the same battle, and he gets to witness everything first had, with chaos raging all around him.

First-person storyteller: Another idea I had is probably the simplest of them all: just tell the story through Arjuna’s own perspective. This would be interesting because I could imagine all the things that go through Arjuna’s mind and use my imagination to put it all together. I could describe his thoughts and feelings during battle and his thoughts and feelings during his biggest moments! I think it would be very interesting what I end up coming up with if I so choose to use this storytelling style.

Third-person storyteller: In contrast to having a first-person storyteller, I feel like this would be better if I wanted to convey the thoughts and feelings of everyone surrounding Arjuna. If I could describe what other people are thinking about Arjuna, it can reinforce just how big of a hero Arjuna becomes! I can also add dialogue between Arjuna and other characters to make it seem more interesting and less monotonous.

Different characters as storytellers: This next idea was something I still have yet to put more thought into but I think it would be cool if each story in my storybook was told from a different person’s point of view. One could be told Arjuna, one by a fellow warrior, one by Lord Krishna, etc. It would give a more rounded insight of Arjuna’s character.

Arjuna in actions; Wikipedia