Reading Diary B: Narayan's Mahabharata

Lots of dying and lots of killing. I just don't love stories that have this much war and violence in them. I just didn't feel like there was anything else to the story. One by one the brothers dye. I don't think I should find the story of Krishna's death humorous but I did. Who mistakes someone's feet as birds feet. I just think that is strange. I don't think there is a story there for me.

Depiction of the Mahabharata

Wikimedia Commons

Maybe what I can do is work with Parikshit. He carries on the Pandava line. He is th eking of Hastinapura. Maybe I can tell either his story. I could also do a bed time story when he is a young child and tell the story of the Pandavas, or at least part of the story. I don't think this book overall gave me a lot to work with in my theme which is disappointment. I wasn't able to connect with this characters.

Maybe I could tell a grieving story. There is a lot of grief in this story, so maybe I can tell how one of them is coping with it. Maybe I could change the setting to a woman who has lost a husband at war and is left behind with his children. I could have the military send her a letter of what happened and work with that.

Reference:
Mahabharata Reading Guide

Reading Diary A: Narayan's Mahabharata

So overall, I am still just having a hard time connecting with this story as I did with the Ramayana. I found the story of the brothers going to the lake interesting. Impatience got most of them killed, but in the end it was a test. I'm not sure how I can use that story with the theme of my portfolio but maybe there is something there. 

I also like the story of essentially the rape of Draupadi. What I found interesting was the first husband that she went to didn't really help her at all or take interest in what happened to her. I also thought it was interested that the queen was concerned with her wellbeing, I don't imagine queens being worried about something like this.

Kichaka and Draupadi

Wikipedia

I want to find something in this story to get excited about and it just hasn't happened for me yet. In the first story I mentioned I like the fact that the brothers are brought back to life again and all of them are blessed. I personally would have just blessed the brother who did what he was supposed to but not the others. One thing I liked about the Ramayana was that there was a break between all the pain and fighting, there was always something exciting going on. But this story is very depressing. Make I can work with the depressing feeling a make a story out of it.

Reference:
Mahabharata Reading Guide

Thoughts About Comments

As I went through the various comments that have been left for me, I noticed that the most helpful ones were the most critical. I mean it is nice to have people praise what I have written, but I would rather have someone read it critically and help me improve. The most interesting comments have been the ones that have been personally. Whether the commenter had something personal to say in regards to my story or about themselves, those are the most interesting. I think I have done an alright job with my comments. I'm afraid to say anything negative about the writing of other people, but I need to begin helping others because I want to be helped myself. Overall, I know I can do a better job.

Storytelling for Week 5: My Wife is a Psychopath

"Hello, you must be Mr. Shantanu. My name is Dr. Smith, and my speciality is relationship counseling. How my I help you?"

Mr. Shantanu looked the doctor straight in the eye and said, "I am married to a psychopath."

Mr. Shantanu didn't plan on marrying a psychopath, but I guess no one ever does. When the new client said this, Dr. Smith didn't know whether he should believe Mr. Shantanu or not. Mr. Shantanu had all the physical signs that he was telling the truth. He wasn't fidgeting, sweating, or avoiding eye contact, but his story just seemed too strange to be real.

"Well, Doc, a couple of years ago I lived in this old log cabin. It was a beautiful place, but I had to always go out and get fire wood. One day while I was cutting firewood I saw a beautiful woman. She didn't seem like she was from this world because she was so beautiful."
"What did you do?" Dr. Smith asked.
"What another young man would do if he saw a pretty girl. I walked right up and introduced myself. She looked at me and said, 'I'm not interested in formalities such as these. What is it exactly that you want?' I replied by saying, 'I want you and nothing but you for the rest of my life.' I was so nervous about what she would say next."
"What did she say next?" The doctor questioned.
"She said, 'Fine, I will marry you, but you must promise to never question what I do.' I was completely shocked because I didn't formally propose, but, hey, she agreed to marry me. Needless to say, I was thrilled. So thrilled, in fact, that I didn't think twice about her rule."

"I don't see what the problem is in your relationship. Her rule is indeed strange, but some woman enjoy their privacy."
"I'm not done yet, Doc. I honestly forgot her promise she made me make. After the honeymoon phase of our relationship was over and life began, I remembered her promise. I couldn't think of a reason why she would say such a thing. During those first few month of marriage I hadn't seen anything that was worth questioning her about. She was normal. In fact, she was wonderful."

Dr. Smith sat intently, but he still wasn't able to see what the problem was in his client's marriage. His client continued, "She became pregnant and I was thrilled. I had always wanted children, and I knew she was going to be a wonderful mother. We endured the pregnancy together and were so happy. Then she gave birth to an absolutely stunning child."
Mr. Shantanu shed a tear of joy as he remembered this joyful time. "This was the happiest day of my life. But I had been up all night during the child birth and decided to take a nap. When I woke up I found my wife sleeping peacefully and the baby missing. I woke her and said, 'Hey, sweetheart, where is our child?' 'In the river,' she said. I was completely shocked. Before I could start questioning her further, she added, 'You promised not to question me. You must stay true to your word. Our child is dead and there shall be no more questions about it.' That's all she had to say."

The doctor was completely silent. He looked at Mr. Shantanu, but didn't have the words to say.
"I just kept wondering who was this woman I married? I mean how could she kill our own child? She seemed so lovely. I just don't understand how something like this could happen. But there is nothing I can do. My firstborn is gone."

It took a few minutes for Mr. Shantanu to compose himself before he continued. "This has happened six other times, Doc. Every time she gives birth, she gets up, takes the child to the river, drowns them and then returns with a smile on her face. But there is nothing I can do about it. I promised I wouldn't question her. Now she is pregnant with our eighth child and I don't want to see this happen again."

The doctor looked him in the eyes and gave him sincere advice. "Mr. Shantanu, this is a problem I have never faced before. I am almost speechless. Clearly we have a lot to unpack with this situation. But for starters, sir, your wife is a murderer. We need to address this issue first in the concern of your eighth child. You and I have doctor-patient confidentiality, so I can't report your wife's behavior. Mr. Shantanu, you need to begin thinking about how turning your wife into the police might be your only way to save your eighth child."
Mr. Shantanu was silent for a few moments then said, "Well, Doc, I'm not sure I can do that yet. But I'll go home and think about it and see you next week."


Author's Note:
This was a story that was briefly told in the Mahabharata. In my opinion, the story was too brief. I wanted to know more about this story, especially how King Shantanu was handling the situation, so I decided to explore the emotions of King Shantanu. Instead of calling him King I decided to call him Mister in order to place him in a more modern time frame. This story isn't a situation that we see in our modern time, but I think that adds to the suspense of the story. I also think it adds to his feeling that his wife is a psychopath. But I also wanted to stay fairly true to the original story. In the original story this "crazy woman" was a goddess named Ganga. She became incarnate as  a human to help the Vasus, gods who are punished to be born as humans. She helped them by killing them as soon as they were born, but her husband was kept in the dark about all this.  I didn't want to add a lot of glitz and glam, just focus on the emotion part of it. That is why I wanted to bring in a counselor. They focus on people's emotions so I thought that would be a good way to help focus my story. Overall, this story was a lot of fun to write and I really enjoyed exploring the emotions. Instead of focusing on the main story of the Mahabharata, I focused on a smaller story and tried to expand on it.

Bibliography:
The Mahabharata by R.K. Narayan Web Source: Reading Guide

Picture:
River Web source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Diary B: Narayan's Mahabharata

I'm still having a hard time with this story. I'm having a hard time finding anything I enjoy in it yet. And I think that is because I am having such a hard time keeping all the characters straight. I am mostly drawn to the stories about Draupadi. I think a lot can be written about having 5 husbands. Like how Arjuna was exiled after intruding on Yudhishthira and Draupadi during the year she was married to him. I think you could write a story about this but with someone having 5 possessions. Like having 5 kittens.

So eventually then get a city and Yudhishthira is the king. They have like a hall for optical illusions and make fun of Duryohana. Which probably wasn't the smartest choice.

Yudhishthira is challenged to a game of dice. Loses everyone. Then he gambles Draupadi although she is on her time of the month. I like the story of her robe. She ends up getting three wishes. She wishes for Yudhishthira to be free, then her other four husbands to be free. She declines a third wish. At this point I would wish to be out of there.

They go back and gamble. Maybe write about gambling problems and then they are exiled again. They get an endless supply of food in a copper bowl from Surya.

Arjuna turns down the advances of Urvashi. So he is now a eunuch, but in the end it is supposed to be a blessing.

Urvashi Curses Anjurna

Wikimedia Commons

Overall, I had a hard time following this part of the book. I hope I begin to enjoy the story more.

Reference:
Mahabharata Reading Guide

Reading Diary A: Narayan's Mahabharata

I understand that this is the start of a new book but I am having a hard time keeping all the characters straight. So there is Dhritarashtra the blind one. Pandu the pale one. And Vindura the one without a flaw. Pandu is cursed and one of his wives has a mantra to get to sleep with the gods. She did a trial run and had a child with the Sun God named Karna, she puts him in a river.

Pandu gets Yudhishthira (Yama and Kunti), Bhima (Vayu and Kunti), Arjuna (Indra and Kunti) and Shadeva and Nakula (twins from Ashwins and Madri)

Pandu sleeps with Madri and both die.

They go to live with Dhritarashtra. They have problem with their cousins (I think there is like a hundred of them). They all get trained. Then there is the contest to show off their skills and Karna comes and challenges Arjuna. I think Karna is the first son, the one of the son god.

Pandavas exiled, their family tries to kill them, they escape through a hole in the ground.

Ok I think I understand the story from here.

Draupadi and her 5 husbands

Wikipedia

I think the story of Draupadi is an interesting one. She now has to share five husbands which hasn't happened before. I wonder what her thought process was. I wonder if she was happy or upset that this was her fate. I know she used to be Nalayani and was married to a sage and he slept with her as five different men. But he left and she prayed and now that's why in this life she has five husbands. But does she know about her other life? If she doesn't then I can imagine her being upset about this whole ordeal. But I'm not 100% sure.

Reference:
Narayan's Mahabharata

Storytelling Week 4: What Happened to Sita?

On this episode of the Ramayana we pick up where we left off last week. After last week's episode you took to the internet leaving thousands of comments. You wanted to know was that really the end of Ramayana. You were angry at us and thought that was the end. Well we are here to tell you tonight that the story isn't over. Welcome back folks let's begin.

Narrator: When we left Sita she had just proven her faithfulness to Rama by returning to the womb of Mother Earth. We pick up now with Sita in the realm of the gods with Mother Earth.

Sita: Mother Earth, I know I should feel so happy, being in the realm of the gods but I miss Rama so much. He was my everything. And I look down on the other humans in relationships like Rama and I's and I want to help. I don't want them to suffer like I did.
Mother Earth: Sita my child, you are of such pure heart. I know you miss Rama, but he did not see your purity. But you can't stay here with us forever, so we want to give you a job.
Sita: A job?
Mother Earth: Yes a job. We want you to go to the human world and be the intervener.
Sita: What do you mean?
Mother Earth: Go to the heart broken couples Sita, the ones who are grieve stricken and guide them. The humans will respect you, they will know who you are. Everyone will know who you are. Now go. Return after every couple in the world has been healed.

Narrator: With that Sita was gone. She flew done to earth like a falling star. She went to couple after couple in every corner of the earth to help them with their pained relationships. She enjoyed her job at first. But as the weeks began to pass things became unbearable.

Sita: Oh Rama! Why couldn't you have believed me? I worshiped you! I never looked at any man aside from you!

Narrator: Sita wept every night. There was nothing that could ease her pain. Her tears brought a year long rainy season all across the world. But one day Sita ran across a couple named Sarah and Benjamin. She had come to fix their problems. Sarah had cheated on Benjamin and Sita knew that Benjamin was going to leave her or do something worse, so she was coming to intervene. But before she could intervene she listened to their conversation.

Benjamin: Sarah, I know what you did. What you did broke my heart.
Sarah: Benjamin, I am so sorry! I love you and I didn't mean to do it! It'll never happen again, I promise.
Benjamin: I appreciate your promise Sarah, but...
Sarah: No Benjamin don't do this!

Narrator: Sita was about to stop the fight when all of a sudden Benjamin said.

Benjamin: Sarah I know you didn't mean it. I know you won't do it again. The road from here won't be easy, but we are worth it. I love you with all of my heart and I will not let you go. We can work through this. We might crash in the end, that depends on how much work we both but into this, but I'm willing to commit if you are.

Narrator: Sita was in shock.

Sita: How can a man say something like that? How can he forgive her? She actually cheated on him. I didn't even cheat on Rama and he still wanted nothing to do with me. I was the most loyal and pure woman to ever walk to earth. Why couldn't he trust me like Benjamin trusts Sarah?

Narrator: Sita's perspective of Rama changed after that. She respected him as the father of her two sons and she would always love him for that, but she stopped crying. The world experienced peace and abundance that was unprecedented. Now you might be wandering what happened to Rama. He was doing well. Married someone new and they had a few children together. But one day they had a terrible fight and the intervener came.

Sita: Hello, my name is Sita I have been sent by the gods on a special...Rama?
Rama: Sita?
Sita: I didn't know that I was coming to help you. Who is this?
Rama: This is my wife Rebecca. Sita I have so much I want to say to you. I still love you, I should have never doubted you. I should have known you would always be true to me. I was a fool.
Rebecca: Excuse me?
Sita: Rama, Rebecca I am here to help you both. But to do that I need to say something to Rama first. Rama you are right. You should have known. You shouldn't have tested me the first time with the fire and you shouldn't have tested me a second time. But now you don't get to test me anymore. Rama I loved you and now I have forgiven you. I have nothing but the highest regard for you, but I honestly deserve better than you. So, let me do my job and help you and your wife. Learn from your mistakes and be better to her.

Sita

Narrator: So Sita gave Rama and Rebecca advice and they had a beautiful marriage. Sita was able to watch both of her sons get married and have successful relationships. Sita never remarried. But she was happy. There was always a new couple to help and Sita was never lonely. She found what her heart truly desired.

Author's Note: 
My reading for this week was the movie Sita Sings the Blues. This movie had a slightly modern twist to it so I wanted to add more modern flare to this story. I again wanted to focus on Sita. I wrote my story as if it were a story in a television series and I wanted to tell the story of what happened to Sita after Rama. I honestly don't picture Sita doing this, but it would be cool if she did. I think she should stand up for herself and this was my way of exploring that idea.

Bibliography:
Sita Sings the Blues. Nina Paley. 2008. Web.

Reading Diary B: Sita Sings the Blues

What a great little movie. I am so sad it's over. The last part of the watching of the movie wasn't as good as the firsts, but that might be because most of the action happened in the first.

I like that you could see either regret or sympathy on the man's face who took Sita to the woods. Made me think he might do something different aside from leaving her there.

Sita Sings the Blues

I really don't like that after everything Sita went through and everything she did to prove herself that Rama still didn't trust her. It might just be that I live in a different culture but he just seems to completely mistreat her. I saw Rama as this great just man, but he mistreats and distrusts his wife. Again this negative feeling might be because I live in a different culture.

I do like though the one tear that Rama sheds for Sita. Maybe he did love her through it all, but wanted to be a noble ruler. Although I think a ruler should be able to make up his own mind. Why didn't he just convince the people that Sita was pure. It seems like he didn't even try. But the tear was a nice part.

I finally figured out that the weird story about the couple was used because she would one day write the movie. What a unique idea. I want to experiment with writing a parallel story that doesn't seem to relate but in the end it does relate.

Reference:
Sita Sings the Blues

Reading Diary A: Sita Sings the Blues

Well I don't know actually what I was expecting form this video but I see the story in a whole new light! I love getting to see Sita more in this story. One thing that I have noticed is that Rama's fame and glory hasn't really been explained as well as in the book. So, at times Rama just seems like a hot-shot instead of the respectable character that he is.

Like I previously stated I really enjoy getting to explore Sita more. I tried to explore a story in her point of view last week, so it is nice to see a different potential point of view for her. I don't think that I knew before that the bridge to Lanka built by Rama is "still there today". To me this is really cool. I might want to work with this story.

Sita Sings the Blues

I like that Sita sings the blues. This is a modern twist on a myth and I really think it is a creative way to enhance this story. Just a side note, I really don't understand the role of the couple from San Francisco. I am not sure if they will reveal something or if they have any other significant role in the film yet.

Oh I also like all the different drawing styles, I think this is an inspiration for all the different writing styles I can play around with.

Reference:
Sita Sings the Blues

Heroes from the Ramayana and the Iliad: Styles Brainstorm

Topic: For my topic I will be comparing and contrasting two incredible heroes in two different cultures: Achilles and Rama. One story I want to include is the difference in how Achilles and Rama reacted when their significant other was taken from them. I want to also include part of their birth to compare where they come from. I think that there are characteristics that are admirable about both of these heroes and I want to look at their similarities and differences.

Bibliography:
Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. NY: Penguin Books, 1990.
R. K. Narayan. The Ramayana. 2006.

Possible Styles: 
Campfire Stories: I could have a group of individuals sitting around a campfire and telling the stories of these great heroes. I think I could have these individuals debating about who was the greatest hero of all time and these people tell the stories of Achilles and Rama to prove of they think is best. Or they could be trying to pick which hero they strive to be like. Either way this seems to a logical story telling style option. Or if there is a group of adults telling small children the great stories of heroes from the past, that would work as well .

Campfire 

Wikipedia

Achilles and Rama Meet: I could create a scenario where Achilles and Rama meet and they tell their stories in first person. It could be a bonding moment for them. They can relate to each others experiences and also learn from each other. Maybe they can meet on their way to battle or something like that. They could be strangers in the woods and leave as friends.

Hollywood Movie: Maybe I could have directors getting ready to produce a great hollywood movie try to decide which story they should make their movie about. To decide they send out actors and crew members to create little short videos and then come back and show the examples they filmed. The filmed pieces could be my way of telling the stories of Achilles and Rama. I am not sure about this one, it is a little bit of a stretch for me, but I think that there is something here I could work with.

Gods Telling the Story: Another way I could do it is by having an Indian God and a Greek God meet and they decide to tell the story of their favorite hero. Maybe the Greek Gods want to know more about the Indian tradition, so they send a messenger to the Indian Gods and ask them to tell the story of one of their great heroes. Then the Greek messenger can tell the story of one of their great heroes.

Storytelling for Week 3: Till Death Do Us Part

It has been three months since my captors stole me from my love. I honestly didn't think I would make it this long. I remember it all very clearly. My husband and I were walking in the woods. This isn't something I would normally do. I personally dislike the outdoors, but he felt like we needed to get some fresh air. He loves being outside and I love my husband, so of course I went with him on this walk. I remember we stopped at a gas station to get some water and then we embarked on our walk. We were barely into our walk and before I knew it my husband was on the ground bleeding. The thought of it still makes me sick. Before I could even think about screaming for help darkness overcame me.

I don't know how long I was unconscious. I remember gaining consciousness and hysterically crying out for help. I began processing my environment. I was sitting in a dark room and sitting on something hard. I thought that I was dead and that maybe this was what death felt like. But then I noticed a light coming out of a corner of the room and then it slowly began to grow larger.

"I know you probably hate me for what I have done, but trust me. I promise this is for your own good," a voice said. It sounded familiar.
"Who are you?" I asked.
Then a man walked in the room. I remembered his eyes. "You are the man from the gas station. You held the door open for my husband and me as we walked in. What have you done to me? Where is my husband?"

He then explained how he had fallen uncontrollably in love with me as he saw me. I mean I have read the fairy tales so I know about this whole myth of "love at first sight," but that's all it is - a myth. He then proceeded to promise me the moon and the stars. Everything I could ever want he would give to me, if only I would agree to marry him. I refused.

This was three months ago. Three months! I thought by now the FBI or CSI or Superman would have found me. But no. Every day that man comes in here and brings lavish gifts. He hasn't relented. I think he is determined to continue this until I submit. But what does he expect! He kidnapped me and potentially killed my husband.

I have no idea if my husband is even alive. Do you know what that feels like? Hopeless. It feels hopeless. What am I doing holding out for someone who might be dead? God I hope he's dead. Because if he is alive, it looks like he gave up on me. Maybe he thinks I'm dead. Maybe I should be dead. What's the point of continuing? It clearly hasn't gotten me anywhere.

"Psssssst Aria... psssssst Aria," someone was whispering from the corner of the room where the tiny bit of light shines through.
"Hello, yes, I am here."
Silence.

As I walk toward the tiny glimmer of light, I see something sparkling on the floor. I bend down to pick it up and I recognize it immediately. It's my husband's wedding ring with a note attached to it.
"Till death do us part. I'm coming."

Author's Note:
This week I spent a lot of time thinking about what it must have been like for Sita to wait for Rama in The Ramayana . As readers we often don't realize how much time has passed in between the major events of the story. She went months without any sign that he would be coming for her, but she still remained faithful. When I was reading this I wasn't sure how she even survived. I wanted to show the strength of Sita and her faithfulness. Although we won't know for sure what Sita went through, it is still fun to experiment with the possibilities. This story was very easy to write and it was outside my comfort zone  but I really enjoyed it. I didn't include a lot of dialogue because I wanted to focus on the thought process of Sita. I also wanted to add a modern twist to the story. It is fun to place stories in a different time frame and play with the situation and the characters themselves. In a way, it is showing how timeless the Ramayana is. Set in modern times, it is still a fascinating story that can be enjoyed. Sita is a less defined story in the book, so she was an easy one to mold and play with.

Bibliography: 
"The Ramayana" by R.K. Narayan (2006)

Image Information: 
Ghost Light Web Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary B: Narayan's Ramayana

It was nice to see that Sita had stayed loyal and true to Rama during that time. It is hard to imagine the temptation she went through. I am sure she was offered a great many things to persuade her. I am someone who appreciates loyalty so this really spoke to her character for me.

I appreciate how Rama treats Vibhishana with respect. I would have immediately thought he was up to no good and not trusted him, but Rama clearly values respect above all else.

I also really enjoyed the building the bridge story. Its fun to imagine all the animals throwing rocks into the water to build a bridge. I think that there is potential with this story. Doing something that might appear obscure with unlikely people and then accomplishing the task they set out to do.

Kumbakarna is someone who I have never heard of before so I had to look him up. As I was reading the story I was like "Wait what? This guy is swallowing people?" This to me is something so odd to see in this battle. People are fighting and then all of a sudden this guy pops up and starts eating people.

Kumbakarna

Wikimedia Commons

I am not sure how exactly I feel about the Sita story. I mean he went through all that work to save her you wouldn't think that he would feel that it was necessary to test her. If he felt like she were unfaithful than why would he risk everything to go and save her?

Reference
The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan 
Ramayana Reading Guide

Reading Diary A: Narayan's Ramayana

I enjoyed the story of Jatayu. I am kind of a bird fanatic, so that is part of the reason I really enjoyed this story. I was sad that he died in the end. I also liked the story of his brother and that hearing the name Rama fixed his wings.

I struggle with the story of Vali and Sugriva. I don't think Rama should have killed Vali. Vali clearly had a lot of respect for Rama and Rama should have used this power that he had to go and talk to Vali for his brother Sugriva instead of killing him. And although Vali agrees that Rama did not act wrongfully, I still think Rama could have handled the situation better. He might have been able to restore the relationship with the two brothers. I would have tried that first before killing Vali.

The Killing of Vali

Web source: Wikimedia Commons

I really like that Rama could describe Sita in such a way that she would be recognizable. I know I could describe my best friend in great detail, but I doubt that someone would be able to easily pick her out in a crowd. So I am impressed with how Rama was able to describe her. I also like that he gave his ring as a sign for her to know it is him. I am not sure if this is a wedding ring, or just a normal ring. I like to imagine it as a wedding ring. That is so symbolic and to me, the ultimate sign to her that her husband is coming to save her.

Reference:
The Ramayana by R. K Narayan 
Ramayana Reading Guide

Potential Topics

1. Possible Topic: Gods and Goddesses. I am interested in this topic mainly because of my interest in Greek gods and goddesses. I would love to find a way to incorporate gods from Greek and Indian mythology. I honestly don't know a lot about the gods or goddesses from Indian epics.
Research so far: I spent some time looking at a few of the different gods on their Wikipedia pages including Vishnu, Brahma, and Hanuman. It is hard for me to read these articles when I know so very little about the culture and religious beliefs. So through this project I hope to understand more fully all the aspects of these epics.

2. Possible Topic: Heroes and Heroines. I am interested in this topic for a comparable reason as the first one. I have enjoyed studying Greek heroes and would love to incorporate that with the Indian Epics. I have really enjoyed the story of Rama thus far and would love to continue working with it.
Research so far: Well part of my research I include what we have already read in class. I just think there is so much to work with with the story of Rama. I also began reading about him on the Wikipedia Page. Rama is a very respectable character and I would like to focus on a few specific instances of his life.

Painting of Rama with Bow

Web Source: Wikipedia

3. Possible Topic: Animal Characters. For starters I love animals so I think I could have a lot of fun with this topic. I really like Matsya. I was a swimmer for years and years so I really enjoy fish. But I also like that Matsya has been depicted as half man half fish, so essentially a mermaid. I think this would be a lot of fun to work with.
Research so far: I do not know a lot about Matsya, actually nothing in fact. I went to his Wikipedia Page and read about him there. Part of his story with the flood appears to be somewhat similar to the Noah story, which I am very familiar with. So it would be fun to more about Matsya's flood story.

4. Possible Topic: Love Stories: Let's be honest I am a helpless romantic and I love love! So I would really enjoy writing about love stories. The only one I really know about right now is Rama and Sita. I have really enjoyed their story so far. I also really enjoyed Ahalya and Gautama's story, even though it was quite sad. I feel like I could work a lot with this story.
Research so far: The two love stories I have already mentioned we have already read a little about so I feel like I understand their stories thus far. I went to the Wikipedia Page for Swayamvara. I think that this practice could make a really interesting story that I could work a lot with.

Storytelling for Week 2: The Power of Song

There once was a prince named Gerald and he was the most handsome prince that had ever walked the earth. He also had a magic power: song. Whenever Gerald would go to battle he would start singing and all of the enemy troops would be so mesmerized by his voice, that they would stop fighting. Gerald's army would then slaughter all the enemy troops.

One day Gerald was wandering the streets of a neighboring kingdom and he saw a beautiful princess standing on the balcony of her castle. Then the princess began dancing, the most perfect dance that Gerald had ever seen. He knew at once that he must marry her. So he ran into the castle, found the king and asked for the lovely princess' hand in marriage. The king agreed to give his daughter Maria's hand in marriage.

Once Gerald and Maria were married they were set to have an amazing life. Gerald and Maria would stay out late at night singing and dancing for all the citizens of their kingdom. But one day a wizard came to the kingdom and watched Gerald and Maria's performance. He was incredibly jealous of their talent. So, as the moon rose, the wizard snuck into the castle by casting a sleep spell on all the guards. Then he went upstairs and stole Gerald's voice and hid it in a magic necklace. Whenever the wizard wore the necklace he could sing like Gerald.

Gerald awoke the next morning and was shocked to find that he couldn't speak. He knew someone had stolen his voice. The security cameras in the castle proved that it was a wizard. Gerald began to pack his bags to journey into the forest to retrieve his voice. When Maria arose from her slumber she found her husband in distress. She knew she had to go with him into the forest. He no longer had his song to protect himself, he only had his good looks, which are never enough. At least Maria could dance and keep them safe. So they embarked on their journey together. They also took a magic song bird with them for company.

One day in the forest Gerald went to retrieve water. As he approached the river he noticed a beautiful maiden. This woman was nearly as beautiful as his own wife. When the woman caught a glimpse of Gerald she instantly fell in love. The woman introduced herself as Jasmine, but her real name was Becky the Sorcerer. She was the most wicked and hideous of all the sorcerers in the world.

Witch Head

Deviant Art

She had seen Gerald the day before walking in the woods and knew she must have him. Becky tried to convince Gerald to begin life with her, but Gerald knew after a few moments that Becky (at this time Gerald was still under the impression that she was Jasmine) was nothing more than a beautiful woman. She had no special talents to make her truly worthy of him.

Maria began to worry about Gerald and came down to the river to find him. When Maria saw he was alright she began to dance toward him gracefully. Becky had never seen anyone dance so beautifully. Becky did not know that Maria was Gerald's wife, so she said "My love turn away, this woman is an ugly sorcerer who has merely disguised herself as a beautiful woman. Flee now before she captures you." Instead, Gerald ran to Maria and embraced her. Becky was furious and stormed off.

The next morning while Gerald was away, Becky came to the tent where Maria and Gerald were staying. Becky came to give a poisoned apple to Maria, so that she could have Gerald all to herself. But the magical song bird that had been traveling with Maria and Gerald saw everything and before Becky could give the poisoned apple to Maria, the bird gauged out the eyes of Becky. Then the bird let out a powerful scream and Becky's ears exploded. Becky was so ashamed that she ran back to her home, never to leave it again.

Gerald ended up finding the wizard and getting his voice back. Maria and Gerald lived happily ever after.

Author's Note: 
For this story I was inspired by Rama's encounter with Shurpanakha in  The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan. I really enjoyed reading this story and wanted to experiment with it. The ending to my story is abrupt, but I wanted to focus on the story of Shurpanakha with Rama. Essentially, I wanted to stay fairly true to the original story, but I wanted it to have a new influence. I was inspired by the stories of Disney Princesses. I named Gerald's wife after Jasmine in Aladdin. The stolen voice was took it's inspiration from The Little Mermaid and the poisoned apple took it's inspiration from Snow White. Stories of Disney Princesses are some of my favorite, so I wanted to recreate this story in this style. I also wanted to add humor to the story, because it is rather gruesome. An example of humor I added is the reference to security cameras, obviously security cameras wouldn't exist during the time that this story would have taken place. I like the picture of the witch for this story because it is the stereotypical witch that comes to mind when people think of of witches. Overall, this story was fun to write and I hope you enjoy it.

Bibliography:
"The Ramayana" by R. K. Narayan (2006)

Reading Diary B: Narayan's Ramayana

So the story I first really want to talk about in this reading is the story of Ravana's Sister. She calls herself Kamavalli but her real name is Shurpanakha. She acknowledges that she is Ravana's sister but claims to have rejected the ways of the demons. She falls madly in love with Rama, but he sees her for what she is. "He realized that she had only an appearance of quality, and was really cheap and shameless." (87) Although I personally agree with this description, it is a rather strong one.

I also really enjoyed when Shurpanakha says "Great one! Don't let this creature come near you. Don't be misled by her appearance, it's not her own, she has assumed it through black art. Actually she is a rakshasa woman; drive her off before she does you any harm. This forest is full of such deceivers." (89) Oh the irony in this statement is beautiful. She is describing the wife of Rama as how she herself is. To make it even more ironic, she has no idea that this is Rama's wife.

Rama and Shurpanakha 

Web source: Wikipedia

After Shurpanakha has been cut, she goes to Ravana. During this scene she describes Sita in great detail. Ravana falls uncontrollably in love with her. I know in my last post I said that Sita's love for Rama was extreme after just seeing him once, but this is a little insane to me. He hasn't even seen Sita yet.

I also enjoyed the deception in the golden deer story. Lakshmana knew that Rama couldn't be in any real danger, but still he was forced to go check on him. I think this shows how wise of a character Lakshmana is, because he had a feeling that something was wrong about this whole situation.

Reference:
The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan
Ramayana Reading Guide