The crowd went wild. These are two of the greatest heroes of all time and they were about to go head to head in this epic show case.
*The stage dims*
"So Rama let's start with you. Tell us your story."
"Let me start off by saying it's an honor to be here Steve. My story begins with a girl."
*The crowd laughs*
"I know don't all great stories begin with a girl" Rama laughed. "Now let's see, yes, I saw this beautiful woman and wanted to be with her. Viswamithra wanted me and my brother to see the bow of Janaka. This bow was very large and was from Shiva. In order for me to marry his daughter, I had to string and shoot this bow."
"So, Rama, why do you deserve to be considered greater than Odysseus?"
"Because I didn't just string the bow. I broke it in two."
*Audience cheers loudly"
"Thank you, Rama, you may return to your seat."
"Odysseus, join me at the front of the stage. Now tell us your story."
"Thanks for having me, Steve. I came home from the Trojan War to find a lot of suitors going after me wife."
*Audience gasps*
"I know. So I was dressed as a beggar. There was a competition to string my personal bow and shoot it through twelve ax heads in a row. I'm not sure if you have ever shot a bow through and ax head before, but it is difficult. I not only shot the bow and shot it through twelve ax heads, but I also killed all the suitors. "
*Audience cheers loudly*
"Thank you Odysseus and thank you Rama. Well, audience, now it is time for you to take a vote. Who do you think is the greater of these two heroes with a bow. Who will be crowned the greatest of them all!"
*Audience looks down and begins writing*
"Find out after this commercial break if the hero of Ancient Greek Epics or the hero of Indian Epics will win this showcase."
Author's Note:
I read Buck's Ramayana this week. When I was originally coming up with an idea for a storybook I wanted to combine heroes from Ancient Greek Epics with Indian Epic heroes. Instead I went with a Portfolio. I wanted to play a tribute to that original idea I had though. I wanted to but Odysseus and Rama against each other. They are both very similar and very different. One of the ways they are similar is seen in the bow, so I wanted to make a play on that story. I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope you enjoy it.
Bibliography:
Ramayana by William Buck. 2000.
Pictures:
Rama
Odysseus
This was such a clever idea for a story! I love the combining of the two epic heroes from two different cultures. It was a good idea to find similarities in their stories so that there was a common thread throughout the story. You did a great job setting the “talk-show-tone” with the cues from the audience and the tv host personality. I enjoyed this piece!
ReplyDeleteHayley, this was a creative way to tell the story of Rama! I liked how you also incorporated Greek Mythology into your storytelling. When I was reading your story, I was imagining the scene from the Hunger Games where Caesar Flickerman (is that his name?) was interviewing all the tributes. You were so on point with your dialogue! Now I'm curious of who will win the showcase.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed that story and mix. I'm much more familiar with the Greek characters which I've read growing up. It's cool to see you find the connection between the two and have a mash up. Is this the story line or one of your portfolio? If so I might have to keep reading. I'd like to know what comes next.
ReplyDelete