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