Week 3: Potential Storybook Styles

Topic. My storybook will be about Indian Epic love stories. My goal is to compile four different love stories and speak in a first person point of view or maybe a third person point of view. Some of them may be told by the males, others may be in the view of the females; it just depends on how I am feeling that day. I want to bring different sides into view because men and women often have different thoughts when it comes to falling in love. If I did not choose to do first person point of view and did third person, I would make it like you were reading a children’s storybook.

Possible Styles:

Cupid. Because my Storytelling will be based on epic love stories, I feel that cupid must be included. Cupid is associated with Valentine’s day which is centered around love; thus I feel it is necessary to include cupid in all of them. I would also like to have a story only about cupid because if we have more background on his history then I can somehow integrate him into my other stories easier.

Journal Entries. I think it would be really great to write in a journal entry form. As many of us have experienced, it is really great to write about your feelings in a journal. As for love stories, I think this would be a perfect view because it would allow us to really tell the characters emotions! If I did this, I would switch off between both characters so we can see both sides.

Fairy Tales. As with many Disney movies and other fairy tales, I would love to start with a “Once Upon a Time…” Often times in real life our “love stories” don’t end up with a happily ever after. I think it would be really refreshing to hear about a story that ends in a “Happily Ever After” format. It may seem a bit cheesy, but I like it!

Different Cultures. Although this is an Epics of India course, I think it would be pretty fun to convert these Indian Epics into different stories that take place in other cultures. For example, I would have a couple from Spain, China, Italy, etc. Of course, I would either start the story in India or have them move to India throughout the course of their love story because I want to integrate the Indian culture into the story!

(Image of Cupid Found Online)

Bibliography:

1. Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic.

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

Week 3 Storytelling: Sita in Lanka

Right now I am in Lanka. I have been here for approximately six months and I haven’t eaten in a week or two. I am so skinny from being so hungry all the time. Ravana constantly is trying to get me to submit to him but I love Rama and will continue to stay pure for him. I have faith that he will come find me, but it is hard to keep hope when it has been so long.  

The journey to the island of Lanka was brutal. There were numerous storms and the waves were huge getting across that I thought we might drown. When we finally arrived to Lanka I thought that they were going to kill me, but they just put me in a garden with demons surrounding me.  I could hear all of the terrible things that the demons were saying about Rama but at least I knew he was still alive.

I am beginning to become severely depressed; although that may seem obvious I have actually been very hopeful because I know that Rama has a heart of perseverance and will come save the woman he loves. Last week Ravana was actually starting to be nice to me which was a bit of a shock since he’s typically very forceful. I sometimes question my feelings towards him when he tried to woo me but I quickly remember Rama and his loving, nurturing soul.

The Rakshasis that are guarding me are starting to feel bad for me. It is almost as if they want to become my friend and help me. Maybe that is just my hopeful side thinking again. I hope that they won’t torture me and if they do kill me that it will be a quick and painful death.

Today I overheard them talking about Rama getting close with the Hanuman helping him. My heart is leaping for joy.  I can feel his presence near! I am dreading the full out war that will begin as soon as he arrives but I know that he will defeat Ravana with no problem. I overheard the Rakshasis talking about Rama forcing the god of water to build a bridge so that he could come to Lanka. He is getting so close now. I hope that he will not question my purity with Ravana. If so, I will do whatever it takes to prove to him that he is my one true love.

Author's Note: I decided to write in the point of view from Sita because I felt like I don’t know her character very well. Throughout most of the episodes, she is mentioned but quite briefly; we don’t get a strong sense of her emotions and that’s what I want! I chose to depict her as a strong woman, but yet to show that all people (despite their strength) can be discouraged when faced with difficult situations. Being abducted is a situation that none of us would know how to respond in unless we personally endured it. The pictures I posted is a picture of Sita sitting in the garden. Although it may look like she’s peaceful, I think it is because she is forced to be calm as a woman in her society and, most importantly, as a prisoner of Ravana. As depicted in this story, she is coming close to ending her life because she is in misery without her love, Rama. I feel that anyone would be overwhelmed with sadness if they were torn away from their loved ones without warning. However, she is still holding onto the hope that Rama is near because she overheard her guards talking about his arrival. That is where the glimmer in her eye comes from. I plan to integrate characters from the Ramayana that we haven’t learned much about (emotionally), starting with Sita.

 

(Photo found online)

Bibliography: Narayan R.K (1972) The Ramayana

Week 3 Reading Diary B: Hanuman Finds Sita

Hanuman, after he turns into a giant monkey and crosses the sea, eventually finds Sita. She is in a garden feeling pretty low. He showed her Rama’s ring to prove he was there for her and so she agreed not to hurt herself.  Ravana is angry and so he tries to hurt Hanuman and burns his tail. In return, Hanuman burns down Lanka.  Hanuman eventually comes back and tells Rama that Sita is in Lanka. Because Rama cannot make himself big enough to step across the sea like Hanuman did, he has to make a bridge. He orders the sea god to help him cross.

What I liked about his episode is the way that Ravana went about to try and scare people. This shows his true character—dishonest. He attempted to make it look like Rama was dead by showing Sita a decapitated head just after discussing his men as monkeys. Eventually, after giving him a chance to surrender, Rama finally defeats Ravana. The end of this episode is my favorite because it shows Rama’s true character. Not only does he question the loyalty of Sita while she was away, but he throws a grand funeral for Ramaya. I am looking forward to seeing how different authors depict Rama as a character because he is definitely my favorite character from these episodes!

I chose to post a picture of Hanuman and Rama because Rama can finally marry Sita and he could not have done it without Hanuman. The loyalty of a friend is truly remarkable. 

(Photo found online)

Week 3 Reading Diary A: Ravana Abducts Sita

The reading for Diary A starts out with Sita’s abduction by Ravana. He had disguised himself as an old man and flew away with her. When Rama returns, he sets off to find her immediately. What I enjoyed about this reading is that it is a bridge between Week 2 reading and Diary B of week 3 because it is about the journey that Rama has endured in order to find Sita.  It begins with Sita’s abduction and shows the endurance and loyalty that Rama must face in order to get help to find her.

Rama agrees to help Sugriva for his help in return to find Sita. I liked that Rama agreed to help him out of empathy since Sugriva had his wife stolen by Vali after his exile. So, Rama agrees to help Sugriva defeat Vali. Hanuman also agreed to help Rama in his search for Sita. Sugriva becomes king after Vali is killed by Rama.

A few seasons later, Rama sends Lakshmana to find Sugriva and Ramana to help find Sita as he had promised. He sends out large search parties and armies. They encounter a nymph that told them the last place she saw Sita. Part A ends with Hanuman growing so large that he can step across the ocean to Lanka where they believe Sita may be located.

(Photo of Rama and Hanuman found online)

I chose a picture of Hanuman displaying his loyalty to Rama. In this episode Hanuman has shown his loyalty to Rama by helping him in his journey to find Sita. 

Famous Last Words: Week 2

Wow, this is the week that I am finally starting to get a hang of this Indian Epics course! I am really starting to enjoy these assignments. This week we started reading the first half of Narayan’s Ramayana. I can’t believe we’re already halfway through this first epic! In here we read about Rama, Sita, and Ravana (at least those are the three characters that stand out the most to me thus far). I really am starting to delve into the topic of this course. I was a bit overwhelmed last week with all of the assignments, however, as we have moved into the second week (now third week) of the semester, it is a lot easier to complete the tasks and enjoy them without being overwhelmed.

As stated earlier, we have started reading the Ramayana. I have learned about many different Indian gods and it has been so much fun! I am now able to relate photos I have seen, such as Ganesha, with stories about their origin and history. My best friend is from India and is actually living there right now because she graduated last month. She is the one who recommended that I take this course because she knows I am interested in learning about Hinduism and Indian gods. I am now starting to understand why she said I’d love this course! I really enjoy some of the concepts also like Karma. I have learned about the chakras from Yoga and I loved reading about how some of the Indian gods have to do with the chakras.

Overall, this week has made me really excited to continue reading and posting in this class for the rest of the semester. I love reading other people’s blogs and I have already learned so much from my other classmates! Now that we have just created our Website, I can’t wait to start creating my Storybooks!

(Photo of the seven chakras found online)

I chose to post a picture depicting the seven chakras because I am interested in learning more about the history and meanings of the chakras.

Indian Epics Topics Brainstorm

1. Possible Topic: Hanuman. I was interested in this topic because, for starters, I love monkeys. I have seen photos of monkeys and I am interested in learning about their significance because they are depicted as gods. Also, because Rama is one of my favorite characters, I felt that learning about one of his most devoted followers would be interesting!

Research so far. This is my first time learning about Hanuman so I looked up on Wikipedia to gain so background knowledge. I scrolled down to the “Adventures in Ramayana” section. In here it mentions that Hanuman met Rama during his 14-year exile when Rama is searching for his wife Sita.

(Photo of Hanuman found on Wikipedia)

2. Possible Topic: Ravana. I am choosing to study Ravana because he is my least favorite character in the Ramayana so far. I feel it is important to learn about protagonists as well as antagonists when getting into a story.

Research so far. As noted previously, he is the main antagonist in the Ramayana. After exploring a bit on Wikpedia, I learned that the literal translation for Ravana in Sanskrit is “crying” or “causing to cry.” I also learned that Ravana is the god that is described as having ten heads.

(Photo of Ravana found online)

3. Possible Topic: Ganesha. I have heard the name Ganesha before, but I cannot remember. The name sparked a memory so I thought this would be a good topic to study. I believe I may have heard of this god in one of my yoga classes.

Research so Far: According to Wikipedia, Ganesha is known as the God of wisdom, knowledge and new beginnings. Ganesha also has the head of an elephant which makes him so distinct. After reading more, I now know where I have heard of this god. He is part of the first chakra and he guides and supports all of the other chakras.

(Picture symbolizing the importance of Ganesha found on Pinterest)

4. Possible Topic: Karma. Karma is a concept that I strongly believe in. Although bad things happen can happen to good people, I believe that overall people will be rewarded for good things.

Research so Far. I do not know much about Karma, but I did research on Wikipedia. I have seen the Lotus in many traditions that have karma as a central theme. I learned that the Lotus represents karma because a lotus is one of the few flowers that can carry a seed while blooming at the same time; ultimately, it is showing that one can grow and remain unstained even in muddy situations.

(Picture of a Lotus found online)

Week 2 Storytelling: The Abduction of Sita as told by Rama

I have felt a bit overwhelmed lately. After being exiled from home, I escaped to the woods to get away from the crowds of people who constantly beg me for questions. Bharata, my brother, has begged me to return also. I want to fulfill my exile in peace. Is that so much to ask? My father has passed and I have been exiled from my previous home. Some peace and quiet would be nice. Bharata took my sandals for some reason. I met a woman in the forest named Shurpankha. She is the sister of Ravana, who I killed. Lakshmana luckily got her away from me so I don’t have to worry about any awkward confrontation in the future. I plan to be with Sita. Ravana saw what Lakshmana did to Shurpanakha and he was furious. However, once she described how beautiful Sita was, Ravana fell madly in love with her. He decided to abduct her but did not have that great of a plan. He went to his uncle Maricha to ask for help but he didn’t want to. Ravana didn’t take no for an answer. Maricha makes himself a golden dear which of course catches Sita’s attention. Because Sita and I are likely to get married, she asks me to capture the deer for her. Although I knew what was happening, I shot the deer. In that instant, Maricha called for help using my voice!! She was so upset when she thought I was harmed.  She sent Lakshmana to come find me to make sure I am okay. Sita was then alone and vulnerable for Ravana to come capture her, just as he had planned. I wish I knew this story before it was too late. The moment I saw Maricha coming out of the deer I knew what had happened and that I lost the love of my life to him forever. I don’t know what I will do without Sita.  I am already going through such a difficult time… Why must this happen to me?

Author’s Note: I decided to write in the first person of Rama throughout the story of the abduction of Sita. The story line did not change, however, I decided to get inside the head of Rama to see how he was feeling after the death of his father and the exile from home. All of these tragedies along with the loss of Sita are bound to make Rama very upset but could potentially strengthen his character in upcoming episodes.

(Photo of the golden deer found online)

Week 2 Reading Diary B: Rama's Exile and Sita's Abduction

This part of the episode starts off with Dasharatha dying, which is devastating, however, I have a feeling it will make Rama that much of a stronger character. Rama’s brother is outraged about Rama’s exile, as any brother should be. Although he begged Rama to return, Rama insist on fulfilling his exile. I admire the fact that Rama chooses to live in a life of solitude. Being exiled from the throne would be devastating so I imagine almost anyone would prefer to live out in the woods away from the crowds instead of returning to Ayodhya.  Bharata decides to go back to where he ruled in Nandigram and refused to return until Rama did. I love that they show the determination and loyalty in Bharata.

Shurpanakha, the sister of Ravana declares her love for Rama. I’m guessing out of loyalty for Rama, Lakshmana decides to hurt her to stay away from Rama because of her family background. I was a bit confused on this part to be quite honest. Another love story occurs where Ravana wants to abduct Sita (who was actually Lakshamana’s rival with Rama). He asks his uncle for help to reel in Sita and abduct her for himself.

The two love stories, or as I would call them, obsessions, are a very intetesting part of this episode. It reminds me of soap operas that we see all over TV today, only they include numerous Gods that have amazing super powers to deceive others. This episode was just a more culturally in-tune reality show!!

(Photo found online depicting the abduction of Sita by Ravana)

Week 2 Reading Diary A: Starting the Ramayana

Wow, this is going to be an exciting Indian Epic to read! There is so much going on here, it was a bit overwhelming at first. However, when I stopped trying to pronounce all the names out loud it became a bit more bearable. This episode so far starts out in Ayodhya where Dasharatha is king. He has no children but he performs a sacrifice that allows him to get ahold of a special rice which he feeds his wives. They eventually get pregnant and he ends up with numerous children!

My favorite character in this episode is Rama. For starters, he is the child of Dasharatha and Kausalya which I’d like to believe is his favorite wife. Rama accompanies Lakshmana where he kills the demon Thataka. Finally, when Dasharatha relalizes he’s ill, he names Rama as his successor. When Kooni persuades Kaiekyi to oppose this, Rama does not protest.

Rama seems like he is going to be a very important character based on the episode so far. His name caught my eye because he was the first child to be born. It then talks about his defeat of the demon Thataka. Although Dasharatha has many children, Rama is the most talked about. Not only did he defeat a demon, but he didn’t even protest when someone opposed him as being the successor. That takes true wisdom and patience. I am looking forward to seeing the character of Rama develop once Dasharatha passes. I also thought it was really awesome that they threw in the origin of the Ganges River into this episode!

I have included a photo of Rama who is the avatar of the God Vishnu.

(Photo of Rama found online)

Overview: Epics of India

When I think of India, the first thing I think of is Hinduism. I think of beautiful tradition and extravagant wedding that last a whole week long and have an elephant carrying out the bride. I also think of Buddhism and how peaceful the tradition seems from a third person point of view. I took this class because I have so many friends that are from India. I am really looking forward to learning about epics that I can talk about with my friends! I have already seen the name "Krishna" and I know probably about 4 people with that name. Because Buddhism has always been an interest to me, I am really looking forward to learning about the Jataka Tales. This is compared to how Jesus had parables! I really want to read numerous stories about "the birth of Buddha."

(Image of Buddha found on Pinterest)

UnTextbook Reading Diary A: Life of Buddha

King Suddhodana’s wife had a dream. She went to the forest and called for him. There she told him that she wanted her dream interpreted by a brahman to determine if it was good or bad. The brahmans told her that a son is to be born unto them. He will be live the life of a monk and deserve great praises. The king and queen were overjoyed to hear the news. The king gave to the poor and Maya cured the ill.

Finally, the day came for the birth of Buddha. The queen insisted on having her child in the innocence of nature. The king had the servants prepare the gardens with precious decorations. He had the servants use pearls and precious stones and rare perfumes. Upon Buddha’s birth, everything in the world became beautiful and pure. The kind named him Siddhartha. The hermit Asita further verified the extreme glory to come with the life of this child. Only seven days after the birth of this child, Maya passed away. The child was to be looked after by her sister, Mahaprajapati.

One day Mahaprajapati put jewelry on the young prince. However, it was hard to tell he was even wearing any because of how radiant he was. Siddhartha finally came of age where he was assigned a teacher, Visvamitra. Visvamitra was in awe and he told the prince that he could teach him nothing, in fact, the prince should teach him instead. After that, he had his first meditation. Hermits who passed him bowed as he quietly meditated under a tree. The shadow of the trees had all moved except the one the prince was under.

The prince traveled to a city where he saw and old man and became extremely upset. He could think of nothing other than old age. He decided to return to the city where he had two more encounters. The first was a man afflicted with disease. The second encounter of the two was the corpse of a man. He was continually amazed at how man continue day by day with the knowledge of death.

(Image of Buddha)

Week 1 Storytelling: The Plane Tree

Two Travellers, walking in the noonday sun, sought the shade of a widespreading tree to rest. As they lay looking up among the pleasant leaves, they saw that it was a Plane Tree.

"How useless is the Plane!" said one of them. "It bears no fruit whatever, and only serves to litter the ground with leaves."

"Ungrateful creatures!" said a voice from the Plane Tree. "You lie here in my cooling shade, and yet you say I am useless! Thus ungratefully, O Jupiter, do men receive their blessings!"

Our best blessings are often the least appreciated.

(Traditional Fable)

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There were two men traveling to go to see their Grandparents. Their mother was very sick and they had to go tell their Grandparents so that they could say their last goodbyes to their youngest daughter. They lived in Dallas, but their Grandparents lived in Ft. Worth, so it was an all day walk to get there. Because it was spring in Texas, it was very hot and sunny. Also, due to excessive heat, the trees in North Texas didn’t bear much fruit.

As the two boys walked by a tree, they complained that it was of no importance. “Why does this tree exist if it doesn’t even have fruit?” They were so dehydrated, however, that they decided to stop and sit underneath the shade of the plane tree that they were so ungrateful for.

Spring time in Texas means it was tornado season. As they looked into the distance, they saw a funnel forming. Although the funnel did not reach the boys, there were still extreme winds that were blowing the plane tree and it’s surroundings. There was so much debris flying around in the air that they hid behind the trunk for protection.

The calm after the storm was extremely eerie for the boys. Just a moment ago they were complaining about this tree and how it was so plane and worthless. However, it protected them from the debris and likely saved them from an extreme injury. “Wow” one of the boys said, “if this tree had fruit on it like we wanted it to, it would have hit us in the head and knocked us unconscious!” What a relief.

Once they calmed down and retrieved their things, they set off to relay the message to their grandparents. Their mom eventually passed away in peace because she was able to say goodbye to all of her loved ones.

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(Two boys sitting underneath tree for protection)

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Author's Note:  In the original fable, the two travelers laid underneath the tree for shade because it was a sunny day. As they laid under the tree, they complained about how it had no fruit and just made a mess because of it’s leaves. The tree called them ungrateful.

In my version of The Plane Tree, I decided to have the boys complain about the tree, but also have the tree protect them so that they were grateful for it in the end. The moral of this fable is "our best blessings are often the least appreciated."

Title: The Æsop for Children
       With pictures by Milo Winter

Author: Æsop

Illustrator: Milo Winter

Release Date: December 2, 2006 [EBook #19994]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

Online Source

Week 1 Storybook Favorites

My first story of choice is Mermaid Maiden. I chose this story because I spend a lot of time swimming in the ocean so it sparked my interest. It is a story about a man who went through a traumatic experience when he lost his whole family in a car accident. It takes place with him living in a new community where everyone was nice to him but he still couldn't connect with anyone.  He sat outside and watched the sunrise each morning to feel the same warmth he felt with his family before they passed away. One morning he heard singing. He was shocked because it was always so quiet when he was out there. He followed the singing and found a cave that he knew he had to explore.

Image mermaid found online at Deviant Art.

My second story was that of Cupid and Psyche. I chose this because one of my degrees is in Psychology, so the word ‘psyche’ stands out to me. It is a story of how cupid fell in love with a mortal (Psyche), even though he is a God. His mother, Venus did not like her. Cupid showed Psyche how much he loved her just through his voice. His mother did not support him, but he pursued her anyway. He eventually was able to give her ambrosia which made her immortal so they could be together forever. 

The last story I read was called Jungle Tiger Stories. The first thing that came to my mind was the jungle book. I thought of how the tiger and humans were able to interact in that movie. In this story, there is an old monkey named Virgil that is near his end days. He dreamed of having one last adventure before he passed. He ran into a little boy who had wandered from his parents and got lost in the jungle.Virgil agreed to lead the boy back to his parents if the boy would agree to join Virgil’s last adventure.

Introduction

Hello class! I am a double major in Psychology and Biology with a minor in Religious Studies. I am currently in my fifth year here at the University of Oklahoma. I transferred here my Sophomore year from Texas Tech. I am a medical school applicant so I have a lot of school left! I am hoping to be either a Psychiatrist or an Obstetrician. I am graduating this May and hope to start medical school this coming fall.

I was born in Michigan, however,  I moved to Texas when I was two years old so I consider myself a Texan. I graduated high school when I was 17 years old so I will only be 22 when I graduate from OU. It is my plan to attend Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine and live in Ft. Worth. I am from Colleyville, which is only about 20 minutes from downtown Ft. Worth! I hope to practice medicine in Texas so that I am able to work with hispanic populations because many of them live in underrepresented communities that need physicians.

Traveling is my main hobby. I studied abroad with the department of Religious Studies in June 2012 and lived in Israel for a month. I’ve also been going to Mexico at least once a year every year since I was 12 years old. In 2013 and 2014 I went to Honduras for a Medical Brigade where we provided healthcare for communities where some of the people have never even seen a physician before.  Public health is an extremely important concept to me and I also plan to pursue a masters in Public Health while working on my doctorate.

Here is a picture of me at a school in Amapala, Honduras with a little boy. My team and I taught these children how to brush their teeth and wash their hands.

(Image Information: personal photo of me in Honduras; photo from May 2013)

Israel & Honduras...My Favorite Places

Jersualem, Israel. I have a minor in Religious Studies, so I studied abroad in Summer 2012 in Israel. Here I was part of a team of 40 people that participated in an archaeological excavation for a month.

(Image Information: personal photo of me in Jerusalem; photo from June 2012)

Galilee, Israel. The excavation site that I spent most of my time at in Israel was located just north of the Sea of Galilee. There are beautiful mountains and many Mediterranean palms in this part of the country.

(Image Information: personal photo of me in Galilee; photo from June 2012)

Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I spent two summers on a Medical Brigade in central and southern Honduras. Here we were able to treat those with no access to healthcare and also taught many children how to brush their teeth and wash their hands.

(Image Information: personal photo of me in Honduras; photo from May 2013)

Testing New Blog

Tonight is the first night I am testing my new blog, so here it goes!