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
Hi Courtney!! I loved reading your story from the point of view of Sita. It's nice to hear someone else's thoughts on the tragic events she is going through, especially since she is kidnapped. I really like how you portrayed Sita as my mind has been thinking of her as very skinny and depressed. In situations like what Sita is going through, she manages to stay true and pure to Rama's love, and I really liked that you kept that in your storytelling. It was interesting to read how you explained Ravana actually being nice to Sita. Sita could have taken that as an opportunity to sort of like Ravana, and who knows, maybe love him since she is trapped with him. That was a detail that I liked; illustrating that inch of doubt Sita had about her love for Rama. All in all, I absolutely love your storytelling. It has great details and easily connected with me a reader!!
ReplyDeleteHi Courtney! I really like that you chose to tell the story from Sita’s point of view. It is neat that your story read as though it was an entry from Sita’s diary! I tested your photo link and it worked, leading to a post on Pinterest. I would suggest labeling the link as where you found the photo online, in this instance Pinterest, instead of the more vague label of online.
ReplyDeleteI really like your blog layout, the colors work very well together and your background design is pretty without distracting from the text of your story! I was able to locate all of your links easily and I think it is cool how your labels are at the header of your blog rather than the sidebar.
The size of the picture you included is perfect. It is not too big where it is overwhelming, but it isn’t too small either. Wonderful job on your story, I look forward to reading more from you!
Hey Courtney! I really enjoyed your story from Shita's point of view! I never really considered her point of view when reading the book. It seems that she had it much worse then what Rama had to go through. When the book did talk about her though this is exactly how I pictured her. She is alone and fighting the urge to give into her fears. You did a great job creating this story!
ReplyDeleteHi Courtney! I absolutely love this story because you told it from a woman's point of view! I fell like Sita was never really recognize in the story and poor Sita she was forced being abducted and then take a purity test even though it was not even her fault! I liked how you described the way she felt towards him and how she is waiting for him to save her. In the book, they hardly even talked about how Sita felt waiting for Rama, it was like a woman's voice wasn't even important to put in the book. I have many mix feelings when reading Ramayana especially when Sita had to prove if she was pure by doing the fire test. That was ridiculous, I would have left Rama for that matter. This is seriously one of the best rendition of the story just because it was about Sita!! Great Job!
ReplyDeleteHi Courtney! I really enjoyed your story from Sita's point of view as a prisoner. I especially like getting a glimpse into her conflicting feelings about Rama, Ravana, the demons, and the upcoming war. I think my favorite part was the foreshadowing of Sita having to prove her innocence. The division of paragraphs were excellently done, and I never felt confused during the story.
ReplyDeleteAs for the form and function, you did a great job linking directly to the Pinterest post for the image. I was able to get the information about the artwork and the year it was created. Lovely image, by the way. I also like the background of your site and the color scheme. It's a part of the Blogger template, and it makes reading the text and finding links very easy.
Overall, I really enjoyed your story as well as the presentation of your blog. I look forward to reading your storybook and seeing how you change the design and style. Best wishes.