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)
I like your approach to this story, and also how you've changed up some of the plot. You were able to effectively sum up the beginning of the Ramayana in only a few sentences. I am a little confused though, did you plan the abduction before the marriage of Rama and Sita and he was trying to impress her (by catching the deer)? I only asked because in your authors note you said you did not change the plot at all. Other than that, great job this week!
ReplyDeleteThe first-person perspective you used was really refreshing! It was interesting how you were able to portray Rama’s thoughts and it really helped to create his character. I laughed at the comment about Bharata taking the sandals for ‘some reason.’ I remember reading this part in the book and thinking that was a unique action to do. I even considered that it might be a form of symbolism, but I haven’t researched this theory more. Defining Rama’s feelings from his perspective definitely shows that you are studying psychology!
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