Story: Liquid Trust

The lake inspiration

(source: wikipedia)

A young couple sat on the floor of their studio apartment with eyes full of boredom. It was a Sunday afternoon and the two lovers spent their weekend the same way they usually do. Netflix, takeout Chinese food, and abnormal amounts of sleep dominated their Friday and Saturday hours. Paul was a studio art major whose wit did not match his immense artistic talent. Michelle was studying psychology which was greatly inspired by the fact that she had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. The two had been dating since their senior year of high school and they were now entering their junior year of college. They attended the same university where Paul was given a full ride for his art and Michelle obsessively followed. She was absolutely infatuated with him. Her mental disorder would occasionally cause her to go into periods where she did not trust him and thought he might be acting unfaithful. Paul would always stay strong as he was dedicated and even though she could be a little much, he loved her. Michelle was itching for activity as staying inside for long periods made her slightly uncomfortable.

"Paul, I really want to go out and do something," Michelle said abruptly. 

"What did you have in mind?" Paul replied.

"You know that forest about a mile south of our complex?"

"I think so."

"Let's go explore it!"

Paul eagerly agreed and the couple decided to walk to the forest as they both preferred walking over mechanical transportation. Once they arrived, they immediately made their way into woods. Paul, being an artist, was amazed at the pure beauty of the forest. He was mentally capturing inspiration for potential art pieces. Michelle, on the other hand, was busy taking pictures with her phone to post on Instagram. 

"Let's go deeper!" Michelle yelled.

She grabbed Paul's hand and the couple traveled farther into the woods. The two continued their same actions with Paul's mental notes and Michelle's photo chaos. It was beginning to get dark and Paul looked at Michelle with concern. 

"I think we should go back. We've been here for a few hours. I also really need something to drink."

"Fine."

The couple agreed that it might be smarter to completely travel through the forest rather than backtrack as they would reach the street at a faster rate. The wooded area was only a mile long and they both figured they were more than half way through it. They walked and suddenly came across a small body of water.

"I'm getting a drink. I can't wait any longer."

Paul walked down to the edge of the water and formed his hands into a makeshift bowl.

"Paul, no!"

"It's just water, Michelle."

"You don't know what's in there. Please, don't drink it. If you love me and trust me, you won't take a drink of that water."

"Michelle, you're being ridiculous."

Paul reached out his hands and placed them into the water. He drank a few portions and then walked back up to where Michelle was standing. She was sobbing. He was about to ask what was wrong, but then he felt a stinging in his chest. His vision became fuzzy until his body completely shut down and he collapsed to the ground.

"Paul, you idiot!"

Paul's life left his body. Michelle began to cry hysterically as she knew exactly what had happened. She had gone to the forest the day prior and completely contaminated the water with a toxin that would kill any living thing. It was a trial for her boyfriend. She led him there to test his love and trust for her. She requested that Paul not drink if he loved and trusted her. Since Paul drank, he obviously had none of this for her. She was so hurt. She walked over to the water and took a drink of the water herself. Michelle walked over to Paul's corpse and curled up beside him to meet death.

---

Author's note: This story is very loosely based off the reading as compared to my other stories. I used the idea of the Pandavas and their own test they had by the lake. They were thirsty so they decided to drink at the lake. When told not to, they disobeyed and drank anyway. This resulted in their temporary death. I decided to completely dissociate from the epic and try and create my own story with my own characters while somewhat referring to aspects from the Mahabharata. This creation of my own story was inspired from reading the stories of others in this course. A fair share of students in this class have used certain situational pieces from the epic and morphed them into a modern-day scenario. This is where my story took place as I used two college-aged kids living in their own apartment. The setting is clearly modern as pointed out by my reference to Instagram. I also would like to explain why the murder occurred. Michelle's actions were explained due to her mental condition which caused her to act illogically and reluctantly murder her boyfriend. Knowing my fair share about mental illness, I know there are delusions and hallucinations associated with schizophrenia. These misfortunes cause paranoia which are more than likely to trigger erratic behavior. 

---

Bibliography: Narayan's Mahabharata

Link to this reading guide

Reading Notes: Part D of Narayan's Mahabharata

Bhima after killing Duhshasana

(source: tostrength)

There is a certain sadness to this opening of the reading simply because the Pandavas are still very hesitant about this upcoming war. Eventually, they realize that is it practically unavoidable and there best option is to engage so there are not at a disadvantage.

Death is everywhere. It's odd to read about these characters being killed off one by one after reading about them for such a long time. I understand that this was bound to happen, but there seems to be much more death than that of the Ramayana.

Continuing a small comparison to the Ramayana on the topic of deaths, it seems like there is much more violence in this epic. The deaths are overly violent which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's definitely a change of pace from the previous reading.

Bhima sort of lost me after his murder of Duhshasana. The death didn't bother me but the actions that followed seemed a little extreme. It didn't necessarily disgust me, but I guess I was just caught off guard with the violence post-death.

After reading the end of the war, I was really impressed with the suspense that was created and successfully carried out in a way that should satisfy the reader. There was so much going on during the battle that my levels of engagement were top-notch.

Dragging in another comparison from the Ramayana, it seems like life after the war in this epic was just as chaotic after the war. There seemed to be somewhat a sense of peace after the great battle in the Ramayana. In the Mahabharata, many deaths followed which was interesting.

Overall, I definitely think this was a lesser favorite of mine. I had a little harder of a time keeping up with the characters as well as the family ties in this epic. It was not as clear-cut as the Ramayana. However, I did enjoy the epic as there always seemed to be tension which is my preference in reading.

---

Bibliography: Narayan's Mahabharata

Link to this reading guide

Reading Notes: Part C of Narayan's Mahabharata

Bhima killing Kichaka 

(source: pinterest) 

I thought the entire situation involving Duryodhana was excellent. It was a pure joy to read simply because I love reading about subject matters that involve the art of backfire. The entire ordeal was amusing because Duryodhana was so desperate for his act of belittlement that he absolutely gets destroyed in the process. The icing on the cake was the method of his freedom.

The lake portion might have been my favorite up to date simply because it was outrageous. I didn't expect the siblings to be killed simply because I thought if they were to die, it would be in the hands of their enemy family members. Their resurrection was shocking as well but ultimately I'm happy it happened as a more progressive indication of more variety in their deaths.

I reminded somewhat of a scene from Harry Potter  when the siblings were visually altered after their resurrection from the death in the lake. This was to use as a tool to aid them. Harry was also given this so he would not be recognized by the death eaters.

Bhima has a moment in this section of reading that was particularly needed. He still remains my favorite character and he completely confirmed this fact based on his actions. His murder of Kichaka as a punishment of rape was utterly heroic and I commend him.

Excitement is starting to grow as a reader based on the anticipations of war. It was really easy for me to visualize the scene at the wedding where it was known that the war was on the brink of the horizon. The recruitment of allies really forces those to choose a side.

I was somewhat surprised to see the Pandavas be so keen on keeping the peace. At the end of the last section, the recruitment of weapons of weapons seemed to allude that they were ready for war. It is somewhat warming to see that they would rather there be no bloodshed.

There is a sense of suspense as this epic is about to conclude. I'm really hoping that there will be lives spared but I'm afraid there is going to be events that involve a plethora of deaths. I'm not sure I'm prepared to read the conclusion of this story.

---

Bibliography: Narayan's Mahabharata

Link to this reading guide

Story: Blinded by Lust

Shantanu meets Ganga

(source: wikipedia)

Shantanu, ruler of Hastinapura, was taking his weekly stroll down by the river when his eyes nearly jumped out of his skull. On the edge of the river was a woman who was so beautiful that words simply did not do her appearance proper justice. Shantanu could feel his body increase in temperature as he was simply infatuated by the woman. His mind raced with activity as he wondered if he was even worthy of approaching a woman of such beauty. After a few moments of panic, Shantanu decided that he would forever regret missing out on a chance to engage with a woman with such a flawless appearance. He took a step forward which caused the woman to jump in a startled sense as it seems she too was not familiar with seeing anyone by the river.

"I did not mean to scare you! I am Shantanu, king of Hastinapura and I thought it would be proper to introduce myself. It's not every day I see another being down by the river," Shantanu said.

"It's an honor to meet you, your Highness," the woman replied.

"The beauty that defines you is something I could not conceive in my wildest dreams. I must know your name!" Shantanu said bluntly.

"My name is Ganga."

"I know this may seem sudden, but I wish to marry you."

"Well, I am honored, my king. I will agree to marry you under one condition."

"Anything, my love."

"You may never question my actions. If you agree to this, I will marry you."

Shantanu instantly agreed as his attraction to Ganga was blinded any sort of logic. The couple married the next day and the citizens rejoiced as the king was overwhelmed with joy. All seemed well with the new marriage until Ganga started to behave abnormally.

Ganga began to burn all of the crops being grown in the city as well as killing all of the animals. These two resources made up a majority of the city's food. Ganga also added poison into the town's water supply which caused several deaths until the citizens learned not to drink the water. This destruction caused an obvious panic in the city. Shantanu refused to question his wife as he remembered the agreement they made which resulted in their marriage.

Ganga then turned her attention to the homes of the citizens. She participated in small acts of sabotage which included poking holes in the roof. When rain came over the city, the homes would flood which destroyed the homes of many innocent people. The king once again refused to question his wife as he honored their agreement.

The citizens were absolutely outraged by Ganga's destruction. They constantly demanded to speak to the king, because they wanted to know why their queen was destroying their city. Shantanu refused to speak to anyone as he felt like his agreement with his wife may seem foolish to his people.

Ganga then focused on the finances of the city. She took every last piece of the gold until the city was left in economic shambles. Shantanu was in a state of confusion. He watched as wife destroyed his beautiful city piece by piece. It was at this point where Shantanu finally had enough and had to ask his wife the reason behind her actions.

"My love, why are you performing these acts of destruction?"

"You naive man, I told you the only way I would marry you was if you never questioned me. You have gone against your word and for that I must leave you."

Shantanu stood there as felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He simply did not understand. How could one question result in his wife's departure? He watched his ex-wife leave the room as he soon realized he would never see her again.

Ganga walked out of the room with a smile on her face. She was the wife of the king from a neighboring kingdom. Shantanu was notoriously known as being gullible. She was easily able to infiltrate his city, destroy everything in her path, steal all his riches, and make it out completely unharmed. Her husband would be so pleased.

---

Author's note: For this story, I thought it would be interesting to have a completely different motive for Ganga's wish to not have her origins known. In the original story, she still asks to not have her actions or origin questioned. This is only so she can successfully drown her royal children. I realize there is some confusion with her name still being Ganga even though she was not the human incarnation of the river. It seemed wise to still call her by this name for simplicity. I thought it would be fun to make Ganga somewhat of an infiltrator to destroy a neighboring city under her husband's wishes. She was very evil in nature as she did not care for the lives lost. She just wanted to please her husband. I also made Shantanu foolish so it made the evil acts of Ganga even easier to complete. I enjoy the unique nature of this story simply because it's so rare to see the queen of a city openly ruining the area she rules. If I were to ever expand on this story, it might be interesting to see a revolution of sorts developing. It is unlikely for the citizens to sit around and do nothing as their city is destroyed. 

---

Bibliography: Narayan's Mahabharata

Link to this reading guide

Reading Notes: Part B of Narayan's Mahabharata

Yudhishthira gambling away Draupadi

(source: wikipedia)

This story honestly just seems like one battle among family members. I'm pretty sure everyone is related to each other in at least some way at this point. It's entertaining as families, especially large ones, tend to definitely have their feuds among blood.

Karna going ballistic over any potential for peace is an absolute representation of the history of man. Not only does he refuse peace, but he also wants there to be a war. This fact just further proves my point as this is a continuous cycle haunting mankind.

There was enjoyment found in making a certain connection. When Dhritarashtra granted the Pandavas the ability to build their city, they decided to name it Indraprastha. Among the Pandavas is Arjuna who is the son of the god Indra. Even though it's obvious, it's still a nice connection to make.

It's still amusing to see how easily marriage is tossed around in these stories. It seems like every character absolutely has to have a wife. This point was made even more obvious when Arjuna is exiled and during his exile he marries two women.

The dice game was really alarming. I guess I wasn't expecting the correct things but it just seemed like it wouldn't escalate as much. I understand that revenge was at play but the events of the game really got out of hand and I was so surprised to see them unfold.

Since Bhima is my favorite character, I am looking forward to how he will seek his revenge. I'm hoping he will live up to expectations. I will be disappointed if something happens that prohibits Bhima from properly having his revenge.

In seems like I am stopping at such an eventful part of the story. The next part is bound to be filled with nonstop suspense. The Pandavas gearing up to fight over the result of the dice game seemed very intense and things are looking grim for their enemies. 

---

Bibliography: Narayan's Mahabharata

Link to this reading guide

Reading Notes: Part A of Narayan's Mahabharata

Bhima, my favorite character

(source: wikipedia)

It was interesting how Shantanu's love for Ganga was depicted. Not only did she request that he dare not question where she was from or her true origin, but she also demanded that he could not question her actions. Any logical man would have vanished from this situation, but Shantanu was determined he was to marry this woman.

When Ganga started drowning her children, I instantly made the relation to Andrea Yates who is notoriously known for drowning her children. It's a terrifying act and just because it happened in fiction, doesn't mean it's immune to occurring in reality.

The interaction between Shantanu and Satyavati was entertaining. Shantanu was still constantly thinking about Ganga and then suddenly that competently vanishes and he is in love with another woman. I enjoy how easily the idea of love is tossed around in these epics.

It was completely shocking to read about Bhishma's act of renouncing his right to the throne. He did it with almost no hesitation. He noticed his father was upset, he contacted the chief fisherman, and then he agreed to renounced his right. This just goes to show how great of a son Bhishma is to his father. Giving up the rights to the throne is a large sacrifice.

Flashbacks of the Ramanya occurred concerning the situation regarding Amba and the king of Shalwa. Just like Rama demanded a test of purity after Sita spent time in another man's home, Amba is rejected for the exact same reason. It's clear this is a rule in strength.

I feel as if there is a lot going on. There just seems to be multiple children being born and the family tree seems to be somewhat massive at this point. It's not a negative, but there is definitely a large family dynamic occurring in this book.

Bhima seems to be emerging as my favorite character at this point in the reading. I enjoy that he is being portrayed as a total strong man that can easily defeat anything that crosses his path. Characters like this always entertain me as they seem invincible.

---

Bibliography: Narayan's Mahabharata

Link to this reading guide

Feedback Focus

Focus graphic

(source: engine2diet)

I thought all of the feedback focus strategies that were provided were incredibly helpful. It's very difficult to rank them just because they were all effective for my focus. Even though the other two are close in comparison, I think the reading out loud method was my strongest tool. In doing this, I was able to hear myself say the words in a auditory sense which allowed for increased comprehension. When doing homework, I occasionally talk out loud to myself to I'm able to comprehend it easier. I guess it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that this was the most effective for me given this fact. I think the timer comes in second here even though it's so close. The timer allowed me to have a visual representation of my focus. This was a good reminder that focus needs to be kept. I also enjoyed the copy and delete method as it allowed for a deeper dig into the work while also allowing for a good sense of response. Overall, I really enjoyed getting to familiarize myself these methods as they will become extremely useful in the coming weeks.

Story: A Man's Weakness

Rama's frantic nature

(Source: blogspot)

Sita vanished into the distance. She was done. No more would she put up with the abuse of Rama. No more would she be guilted into proving her purity through extreme measures. She would no longer have to weep by the river from the hardships of her exile. She was through with the constant reminders that she spent time in another man's home? She was kidnapped for God's sake! There was no voluntary actions during that escapade. She shed her last tear over that man and Sita was now a free woman.

"She'll be back," Rama snickered as he walked away.

"I give it a week," Lakshmana chuckled.

There was not a worry in Rama's mind. He was the perfect being after all. No woman would be able to handle time away from him.

However, she did not return. Days turned into months. Months turned into years. There was absolutely no sign of Sita's return.

Rama began to grow bitter over the loss of his wife. There was no logic he could follow that explained the reasoning of his wife's abandonment. Rama's heart would grow heavy and attempt to beat out of his chest whenever he thought of her. He was not used to this feeling. He was not used to rejection and betrayal.

Rama organized a group of extraordinary trackers and warriors who were fit for the job of Sita's rescue. He would find his wife, there was no questioning this. 

After six months, the group returned with absolutely no lead on Sita. Rama burst off his throne and looked at the the leader of the rescue part straight in the eyes.

"You dare return without a single shred of evidence?" Rama boomed.

The man quivered in fear as Rama's eyes blazed with rage. He took one of the arrows from his quiver and dug it into the man's side. He howled in pain as blood began to rapidly poor from the wound. The rest of the party ran into the room to see what the outburst was about. Rama's fury only intensified as he used his bow to swiftly shoot down the entire rescue party in under a minute.

The room was an absolute bloodbath. The bodies of twelve lifeless men lay sprawled out across the floor. The tile was practically coated with red as at this point as the amount of blood began to accumulate.

Several of Rama's higher ups looked at his with absolute disgust. Rama was still breathing furiously until he finally realized what he had done. He looked at the massacre he had created. He grimaced at the sight of the carnage. Rama knew what he must do. He was not fit to rule anymore. He told his men he needed to take a walk. In all actuality, Rama was bestowing an exile upon his self. He walked out of the city gates knowing he would never return.

Rama walked through the forest until he happened upon a stream. He sat next to it and begin to question his existence. A small tear rolled down his face. Suddenly, a ghostly voice appeared from the distance.

"Rama," the voice whispered.

Sita walked out from the trees and approached her husband. Hope filled Rama's eyes as his wife had finally returned to him. The one who started all this sorrow was there to save him. Sita could sense the hope in Rama's composure and displayed a subtle smirk.

"My dear, now you know how it feels to be truly alone," Sita whispered.

She teased him with a kiss before making her way back into the forest.

---

Authors note: For this story, I thought it would be interesting to focus on Sita's independent nature and the effects it would have on Rama. It's common knowledge that men can go absolutely nuts after women, so I thought to add this to the character of Rama. He misses his wife so much he turns to the murder of his own people. He was fine when he was the one exiling her, but when it was her decision to leave, he loses it.

---

Bibliography: Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues
Link to this reading guide

Reading Notes: Part B of Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues

Sita weeps during her exile

(Source: sitasingstheblues)

The email that was sent by Dave to Nina was absolutely hilarious. I'm sure that was the intention to make light of an awful situation but its blunt nature along with its subject of 'dumpsville' was highly entertaining. That might be one of the worst ways to be broken up with. It was also worth nothing that he signed off the letter by saying 'love' which was also clever.

Bringing up the fact that Sita could have been impregnated by Ravana instead of Rama due to the quick announcement of the pregnancy was interesting. The narrators are having fun with the topic of Ravana like claiming his pure nature in the first half which was fun to see.

The portrayal of Sita's exile was incredible. Rama seems fine to welcome Sita in his home after sleeping in the home of Ravana until he hears a man below beating his wife for sleeping in another man's home. Rama then basically tells Sita to get lost. It was only because he felt that he had to relate to the common man if he were to rule them,

Sita's animation when she sings the blues during this half was priceless. She's a lot bigger given her pregnant state so she looks like a snake who just swallowed a exercise ball. Meanwhile, her waist is as skinny as can be. I love the art style.

It took me way too long to understand the correlation between the Dave and Nina story and the epic of Rama and Sita. It once I realized that, things became much more clear. It was to add a modern approach to the topics of the Ramayana.

It's still entertaining to me that Rama requires Sita to prove her purity once again. He has basically exiled her for the sake of being respected by his followers and this notion has caused her to mourn and be in pain. It was satisfying to see her leave.

Overall, I am extremely pleased I chose this film for my reading notes this week. I really enjoyed getting to witness something that was more from Sita's perspective after reading the Ramayana. The film did a great job of projecting her sorrows.

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Bibliography: Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues
Link to this reading guide

Reading Notes: Part A of Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues

Sita in her first half conclusion

(Source: theroarbots)

As a general remark, this was a very interesting video to watch (at least the first half). It was nice seeing characters from the Ramayana brought to life. There was a lot of variety in the art and animation which is quite rare to see an a film like this. Usually, creators like to stick to one animation and art form but this one bounced around.

The opening sequence with the couple and their cat was very unexpected. I was anticipating to instantly see characters from the Ramayana, but instead there two people living in what appears to be New York City. The animation of this sequence was pretty unique.

The three narrators arguing over the aspects of the Ramayana was highly entertaining to witness. They all had somewhat of an attitude which added some comedic undertones to this film. I enjoyed getting to watch them attempt to explain the epic even though they doubted it.

The narrators continue to explain the story and they are creating such an enjoyable aspect to this film. I really like the pace they decided to run with because it really works in my opinion.

I like how the artwork of the film was similar to the traditional Indian artwork of the Ramayana. However, when Sita broke out into the blues, this was completely eliminated and the animation transformed into something much more modern.

I really liked how one of the narrators basically starting to paint Ravana in a good light. It gave me the impression that were really making the view question the authenticity of his morals.

Ramanaya seems to resemble the genie from the Disney version of Aladin during Sita's singing of the blues episodes. That is at least one of my first thoughts upon seeing this manipulated art.

---

Bibliography: Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues
Link to this reading guide

Story: The Ring of Fire

Sita in the fire

(Source: pinterest) 

Sita sat up suddenly as if something in the air had changed. She could feel it in her bones. There was a death; she knew it. Sita began to sob quietly as she acknowledged the fact that her husband might very well be dead. Emotion overwhelmed her and she let out a hysterical cry. When all hope seemed lost, a figure approached from the distance. It was none other than Hanuman ordered by Rama himself to fetch Sita. He informed her that her husband awaited their reunion and she was to dress in the most beautiful fabrics. An overjoyed Sita eagerly began her preparation for her meeting with her husband. After so much violence, reconciliation was hers at last.

When Sita approached Rama's desired meeting place, she was somewhat shocked to behold the plethora of civilians gathered to view her reunion with Rama. Sita's ecstatic mood overtook her as she could not be more overjoyed to have so many individuals witness the beauty of her husband's embrace. She rushed over to Rama and jumped into his arms.

"Darling, I've missed you so much!" she screamed.

Rama hardly returned his wife's clasp and instead looked at her with hesitation. He was clearly cold and off-putting which raised a concern in Sita. 

"What is wrong? You have defeated Ravana! Why are you treating your wife this way? Please, tell me what is on your mind!" Sita pleaded desperately. 

"Well, it would be sort of odd if a man was so eager to let his wife back into his home after she spent some time in the home of another," Rama replied. 

"You think that I am impure?" Sita asked in shock.

"I'm not jumping to any assumptions, but it would be nice if there was some sort of solid evidence that suggested otherwise."

"I will give you your proof! Lakshmana, light a fire!"

Lakshmana looked at his brother with concern. Rama gave no protest, so Lakshmana did as commanded and started a fire in front of the crowd. The flames began to grow with intimidation until they reached heights that surpassed any man present. Sita approached the dancing flames and looked over at Rama with rage in her eyes.

"Agni, god of fire, prove my purity!"

Sita then walked into the flames and began to howl in pain. The flesh started to melt from her bone and she continued to cry out in agony. Absolute horror filled Sita's eyes as she knew that her test was not working as she predicted.

"What is happening? Agni, why have you betrayed me?" Sita screamed. 

The crowd began to panic and scatter. Lakshmana bolted toward the fire but Rama held out an arm to stop him. The shrieks of Sita were enough to make anyone's stomach churn. The cries for a savior continued until the deterioration of Sita's anatomy no longer allowed it. Life left Sita's body and she became nothing but ash. 

Rama walked away with a slight grin on his face. His plan had worked. He knew how her brain operated. He easily predicted that Sita would call upon the god of fire to prove her purity if Rama showed disgust during the reunion. Rama made a serviceable sacrifice prior to their meeting in return for the death of his wife. He wanted to watch her burn.

Rama had grown tired of Sita's presence. The entire period of her kidnapping allowed for a sense of freedom that Rama enjoyed immensely. He no longer had to deal with the pestering nature of Sita when she had to know each and every little detail of his life. He now possessed limitless possibilities for the next step in his existence. The world was his.

"Finally, I'm away from that nagging woman," Rama sighed.

---

Author's note: For this story, I thought it would be interesting to contradict the characteristics of Rama. During the reading of the Ramayana, there were several situations that portrayed Rama as possessing morally-sound character. In this story, he simply kills his wife because he is tired of the burden. This is obviously unethical and completely against the actions of the actual Rama. My goal was to create a complete opposite of our hero. Rama would never kill his wife just because he is tired of her. In this story, he does. This shows Rama in a light that the masses would not see possible. I also wanted to focus on the subtle nature of Rama's indirect murder of Sita. Even though he physically did nothing to her, he set up the situation that would allow for her to be killed. This was evident in knowing his wife would turn to the god of fire to prove her purity. In doing this, Rama was able to sabotage the ritual by making his own sacrifice prior to their meeting. Another thing worth noting is the fact that Rama will be able walk away from this situation with his reputation unharmed. Everyone will still see him as the man of good character when in all actuality he just murdered his wife.

---

Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana
Link to this reading guide

Reading Notes: Part D of Narayan's Ramayana

My favorite character, Hanuman

(Source: astrogems)

As the final section is over, I would like to declare this as my favorite out of them all. Since I did not do any work on Monday, I read both sections (C and D) on Tuesday and then published my reading notes. I could not take the idea of stopping the story to write reading notes and then picking it back up. By reading the second half all the way through, I think I was able to fully appreciate the story.

Hanuman became my favorite character by far after reading this last section. The fact that he was growing to incredible sizes and destroying things was extremely entertaining to read. His desolation of Lanka was amazing even though it was rebuilt.

It was very pleasing to read about Ravana's refusal to consider a curse. This is typical villain arrogance and I was excited to encounter it. It just goes to show he was ultimately doomed for considering himself untouchable.

Vibhishana was a pleasant character even though he was the brother of Ravana. I thought it was wise to advise his brother to let Sita free as the curse declare Ravana vulnerable to a human. The fact that Vibhishana was cast away for this ultimately showed the arrogance of Ravana yet again. I was happy to see Rama trust Vibhishana after he confided in him.

It was sort of terrifying to read about Rama's encounter with Sita after the death of Ravana. I can understand why Rama wanted it so, but it was still concerning to read about the orders of a husband to his wife in order to prove a certain truth.

Rama organizing a funeral for Ravana just goes to show the purity of Rama. Ravana was painted as the big, bad villain this entire epic. He even kidnapped Rama's wife. Yet, when Rama defeats him, he still shows compassion even to his darkest of peers.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading the Ramayana. I look forward to working with this particular epic as we dive deeper into the semester as it was an excellent read.

---

Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana
Link to this reading guide

Reading Notes: Part C of Narayan's Ramayana

The battle between Sugriva and Vali

(Source: Wikipedia)

As a general thought, I thought this portion of reading as it seemed like it was a side story of sorts. Obviously, it was important to the story because it allowed the location of Sita to be discovered after her kidnapping, but I still feel like it could have happened in an simpler way than the chain of events that occurred. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. It seemed like a change of pace and I definitely appreciated it. It may have actually been my favorite reading just because there was a lot going on and I really enjoyed the conflict.

The monkeys (vanara) that dominated this portion of reading were nothing short of entertaining. It was somewhat comical that Hanuman thought he would get away with a disguise in the presence of Rama. I was hoping it wouldn't fool him because that would discredit Rama's excellence in my eyes. Rama didn't disappoint when he noted the transparency of Hanuman.

Not necessarily a surprising event, but a somewhat concerning outcome was Surgriva's post-crowning. Characters tend to do odd things in this epic and case and point was evident when Surgriva was nothing short of discourteous in aiding Rama in his quest for Sita.

Lakshmana's loyalty and bravery were present yet again when he goes to confront Surgriva on his agreement with Rama. I was happy to see that Surgriva ultimately helps Rama and there was not much of an issue present with this.

The conflict between Sugriva and Vali was my absolute favorite section I've read from the Ramayana. The history behind the two was all over the place. The retrieval of his brother which ultimately resulted in his riddance from the kingdom was a fun read. The fact that he stole his wife was just icing on the cake.

Even though Vali was off-the-wall crazy, I was disappointing to see his death. I wanted a little more out of him, but I understand it was necessary for the story's progression.

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Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana
Link to this reading guide

My Feedback Thoughts

Positive and Negative Feedback

(Source: withMartijn)

Feedback is ultimately one of the most important things that happen in our every day lives. Feedback in the gateway for improvement. It allows us to see from a different perspective. Without it, we would be doomed to isolation with our thoughts alone. We would convince ourselves that our work is utterly perfect and there is absolutely no option for growth. Feedback is what we need as human beings. We need to be told what we are doing wrong and how we can fix it. However, it gets very difficult in this area.  I definitely think there is an interesting relationship between giving and receiving feedback. People may be somewhat sensitive to what people tell them, but have absolutely no problem dishing out over the top feedback. There is absolutely no room belittling in feedback. You have to find the right balance. You can inform a person on how to improve without being rude about it. I think it's important to find that balance and never stray from it.

Story: An Unexpected Love

Lakshmana stopping Shurpanakha from attacking Sita

(Source: Exotic Indian Art)

Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana traveled through the forest as they were deep into their exile. Moods were surprisingly positive given the circumstances. Rama was at peace with his exile and his wife and brother followed this with ease. There was a sense of comfort flowing through Rama as he was with his dearest loved ones. He knew that this stretch of inaction would not last, but he was sure to enjoy every second of it until the next surprise was enacted upon him. Demons? Not a problem. Rama was more than skilled at this point at utterly destroying any demon that crossed him.

Just as Rama had predicted, an absolutely gorgeous woman appeared before them. She instantly eyeballed Rama and gave him a soft smile.

"Hello, travelers, my name is Kamavalli," the woman said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kamavalli. My name is Rama. I'm traveling here with my brother, Lakshmana and my wife, Sita," Rama replied.

The group embraced the stranger. They began to converse with her with stories of their pasts and how they ended up in this exact spot in the forest. Kamavalli was shocked to hear of Rama's exile and commended him on his bravery.

"I must admit. Rama, when I first laid eyes on you, I knew I was in love with you," Kamavalli confessed to the group.

"While I am flattered by your compassion, I mentioned before that I am married to Sita," Rama said gently.

"Well then, I'm sure there's something we can do about that," Kamavalli said.

Kamavalli charged at Sita but was suddenly met by the strength of Lakshmana. Kamavalli looked into the eyes of Lakshmana and begged him to let her through so she could kill Sita and be with Rama. Lakshmana, who is nothing but loyal to his brother and his wife, began to draw his sword. Violence would ultimately be the way to warn Kamavalli not to mess with his family. As Lakshmana was about to strike Kamavalli, he looked her straight in the eyes. He could see the pain in her eyes as she longed to be loved. Lakshmana knew he could be the one to fill her desires.

The two suddenly locked lips and compassionately showed their love in a physical nature. Rama and Sita looked at each other with absolute confusion. Kamavalli and Lakshmana confessed their love for each other and made plans to marry. Rama figured love could cause no harm and he was happy for his brother and his new found love.

As the four of them made their way through the forest, Kamavalli revealed her true name was Shurpanakha and she was the sister of Ravana. Rama was hesitant of the woman after this fact, but Shurpanakha assured him that she was sincere with her love for Lakshmana and would bring no harm to him or his family.

The two couples went to meet with Shurpanakha's brother. Contradictory to popular belief, Ravana was so thrilled with his sister's new found love that he decided to put aside his hostility with Rama and completely support the marriage between the two. After the marriage, Ravana had several conversations with Rama that ultimately ended his evil nature. Rama taught Ravana the beauty of the world and how to channel his anger. For the rest of time, there was peace in the land which was the result of an unexpected love.

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Authors note: For this story, I thought I would use the Ramayana in a somewhat loose sense. I altered the meeting between Shurpanakha and the three (Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana) for simplicity. I really like the idea of having Lakshmana fall in love with Shurpanakha instead of violently attacking her. I also thought it would be entertaining if the love was completely genuine between the two and this ultimately caused a happy ending.

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Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana
Link to this reading guide