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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana
Link to this reading guide