Monday, August 31, 2015

Indian Epics Braintorm Storybook Topics

The first possible topic that caught my attention was, “Women Characters”. I found this topic on the topics page provided for this course. I would consider myself a huge feminist, and have always sought to break the molds of what’s expected of me throughout my life. I love to read books and watch movies that feature a strong, powerful, intellectual, compassionate heroine characters. This is what sparked my interest for writing a story that features those kinds of women.
Research so far: My favorite female character in the reading we’ve done so far is Sita. After doing some more research on her, and reading the Encyclopedia for Epics of Ancient India, I realize that she is believed to be the human embodiment of the goddess called Lakshmi. I think this could make an interesting story, talking about the journey of a goddess spirit into a human body. Did the embodiment occur at birth or in small pieces over the course of Sita’s life? The website also says Sita is believed to reign over agriculture, perhaps this could be worked into a story.

Karma could also be an interesting topic for a story. We are all familiar with Karma- the idea that what goes around comes around. In my opinion, the best stories about Karma involve an antagonist who appears to win in the end. The evil character will boast and rejoice in what they think is a victory, however, the consequences of their actions will reveal themselves much later. In these stories the protagonist is rewarded in the end in a way the reader may have never predicted.
Research so far: I wanted to learn more about the theory of Karma from a religious perspective, so I checked out the Wikipedia page that explains Karma in Hinduism. Different views explain how exactly divine beings control Karma. For example, the Nyaya School which is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy explains that Karma is proof that a God exists. Hinduism beliefs of reincarnation also support Karma. For example, if a poor person lives a good and honest life, they will be rewarded for their patience in the next.

It Shoots Further Than He Dreams by John F. Knott, March 1918
source: Wikipedia


Love stories and epic couples would also be fun to write about. I loved the imagery used to describe Sita and Rama, and the way the author leads the reader to believe they were truly made for each other. I think it is human nature to tell stories about love, because it is ultimately what we each want for ourselves and our family.
Research so far: When love is sacrificed for selfish motives, immeasurable hurt and pain is created. This is the case of Kaikeyi and Dasharath. I enjoyed reading the Wikipedia page about this couple, because it lists some of the genealogies of this couple that aren’t mentioned in the shortened prose version I’ve been reading. On the other hand, there are stories about couples who end up living happily ever after. Radha and Krishna, a Hindu god/goddess power couple are an example of this. Krishna is considered to be the supreme deity, which explains why he has been able to be a part of the most perfect loving relationship. This information was found from reading through the Wikipedia pages for this couple. It’s interesting to me how, across religions, respect and reverence is given to those who are masters at loving others.

The topic called animal characters also caught my attention, probably because I read a few old storybooks based on this topic last week. Personifying animals always makes for an interesting tale. That’s why so many of the books we read growing up feature a cuddly creature as the star or a slithering snake as the bad guy.

Research so far: As I mentioned, most of my research on this topic has come from reading past examples of student storybooks. Although I read a couple last week, I looked at a few new ones this week. One in particular called Animal Cruise takes the reader on a journey that includes various monkey passengers. I thought it was creative that the writer combined a modern-day type of cruise line with an animal story. 

Bibliography
DuChene, Lauren. "Animal Cruise." Animal Cruise. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.
Gibbs, Laura. "Sita." Sita. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.
"Kaikeyi." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.
"Karma in Hinduism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.
"Karma." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.
Narayan, R. K. The Ramayana A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. London: Penguin Classics, 2006. Print.
"Radha." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.
"Shaktii." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.

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