The topic I’ve decided on for my project is strong women
characters. I definitely want to incorporate Sita’s story into my project,
however I might just tweak a few details. I was thinking about writing about
some strong women characters who played a “damsel in distress” but changing the
story in the end to where they save themselves. I think I might be able to get
some ideas for stories and characters from Devee’s book, Nine Ideal Indian Women. After doing some research, I learned that Suniti
Devee was passionate about women’s rights and education. Her ideas about
getting girls in school were ahead of their time, as she lived from 1864-1932.
(Wikipedia) I also plan to watch Paley’s animated film, Sita Sings the Blues for my week 4 reading assignment. I think this
will better help me understand Sita’s character from a different point of view.
Other Indian characters that could be a part of my story could be from the Mahabharata which I know we are reading
soon. I did some research on one of the main characters, Satyavati who was a
fisherman’s daughter turned queen. This could make for a very interesting
story, and I look forward to reading more about her character in the coming weeks.
Still image from Sita Sings The Blue,
By: Nina Paley, Year: 2010, Sources: Wikipedia
One possible style for these stories could be a talk show
where the damsels tell “the real story” of their lives. They would explain how
they were the heroines, and how the plot got twisted into what we know today.
The stories would be guided in interview style, as a talk show host goes around
the room and allows each character to tell their stories. This would be a type
of frametale style where the host would connect each of the character’s
stories. Each damsel would tell their story in first person.
I really like the idea of the women characters being the
heroes and saving themselves, and re-telling stories we already know to make
this true. Another style for these types of stories, besides a talk show, would
be to introduce a new character whose journey crosses paths with each of the
famous women. The new character would serve as the storyteller who, over a
series of events, meets all of these characters at the pinnacle of their heroism.
This would again be a frametale, with the new character tying together all of
the other stories.
Another possible style could be a set of sequels for the
women characters. I’ve noticed from what I’ve read in Indian literature so far
that women are often very important characters, but very rarely are they the
main protagonist. In these sequels the woman would be the main character, each
taking their own journey befitting of their personality. This would be more of
an anthology type of style, told by a third-person storyteller.
Another idea is to tell each of the stories of these famous
women characters from epic Indian literature as modern stories. This would be
an anthology approach, and each epic character could be reincarnated into a
person in today’s society. The modern women would face similar challenges as
the epic women. Perhaps the modern woman would overcome obstacles in a similar
way as the epic character, or perhaps the plot would twist. I think these types
of stories could be told effectively in third-person or first-person.
Bibliography
"Nine Ideal Indian Women" by Sunity Devee (1919). Source:
here
"Suniti Devi" Wikipedia article by multiple authors (2015).
Source: Wikipedia
"Satyavati" Wikipedia article by multiple authors (2015).
Source: Wikipedia
"Sita Sings the Blues" by Nina Paley (2008). Source: Youtube
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