Thoughts About Comments

Going back through the comments I've received on my posts allowed me to review some of the suggestions my classmates and instructors have made, and consider how they have been implemented in my writings. A lot of the feedback I've received has been positive, and most of the comments have been students telling me what they liked about my writing. Most students say they liked how I turned old stories into modern and relateable ones, and appreciate the integration of quotes from the original story. I have enjoyed comments from Professor Gibbs that have guided me to other resources or made recommendations for my future reading plans. This has allowed the course to become more "personalized" and has allowed me to focus on the areas of the reading I am most interested in.

I also enjoy the comments on my introduction, and have enjoyed making comments on other students introductions. This allows the virtual classroom to feel more "real" and has fostered a greater sense of community between the students in this class. It is definitely less awkward to give constructive criticism on someone else's writing when you've already introduced yourself to them and have taken the time to get to know them a little better.

I have also enjoyed leaving comments on others students stories. My only worry is that I am too general or vague in my comments. I hope to work on being more specific in my feedback to other students in the weeks to come.

Week 5 Storytelling Kunti and Karna

There once was a teenager named Kunti. She had a spotless reputation and was set up for success. The world was her oyster! She had endless opportunities in front of her, and more resources than she could ask for. She worked hard in school, played sports, and had great friends and family. That’s why she couldn’t even bear the thought of what had happened to her. She kept imaging the look on her parents’ faces when she told them she was pregnant.

She couldn’t go through with it. Honestly, it wouldn’t be fair to her or the child. What did she know about being a mother? Would she resent the baby for changing the whole course of her life? She knew there were families out there who were so desperate for children, and she knew that she was in no way equipped to be a mom. Kunti was a small thin girl, and could hide the pregnancy fairly well at first with baggy sweaters and oversized t-shirts. However, as her belly grew, so did her worries. She knew she had to find the right family for her baby and fast.

One of her good friends, Jane, worked as a receptionist at the local fertility clinic. One evening Jane and Kunti passed a beautiful, yet disheartened couple at the movie theater. Jane greeted the couple, and they did their best to smile back at her. Jane turned to Kunti and said, “Sometimes the work at my office is the most rewarding work in the world. And other times, well… things just don’t work out.” Kunti realized the couple must have come in for treatment at the clinic, but were still unable to have a child. A light bulb went off in Kunti’s head. Kunti replied, “Uhhh…. I forgot I have to go home for something… bye!!” and ran out of the theater.

Kunti followed the couple at a safe distance. They walked all the way to their cozy home. It wasn’t much, but it was well taken care of. It wasn’t big, but Kunti could tell it was full of love. Kunti peaked in the window, and saw the wife sobbing in her husband’s arms. Kunti knew these people would be amazing parents to her son.

Towards the end of her pregnancy, Kunti couldn’t hide her belly any longer. She forged a letter from the “Society of Science-Minded Women” which said she’d been accepted to a three-month long conference in Washington, DC. Her parents gave her enough money for the trip, and Kunti set up camp at a small motel about an hour away. Finally the day came, and Kunti gave birth to her beautiful son, and named him Karna.

Kunti cleaned up the baby, and wrapped him in sheets from the hotel. She rushed to the beautiful couple’s home. She laid Karna on their doorstep, rang their doorbell, and hid. The couple came out, confused, but overjoyed. They knew this child was to be theirs.

Author's Note;

This is a story that has been told in many different ways and in many different cultures. When I first read this story, I was reminded of Moses being laid in the river by his mother. Various circumstances can lead a woman or a couple to adoption, and many happy families are created because of adoption. In this story, Jane takes the place of the river. She is the one who leads Karna to the family that is destined to raise him. The beautiful couple is obviously a representation of Radha and Adhiratha. I added more details about concealing the pregnancy that were left out in my reading. I left out exactly how Kunti became pregnant, because I wanted the story to focus more on Kunti and Karna.

Boon of Indra to Kunti,

Date unknown, Author: Ramnadayandatta Shastri Pandey, Source: Wikimedia

Bibliography:

"Kunti and Her Son" by Donald A. Mackenzie, from Indian Myth and Legend (1913). Web Source: here

Reading Diary A- Public Domain Edition of Mahabharata

This week I chose to read the public domain edition of Mahabharata that was provided by our professor. The names and places are hard to keep straight at first, but links embedded in the reading along with the audio version to follow along with help a lot.  As I was reading, I tried to keep an open mind to characters that could fit in to my storybook project for this class. Amba was probably my favorite character, although I realize that she is probably supposed to come off as evil and crazed to the reader. She was treated unjustly, despite her noble actions, and is seeking revenge against Bhishma. I look forward to finding out how the rest of her story unfolds. In my version of her story I might leave out the part about her having to be reincarnated as a man. This takes away from the power she already possesses in her womanly form.

Two other characters I found to be intriguing, although they would probably not make an appearance in my storybook, are Drona and Drupada. The two were friends growing up, but then Drupada essentially hurt Drona’s feelings when they got older by telling him he wasn’t good enough to be his friend any more. This apparently cut Drona so deep that he makes it his life’s mission to make Drupada eat his own words. In the end, Drupada is forced to accept Drona’s “friendship” but in reality the two are more like enemies.

Dronacharya as commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army,

Author: Ramanarayanadatta astri, Source: Wikimedia

Those were the three characters I was most entertained by so far, I look forward to seeing how the rest of this epic unfolds.

Storytelling Week 4- The Unforgiving Rama

Sita didn’t understand what she had done wrong. She and Rama had been dating since their freshman year of high school. Their relationship was perfect; she didn’t know it was possible to be so in love. Sure, they had gone through hard times. Rama’s parents went through a painful separation and then his dad died shortly after, but Sita stayed with him through it all. Then there was the situation with Sita’s stalker. Ravana started following Sita home after school when they were juniors. Rama couldn’t stand Ravana, and he tried to protect Sita as best as he could. Ravana wouldn’t mess with her when Rama was around, but Rama couldn’t be around her constantly. One afternoon, Ravana grabbed Sita and took her home with him. Nobody could find Sita for two days, but the police finally found her passed out at Ravana’s house after Rama continued to insist that they get a search warrant.

Sita couldn’t remember what had happened to her in those two days, but people at school started to guess what he could have done to her. Some of the rumors that were spread were graphic and embarrassing for Sita. At least she knew Rama was always by her side… or so she thought so. Rama was also embarrassed by the rumors, and didn’t act the same around Sita anymore. He treated her like she had been contaminated. He couldn’t bear the thought of that freak touching her. He also became paranoid that she might have been impregnated. He asked her one day, “What would I do with that animal’s child? Raise it as my own? Yeah right!” Sita was already having a hard enough time coping with those two traumatic days. She thought Rama would make her feel better, but he only made everything worse. In her eyes, however, this was just another obstacle they would overcome… she knew it would make their relationship stronger in the end, just like everything else they had gone through. She loved Rama with everything she had, and knew she always would. Rama, however, saw it differently. This had changed everything; he could not see Sita as the same sweet innocent girl he loved anymore. He needed a way for her to somehow prove she was the same to him. He obsessed about the status of her purity, and even convinced himself Sita might have developed feelings for Ravana. Sita wanted to move forward from the whole mess, but she didn’t know if Rama would allow that to happen. She felt guilty all of the time, but she couldn’t put her finger on what she did wrong.

Broken heart symbol,

Author not listed, Source: Wikimedia

Author’s Note:

I watched the movie, Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley this week for my reading assignment. In the movie, more emphasis is placed on Sita’s purity being questioned. Rama was obsessed with what other people thought of him, and couldn’t stand other people questioning the loyalty of his wife. I tried to think about what this might look like in today’s society, so I told the story as if Rama and Sita were high school sweethearts.

Bibliography:

"Sita Sings the Blues" by Nina Paley (2008). Source: Youtube

Week 4 Another Ramayana Reading Diary B- Sita Sings the Blues

I am so confused by how this story ended! In the prose version of The Ramayana that I read for this class, the ending was completely different. In the book, Rama and Sita returned home and the story ended happy. However, in the animated movie, Rama rejects Sita AGAIN and sends her into the forest pregnant. So much for Rama being a virtuous man! Who would ever leave a woman when she's pregnant with their child (or children, in Sita's case)? This ending of the story makes me feel completely differently about Rama. Yet, somehow, Sita remains true in her love for him. It is Sita who is the truly virtuous human. In the movie version, Mother Earth swallows Sita back into her "womb" to prove that Sita has been pure the whole time. I loved how the movie started with Sita rubbing Rama's feet up in the stars, and ended with Rama serving Sita and rubbing her feet. I also loved the sarcasm hidden in the song the boys sang to their dad. Basically, in the end of the movie, Rama is made to look like a huge jerk who made a mistake and has mountains of respect for all of the wrong reasons. And honestly, I kind of love that angst-y tone against him.

I plan to do more research to figure out what the ending of the actual epic is. Since both of the versions I've read/watched are only modern interpretations, there could be some truth in both of the endings. It seems like in a story with so many characters, twists, and details, that a lot of information can get lost in translation. This movie has made me appreciate Sita even more than before! Not only is she virtuous, but she allows herself to be honored in front of everyone in the way that she knows she deserves. In the end of this movie, instead of choosing to end up with Rama, she chooses to let the world know the truth about her. Ultimately, the movie makes it appear that she is rewarded in the after-life.

I'm very impressed by the creator of this film, Nina Paley. Her creativity and subtle satire is smart and different from most other interpretations of this story. I enjoyed Sita Sings the Blues much more than I expected to enjoy a film assigned for a class!

Nina Paley,

2006, Source: Wikipedia

Week 4 Another Ramayana Reading Diary A- Sita Sings the Blues

Sita Sings the Blues is a very entertaining animation! There's so many different styles of cartoons throughout the movie so far, and there seems to be three stories happening at once. First, there is a modern type of character who is in a strained relationship with her boyfriend. The boyfriend moved to India, and has been acting different ever since.The woman still feels devotion to her boyfriend, but is obviously very sad. Next, there is a set of three Indian characters who appear to be retelling what they remember of the Ramayana. It's quite comical to hear their dialogue; they all remember different pieces of the story and slowly put it all together. Finally, Rama and Sita's characters are telling their stories as well. Intermittently, Sita sings blues songs by Annette Hanshaw. It's crazy how the animation makes the songs match what's happening in the story perfectly! I really like the blues songs, I might have to do some more research on the artist!

I'm kind of confused on how the modern story ties in with Rama and Sita's characters. There's a few similarities: both are separated from the one they love, both are reunited with the one they love, and both are given a "cold shoulder" by the one they love. However, I'm interested to see how the "modern version" of the story will end. I have a feeling it will end differently from Sita's story.

Movie poster for the film Sita Sings the Blues,

Date: 2008, Source: Wikimedia

The story of Rama and Sita is definitely abbreviated. The movie skips over how they met, and many of the specific demons Rama defeated. The movie also leaves out some details. For example, it doesn't explain why Ravana can't touch Sita. In the reading, however, it is explained that Ravana is under a curse and cannot touch a woman against her will or he will be destroyed. Although many of the details and smaller stories are left out, the movie does a really good job of giving a broad overview of the plot of this epic. Also, it does a good job of showing the story from Sita's point of view. The viewer really feels her misery when she is separated from Rama and is better able to understand her devotion to him.

I am anxious to see how all of these different stories happening will tie together. I will probably finish the whole movie in the next couple days!

Week 3 Project Styles - Women Characters

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