Posts

Showing posts from April, 2017

Reading Part B: The Giant Crab and Other Tales from Old Idia

Image
In Part B, I decided to pick out the most interesting stories in the  The Giant Crab and Other Tales from Old India. 2. Spend a Pound to Win a Penny : This story is about a monkey who is so greedy that he scoops up as many peas as he can while the pea steamers have their backs turned. The catch with the mischievous monkey is that he dropped several of his peas. When he noticed that he dropped one of his peas, he scrambled down the tree and was discovered by the men on their horses. He wasted all his energy on this one pea that he ended the night with no peas.  3. The Cunning Crane and the Crab: This story is about a Crane who lived on the banks of a lake and coerced the fish that he was their savior by carrying them to where "the water as deep and fresh and cool." The Crane was so conniving that he convinced all the fish that he would not eat them; however, he did not convince the Crab. The Crab snipped his head off completely.  8. The Jackal Would A- Wooing Go : This

Reading Notes Part A: The Giant Crab and Other Tales from Old India

Image
In Part A, I decided to pick out the most interesting stories in the The Giant Crab and Other Tales from Old India. 1.  The Giant Crab : The story focused on the greedy crab who gobbled all of the animals in the kingdom and then he started to feel alone. His lack of self control and nasty habit deterred any animal coming near the lake, but the Elephants would not stand for it. 2. The Hypocritical Cat : I like how the mice win in this story. They are smarter than the cat. 3. The Crocodile and the Monkey: This story was really vicious. It talked about Mrs.Crocodile waiting the heart of the monkey. I think that I could make this relative to a love story. Alligator in its natural habitat 5. The Dishonest Friend : This story focused on honesty being the best policy. A man left his plough with his friend the hold. The friend sold the plough in a matter of seconds and lied about it. You can go anywhere with the re-creation of this story. I could make the setting in a barn or abo

Reading Notes: Make Up Reading Appendix 1

Image
The Descent of Ganga. Wikimedia Commons I missed Monday's reading; therefore, on Tuesday, I decided to make my reading notes over Appendix 2 . With that being said, it was logical for me to go back and read Appendix 1: The Story of the River Ganges . This story is told by Visvamitra, the character I took notes about in Tuesday's notes. I'm actually really happy I was able to read about Visvamitra before this passage.  In Appendix 1, I really focused on the goddes Siva and her lack of mercy to her people and how the river Ganges came from Visnu's foot. The emergency of the river Ganges from a foot reminded me of the birth of Athena and how she came from the splitting of Zeus' forehead. With that being said, having mythology on my mind, I thought the river Ganges to be symbolic of Poseidon and the wonders of the seas. When Visnu, who can be representative of Poseidon, kicked the shell of the universe, water began to flow and Ganga fell to the heavens. Her b

Week 13 Review

Image
Wise Words from Louisa May Alcott This image pictured is from the announcements on Thursday. I chose this picture because of the quote and the intricacy of the poster. I love the waves because they are depicted as though they were rough ocean waves, but the boat is still able to float and not be devoured by the see. I just believe that this quote and image  is reflective of my college career. Thus far, my college life has been an ebb and flow of getting to know myself, my level of determination, and my desires as I weather the storm. Just as the quote said, I'm learning to sail my ship and sailing a ship isn't easy, especially in rough seas.

Famous Last Words

Image
Flickr Hannah, You've come so far in your writing and storytelling abilities. Going in to this course, you knew that you struggle with creative writing unless you have a prompt in front of you. This has been a great opportunity for you to think outside of the box and really extend yourself beyond the boundaries of your mind. Although, you're still not the most comfortable with free writing, you have become better acquainted with how capable you are to improve. Your best writing took place in week ten. Week ten is when you decided to create a "sequel" to the first story in your portfolio. Outside of this course, you did really well presenting your Critical Analysis Project topic in your African American Studies course. The Epics of India course has advanced your quality of writing. You can write much more content in a lesser amount of time. You really like how this course is creating a sense of discipline and growth in your writing abilities and your affinity to

Portfolio

This portfolio has a theme that encompasses both the modern and ancient Indian culture surrounding rakshashas. 1. My Life's A Charm : This story is about a young woman's introduction to her "true calling." 2.  My Savior In Ashoka Grove - This story focuses on Sita's experience as a prisoner in a garden of rakshashas. 3. More Than Charm : This story is the sequel to My Life's  A Charm. It narrates the beginning of Shala's new life on Mount Kailash. 4. Charmed : This is the final story that illustrates Shala's purpose as a rakshasi.

Week 13 Storytelling: Charmed

Image
Part 1: The Warlord, A Charm Thief In the Warlord's deep abyss, he sits indulging in the smell of fear that is radiating from both the heavenly and earthly creatures confined to his devilish kingdom. The rocks begin to tremble and the screams begin. The Warlord lets out a booming, maniacal laugh as lightning strikes and thunder claps. "I'm going to enjoy this for the millionth time...he says. He will enjoy my sacrifices." The rocks from the abyss begin to rain down harder. In  the pit, the stones pouring from the dark sky are knocking gods, goddesses, and other brahmins unconscious or in a fog to be devoured. Then come more blood curdling screams as the stones became hot and more forceful. "And you all think this is the bad part," says the Warlord. As soon as he finishes his statement, tendrils of darkness begin seeping through the thick walls that confine them. The jet black, sticky tendrils latch on to the golden skin of each divine creature and be

Reading Notes Appendix 2 The History of Visvamitra

Image
This week, I decided that I would chose a story based off of one of the characters that I have previously read about. Last week, in the Sacred Tales of India  I read about Visvamitra and planned to use him as an influence and model for one of my characters in this week's story. The reason that I like Appendix 2: The History of Visvamitra, is that this story gave me more information and background about Visvamitra, that I was able to tailor my character to. Also, this appendix gave me details about Visvamitra that would not have been further covered or thought about unless I had come across this illustration. The Battle for the Sacred Cow. Commons Wikimedia Appendix 2: The History of Visvamitra, begins the story with a re-telling of the Sacred Cow. I know this because I read the story. Furthermore, the story illustrates how Visvamitra is so memorized by the rishi's magical cow that he is willing to use force. Reading this appendix, I had a better understanding of the co

Week 12 Story Planning: Charmed

Image
I decided to take this week to utilize the story planning option. My goal is to create the most enticing and captivating story, as this will be my last "official story" in my portfolio. The goal of this last story is to summarize Shala's endeavors to restore the balance of good and evil. I'm wanting to incorporate a segment about the Warlord; however, I'm not sure if I should break it into chapters to take a moment to address his background. I decided that I would combine both stories from the Indian Story Book and the Sacred Tales of India .  I think that I could title Part I: The Warlord, A Charm Thief. I want to alter the story about the Sacred Crow from the  Indian Story Book .  Vishvamitra Bewildered in Evil Thoughts The Sacred Cow:  The story begins with the monarch, Visvamitra sitting on his throne wrestling about how he's going to interrupt the peace in his kingdom. Visvamitra is bored with the happy pattern of his people and the king

Reading Notes Part B: Sacred Tales of India

Image
Reading Part B consisted of several stories just as Part A did. Instead of the three stories, there were four: The Bride of Yama, The Goddess who Devoured Elephants, The Slayer of Kangsa, and Chand, The Unbeliever. After reading the stories, I wanted to take the most notes over The Slayer of Kangsa as it piqued my interest about a new story. Once I saw slayer, I immediately thought about the potential of one of my pre-existing characters. Krishna Kills Kangsa The Slayer of Kangsa talked about Kangsa, who was a king of Mathura, that had become a tyrant and oppressor. Because of his evil deeds, the lesser gods had to ascend to heaven for divine intervention and advocate for the death of Kangsa. Kangsa was so evil that he was having children killed, but little did he know that his on sister had a newly born son. He released giants and soldiers to dismember the children of the land. The gods eventually intervened and dismissed this tirade on children. However, Even after Kangsa'

Reading Notes Part A: Sacred Tails of India

Image
The Sacred Tales of  India is a book that is exactly how it sounds. The book.is filled with sacred tales, specifically sacred rituals. There are four parts to this manual; however, I'm only going to be reading Parts A and B. In Part A, there are three stories that the author capitalizes on The Divine Brothers, Snatched from Death , and By Itu's Favor.  Sweet Indian Bakery The story that appealed to me the most was  By Itu's Favor. I was initially drawn in by the summary of the ceremony/ritual that is to be performed in reverence of the deity, Itu. Itu is honored and represented by a small earthen jar. This small earthen jar reminded me of my story, My Life's A Charm. The story I wrote had a character who possessed a small trinket that shape-shifted into a magical being. Furthermore, I was curious to see how the story would play out involving the jar and the god, Itu. The story began with that seemed like a fable or tall tale to learn about integrity. The begin

Tech Tip: Pinterest Board

Image
Screenshot of Pinterest Board Welcome to my Epics of India Pinterest board. I'm utilizing this board for all things related to this course. For example, one of the images from my story and extra credit came from Pinterest. Furthermore, I am not new to this amazing site compiled of DIY craft instructions, gifs, memes, and most importantly my future. If you really want to learn more about my plans for ther future, my dream wedding, my dream decor, you're welcome to explore my Pinterest boards. There are so many ideas to learn and extract information from on Pinterest. I've used this site as inspiration for so many small projects that range from room renovations to how to lose 1000 calories in one workout. 

Wikipedia Trails: From Yaksha

Image
Example of a Preta 1. Yaksha : I read about Yakshas in one of my peers' posts. I really though that these spiritual beings were interesting as they are able to shape-shift. I also learned that there are darker versions of Yaksas called bhuta. 2. Bhuta : These are supernatural creatures as well. There are bhutas in every religion; however, they are all represented differently. In the Indian culture, bhutas are restless souls prohibited from entering heaven or hell. 3. Bhuta led me to Pretas : Pretas are invisible mummies that usually travel with demons. These Pretas are usually reincarnated into another body, but they cannot eat or drink. 4. Akasha  is the term that encompasses all of the elements and beings from which everything thing is made in the Hindu culture. Akasha means sky and is depicted as a fifth element, sound.

Learning Challenge, Time: "Grace Period Goals"

Image
Flickr Due Today Do Today ~~~ This little rhyme-like, sing-songy tale has been plaguing me for several weeks. I have completely abandoned my schedule that I created at the beginning of the semester. Since the beginning of the semester, my extracurricular activities and academic studies have really escalated. Most of my time has been dedicated to studying my anatomy and physiology course and attending labs. It seems as though I've like I have a prioritization issue, which; however, it can be very difficult maintaining courses in two locations. My A&P course requires me to drive to Oklahoma City. In addition to this course, I just started another six week online course that requires a lot article reading. On top of all of my course work, I have had to deal with medical complications. I recently found out that I'm going to to need surgery. With that being said, I 'm going to need to revamp my schedule accordingly. My goal for next week is to not use the

Reading Notes Part B The Indian Story Book

Image
Sakuntala This story talks about an Emperor Dushyanta who was hunting for antelope until approached and befriended by two hermits who showed him the holy place of the hermits and the protector of the forests and wild animals, Sakuntala. Instead of making the hermits friendly, I think that I will make them thieves. The storied used a lot of imagery concerning the animals and serenity of the forest. I believe that I will implement the same principle as well. This story also focuses on how the King takes a liking to Sakuntalal and her beauty. I want to create a love story about how they fall in love in the midst of all of the chaos taking place in the story. I still want the story to have a modern setting. I may use the story line from Fifty First Dates or Dear John . Bibliography: Indian Epics Story Book Dushyanta and Sakuntala

Reading Notes: The Indian Story Book Part A

Image
The Sacred Cow The story begins with the monarch, Visvamitra sitting on his throne wrestling about how he's going to interrupt the peace in his kingdom. Visvamitra is bored with the happy pattern of his people and the kingdom, it is too calm. I found that I could include this story line into a new story that pertains to the warlord from More than a Charm. The warlord innately would want to start a war. Furthermore, the monarch went out with his flock to visit a saint name Vasishtha. The king was going to find some way to receive a blessing for his war or find someone to war with. The most interesting thing about Vasishtha s that he possessed a magical cow, Sabala. The saint asked him and his fighting men to stay for season; however the king was impatient. He commanded his men to capture Sabala and she was resistant. The kid did not know the magical power that she possessed. I think that I will make Sabala a maiden instead of a cow but describe her with similar characteristics.

Back Up and Review: Good Books Are True Friends

Image
This image is from this week's Words of Wisdom. The quote by Francis Bacon states that "good books are true friends." I can directly relate to the quote. You can start by defining a true friend. Personally, I denote a true friend as someone who's always there when you need them. They provide encouragement, support, wisdom, and excitement. These are all characteristics of good book. There are novels that offer support, wisdom, and entertainment. Furthermore, even when acquaintances walk out of your life, true friends are there. It goes the same for a book. Books are always around if you need them. When people physically leave you to go run errands or leave from you life, you still have the characters from a good book to comfort you and provide a time to "get away." Poster Courtesy of Laura Gibbs. Information by Laura Gibbs Below The source for the proverb is  Forty Thousand Quotations:  Prose and Poetical  by Charles Noel Douglas ( Bartleby.com ). 

Growth Mindset: Growing Your Writing Process

Image
Tumblr Being in the tenth week of this course, one would think that writing stories would get much easier, Don't get me wrong, I've come to enjoy storytelling, developing a plot, and adding all of the details. However, starting a story somehow seems to remain an issue. I grab my laptop, pull up blogger, click new post, and stare at the blinking cursor for almost twenty minutes. Even after re-reading my stories, and reviewing my notes page, I find myself clueless as to how I'm going to start my story. Flash! Ther light comes on and I pull out a spiral notebook. For me, I've always enjoyed writing my notes and assignments on paper. Sometimes it is more efficient to just type memos and compose papers electronically; however, I've come to the realization that something bout lined paper and lead helps create better writing. This past week I decided to start writing my story on paper. I feel that I did much better with the producing a quality story much faster. Alt