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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 G...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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. ...

Actor dressed as Ravana. Commons Wikimedia This week I decide to read The Lord of Lanka: The Rise and Fall of A Demon. The story talked about Ravan's siege in the Land of Lanka. Unlike the Ramayana, this comic goes into detail about the demon king who kidnapped Sita and how he rose to power. The story begins with an explanation of Ravana came to be a demon. Because Ravana's parent's conceived at an improper time, therefore their children were deemed to be wicked and born as rakshasas. I saw this portion of my story was an opportunity to further illustrate how my character in last week's story planning post came to be. Furthermore, when Ravana's mother Kaikesi found out that her son was going to be wicked, she was distraught. Her husband counteracted her grief with a word from the gods that "the youngest however will be a noble one." The youngest song was Kubera. As all of Kaikesi's sons became of age they acted arrogantly. Even in their arrogance,...

The Danava King Part B of the gleanings consisted of five different stories; however, I decided to focus on one story in particular. This story illustrated how the good versus evil spectrum in both the celestial and earthly realm were out of kilter. Why were things out of kilter? A demon king, Bali had come to reign over the earth and almost all of the heavens. Most demons were vicious and wicked; however, Bali was wicked in a seductive and enticing manner. Bali drew people to him by granting and honoring favors. He possessed so much power and adoration by the people and even the most powerful gods and goddesses that he exhausted his time posing as a charitable and kind king. I want to utilized this aspect in my storytelling this week. I like the idea of plot twist and shocking the reader, for I was really surprised to find out that the Danava king was good. Many men and women worshiped Bali over the usual gods. His reign was so powerful, yet concerning, that the great Godk, the Prese...

The reading notes for Part A were split into four different stories. I decided to take notes on each section. Battles of Gods and Demons The story is set around the Creation and balance of the universe under the direction of the Trinity. I liked this idea, as it reminded me of the holy trinity in the bible, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Some Christian based religions don't recognize the three. This chapter presented the preface of the story. It set the tone that the story was going to be about good versus evil, Devas versus Danavas. The story talks about how the war between the demons and gods began. It started with the sharing of ambrosia, an immortalising liquid to be given to both demons and gods to preserve them; however, the demons did not receive their predetermined portion.  I got the idea to continue my story, My Life's A Charm. from this chapter. It talked about the gods living in peace until a certain demon was born and built up the a...

I really like the note taking style I adopted for Part C, so I will utilize this same strategy on Part D. Pandavas Depart Bhima and Duhshasana: This scene was very violent and reminded me of one of my favorite shows, The Originals.  This episode illustrated the combat and war between the Pandava Army, Karna, and Duhsasana. Chariots were crossing the battle field left and right slicing and blowing down the warriors fighting with Karna and Duhshasana. Bhima seizes Duhshasana and dismembers him. He decapitates his foe and drinks his blood. This act is very vile, which lead me to think about the aforementioned show. The Originals  a has a character named Klaus, who is one of the original vampires of the town. He's one of a kind because he's a hybrid, vampire and werewolf. With that being said, when Klaus goes to war to keep peace in his town he drinks the blood of his victims. I'm thinking that I really want to utilize this story for my portfolio possibly.

This week I chose to do my reading notes differently. I wanted to do small summaries and details of each individual chapter of section C that I enjoyed or wanted to include in my story. The Pandavas in the Forest Life In The Forest: This story immediately made me think about the children of Israel who walked in the wilderness for 40 years. It was during this time that Jesus was tested, yet he remained faithful to God's will and instructions. I think this would be a really great story to expound on the trials of the Pandavas while in exile. Arjuna and Shiva: I caught another biblical reference. Clad lived in scant clothes and lived upon withered leaves and fallen fruits and reduces his allowance. This portion of the story sounds kind of like the Daniel Fast. A fast in which you eat nothing but fruits and vegetables while focusing on enhancing your relationship with God.,  Riddles at the Lake: As funny as it may seem, this passage reminded me of the grump old  ...

Bhima fighting the Rakshasa, Hidimba. Image Source Part B of the Public Domain Edition of Mahabharata  is more thrilling and fast paced. It contains more episodes of violence and revenge. The latter chapters initiate a cycle of revenge and war. The amount of jealousy and betrayal among kinsmen and enemies increases. I do find that this part of the story is easier to read; however, there still remained times when several new characters were introduced that it left me wondering about what happened to the characters that were introduced first. Bhima and Hidimbi and was one of my favorite stories as it reminded me of one of my favorite middle school romantic fantasy series, The Twilight Saga. Bhima and Hidimbi met by unfortunate circumstances. Bhima was trying save the rakshasi, Hidimbi from being dismembered by her brother. Similarly, in Twilight novel, a regular human being, Bella is saved by a modernized rakshasha, vampire, Edward, from being crushed by a van. From that point ...

Mahabharata  Part A was really detailed and upheld a quickly developing plot. Almost every "chapter" introduced a new character that somehow circumvented back to previously mentioned characters. Each character's vows and hardships became increasingly complicated. One of the running theme that I noticed was that men always yearned for children; however, it remained inevitable that there was a cost behind being able to conceive. Following conception of a child, the family would either fall apart or the child would die. If the child did live, they were displayed and treated as a prized possession or cursed. There was a lot of "an eye for an eye" requests and activites being carried out. Surya. Wikimedia Commons I noticed that several of the stories in this part of the Mahabharata had several biblical influences that I am aiming to utilize in my own story post. One of the most distinct biblical moments I captured were in the chapter, Kunti and Her Son. Kunti c...

Sita Cries A River.  Commons.Wikimedia This Part B of the novel immediately gave me an idea about how I'm going to build my storybook. My storybook is going to  be a visual album; the same format that famous singers and songwriters have released to the public. I have a love for music and I feel that I could really incorporate this aspect to enhance the creativeness of my assignment. This half of the Ramayana   illustrated more moments that the Public Domain Edition didn't capitalize. There were several sections in Sita Sings the Blues  that she sang and was given time to lament. I do feel that her character was weakened. She was portrayed as a stronger individual and asset to her husband in the PDE unlike this version. Furthermore, I like how the producer actually uses the color blue to illustrate her sadness. Even the content of the songs reflect the moments passing by.  The image above made me think about Justin Timberlake's song, Cry Me A River, whic...

Sita Sings the Blues Frame from Nina Paley.  Creative Commons I really liked this film depiction of the Ramayana. It included a lot of the details concerning Sita's feelings. The story was a combination of several stories that explained the Ramayana. This film took a comical and almost satirical approach. The images in the video were obnoxious, but it kept the reader involved. Some of the commentary included, "Sita and Ravana made their way to Sri Lanka, but they really meant Lanka." I feel that I could use this same approach with my story book. I could make small changes to names and places.  Furthermore, this story depicted Sita as more of a damsel. She seemed to need Sita's permission for a lot of her activities. Sita explicitly stated this during her interaction with Ravana and his coercion to marry him.  Sita singing the blues is a great way to personify her feelings and to advance the plot. I like how at one point in the film she is singing and the reco...

The plot in Part D hastens. There is more violence and war taking place. With Rama's separation from Sita, the state in which he is able to obliterate his enemy weakens. The rakashasas seemed to have grown stronger, which surprises the reader. The reader is used to Rama being the victor and coming out on top; instead, Rama, his brother, and Sugriva are having to depend on celestial beings and their magical powers. The expected pattern of the story was taking a turn, leaving the reader more intrigued as to what was happening. From this, I gained the understanding  that for my story to remain interesting, there must be some aspect of unexplained character interventions or deaths. The Kumbhakarna Awakening. British Library In this Part, I could see that some of the stories had a Greek mythology influence. One story specifically, Kumbhakarna, talked about bringing back one of the greatest rakshasa demons. Upon awakening, the demon would devour thousands of apes. This reminded...

Image Information : The Monkey Brothers' Fight  Brooklyn Museum Again this week, despite Rama's inconvenience of being exiled, he still manages to be summoned by others to fight their battles. However, these moments illustrate and support the idea of Rama being noble and heroic. Furthermore, I feel as though the background behind the relationship between Sugriva, the monkey summoning Rama, and Rama was lacking.  In this week's reading, the couplet, rhyming style of writing continues to be implemented. I utilized this same style of writing at the beginning of my story last week. This gives me the idea to reach further in my writing to format my whole story in a couplet style. The rhyming gives the reader a greater since of pathos and a greater emotional connection. It makes the story seem much more intense. These couplets provide a greater focus on the adjective choices by the author that paint vivid pictures in the mind of the reader. I did notice that the author c...

Part B exhibited the same pattern as Part A when it comes to illustrating admiration and love for women. It also utilized the same word formatting. The author also implemented a couplet style of writing. They flowed really well and rhymed. Although each couplet included new descriptions, the content was still relative. In the story  Anasuya , the passage spoke so highly of Anasuya's child rearing and hospitable behavior. She was so full of wisdom, which is one aspect that I really focus on with my storytelling. I like to highlight the temperate and soft-spoken characters. It is usually the quiet characters that posses the most impish and treacherous acts. Furthermore, I admire the boldness and courage that Rama displays as he ventures out into the night and the darkened, isolated areas forest only illuminated by the beams radiating from the the moon. Even with Rama's damnation to isolation, he must continue to fend for his life. He is not alone in the woods; instead, he is e...

         I really liked the content of Part A in the Public Domain Edition of Ramayana. I noticed that the author used  a lot of imagery to tell the story. There was a lot of detail in regards to rituals, marriages, sacrifices, as well as royalty. From the passage, I noticed that I would need to utilize more descriptions and background stories for new characters. When the passage introduced the two different kingdoms and characters, such as Dasharatha, therew was a hyperlink attachment leading to Wikipedia to further explanation of that character. The reader has the potential to get lost in the plot of the story if there is no connection of new characters to main characters. In addition, labeling the "chapter" also assists with the progression of the story.           Two of my favorite passages were the chapters about Ahyla and Rama and Sita's Wedding. These passages caught my creative eye due to their uniqueness that I wou...