Famous Last Words: Week 7

I have really enjoyed fleshing out my storybook this week. When I first came up with the idea of showing how feminism is prevalent in the Indian Epics, it seemed like a pretty cool idea. I have always considered myself a proponent of feminist ideology, and I am all for empowering women and getting them on equal footing as compared to men. As I read through the Ramayana it became increasingly apparent that women did not get a fair shake in the old stories of India. They were valued as physical and sexual objects, at best as damsels in distress that need to be saved by the smarter and stronger men. When I read about Ravana visiting Sita in his grove, my blood boiled. He had his harem, and his “main” wife, follow him as he begged another woman to rule over his kingdom. His wife stood by his side and comforted him when the woman who’s attentions he so desperately sought ignored him! She led him back to his bedroom so she could serve him and comfort him! There is so much wrong with that whole scene. Women are NOT just sexual objects, and whether or not you believe in having multiple wives, they should not be subjected to that kind of situation. As I get farther into my storybook I grow more and more excited about what I am writing about. As silly as it sounds I feel like I am giving these women a voice that they have never had before. Yes, I get that these are figurative women that do not exist in reality, but it does have some real-world application. Women are continued to be oppressed and if we can start seeing basic cultural works in a new light, maybe some real changes can occur in society too.

Panchakanya: Ahalya, Tara, Mandodari, Sita Kunti, Draupadi.
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UnTextbook Online Reading Options

The Illiad of the East: The Ramayana by Richardson

I looked at Ravana's Crime
I am really fascinated by Ravana and I enjoy reading about him in more detail
I enjoyed this! It really fleshed out on my mental picture of who Ravana is.
I liked the descriptions of Ravana. I also liked hearing the Ramayana in yet another version, every version gives me new insight into this epic. I thought Buck's was a little easier to read, but I did not have too much trouble.
I would definitely enjoy reading this as part of the curriculum.

Reading Diary B: Rama's Turmoil

Rama shows the first sign of humanity at the end of Buck's Ramayana. When I first heard that he sent Sita away, I jumped to the conclusion that he was just an idiotic man who could not suck up his pride. However, after having read the whole thing, I think I understand where he was coming from. He loved Sita, but Rama's entire destiny was to be a leader. He had worked and abstained and wandered the woods for 14 years and saved his wife and the world from evil. He finally was where he was supposed to be. Everyone respected him, everyone loved him. So, after all that, he hears whispers that he is tainted due to living with a soiled woman. He knows in his heart that this is not true. He has looked Sita in the eyes, heard her plea, seen her in the pure fire of the Fire God. He knows that she never once yielded to Ravana. But to him, it did not really matter what he thought. It was what his subjects thought. He needed to be the best, most pure ruler he could be, and that involved sending Sita away. Rama saw this as a self sacrifice, something required of him to stay on the path of Dharma. It is interesting to see how wrapped up in this Rama got. He gave away the one person he fought a war for. It poses the interesting idea of whether he was wrong or not. I think he was, and I do not think that that is what the gods intended for him. But then Buck harkens back to an old mistake Vishnu made, that caused him and his love to always be separated. It is by far the most frustrating and ironic scene of the whole story.


Sita plays hide and seek with Rama
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Reading Diary A: Friendship

I really enjoy the strong friendships that are present in the Ramayana. The friendships between Rama and Lakshama, Hanuman and Rama, Hanuman and Sita, Hanuman and Sungriva, they are all so strong. These people are willing to die for one another, and when they do violate these friendships they feel extremely remorseful and do what they can to fix their mistake. I think that is something that can be learned in this day and age, too often we throw away friendships when they become tough, we are at fault, or they are inconvenient. I think that is why friendships these days are not as strong, and we are losing our ties and roots. We think we have 500 friends on Facebook, but those are people we barely know. I can think of maybe one or two people in my life that i could say have the same friendship that hanuman and sangria had, but i don't think i have one that compares to the one Rama and Hanuman have. That is pretty sad to me, and something that i need to work on.

Hanuman brings the medicine hill to save Rama

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Un-Textbook Reading Options

- I used a laptop (HP)
-I used the Internet Explorer App for Windows 8
-I liked the internet archive, it seemed to just move between the pages smoother. I also liked google books because there was a google bar right there if I wanted to google a concept
-I did not like the first one as much, but there wasn't something in particular that I did not care for.
-I read a lot online for my online classes, mostly photocopied articles or links to articles online. I do not care for it, it hurts my eyes. But I am probably just old fashioned.
-I use the same note-taking method you do! That works quite well for me
-I use the same notetaking method for PDF's as I do for the internet. My computer has a split-screen function where I can accomplish the same idea as above with a PDF file.
-I rarely print things off unless required for class or if it is a math/science based course. Like I said, I prefer hard copies but I try to do my part for the environment and limit my paper use. I print at home however.
-I liked that in all the interfaces the books still looked like books!

Famous Last Words: Week Six

I read Buck’s version of The Ramayana this week and it really kind of changed me as a person. I read the introduction in Narayan’s version and how he had chosen not to include the ending where Sita is sent away and lives with the hermit Valmiki. I knew that Buck had chosen to include it in his version, and honestly I was not really looking forward to it. I saw it as ruining this perfect version of Rama that I had in my head and I did not want to see my favorite character, Sita, suffer like that. However, after finishing Buck’s version, I realized that I really liked that ending. It gave me a lot of closure. It showed some real heartache that lots of people go through every day. I also saw Rama as a more realistic person now. I do not agree with his decision, and I understand now that he had not lost his love for Sita. He did what he thought was best as a ruler, and I think he also saw himself as a self-sacrificer who was doing what Fate wanted and therefore he was staying on the path of Dharma. It was just so epically tragic. And I also found a whole new layer to Sita with this ending. She raised two boys without her husband, and instead of running back to her husband that sent her away the second she saw him, she returned to Mother Earth. I loved that ending. It was really sad, don’t get me wrong, but I thought it had such a rightness to it. I learned a lot from this epic, and I think it has so many messages that can be taken from it. I am glad I read the longer version, I thought it added new depth and layers to the story that it did not have before.

Sita and Valmiki, from Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues
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Storytelling Week Six: Hanuman's Love

Hanuman shook his head roughly. He had never seen such beauty as when he looked at Sita. But that was Rama’s Sita. Rama adored her, and that was what this whole war was about. Hanuman tried to comfort himself with the idea that his head was dizzy from all the perfume and women he had just encountered in Ravana’s chambers. But deep down Hanuman knew. He had fallen deeply in love with Sita, upon first site, and he would never recover. Hanuman, good at heart, incapable of a transgression, now loved another man’s wife. But he would not act on it. He refused! He would help Rama regain his lovely wife and live mate less for the rest of eternity if he had to, but he would never do anything to wrong Rama. He would never tell anyone of his unrequited love. The only way he would ever illustrate the love he harbored for her would be the fierce protection with which he guarded her.

As he hid in the tree above Sita, he saw Ravana entering his grove to speak with Sita. As the conversation progressed, Hanuman grew more in awe of this lovely woman he saw before him. Despite being covered in dirt, thin from fasting, and tortured in all kinds of ways, she held fast to her innocence. She resisted the incredible Ravana, and only thought of her husband. Why, she was the essence of loyalty and femininity. Hanuman’s reverence was quickly interrupted with a fierce form of anger when the Rakshasis began tormenting his poor Sita. No, Rama’s Sita. His heart turned hard and he clenched the branch beneath him so hard there were claw marks deeply engrained in the wood. He poised to jump in and rescue her, all sense or thought of future consequences lost, when an elderly Rakshasa stepped in. He took a calming breath and sense once more visited his mind. If he had revealed himself, everything would be ruined. He waited patiently until all of the Rakshasis had left the grove.

Finally, Hanuman announced his presence to Sita. He introduced himself as Rama’s servant, and his heart ached when Sita burst into tears at Rama’s name. 99% of Hanuman’s good golden heart ached to see a woman in such pain, and heartache from her lost love, but there was that 1%. That sad 1% that was jealous and wishful that a woman such as Sita would cry like that over him. He shook his head again, clearing it. As he and Sita talked low and confidingly, he slowly grew bigger with the happiness her presence was causing him. Her sweet smell and bell-like voice were headier than any drink or lotus flower. He kept having to blink his eyes and shuffle to focus on what they were saying. Sita’s conversation only consisted of Rama. Finally, she did it. The final act that Hanuman knew sealed his fate and his heart. She smiled her smile at him. The earth-shattering, heavenly white, deeply warm smile that could only come from the daughter of the earth. Hanuman felt something sear inside of himself, and he knew he would never be the same. And Hanuman did not have a single problem with that.

Hanuman and Sita in the Ashoka Grove
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Author's Note: Hanuman visited Sita in Lanka as a messenger from Rama, on a quest to discover Sita's whereabouts. Although Buck's Ramayana illustrates a very deep love for both Sita and Rama by Hanuman, and a deep appreciation for Sita's beauty by Hanuman, there is no romantic interest indicated in the original epic. To me, it seemed more reminiscent of a mother-son relationship. However, I found this to be an interesting take on their relationship, which was indeed a special one.

Bibliography: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way

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Week 6: Reading Diary A: The Female Perspective

As I continue to read The Ramayana I also continue to learn new things about the Indian culture, and I believe there is much to be gained from their culture that Americans and other cultures do not value. For one, the women in these epics are sometimes portrayed as being very supportive of one another. In today's society I feel that women too much of the time try to tear each other down, instead of lifting each other up. We face enough disadvantages, the last thing we need to do is busy ourselves with making each other fail. I feel that the epics are sexist, and I do not approve of most perceptions of women found throughout this epic, but that one I do. Buck states, "And as they left, behind Ravana's back his other wives, daughters of gods and of great kings, consoled Sita with their eyes." This to me is pretty cool. Instead of being jealous of one another and especially the woman who their master is begging to be his mistress, they support her and feel sympathy for her. That is beautiful. Now, there is SO much wrong with this picture that I cannot even comprehend it. For one, the fact that Ravana has hundreds, maybe thousands of wives, is disgusting. They all sleep on one another on the floor in his bedroom waiting to pleasure him. Nothing is mentioned of these wives except for their beauty, because that is all that matters, right? Secondly, his "Head Mistress" or whatever she is feeds him sips of wine as he goes to swoon another woman, begging to make her mistress. Then, when Sita rejects him she takes him back to his bedroom cooing the entire time. All of this is so wrong, and not what any woman today would do


Mandodari and Ravana
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Reading Diary B Week 5: Bharata's Reaction

One thing that really struck me in this part of The Ramayana was how this whole situation must have seemed to Bharata. I feel like everyone is focusing on Rama and his woes, which are indeed pretty serious. But I would honestly rather be exiled for 14 years and have two parents that love me dearly than to come home and find your father dead and cremated, and your mother the sole reason all of this has happened. Bharata lost a brother, a sister-in-law, another brother, a father, and a mother all in one day. That must have been catastrophic. And on top of that he is now expected to run a kingdom he was never meant to run with subjects that do not want him and resent him for what happened to their ruler. He really got the short end of the stick in this whole situation. A whole other book could be written on Bharata's life, and I would love to write a story and flesh this whole thing out. How did Bharata handle it? How did he feel? Did he ever forgive his mother? I do not know if I could, but when I think of my mother I do not think I could hate her. Just one of the thoughts that struck me.

Bharata and Rama
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Week 4 Famous Last Words: Buck's Retelling

I have really been struck by the differences between Buck’s version of the Ramayana and Narayan’s version. Buck’s is much more true to what I think is the traditional epic script. Already in Buck’s version there have been countless descriptions that are absolutely beautiful, and yes, I do get bogged down by them sometimes. However, it is said that the original script written by Valmiki was over 25,000 verses long, and I think Buck has done an excellent job of transcribing that to a modern version. There was one passage describing Sita that I thoroughly enjoyed, “Her dark eyes were like the eyes of a doe, her lips were full, her long dark hair was falling down her back clear to her ankles… She wore crimson robes and silver veils light as air, belts of embroidery and fine charms swaying as she walked, jeweled diadems and bell anklets, new barley shoots behind her ear, bridal garlands of jasmine, and seven strands of pearls around her neck and falling over her full round breasts.” This is a beautiful retelling of Sita, and now I have a much better idea of what she really looks like. The way Buck describes nature also moves me thoroughly. When he describes the seasons and the mountains and the places that Rama, Sita, and Lakshama encounter in their exile, I feel like I am really there. I can smell the rain and hear the animals that they encounter. Narayan’s retelling was an excellent introduction to the Ramayana, and it gave me a simplistic, concise retelling of the plot that allowed me to understand the gist of the story without getting bogged down by too many names and too many descriptions and too much detail, but I am thoroughly enjoying getting to go back and see this familiar story fleshed out with gorgeous descriptions.

Sita, Rama, and Lakshama in the forest
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Bibliography: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

Storytelling Week Four: Rama's Reaction

         Rama, the king of Konsola, sat upon his throne as he was regaled with performances in his annual festival in the forest. Suddenly, Rama was presented with a pair of twins said to surpass all other musicians. Rama gave the casual smile he had worked on perfecting for the last 16 years. As others swooned over the two musician’s rendering of his life he simply brushed them off with the practiced apathy he had been using for years. Their words beautifully describing the tales barely hit his ears. Rama, Ruler of All Earthly Lands, was heartbroken. It was an old wound, one that would never go away but that he nevertheless had learned to deal with. He had sent away his darling Sita, the one he adored with all his heart. He could remember seeing her for the first time like it was yesterday, her hair covered in jasmine, seven strands of pearls on her beautiful breasts. But all of that paled in comparison to her blinding smile, 40 puffs of perfectly white cotton that broke his heart and mended it all in an instant. His divine Sita, whom he had loved and lost.

            Rama shook his head, uncharacteristically aggravated by this train of thought. Lakshmana looked over worriedly, ever concerned for his brother’s wellbeing. Rama took a deep breath and silently uttered a prayer for peace, and Lakshmana returned his attention to the two musicians. Meanwhile, Rama pondered the reason for his sudden aggravation. He was a calm, wise king who had long ago made his peace with this trial. Why then, were these feelings coming up fresh as if it was 16 years ago? His eyes wandered thoughtfully until they locked on one of the musicians. Kusa had told a lively tail of when Rama had jumped into a river, ignorant of the fact that that river was famous for the piranhas that inhabited it. Lakshmana, of course, saved his brother and pulled him out swiftly, but was unable to avoid bathing himself in the cold water as well. Kusa started laughing, and that is when Rama caught sight of that familiar smile. It was like a flash of lightening, and it suddenly every feature popped out at him. Those deep brown lotus eyes on the other, the curve of both their chins, the soft green and glowing gold of their skin tones. Rama quickly calculated the time, and realized, these were his sons.

            Rama devoured the sight of his two strong, talented sons, giving no outward sign of the revelation he had just had. Oh, they were just beautiful. Sita had done a wonderful job. As Rama thought this, his eyes filled with tears. He glanced at the golden statue of Sita that followed him everywhere. However, with eyes usually filled with longing and reverence, he now gazed at the statue with disgust. This statue was all wrong. After eyes filled with his sons and the living traits they carried from their mother, the statue looked lifeless and stale. Rama had to stifle the urge to knock it off its pedestal then and there. However, Rama calmed himself and considered the situation. He wished to let his sons know he knew their identity, but their voices were so beautiful, and he would never be rude enough to interrupt their performance.

            As Rama sat back, his head still whirling with the epiphany he had just had, he listened to the story with a renewed interest. No longer was he the passive king just listening out of curtesy, Rama was now the most avid listener in the crowd. He cried when the twins mentioned his father, Dasharatha, and the grieving way he died. He smiled when the accurately retold the way he broke Shiva’s bow. His heart strained when they mentioned his wife’s gentle touch at their wedding. As Rama sat there listening, he vowed to see his sons made strong kings. He may have given them up for 16 years, but after seeing their strength and talent, Rama knew what to do. He would love them until the end of time, and see them take all the world had to offer them.

Lava and Kusa, sons of Rama
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Author's Note:

Author’s Note: This scene was adapted from the very beginning of Buck’s retelling of the Ramayana in which Rama’s two sons, Kusa and Lava, are participating in a year-long festival held by King Rama in the Naimisha Forest. They were taught the Ramayana by the famed poet Valmiki, who took in Sita, Rama’s pregnant wife, when she was exiled from Rama’s kingdom, due to rumors of her yielding to Ravana, the evil demon king, during her captivity in his kingdom. No such rumors were true, yet Rama still sent her away. She was taken in by the poet Valmiki, who helped raise her sons and taught them to play instruments and recite poetry. Buck’s Ramayana mentions how Rama stared long at the two boys while they performed in the festival, and wondered who they were. This scene struck me as particularly interesting. I could imagine the inner turmoil Rama might have felt, recognizing features and calculating ages compared to the time that he had spent apart from Sita. I decided to add the possible emotion that I imagined could be seen in a fleshed out version of this scene.
Also, the story of Lakshama rescuing Rama from a piranha infested river is not written in the original version.

Bibliography: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

Reading Diary B: Kaikeyi's Complexity

I really enjoyed how Buck added on to Dasharatha and Kaikeyi's story. In this version Buck narrates how Kaikeyi tries to persuade the king to teach her the language of the animals. Both parties know the second that he shares this secret his life will end. It says a lot about Kaikeyi's character that she still tries to persuade the king to tell her this knowledge. This only adds to her selfish and reckless demeanor. I wonder if she really loves the king. It is obvious that the king loves her but I don't know if the same can be said about the reciprocal. I see Kaikeyi as a seductive evil temptress, who used her looks and body to swoon an older man. I think she thinks that she can get anything she wants through this form of persuasion. And the king. Honestly he strikes me as a weak old man. I know he promised Kaikeyi, but he let her exile his son and almost gives up his life to share with her the knowledge of speaking to animals. She eventually kills him, out of grief for his exiled son. Every man in this epic has been so strong, it strikes me that a king would have such a soft spot for a younger pretty wife.


Dasharatha grieves over Rama's exile
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