Week 7: Essay: India Unit

For weeks 6 and 7, I read two different sections of stories in the India unit of the Un-Textbook. The two were Indian Fairytales and Bengali Folktales. Overall I liked this unit very much. I found it hard at times to choose between stories to read. They are all so interesting to me. The reasons why I chose the two that I did were

1.     I like reading about fairytales from other countries. Last semester, in the Mythology and Folklore class I had the opportunity to read many different stories from around the world. Along the way I noticed that each Unit of stories had a similar theme to them. For example some of them had happy endings and others had bad ones.

2.       The Bengali and Indian Fairy Tales units had easy to see and clear cut motifs within some of their stories. All of the Bengali stories had a happy ending. The Indian Fairy Tales stories had some tricksters in it.

My favorite stories from the two units were The Tiger the Brahman and the Jackal, and The Story of a Brahmadaitya. I believe that the first story is clever because the Jackal ends up out-smarting the tiger, which puts bad karma on him. The second story is also my favorite because it is a feel-good story about a poor man who finds great fortune thanks to the Brahmadaitya. I didn’t really have any least favorite stories. I thought that all of the stories were told well. There were some connection I found in the India unit from reading the Ramayana. Mostly, it was just simple things like the names of the type of people and gods. Overall I really enjoyed this Unit in the Un-Textbook. I was surprised by how well the stories were told in the Bengali section. 

Flag of India

Wikipedia

The Man and the Brahmadaitya

The Haunted Tree and the Brahmadaitya

I once was a poor man growing up. I had no wife , no kids, and no friends. Everyone that I ever known or loved left me. I was alone and a helpless, homeless, man. Seven years ago my life changed forever. I was on the way to the new laird’s house and he was explaining to some of his servants that there was this supposedly haunted banyan-tree on the outskirts of our village was haunted by many ghosts. No one ever went to the tree at night and when they did the ghosts would come and kill anyone who disturbed the tree. The laird decided to make a challenge for anyone who wanted to attempt it. The challenge was that you were supposed to go to the tree and cut off one of his branches and bring it back in the laird. If you were to complete the take them we would reward you with 40 acres of land!

As a poor man, I saw that I needed to accept this challenge. I knew that it could have been potentially my last day to live, but what did I live for? I had nothing and I would have rather died tring to achieve a goal then die from starvation without doing anything.

I accepted the Laird’s challenge, and the other folks around laughed at me. They all doubted me, but I didn’t care. I made my trek the next night into the forest to find the haunted tree. Almost toward the tree I decided to take a break under a large vakula-tree. On my break, I began to have doubts. I was panicking and wanted to die. Little did I know, the vakula-tree was haunted as well by a Brahmadaitya who heard my worries.   He said he was there to help and I explained to him the situation and what I was trying to do. He offered his help and told me to go toward the tree. We reached the tree and I began to cut at the branch of it. Immediately a bunch of ghosts swarmed me and was about to kill be, but the Brahmadaitya stepped in to save me. He explained to them everything and they let me take a branch back home.

I was so excited that I raced back home to show the Laird what had been done and I asked for my part of the deal. He didn’t believe me at first, so he had to go to the tree and find the exact cut and see if it matched. It did, and the laird put together a contract and made it official. I had my 40 acres! It was rich with fruits and grain, but there was one problem. Since I was poor I had no tools to tend the land. I asked the Brahmadaitya if he could help me harvest all this food. He accepted and called out all the ghosts of the forest to tend the land at night. I woke up the next morning with the whole plot of land tended and a huge store house. I thanked the Brahmadaitya over and over again never fully expressing the joy and gratitude I felt. He said that it was time for him to go. He explained that befriending a good man like myself for a while enabled him to not be cursed as a ghost. It was time for him to go to heaven.

I lived happily for many years after that. I sold all the grain and corn from my land and became rich. I found a wife, had sons, and grandsons later. Together we got the tools and people needed to take care of our land, and this is where you see me today. 

Brahman and Brahmadaitya

Souce: Spirit of the Ages

Author's Note

This week I decided to base my story of off The Story of a Brahmadaitya in the Un-textbook. The reason why I chose to write about this story is because I liked that it had a good ending to it. Reading the story I thought that something bad was going to happen to the man, but nothing did. I also liked how the Brahmadaitya's spirit went to heaven after helping the man. It was his destiny  to help the man. I kept my story mostly the same the only differences were that I told it from the Brahman's point of view instead of a narrator. I wanted it to feel like he was talking to an audience asking him about his life. 

Week 7 Reading Diary B: Bengali Folktales

Bangali Folktales 

• There was a wife of a Brahman that was walking to a tank. She accidentally brushed up against a ghost and it angered it. 
• The ghost grabbed the wife and put her into the trunk of a tree. The she-ghost then put on the cloths of the wife and went back to the home of the Brahman and mother. 
• After some time the Mother noticed that her-daughter in law was not acting the same as before (but better actually). This caught the attention of the family them she began to do things that were not human. 
• They called and exorcist and make the ghost tell the family where the wife really was located. They retrieved her and made the ghost not bother the family again. 
• My favorite part about this story is when the exorcist man began to beat the ghost with his show. 
• The Story of a Brahmadaitya is a quite interesting read
• The main plot of the story is that a poor man is desperatly trying to survive and he takes on the impossible task that has the potential to get him killed. On his way, a Brahmadaitya helps him and provides the Brahman with 3 requests that make him rich!, In the end, due to the Ghost helping out the once poor man he " sent to heaven.
• The story is a "Feel-" one like most of the stories in this section. I like how the poor man gets rewarded for his bravery and selfishness. I will think about writing my storyteling post over this story. 
• The Story about the Rubies is another feel good story. (I like all these stories within the unit. They have nice and happy endings). 
• I thought that toward the end of the story when the young man went to the palace in the whirlpool that he would get in some kind of trouble for taking the rubies, but I guess not. Also at the end when he became a husband to a second wife, I wonder why he didn't go back to the goddess. 

Ruby 

Source: Wikipedia

Week 7: Reading Diary Part A - Bengali Folktales

The Evil Eye of Sani is the Fist story I decided to read in the Indian section of the Untextbook called Bengali Folktales collected by Lal Behari Day.

• This story is different because I though that the main focus would be about Sani, or Lakshmi, but instead it is only indirectly about them.
• Sani curses Sribatsa and places his evil Eye upon him. Throughout the story he encounters jealous people, theifs, and evil men. They steal his wife and boat. 
• Eventually Sribatsa meets a King and he tells him this whole story. The curse is lifted and Sribatsa is reunited with his lovely wife a pile of gold which he took from a cow. 
• We also learn that he was the Child of Fortune, so that explains why he was even getting gold cow dung in the first place. 
• I like the story " The boy whom Seven Mothers Suckled." It is a revenge story about an demon wife who tricks a King into blinding and killing his old 7 wives.
• Instead the Wives are just blinded and go into hiding. All of the wives bore a child, but only one of then the seventh one kept the child. Each of the seven mothers took care of the boy and he grew up to be very strong. 
• In the End the boy received a bird that would kill her mother if harmed from the country of the demons. As he returned home there was a giant bird terrorizing the city. The boy insisted upon tearing the limbs of the small bird off to kill the big one. Instead it was the queen that suffered and then the boy was named the rightful heir, and the all lived happily. 

Gold Bars: Wikipedia

Untextbook Online Reading Options

1. I used my MacBook Pro laptop

2. I used Google chrome, and downloaded the PDF with Adode PDF viewer.

3. The easy choice for me for best option is the Internet Archive one. The appearance of the page and the button functions just work well with me. It has a nice clear "book feel" to it.

4. PDF. PDF's are okay and all, but if I could avoid having to deal with PDF viewers I would.

5. Even though I don't like too, I do read a lot of PDF's online for my law class that are pretty long. Some are 15 pages or more of just law stuff.

6. I usually just open up a word document and read 3-4 pages and take some notes. Rinse & repeat.

7. Same method mentioned above.

8. This semester I haven;t had to do much printing, but it I have to I usually print at the office in my apartment complex.

9. I really do like the Internet Archive website. I think that it is the best one to consider if you want to read a book.

Week 6 Essay: Indian Fairy Tales

Week 6 Essay: Indian Fairy Tales

This week I read a section out of the UN-Textbook in the Indian section. The story that I chose to read was called “Indian Fairy Tales” written by Joseph Jacobs.  The reason that I chose to read this set of stories is because I really do enjoy reading about different tales and I do not recall seeing this story in last year’s Mythology and Folklore class. My second choice of reading would have been the Ramayana, but obviously I did not want to read and take notes over the same book that I have read twice.

I would say that one of the many elements that drive most of these stories is Wisdom, and tricksters and fools. In the story “The Tiger, The Brahman, and the Jackal.” The Tiger can be seen as the trickster because he convinces the Brahman to let him loose from the cage, and in return he would not eat him. The Brahman is the fool. It is quite obvious since he is the one that opened up the cage for the tiger. Also in the story he encounters many different beings that tell him he is a fool for trusting the tiger and tells him to be a man. Now the Jackal is an interesting case.  He is seen as first as a fool by the Brahman and the Tiger. While the Brahman and the Tiger are trying to explain the story to the Jackal, he seems as if he just can’t quite understand the situation. Purposely, without the other two knowing, the Jackal mixes up the story and recalls the information wrong. Eventually the Tiger is tricked by the Jackal to get back into the cage and he then closed the gate shit. The Brahman and the Jackal are booth fooled by the Jackal and his wisdom!

Phew, there actually is a lot going on in this story; more than you would think. The Jackal fools both tiger and the Brahman by NOT being a fool. The Tiger tricks the Brahman and also the Jackal tricks the Tiger. In the end, it is the Jackal that comes out on top and is the wisest of them all. It is a very interesting story with many different elements if you look into it more closely. 

Black-Backed Jackal

Source:Wikipedia

Week 6 Storytelling: The Tiger in the Cage

The Tiger in the Cage

Once upon a time I was caught within a trap. I tried my very hardest to get out, but I just couldn’t do it. I scratched and bit the cage with all my might until I bled. There was no escaping this cage.

Luckily, after a few days of being trapped in the middle of nowhere in a cage I saw a poor Brahman.

I cried out to him, “Let me out of this cage, oh pious one! Please!”

The Brahman replied, “No, my friend. You would just kill and eat me after I helped you escape."

I was thinking to myself; I was really hungry, and he does look tasty. Although, if he opens up the cage, he would be saving my life, so should I save his? I could not come to a decision at the time so I sighed and sobbed to the Brahman, begging him to open the cage up for me. By this time the Brahman felt sorry for me and opened up the cage to let me out! As soon as that cage came flying open, I pounced onto the man, getting ready to eat him.

“Whaaaa!”  I said. “How can you be such a fool?!  What is going to stop me from eating you now? I have been in the cage for so long that I am terribly hungry."

The Brahman was so pitiful. He pleaded for his life. He then asked me if he could go find three things to tell the situation to, and find out what they think of the matter. Then he would listen to their insight.
“Okay, okay, why not? You will be my dinner soon enough,” I said. “See what they tell you. It’s not like it will matter. I will eat you for dinner regardless of the decision by others.”

The Brahman, upset, went to find someone or something to talk to first, and I tagged along about fifty yards behind. The Brahman found a papal-tree and asked him what he thought of the situation.

“What are you complaining about?” the tree said. “I give shelter to anyone that passes by and what do they do?! Chop at my branches to feed their cattle. Be a man!”

The Brahman then went and found a buffalo, but he had no further luck talking with him. The bull said, “You’re a fool to expect gratitude. Look at me, I give up my milk and they just slaughter my young.”

I watched as the Brahman walked around with despair. I kind of felt bad for him, but I was just so hungry. I tried to speed up the process. “Hurry up! I’m waiting to attend dinner with you.”

The Brahman then stumbled upon a jackal that asked him what the matter was.  He explained and told the jackal how I tricked him into letting me escape so I could eat him. I thought this jackal was an idiot. He seemed to be confused as the Brahman explained the situation. I became tense and angry.

“Come! Let's go back to the spot this all happened so I can explain to you, jackal,” I exclaimed. “Here we are.” I and the Brahman explained the story to the jackal at least ten times, but he could not understand the part about the cage. In a blind rage, I decided to give him a play by play of what happened. I raced back to the cage and got inside to try and show the jackal what happened. As soon as I did this he closed the door and locked me inside the cage.


I was tricked by the jackal, for I thought that he was an idiot, but it turned out that I was the idiot. Now I sit here on my death bed, in a cage telling my story to anyone who will listen.

A Tiger in a Cage (Photo by: Matt Reinbold)

Foolish Tiger

Author's Note

I based my story off of The Tiger, The Brahman, and the Jackal by Joseph Jacobs in the Mythology and Folklore Un-Textbook. I really enjoyed this story and wanted to retell it. The reason why I really enjoyed this story was because there were so many levels of trickery in it. I basically retold the story in the same way as the original. I left out the road as the third thing the Brahman came in contact with because I felt that the first two were fine enough. The only major difference I made was instead of telling the story with a narrator, I retold the story from the perspective of the Tiger. I think that telling it from his perspective put the reader in the eyes of the Tiger and the situation. Throughout the original story we learn the situation mostly from the Brahman's perspective. In my story the Tiger is the main character. Listening to his thought process you might feel bad for him or think that he is just getting his karma. If the Tiger would have let the Brahman live and walk away from him, then none of this would ever happen. He also has a temper. In a rage from the Jackal acting dumb he went inside to demonstrate what happen, and got trapped back into the cage!

Week 6 Reading Diary B: Indian Fairy Tales

Part B Indian Fairy Tales

"The lion and the Crane was an interesting little story. It looks to be based of a poem. What I like about the short tale was how the crane and the lion interacted with each other. At first the lion desperate needed the crane's help to break the bone in the lion's mouth. The Crane was reluctant at first saying that he would eat him afterward, but the lion kept his promise and spared his life. Days after the crane went back to visit the lion, but he was acting ungrateful toward the crane. He told him that he was lucky to still be alive.

I am not sure what to think about the Broken Pot story! It is just a guy that is thinking to himself for awhile. Then he snaps out of it and kicks the pot of rice, and spills it all over him.

I remember hearing this story in last semesters class, and it is quite a good one. In the beginning the jealous wives plot to kill the brothers sister. They end up cursing her to drown here. Throughout the story. The dead sister becomes a magic fiddle and travels around with an old man. The family steals the fiddle and become very poor. Then the sister finally has a chance to tell the brothers what the wives have done. They act like they already knew what the wives have done.

My Favorite story is 'The Tiger, The Brahman, and the Jackal." It ks similar to the Lion and the Crane story but there are some differences. I like the dialogue between all the characters especially the tiger and the Jackal . The jackal listens to the Brahman's story and acts like he doesn't understand. He does this so well that it eventually angers the man and the tiger! The tiger looses his patience so fast that he jumps back into the cage to give the Jackal a visual aid to the explanation, and then the Jackal slaps the door shut!

South China Tiger

Wikipedia

Week 6: Reading Diary Part A: Indian Fairy Tales

Part A from Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

Why this fist laughed is a story that I decided to take notes on.

• The picture caught my attention and the title. It looks silly
• a "Certain fisherwomen is passing by and the queen runs into here
• She asked if the fish that was in her hand a boy or a girl. She also said that she was looking for a "She-Fish" them suddenly the fish busted out into laughter for some apparent reason. 
• The queen went home angry and a bit confused if you ask me because she had no way of explaining this phenomenon.
• The King ordered his Vizir to find out why the fish laughed or else he would be put to death in six month. (This always seems to be a common trait in these Indian stories. The king always exercises the power to executive people at will. 
• The story them cuts to a different one in which it is about a young farmer and an old man
• The young man things that the old man is humorous and dumb, but when returning home the farmer tells his daughter and she thinks that he is the most smart man she has ever heard of and wants to meet him. 
• The girl figures out that the laughing of the fish indicates that the King is in danger because there is a man who is going to try and kill him. 
• Then the young man's daughter went to the palace with the son and explained. 
• The maids were to be tested and try to jump a dug. (I'm not sure if that means they will die if they miss). 
• Only one maid it and he turned out to be a man. 
• The King saved the Vizir. 

A Tentraodontiae - Wikipedia

 More info found here

Comment Wall

Leave comments here.

Week 5: Storytelling: The Birth of Hanuman

The Birth of Hanuman

“Caesar, it is time for bed,” the mother monkey said.

“Awww man, but I don’t want to yet,” begged Caesar.

“Now!”

“Okay, okay, I’m coming, but will you read me a bedtime story?”

“Yes, I will Caesar. Now  get into your pajamas and come to bed. I will find you a story that you haven’t read before. I am quite tired of reading you the same bedtime stories over and over!” Mother said while smiling at Caesar. “Okay, let’s see here… Hmmm. Ravana and the Monkey...or Rama’s Exile. Sita’s Captu- No. AH! Here we are! I will tell you the story of Hanuman. Specifically the beginning.”

“This book is called the Birth of Hanuman,” the mother said while reaching for the book on the shelf. “He is a monkey like you! Do you want to hear this story?

“Yes!” exclaimed Caesar.

 "The story begins at the center of the surface of the Earth, Mount Meru. Since Meru is on the center of the planet, the sun will appear to just rotate circles around you 24/7! It is always bright there and  the bright sunlight had turned the mountain into solid gold. Luckily enough the solid gold ground didn't hinder the flowers from blooming, or the grass and trees growing. It was a beautiful place. There was water, animals, and birds that lived on the hill.

Lord Brahma comes down to earth whenever he wants to just relax, and the place he chooses to go is Mount Meru. One day while resting, Lord Brahma shed a tear from his eye and it fell down onto the solid ground. It was at that exact spot the first money was born.

Brahma called him Riksharaja. He decided to stay at Meru for a while to keep the Riksharaja company. The monkey played all day and ate fruit whenever he liked. Every evening he would put flowers at Brahma’s feet.

One day Riksharaja saw his own reflection when he bent over to take a drink of water. He thought that it was an enemy trying to steal his supply, so he jumped into the pool of water after the thief. There was nobody there, and when he came back up from the water he was turned into a female! She was the most beautiful monkey girl ever. When Indra, the god of Storms, and Surya the Sun saw her, they had to come down and met Riksharaja. Eventually she bore children from the gods, and they were two gold-colored babies. Riksharaja and Brahma named them Vali and Sugriva.

Brahma then gave the city of Kishkindhya to Vali. He became the Monkey King, and growing up he always got whatever he wanted. Riksharaja didn’t want Sugriva to be left out so she went and asked Vayu, the God of the Winds, to father a son. Vayu and Anjana,who was an apsara previously named Puñjikastalā then gave birth to Hanuman. He was a small monkey with white fur and a red face with brownish-yellow eyes. Anjana left Hanuman all alone by the mouth of a small cave.

Mango- Wikimedia Commons

Almost a whole day went by and no one came to feed Hanuman, and as the day began Hanuman stared at the sky and ran into the Sun. He thought that it looked like a giant Mango fruit. As soon as he saw this, Hanuman licked his lips and leaped up into the air after the Sun. On his way there, his father the Wind blew a steady cool breeze all over Hanuman so that be wouldn’t be burned by the Sun’s rays. As Hanuman approached Surya the Sun he smiled and opened his mouth nice and wide. Hanuman was spell-bound!  They all looked like fruits! Hanuman took off and bit Rahu’s ear, and went with his arms and legs swinging for Indra. Indra hit him with the flat side of his thunderbolt and he came crashing down back to earth breaking his jaw. Vayu was angry and raced to hold his son. Brahma came back to earth and healed Hanuman. Surya came down and smiled at Hanuman while giving him three large mangos for him when he woke up.

Hanuman would grow up to become a loyal friend to Sugriva and eventually help Rama on his quest to save Sita and vanquish Ravana. He just didn’t know it yet."

THE END

Caesar was already asleep.

Author's Note

This week I decided to re-tell the story of the Birth of Hanuman. If you noticed that I used the main characters stories name Caesar. I got the idea from the movie "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes." The reason I chose to write about this story was because I found it to be a very funny story within the Ramayana. Hanuman is one of the most important characters in the Ramayana, and I just wanted to remind readers how he came to be. It can be easily overlooked because there are many small stories in the Ramayana. I basically retold the same story from Buck's book, and I only left out some small details here and there like when Vayu and Anjana conceived,  and Hanuman's role on earth. One thing that I decided to do for my story was to tell it as a bedtime story. I got this idea from the Storytelling Ideas page and it stuck with me. I chose to use a bedtime story setting because I believe it is the best way to explain his story in a fun and innocent way to a kid. I wanted to focus most on Hanuman, so that is why I left out some dialogue and information of other characters in the story like Rahu. Besides kids ill just fall asleep if the story becomes too long or confusing.  

Week 5: Reading Diary B - Hanuman

In this part of the book it starts off with the kidnapping of Sita. In further detail, Maricha tried so hard to convince Ravana not to kidnap Sita. He tells time over and over that it is the wrong thing to do and Rama will come back to kill Ravana. Ravana acts like it is no big deal at all. He doesn't even take it as a threat. You can easily tell this because for most of the time he isn't even paying attention to Maricha.

Ravana came up with a plan to steal Sita. Maricha disguised  himself as a golden deer and went to lure Rama away from Sita. A key thing to note here is that Lakshmana foresaw the trick and warned him. He said that there were no such animal on earth (A GOLD DEER).

Sita is taken and while trying to escape she drops her jewelry down onto the earth so that maybe Rama can trace her steps. She specifically drops something toward 2 monkeys.

Rama is told about the story of the Monkey kingdom and how it came to be. Some things to note. Hanuman is the son of the Wind. He is a white monkey with a red face. His father told them that he will possess great strength and no one will be able to kill him.
Vali and Sugriva are brothers from the father of Indra and the Sun. Vali is the King of Kishkindhya, but he is becoming more and more corrupt.

The next part of the story is about how Vali became cursed by Matanga, and also Vali began to hate Sugriva. Since I already know well about this part of the story I will spare some time writing it down.

Hanuman - By Steve browne and John Verkleir

Week 5: Reading Diary A

• Bharata finds out that King Dasharatha is dead, Kaykeyi tells Bharata that Rama is in exile for fourteen years, and he is extremly upset at his mother about it. 
• Vasishtha convinces Bharata to become king During the time of Rama's exile and when it is over the throne will be waiting for to rightfully take. 
• Bharata follows Rama into the woods and eventually into Chitrakuta. He tells him of his fathers fate. Rama further convinces Bharata to to take the throne until Rama gets back. Bharata takes Rama's sandals to put in at the throne. 
• 
  

The Demon Viradha kidnapped Sita. This is here first time being abducted. It seems like she is always the Damsel in distress. Rama chases down the demon and kills it. Once killed it is revealed that the demon was really a gandharva named Tumburu. He was cursed to walk as a demon. When Rama killed him then he would finally be set free.

Jataya (Ramayana)

taken by Abhilash Rajendran

Week 4: Reading Diary Part B Buck's Ramayana

Part B:
As we progress further into the story we reach the part that Dasharatha makes Rama his new succesor
This does not sit well for Manthara (Kaikeyi's servant) and convinces her that it would be a disaster.
Kaikeyi then uses two promises that were owed to her by Dasharatha. The first one was that Bharata be the new king, and that Rama get sent into the forest of exile for 14 years!

This part of the story was pretty much the same for. It is more clear now that I can read through things for a second time. A part that interests me is when Rama is banished for 14 years. He goes not even fight.If I were him I would be really scary.

Before they departed form Ayodhya, Rama, and Sita gave away all of their possessions.

Sumantra tells Dasharatha about Ram's departure and he starts to remember how Rama as a boy.
Dsharatha them dies.

I am having a hard time trying to find something  new to put into my diary! Most of it is just follwoing the same footsteps

. 

Rama with Sita and others

By Ravi Varma press Wikipedia

                                                                                                               

Week 4: Reading Diary Part A: Buck's Ramayana

Part A:
I am not sure that it is in the other version of the Ramayana that we read, but I don't recal there doing a small part with Sauti and Saunaka in it.

This version is much more different than the other version! It is so much different that I hate to read the Reading notes multiple times over. One of the main major differences from Buck's version and Narayan's is the intro to the Ramayana. In Buck's version it starts thousands of years later with Rama and Sita already being the King and Queen. Rama exiles Sita due to rumors! Narada has Valmiki rescue Sita, and learn about the story of his two sons. Then he puts a curse on the hunter and he becomes a poet. Brahma comes down to teach Valmiki the poem of Rama (Which is the Ramayana! hence he is the original author who put the story together). It is definitely a very interesting way to introducte the Ramayana opposed to Narayan's version.
Another change that I notices were how the Rakshasas were introduced and created to be.

The rest of the beginning of the story fell into place like the other one.

Ravana continued his terror amonst the lang after he was granted immunity from the gods. One thing he forgot to mention was to have protection from the humans. Next we go thoough Ravana's other conquests.

Ravana : Wikipedia

Week 3: Brainstorming Styles with Rama and Ravana

For my storybook I think that I am going to make it be about Rama’s adventure while searching for the love of his life, as well as the story of Ravana. What I was thinking about doing was maybe telling two stories at first with Rama being the main character, then after that switch to Ravana’s side of the story and tell two stories with him. The two separate stories would both tell majority of the same story at a certain time period. The only difference is that I will be telling it from two different point of views.

Style: For the Storybook styles I am thinking about doing a First Person style. The reason I decided this was because I feel that the best way to show the emotion from Rama and Ravana is to let their own dialogue do all of the talking. Another option could be Third person. This is just to provide more background information and focus on the different goals and decisions each character made.

Story Style: For the story style I was not sure if it would be an anthology or a frametale. I plain on telling two different stories for each of the characters that aren’t necessarily connected, but they mirror each other. If I had to guess, than my stories would be more of an anthology since my stories will not be following a direct train. They some of the same stories told by different people.

Sidekick as a Narrator: I thought about using this style for my storybook as part of a First-person style. This style interested me the most and seemed to fit the Ramayana. What I could do is tell a the stories about Rama through one of his sidekicks since he was always traveling with someone. One option could be through Rama’s brother, and the other story could be told through the eyes of one of Ravana’s council men, or is youngest brother. I think that telling a story this way you help clarity the roles between the two characters and also give a new perspective to from with two more different characters.

Third-Person Omniscient: One of the more popular ways to tell a story. I think that this technique would also work well for my storybook idea. This way I could focus more on the story itself as well as setting and background. This style contains the voices of all the characters so I can should how to use the dialogue between characters. This writing style works best for epics and quests like the Ramayana. 

Taj Mahal - India photo by: acher10