Rama's Departure:
Lakshmana cares about his brother's right to be king despite their evil mother that he is willing to go into exile with Rama and Sita. Not only has Lakshmana become enraged, people of the town appear ill and distraught over his departure. Lakshmana jokes about at least being allowed to leave into exile at their own pace. Rama shows a unique discipline to verbal agreements and the right of his other brother to be the king. The king's love for Rama was so much that his departure into the night ended his life.
Bharata:
Bharata has an amazing response to his mother's exile of Rama. Bharata is so upset that he vows to kill his mother, and only decides against it because of his devotion to Rama's beliefs. The land apparently goes without a king for over 5 days, only asking Bharata to become king after mourning. In Bharata's pursuit of bringing back Rama, he decides to bring a throng of citizens. I think this is setting him up for failure, as Rama has never been one to bend just because a large group of people request something. Is there something symbolic about wearing tree bark armor? Otherwise it seems as if the armor is just aesthetic.
Bharata's argument with Rama best represents the great man Rama is. They spend most of their time telling one another to whom the kingship belongs. The debate is so gentlemanly, and only ends once Rama convinces his brother to act as a temporary representative of Rama
ashram - a spiritual center of hermitage
Encounters in Exile:
The forest surrounding his land is apparently inhabited well enough that Rama must go deeper to successfully exile. He encounters a maiden related to the demon he is destined to defeat. Rama has a great moral compass to the point where he sees perfect beauty, yet still manages to feel uneasy about her motives. Despite her best attempts at loopholing the caste system, Rama remains professor-like in his discounting of her logic. I found it odd that Rama found this demon maiden so astonishingly attractive, but then when the demon maiden met Sita, she called out Sita for being too pretty to not be other-worldly. Rama also threatens the demon maiden with the appearance of his brother, instead of threatening to do something himself. Lakshmana was merciful enough to not kill this lady, but only cut off her ears, nose and breast! What mercy!
Soorpanka's need to accompany the trio through the forest seems to only foreshadow bad things to come once the demon maiden's family learns of what has happened to her beautiful face and breasts. The Ravana family is far too stubborn. You have Soorpanka who cannot be refused as a lover or a companion. Then the brothers are so set on proving a point that they will willingly be slaughtered by a single man. Ravanas need a little Rama in them.
Rama exhibits his superhuman fighting prowess, using a combo of bow and sword to single-handedly defeat demon squadrons. While I know Rama has had great training, it's strange to imagine someone who has lived mostly a city life having that kind of mercenary ability.
Ravana:
-Too quick to fall in love and envious, easily falls for Sita just based on a description.
- Volatile in his anger as well.
- Despite having a mutilated sister, he appears to be more concerned about stealing Sita then avenging Shurpanka.
- Cunning planner
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
Reading Diary A: Week 2
Page 1:
I can't help but notice the first parenthetical, a women of pleasure stealing goods from a patron. I don't quite understand why the sentence is in parentheses and quotations as well. Can I get a footnote?
Page 4:
I find it interesting that the King depends on his mentor for his dynasty issues. You would think a King of his stature could easily find a way to bolster his lineage.I suppose him being 'childless' might also just be an archaic way of saying he was infertile.
The gods also apparently have a dire situation and need a person who can defeat their demon. These situations seem unrelated at this point.
Page 8:
The sage knows that Rama can help defeat the dragon, and I can sense that the King knows the sage knows that. With how quickly the sage is willing to leave the King's presence after being turned down, it sounds like the sage knew the King would give in all along. This plays into the "I know your son" statement that the sage talked about with Vishna
It's interesting that the King is willing to let both sons go after once toiling over having at least one person to continure the lineage.
Page 12:
Rama was only given the esoteric astrahs once he defeated the demon. I think these techniqures would have been very useful while the demigod was raining them with stones.
Vishnu also tells another story of a previous life where he destroys a tormentor of the world.
Ganges Story:
I briefly described part of this story in one of the storybook posts from orientation week. The gods apparently frown upon horse sacrifices to the point where they hide them underground. One of the surviving members does his best to establish the rivers and oceans of today.
Ahalya:
This story is one of pure god jealousy and competition. Indra had to have this woman that was destined for Gautama, but despite this he insisted on having her.This resulted in her petrification, and his disfigurement.
Rama & Sita:
Rama and Sita finally meet. They're a match made in 'heaven', seeing as they're both ignorant of their former lives before reincarnation. Sita is struck by complete heartbreak at the first sight of Rama, to the point where her attendants think she is ill.
Because of King Janaka's great gift he received as his daughter, he could only allow those to marry her if they could pass an Excalibur-like test, bending the Shiva bow. It's odd that the King regrets snaring her future with that bow, even though there are many other tough tasks that fathers can prescribe for their daughter's suitors. Rama succeeds and despite their divine connection, Sita has no idea her suitor has won her until a maid notifies her.
I found the ceremony and especially its setting to be tough to decipher. The gist I got was that even the most deplorable and unhappiest of people managed to appreciate the beauty of the couple that was about to marry.
Two Promises:
Rama's father, the King is finally acknowledging his age. I found it funny that a poet originally had him aged at over 60,000 years old. It is then denoted that whatever the age was, he was definitely ripened.
Rama, as a successor, seems like an obvious choice. However, I don't think we actually know what Rama is proficient at besides being a good man and warrior.
The King proposes to not let Rama's brother know of his immediate crowning, essentially because Rama should ask for forgiveness rather than permission to take the crown instead of his brother.
A bad mistake is made when the King owes his wife (Rama's mother) two promises. The apparently suicidal wife uses one of her promises to have another brother of Rama become king and have Rama exiled. This noticeably hurts the King and father, possibly on an emotional and physical level.
The interesting part is that the King was interested in doing his business while the other two sons were away, while the mother wished for Rama to be exiled for 14 years. Either she knows something he doesn't, or it's really just inter-family favoritism.
Despite this unkindness, Rama does not judge his mother, and similarly blames himself for this outcome. He concludes that not only is this his fault, but also heaven's plan. The entire kingdom is apparently against Rama's wicked mother, yet he decides to respect her promise. Thi cannot be a good start to a new King's reign.
I can't help but notice the first parenthetical, a women of pleasure stealing goods from a patron. I don't quite understand why the sentence is in parentheses and quotations as well. Can I get a footnote?
Page 4:
I find it interesting that the King depends on his mentor for his dynasty issues. You would think a King of his stature could easily find a way to bolster his lineage.I suppose him being 'childless' might also just be an archaic way of saying he was infertile.
The gods also apparently have a dire situation and need a person who can defeat their demon. These situations seem unrelated at this point.
Page 8:
The sage knows that Rama can help defeat the dragon, and I can sense that the King knows the sage knows that. With how quickly the sage is willing to leave the King's presence after being turned down, it sounds like the sage knew the King would give in all along. This plays into the "I know your son" statement that the sage talked about with Vishna
It's interesting that the King is willing to let both sons go after once toiling over having at least one person to continure the lineage.
Page 12:
Rama was only given the esoteric astrahs once he defeated the demon. I think these techniqures would have been very useful while the demigod was raining them with stones.
Vishnu also tells another story of a previous life where he destroys a tormentor of the world.
Ganges Story:
I briefly described part of this story in one of the storybook posts from orientation week. The gods apparently frown upon horse sacrifices to the point where they hide them underground. One of the surviving members does his best to establish the rivers and oceans of today.
Ahalya:
This story is one of pure god jealousy and competition. Indra had to have this woman that was destined for Gautama, but despite this he insisted on having her.This resulted in her petrification, and his disfigurement.
Rama & Sita:
Rama and Sita finally meet. They're a match made in 'heaven', seeing as they're both ignorant of their former lives before reincarnation. Sita is struck by complete heartbreak at the first sight of Rama, to the point where her attendants think she is ill.
Because of King Janaka's great gift he received as his daughter, he could only allow those to marry her if they could pass an Excalibur-like test, bending the Shiva bow. It's odd that the King regrets snaring her future with that bow, even though there are many other tough tasks that fathers can prescribe for their daughter's suitors. Rama succeeds and despite their divine connection, Sita has no idea her suitor has won her until a maid notifies her.
I found the ceremony and especially its setting to be tough to decipher. The gist I got was that even the most deplorable and unhappiest of people managed to appreciate the beauty of the couple that was about to marry.
Two Promises:
Rama's father, the King is finally acknowledging his age. I found it funny that a poet originally had him aged at over 60,000 years old. It is then denoted that whatever the age was, he was definitely ripened.
Rama, as a successor, seems like an obvious choice. However, I don't think we actually know what Rama is proficient at besides being a good man and warrior.
The King proposes to not let Rama's brother know of his immediate crowning, essentially because Rama should ask for forgiveness rather than permission to take the crown instead of his brother.
A bad mistake is made when the King owes his wife (Rama's mother) two promises. The apparently suicidal wife uses one of her promises to have another brother of Rama become king and have Rama exiled. This noticeably hurts the King and father, possibly on an emotional and physical level.
The interesting part is that the King was interested in doing his business while the other two sons were away, while the mother wished for Rama to be exiled for 14 years. Either she knows something he doesn't, or it's really just inter-family favoritism.
Despite this unkindness, Rama does not judge his mother, and similarly blames himself for this outcome. He concludes that not only is this his fault, but also heaven's plan. The entire kingdom is apparently against Rama's wicked mother, yet he decides to respect her promise. Thi cannot be a good start to a new King's reign.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Week 1: "I have not yet begun to storytell!" - Famous Last Words
Source: Flickr
I thought the only real writing that I did this week was my clumsy foray into rhyme re-telling. After reading the re-telling of others in the class, I felt like mine was relatively weak. My main problem was lack of a real plot, and I think I understand now how to better reinforce my stories in the future.
I did enjoy how much detail others managed to fit into their stories. I can only hope to be able to include that in my future works.
The first week of class is such a tease for me. All of my classes attempt to scare me with their exam dates, lab reports coming up, and projects that will eventually be due. The first week is like this not just for the sake of the students getting acclimated to the semester, but also for the benefit of the instructor -- at least that's my take.
I told my manager at Couch Restaurants this week that if I wasn't promoted to student supervisor soon, I would be requesting a transfer to another department. This is sort of a huge deal for me. I think I'm an excellent worker, and the past few semesters have left me doing a ton of supervisory duties while reaping none of the rewards. However, I'm not the most persistent guy when it comes to asking for promotions, money etc. It turns out that my ultimatum actually worked, and I feel like I finally stood up for myself.
I hope to carry over this newly discovered self-confidence and swagger into this upcoming semester, so wish me luck!
Friday, August 22, 2014
Week 1: About me - Introduction
Howdy!
My name is Jeremy Wiggins, and I'm a senior at OU majoring in Chemical Biosciences. I came to OU with interest in Marketing and Computer Science, but when I took General Chemistry my freshman year, I really felt like I had found my academic calling.
My plan upon graduating is to hopefully attend Northeastern State University's School of Optometry (to which I have been accepted now, FYI). I also really want to spend time doing optometry mission work in South America at some point. Additionally, my girlfriend and I want to open a Spanish / Mexican style restaurant and bar at some point. We have both spent much of our working lives toiling in the kitchens and dining halls of restaurants. I have worked in a cafeteria and Mexican restaurant setting, while she has worked in a barbecue setting.
In my spare time, I am a sports fanatic. I was an OSU football fan growing up, and was even one to some extent for my first semester -- that quickly changed. My favorite sport, however, has got to be basketball. I love the NBA and the Oklahoma City Thunder. If you ever see me on campus, you will undoubtedly see me with something NBA-related. I have a ton of jerseys and I spend lots of time studying up on how the NBA's economy -- the salary cap and contracts -- really works. I also watch EPL soccer and NFL football.
I'm from Choctaw, Oklahoma, which is really just 20 minutes east of Oklahoma City. We are actually a 6-A school, and we just got our own Wal-Mart! While I'm not involved in the Choctaw community, I do spend most of my weekends there when it's not gameday. I usually go back home to hang out with my girlfriend and my family -- free food, too. My girlfriend of over 2 years goes to Rose State College where she is a Pre-Architecture student. Unfortunately, she will likely only be attending OU once I'm up in Tahlequah, and I'm a little scared of the distance that will be between us.
If you'd like any refinements or detail about me, let me know!
My name is Jeremy Wiggins, and I'm a senior at OU majoring in Chemical Biosciences. I came to OU with interest in Marketing and Computer Science, but when I took General Chemistry my freshman year, I really felt like I had found my academic calling.
My plan upon graduating is to hopefully attend Northeastern State University's School of Optometry (to which I have been accepted now, FYI). I also really want to spend time doing optometry mission work in South America at some point. Additionally, my girlfriend and I want to open a Spanish / Mexican style restaurant and bar at some point. We have both spent much of our working lives toiling in the kitchens and dining halls of restaurants. I have worked in a cafeteria and Mexican restaurant setting, while she has worked in a barbecue setting.
In my spare time, I am a sports fanatic. I was an OSU football fan growing up, and was even one to some extent for my first semester -- that quickly changed. My favorite sport, however, has got to be basketball. I love the NBA and the Oklahoma City Thunder. If you ever see me on campus, you will undoubtedly see me with something NBA-related. I have a ton of jerseys and I spend lots of time studying up on how the NBA's economy -- the salary cap and contracts -- really works. I also watch EPL soccer and NFL football.
I'm from Choctaw, Oklahoma, which is really just 20 minutes east of Oklahoma City. We are actually a 6-A school, and we just got our own Wal-Mart! While I'm not involved in the Choctaw community, I do spend most of my weekends there when it's not gameday. I usually go back home to hang out with my girlfriend and my family -- free food, too. My girlfriend of over 2 years goes to Rose State College where she is a Pre-Architecture student. Unfortunately, she will likely only be attending OU once I'm up in Tahlequah, and I'm a little scared of the distance that will be between us.
If you'd like any refinements or detail about me, let me know!
Source: The Hawk-Eye Studio
Week 1: Storybook Favorites
Ganesha's Enchanted Journals
In this story, a small shop owner lives the border between the worlds of the living and dead. While his shop seems mostly ordinary, it happens to have special journals. These journals all relay their information back to Ganesha the shopkeeper. This caught me off guard. What an intrusive salesman, charging money for these journals, knowing the privacy they do not actually convey. I wouldn't find these journals useful for customers, and I would probably only give them to people I felt I absolutely needed to keep tabs on. I do; however, see how it could be interesting to have a connected journal of a high school crush.
I felt that the way this story was translated made Ganesha too playful for my liking. I found his playfulness to be somewhat creepy, especially how he baited the reader into continually invading the privacy of the journal owners.
The Ganges River
The topic of this story book was actually a set of three stories told by a frog. The stories were very different in nature, one about a horse thief, the other about the origin of the Ganges, and the last about a trusting king with his queen in peril after childbirth.
I thought the idea of a frog telling the stories to a young boy was interesting. I wish the stories were in a different order, because I found the first story to be the least interesting and hard to follow.
I really liked the way the boy reacted between stories, and how he yearned to get at least one more story told before his mother returned.
In terms of design, I found the font of the page particularly difficult to read.
Tales of Love
The topic of this story circulates around a few kings and queen, most of them being described as brave, loyal, etc. I found the introduction to be very rough to follow because of how many names you are hit with. There's little difference in some of the kings, as they all sound to be great. I almost think the stories can be presented without the introduction to help make sense.
I did enjoy the format of the endings. It reminded me of the 'choose your ending' Goosebumps books from childhood. I personally chose the story of betrayal because not everyone has to have a happy ending, and I felt the ending fit better because of how everyone seemed too perfect in the introduction.
In this story, a small shop owner lives the border between the worlds of the living and dead. While his shop seems mostly ordinary, it happens to have special journals. These journals all relay their information back to Ganesha the shopkeeper. This caught me off guard. What an intrusive salesman, charging money for these journals, knowing the privacy they do not actually convey. I wouldn't find these journals useful for customers, and I would probably only give them to people I felt I absolutely needed to keep tabs on. I do; however, see how it could be interesting to have a connected journal of a high school crush.
I felt that the way this story was translated made Ganesha too playful for my liking. I found his playfulness to be somewhat creepy, especially how he baited the reader into continually invading the privacy of the journal owners.
The Ganges River
The topic of this story book was actually a set of three stories told by a frog. The stories were very different in nature, one about a horse thief, the other about the origin of the Ganges, and the last about a trusting king with his queen in peril after childbirth.
I thought the idea of a frog telling the stories to a young boy was interesting. I wish the stories were in a different order, because I found the first story to be the least interesting and hard to follow.
I really liked the way the boy reacted between stories, and how he yearned to get at least one more story told before his mother returned.
In terms of design, I found the font of the page particularly difficult to read.
Tales of Love
The topic of this story circulates around a few kings and queen, most of them being described as brave, loyal, etc. I found the introduction to be very rough to follow because of how many names you are hit with. There's little difference in some of the kings, as they all sound to be great. I almost think the stories can be presented without the introduction to help make sense.
I did enjoy the format of the endings. It reminded me of the 'choose your ending' Goosebumps books from childhood. I personally chose the story of betrayal because not everyone has to have a happy ending, and I felt the ending fit better because of how everyone seemed too perfect in the introduction.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Indian Epics, Week 1: Background and overview
What interested me in this course:
I have almost zero prior knowledge of Indian literature. The high school I went to had an awful world history program, and so if you wanted to know anything other than Western civilization history, it was up to you.
So I enrolled in this class in hopes that I would feel a bit more cultured, even if the culturing was done through Indian folk tales.
PS:
I have always found Indian art to be somewhat grotesque but also inherently fascinating. The music makes me a little uneasy, and not in the nauseating way. I think growing up I always was just kind of scared of the crazy people with extra arms dancing around. So maybe I'm finally facing one of my childhood fears?
I have almost zero prior knowledge of Indian literature. The high school I went to had an awful world history program, and so if you wanted to know anything other than Western civilization history, it was up to you.
So I enrolled in this class in hopes that I would feel a bit more cultured, even if the culturing was done through Indian folk tales.
PS:
I have always found Indian art to be somewhat grotesque but also inherently fascinating. The music makes me a little uneasy, and not in the nauseating way. I think growing up I always was just kind of scared of the crazy people with extra arms dancing around. So maybe I'm finally facing one of my childhood fears?
Week 1 Storytelling: You can count on time
WHAM. Something large, something gilded, something slick smacks me squarely on the noggin.
A clock whirrs and chimes in the distance - one ring, two rings.
I struggle to get up from my cot, and then I'm immediately clinging the ground. These boots are awful-- mustn't leave them unbuckled again.
The clock again chimes. Or does it yelp? Three rings, four rings.
The door to the chamber swings open. It must be the dead of night. Sauntering over to the door, I give it one good shove closed.
The clock beings to wretch, ringing for the fifth and sixth time.
How clumsy of me! These sticks must have been sent flying when I struggled with my boots. They still need to be gathered up.
The clock barks: "Seven! Eight!".
This is getting ridiculous. The gathered sticks have spilled back down to the floor. Only makes sense to put them in order, all in a line.
A shrill scream emanates from the clock, nine and ten
A slight knocking is coming from the door. I peer through the peep hole, but nothing of merit is outside. Upon opening the door, I discover a nice plump hen making its way down the yard.
The clock ushers me outside-- eleven, twelve.
The hen is nowhere to be found, but I can only think it has made its way down the ravine at the end of the property. This hen isn't going to catch itself. I being my descent.
The clock whispers from above the gully: "thirteen, fourteen".
The hen remains uncaptured, but something much more beautiful has piqued my interest. Wonderful young ladies, dancing in their work clothes, are making their way around at the bottom.
The clock again begins to blare through the abyss, 'fifteen, sixteen'
Finally, I have made it to their ballroom. The maids touch their lips to my cheek.
The clock attempts to bludgeon me with a seventeenth and eighteenth fist.
The maids at the front were all hiding the truest prize of all. A most astonishing damsel waits for me, beckoning me closer to her.
The clock finally lands a blow. I feel my skull give way to its gilded fist. "Nineteen, twenty"
I sit up in bed. I thump my alarm clock, which has been going off for a good twenty minutes. Good Lord, am I hungry!
Source: Flickr
Author's Note:
My story was inspired by the nursery rhyme, One, Two, Buckle My Shoe . You can find the traditional counting rhyme in The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang (1897).
Blogger Templates Tech Tip
I chose a simple layout that I felt complemented the overall feel of the blog. I enjoyed the warm image of books in the background as this blog will likely features tons of information from stories.
The majority of experience with blogging I've had was with the site, Xanga. I actually used to dabble in HTML, making layouts for mostly girls who wanted vibrant color schemes with images of their favorite bands.
The majority of experience with blogging I've had was with the site, Xanga. I actually used to dabble in HTML, making layouts for mostly girls who wanted vibrant color schemes with images of their favorite bands.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Week 1: Favorite Place - Tahlequah, OK
I feel like I'm a fairly boring person when it comes to trips, so my choice for a favorite place is Tahlequah, Oklahoma. I plan to eventually attend the Northeastern State School of Optometry there, and I also enjoy kayaking down the nearby river.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)