Reading Notes: Nivedita's Ramayana Part B

Rama's Sons

Characters in the Scene: 

Valmiki
Rama
Lava
Kusha
Sita

Plot:
Valmiki taught Rama's sons: Lava and Kusha to sing about all of the wonderful things that Rama has done and many enjoyed those songs. Rama finally met them and offered them money but they rejected it because they live in the forest and have no use for money. Rama eventually figures out that they are Sita's children and sends a messenger to bring her back to test her innocence again.

Setting: At Rama's palace in Ayodhya

Lava, Kusha, and Valmiki: Detechter

Bibliography. "Rama's Sons" from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Ramayana by Sister Nivedita, web source

Reading Notes: Nivedita's Ramayana Part A

Kaikeyi's Scheming 

I wrote notes about this scene from the Ramayana PDE I read the previous week so I wanted to do the notes on this scene again but this time written by a different person to focus on some key differences. The first difference is that the scene starts off with the narrator talking about how Kaikeyi is generous and kind but not innocent enough to avoid being persuaded by evil which foreshadows what is coming. In the PDE version, you don't see it coming. Also, Manthara talks about how Rama's mom might take revenge on Kaikeyi for something that Kaikeyi had done to her in the past. Kaikeyi also gets mad and exclaims that Rama must be banished, but in the other version, you don't find out what she was going to do with the 2 boons until the next scene when she talks to the king. Manthara in this version tells Kaikeyi to banish him for 14 years but she never said that in the other version which is why I wrote my story based on the fact that Manthara was not the one who suggested those things to Kaikeyi but in this version, she did.

Manthara and Kaikeyi: Netzone

Bibliography. "Kaikeyi's Scheming" from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Ramayana by Sister Nivedita, web source

Learning Challenge: Reading out loud

When I read the stories out loud, I was able to picture the scenes a lot better because I was focusing on the imagery. I also felt more of the emotion that each character was feeling because I found myself trying to match the tone of the dialogue. It deepened my understanding of the story beyond what the words show. The advantages of reading out loud are catching more details that I didn't before and understanding each character's perspective better. The disadvantages of reading out loud are that it takes longer to finish reading stories and it is often difficult to find an isolated place where you can read out loud and not annoy anyone else in the room. I will definitely try to read out loud when I have time!

Reading out Loud: Powerful

Learning Challenge: Time Challenge

My current 6 hour schedule for the class is 2 hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday which has been working out for me because I try to do all my homework towards the beginning of the week and focus on studying for tests and quizzes that are always on Friday for me this semester. I am getting all of the core assignments done and it's a good stress reliever for me when I do the assignments. I don't think I want to make any changes to my schedule.

Time Management: Life Hacks

Extra Reading: Ganesha's Secret

Ganesha's Secret

The video explains the different components of Hinduism but focuses on the end on Ganesha. Ganesha is a key figure in Hinduism that stands for the union between two opposites. Ganesha came about after Poverty sculpted a child that came to life but Shiva didn't recognize the child as his own because he did not even want children. Shiva ended up beheading the child and Poverty expressed great grief so they attached an elephant head back on to bring the child back to life which brought about Ganesha. 

Ganesha: Patheos

Video Source: Ganesha's Secret 

Famous Last Words: First Round of Midterms Over

I loved finishing up the Ramayana this week. The first two parts from the previous week set up the scene well but introductions are usually not as interesting. The last two parts had a lot more action with fight scenes as well as heroic scenes where Rama saves Sita. One of the scenes that stood out to me the most was when Sita stepped into the fire to prove her innocence after Rama saved her from Ravana. I was also enraged when I read about Rama exiling Sita because rumors were rampant through the kingdom about Sita’s unfaithfulness while she was in Ravana’s captive. I honestly didn’t have time to read the stories or write a story this week, I ended up working ahead so I completed the assignments the weekend before. It’s always enjoyable to read others’ writings because there’s so many creative ways to retell the stories. I liked the ones where it focused on one person’s perspective to really see the emotions and thoughts of that person. I also liked the stories that were told in a more modern setting because it made the story easier to read because one of the things I struggled with in the readings was stumbling over the words I didn’t know and having to look up what the words meant or who the characters were which broke my flow of reading so then it took a while to get back into the flow of what I was reading. This week has been one of the most stressful weeks I have had in a while because I had so many exams on one day so I fell behind in my other classes. I will make sure to be back on track next week for this class and hopefully explore a new writing style! 

Surviving Midterms: Memes

Review: Feedback

I enjoyed this video of Epic Rap Battles of History between Zeus and Thor. They are always very interesting to listen to but I feel like I don't have enough creativity to turn a story into a rap without it being super cheesy. The graphic made me laugh because I wasn't expecting the dad to give an actual lesson. 

Feedback: Lunarboon