Week 5: Famous Last Words

This week has been stressful, as I have been working on catching up on readings for some of my classes, as well as preparing for major essays. At the same time I have also been enjoying myself by spending time with my friends.  I have also been working on getting to know some of my dorm mates better.  This week during classes I got back one of my first essays of the semester.  I was not looking forward to seeing how I did on it, as my teacher had been talking about how poorly some people had done, but I was relieved to find that I made a B.  Even though I was relieved, however, I was also disappointed that I had not done as well as I thought I had.  This paper certainly made me want to do better in that class. 
Right now most of my classes are focusing on issues that are going on around the world, particularly in regards to poverty and economic development.  It is interesting to see how my classes intersect, teaching similar topics, but it is also difficult. At times the class lessons blend together, making it difficult to separate one lesson from the next.  This makes it hard to concentrate on quizzes at times, as I have to focus to remember what each teacher has said and make sure I use the right one. 
Volunteering has been fun, although I really need to go more often. Playing with the cats has proven to be a major stress reliever for me, so I get to volunteer and relax at the same time.  Outside of that, I am currently looking for a part time job to fill my free time and give me something to do, as well as to help me make some extra money. I have been getting some applications, now I just have to turn them in and see about getting an interview. Hopefully everything will work out alright and I will be able to find something nearby that works with my schedule.
One movie that I saw recently was "The Edge of Tomorrow," featuring Tom Cruise.  It was surprisingly good. I would definitely recommend it. 

(Movie poster; Photo source Wikipedia)

Storytelling for Week 5: Surpanakha's Dilemma

Many years ago, there was a lonely woman who lived in the woods.  She had moved away from her family many years ago in order to find herself, hoping to find happiness in the solitude of the forest.  Unfortunately, while she grew closer to nature over time, enjoying the more simple things in life, she longed for companionship. After years of living this way, a family moved in nearby.  They seemed to be interesting people, so she decided to try to meet and befriend them.  When she went to introduce herself, she was struck by their beauty.  She began to desire to meet one of the men, Ray, almost immediately.  After spending some time with him, Sara realized that he was engaged to the lady that was there.  While Tina was beautiful, Sara did not believe that she and Ray were right for each other.  She grew closer to him and they became friends quickly.  Ray's brother Lane did not approve of the friendship, believing that Sara was trying to destroy Ray's engagement.  This turned out to be true, but he did not want her to come over and visit them even before this came to light.  Sara tried to befriend him, but he rebuffed her at every chance.  One day before she came to visit, Ray and Tina had a very bad fight, calling the entire wedding into question.  She thought he was cheating on her, while he believed she was only marrying him for his family money.  Lane tried to mediate but eventually had to leave to get away from it all.  Sara ended up listening to Ray vent about how little Tina seemed to actually care about being married, only wanting to talk about how fancy the wedding should be and how they had to have a lot of guests.  He then began to speak about how he was glad she was there for him.  Sara decided that it was as good a time as any to admit her feelings, so she did.  Ray rejected her, stating that he was already in a relationship, even if he was having issues at the moment.  What neither of the two knew, however, was that Lane had returned while they were talking and overheard the confession and subsequent rejection.  He was outraged that Sara, who he felt had intruded in their lives, even dared to speak about feelings to his brother.  In his anger he left the house and went for a walk, ending up by Sara's house.  He saw her car and decided to key his feelings about her into it.  When Sara returned home that night, already dejected from the rejection, she noticed that her car looked different.  She ignored it for the moment and went to bed.  When she woke up the next morning and saw what was on its side, it was the last straw.  She called her big brother's friend Chris who lived nearby, crying about it.  He was outraged and had her come stay with him while they waited for her brother to come and get her.  When Raoul shows up, Sara tells him all about Ray and Tina, making him fall in lust with Tina due to the description given.

I decided to make the story appear more like a modern day drama, focusing on how Sara, or Surpanakha, really wanted a relationship and felt that Sita was bad for Rama.  It shows how Surpanakha may have viewed Sita as more than competition.  I also decided to change how Lakshmana reacts from him attacking and mutilating her to damaging her vehicle.  I tried to show a modern twist while keeping key plot points consistent, such as Rama rejecting her and Lakshmana hating her.  At the same time, I wanted to adapt the story so that Rama and Surpanankha had developed a friendship before she asked to marry him, rather than meeting him and deciding he would be a suitable husband.

(Image of log house; Photo source Wikimedia)

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

Week 5: Reading Diary A

Kausalya, Rama's mother, has just discovered that her husband is dead.  The shock from losing his son caused King Dasaratha to give up on life.  He blamed what happened on the fact that he killed a boy when he was out hunting during his youth. When the king is found dead, messengers are sent out to Bharata, the son of Kaikeyi.  He returns from his grandfather's palace to find his family in ruins.
Bharata goes out to try to convince Rama to return and take the throne.  He is refused, as Rama intends to follow through on his promise to remain in exile for 14 years, along with Sita and Lakshmana. Bharata returns to rule in Rama's stead, taking his sandals with him as a reminder.
Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana continue to travel through the exile, meeting people including Asti.  He tells them stories and his wife gives gifts of jewelry and clothing to Sita.
They continue traveling and end up meeting Agastya during their last year of exile. He was a warrior who defeated the demon brothers Vatapi and Ilwala. He also lowered the height of the Vindhya hills.
The tiny Valakhilyas seek Rama's aid in wiping out the demons, including Ravana. Sita tries to stop him from giving aid.  Rama responds by telling her what the Valakhilyas have done. As he is telling her the story, she is kidnapped by the demon Viradha. The demon turns out to have been a deity that had been cursed.
Surpanakha shows up and decides that Rama needs to leave Sita for her. She believes that Sita is seducing Rama. She tries to have him marry her, but Rama refuses. She attacks Sita and is mutilated. Surpanakha then flees to Ravana and makes him seek revenge for her, as well as making him fall in love with the idea that she has built of Sita.