Week 7: Reading Diary A

Buck's Ramayana
Reading Notes: Pages 325-373

Important Notes and Thoughts:

• Happy that Lightning Tongue and Thunder Tooth get killed. I didn't like them ever since they tried to fool Sita. 
• The fighting scenes definitely make reading this part of the book a lot more exciting. I like being able to imagine Ravana and Rama fighting and watching Rama slay off Ravana's head but it simultaneously growing back
• Ravana is dead. Rama wins
• The letter from Ravana to Rama is definitely a plot twist. It makes me happy that Buck added that in there. It shows Ravana's true character. If only that letter had arrived earlier... 
• It's great to see how supportive Vibishana and Hanuman and Jambavan are of Rama. They fly out for his coronation
• I think that Baratha's suicide threat is kind of extreme. What if Rama gets stuck somewhere and doesn't make it in time? Would Baratha really just kill himself and leave his city King-less?

Week 6 Storytelling: Ravana's Magicians

   There was once a fox who loved eating goats. He would dream of their tender, supple, fleshy meat every time he closed his eyes. During the day, he would longingly gaze at the goats and feel his mouth helplessly water when thinking of taking a giant bite out of the fattest goat. He always thought about stealing one of the goats when the herder was distracted, but never found the courage to do so.
   One day, he got really tired of constantly wanting something but not being able to achieve it. He devised a sneaky plan. He figured if he dressed up as a goat and got herded into the goat shed at night, he could feast on ALL the goats he wanted and no one would be able to stop him. His dream could finally be accomplished! And instead of being able to eat one goat, he could take his sweet time and eat a dozen! Getting super excited, the fox made his costume and around evening time, sneakily immersed himself into the herd of goats. He chuckled to himself slyly as he wandered around the goats, mentally picking the ones he would feast on at night.
   Soon enough, the sun started setting and the herder started herding the goats into the shed. Luckily for the fox, the herder seemed to be in a hurry and just wanted to get all the goats into the shed before sunset. The doors of the shed finally closed and the fox stood right at the front of the doors overlooking all his foolish prey that had no idea what was coming for them. But before he could pick out his first delectable meal, the doors flung wide open... light from the setting sun streamed through the doors onto the goats and in walked the herder. Giving no mind to which goat was the biggest or smallest, deformed or not, the herder picked up his gun and shot the first 3 goats he saw straight in the head.
   The herder had been told to go get meat for the next day and being in a hurry, the herder did not care one bit whether the goats he shot were "good" goats or not. Unluckily, the first "goat" he happened to see was the fox dressed up as a goat. The fox died instantly.

This is a picture of Ravana's magicians creating an illusion for Sita

(Image Information: Image retrieved from Ramayana)

Author's Note: This story was very loosely based off of Ravana's two magicians that tried to fool Sita. Ravana's magicians had this elaborate plan of fooling Sita into thinking Rama was dead. But amusingly, Prahasta burst in, in the middle of their illusions and Ravana's entire plan ended up backfiring onto himself. Had Prahasta not foolishly burst in, Sita would have believed the magicians and this would then be the story's turning point. The story above has a similar storyline. The fox was trying to fool the goats, but his plan backfired on him, and he ended up getting shot. Had the fox thought more into his plan and not stood foolishly by the door greedily trying to pick out his first meal, his plan would have possibly worked. The ending is a bit drastic to my story, but the overall storyline is similar.

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

Week 6: Reading Diary B

Buck's Ramayana
Reading Notes: Pages 270-324

Important Notes and Thoughts:

• Rama gets across the river because of Nala and his floating rocks
• Vibhishana switches sides from Ravana to Rama. I think it's good that Vibhishana switches sides from good to bad but that he refuses to fight his people. Shows that he is loyal but at the same time still wants to do good
• Ravana has a multiple number of spies on Rama's army: Shuka, Sardula, and Sarana. Almost all of them are sent back with strong messages from Rama
• Hahah. It's funny to see how badly Ravana's magicians fail. The fact that their illusions completely backfire on Ravana is hilarious. 
• Ravana wants war. Prahasta is killed. It's also sad that Ravana refuses to listen to anyone, even his giant brother Kumbhakarna. Ravana ends up being the reason that Kumbhakarna is killed. If Ravana had just listened to his brother and given Sita back, then none of this nonsense would have happened. I hope Ravana is ready for the Karma that he is about to receive.
• Indrajit killed Sugriva, Rama, Lakshmana, Nala, and Angada?! Also would Vibhishana, Hanuman, and Jambavan. What....
• The Medicine Hill is a cool concept. As Hanuman is running with the medicine hill, the medicine diffuses because of the heat and revives everyone who dies. Only if something like this existed in real life..
• Indrajit then tries to create yet again, another illusion. This time of killing Sita. Hanuman almost falls for it but smart Vibhishana makes him realize that it is merely an illusion
• Indrajit and Lakshmana fight. Indrajit gets killed. Ravana decides that it is now time for him to go to war. Once again, all this could be avoided if Ravana hadn't been so forceful of Indrajit participating in all this chaos and fighting Ravana's battles for him. 

Week 6: Reading Diary A

Buck's Ramayana
Reading Notes: Pages 219-270


Important Notes and Thoughts:

• It's crazy how much more detail Buck's Ramayana has then the Ramayana we read previously. I do not recall learning at all about Sinhika and how Hanuman crushed her heart and escaped through her ear. I also don't remember reading about Hanuman getting kicked by Lanka. 
• It's funny to me how Sita defies Ravana and does not fall for his sweet seduction but that Ravana can not do anything to harm her. The curse specifically says that if he so much as touches her without her permission, Ravana's head will explode. 
• I like the fact that Hanuman causes all this chaos in Lanka before he leaves. Hanuman almost feels like he needs to do this after going through so much trouble chasing after Sita and being kicked by Lanka, and etc. 
• Ravana uses Indrajit to capture Hanuman. But Hanuman ends up burning the entire city of Lanka. I had no idea that Hanuman just left Sita in Lanka with the promise that Rama would come get her. Why didn't Hanuman just take Sita with him? 
• I hope that Rama goes immediately to his patient and faithful wife and rescues her

Week 5 Storytelling: Viradha

      The leaves rustled as the wind carried itself through the trees. The sun started to set and a cold chill spread through the forest. But this didn't bother Macy or Josh at all. They were content with just each other, happily chatting away about their days and their plans for the week. Suddenly, out of no where, a giant shadow cast over Josh and he felt a strong swift fist to his jaw. Josh's past army instincts kicked in within seconds as he tried to flip the man over and pin down whoever it was that had ambushed him. Uncommonly though, whoever he was fighting with knew everyone of his tricks. No matter which way Josh turned, this person was there, deflecting and throwing back every technique and move that Josh had practiced during his 32 years in the army. Macy's screams became weaker and weaker as Josh felt himself growing weary and felt his body giving in. 
      Josh's eyes opened and the first thing he tasted was a metal-like substance between his teeth. He tried to lift himself up and felt his body completely tense up and resist. He swiveled his head around and saw the moon peeping through the trees and EVERYTHING just hit him at once. Where was Macy?! Who had taken her? Why had they been ambushed? What in the world had he ever done to deserve this? And what had MACY ever done?! Josh scrambled around in his pocket and felt his tiny little phone. Quietly thanking God in head, Josh picked up his phone and called his best friend and trustee, Derek. Derek quickly located Josh and reached there in no time. Derek had said on the phone that someone had already contacted him and he knew exactly where Macy was being held. Josh and Derek drove straight to the address that was given to them and found Macy tied up in a chair. She seemed unharmed, just confused. 
      Out of the corner of his eye Josh caught someone else standing by the door. As the man walked out of the shadow, Josh realized that it was no one other than Hyun, the man who had killed his very own brother during World War II.. Rage quickly clouded Josh's head and all he could think about was killing Hyun and taking revenge for his poor brother who was currently laying in his grave. Hyun had left 3 children father-less and a beautiful wife, husband-less. Josh's anger blinded him and he flung himself at Hyun twisting the knife that Hyun was holding straight into Hyun's own stomach. It didn't even hit him that Hyun was just standing there, not even fighting back, till Hyun fell to floor covered in stab wounds and dripping in blood. Hyun mustered the last amount of energy he had, looked into Josh's eyes, whispered "Thank you," then quietly passed away.  
      A bright light suddenly shown down on Hyun and a deep voice bellowed from the background, "Thank you Oh kind Josh. This was Hyun's dying wish and he thanks you for releasing him from this gruesome world and into the boundless grounds of Heaven. He felt like you were the only one that had the right to end his life because he had ended your brother's."

Viradha, the demon, who actually turns out to be Tumburu

(Image Information: Viradha)

Author's Note: This story is based off of the tale of Viradha, the demon who captured Sita. Viradha had been cursed and was told that the only way his curse would be broken and that he could join the love of his life in heaven, would be if Rama took his life. So Viradha planned this giant scheme that caused Lakshmana and Rama to chase after him and end his life. This broke his curse and it turns out that Viradha wasn't who he was thought out to be. Viradha was actually a ghandarva named Tumburu.

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

Week 5: Reading Diary B

Buck's Ramayana
Reading Notes: Pages 162-218

Notes:

• Maricha transforms himself as the golden deer and uses his false voice and actions to lure Rama and Lakshmana away from Sita. Ravana then transformed himself as an old man and abducted Sita
• Jatayu fights with Ravana but Ravana defeats him and takes Sita away. Sita is smart and drops her jewelry on the ground 
• Ravana had a curse placed on him that stated that if he ever raped another woman again, then his head would explode. That is why he didn't rape Sita and abducted her instead
• Jatayu tells Lakshmana and Rama that Ravana was the one that kidnapped Sita
• The first monkey was created. Hanuman stemmed from this creation and was granted eternal life after mistaking the sun for a mango
• Vali and Sugriva's story is told about Sugriva shutting the doors of the cave while Vali was still inside. Vali got extremely upset and exiled Sugriva. 
• Vali and Sugriva fight, Rama shoots Vali with an arrow and kills him
• Sugriva first forgets his promise but then because of Lakshmana, he takes his army of monkeys and heads south to find Sita

Thoughts:

• It's crazy how the two Ramayana's are so different. I wish all guys had a curse put on them saying that if they ever raped a girl, their head would explode. I'm so glad that Ravana didn't hurt or touch Sita. 
• This story is SO much more detailed when it comes to these short stories. I had no idea that Vali's wife killed herself with the same arrow that Rama shot Vali with.
• It's good to hear that even when Vali knew that Rama was the one that shot him, Vali still told his son to help Rama

Week 5: Reading Diary A

Buck's Ramayana
Reading Notes: Pages 110-161.

Notes:

• Kausalya wakes up to find Dasharatha dead. Bharatha is sent for and when he comes back and hears the news, he is shocked at what his mother has done. 
• Bharatha rushes into the forrest to look for Rama and bring him back to his rightful place on the throne. But when he finds Rama and tells him that Dasharatha is dead, Rama still refuses to come back and rule. He firmly believes that Dasharatha exiled him and that he will fulfill the exile. 
• On the last summer of their exile. They meet Agastya. He gives Rama a better bow and warns him about the forest that is ruled by Ravana
• As they go into the forest they meet Valakhilyas who urge Rama to help them fight the demons
• Because of a bet that Kadru cheated on, Vinata became Kadru's slave. Vinata's son, Garuda, ransomed his mom and got her back safely with Indra's help.
• Viradha the demon abducts Sita. Rama and Lakshmana defeat the demon and he turns out to be someone else.. a ghandarva named Tumburu. Apparently Tumburu was cursed to live as a demon and would only be freed if Rama killed him
• Ravana's sister Shurpanakha wants Rama. He rejects her. Shurpanakha gets mad and attacks Sita. In turn, Lakshmana attacks Shurpanakha and mutilates her. She runs to Ravana who falls in love with Shurpanakha's description of Sita. Ravana gets Maricha to help him capture Sita. 

Thoughts:

• I think that it's super thoughtful of Bharatha to take back Rama's sandals and put them on the throne in honor of Rama's absence. 
• I think that after Rama heard about his dad dying, the least he could have done was go back to Ayodha and give his condolences and attend his dad's funeral. I almost think it was disrespectful that he did not do that
• I really don't like Kadru or her 1000 kids. They seem like a lot of trouble. And I really was convinced that Indra was bad.. so why is Indra helping Garuda get his mom back?
• That's really smart of Tumburu to abduct Sita, that way Rama kills Tumburu and he is freed from the curse. 

Week 4: Famous Last Words

I think that my best writing this week was between the weekly story post and my Introduction. I think that when you're allowed to write about something that you're passionate about, it makes writing so much easier. I am the worst at creative writing and it takes a lot of thinking and time for me to get my creative juices flowing, but once I start, it all just kind of flows. I remember starting this class and dreading Wednesdays just because I didn't want to have to make up another story. But recently, it's gotten a lot easier. Now I don't dread the homework for this class, I just wish that the deadlines were a little looser. It's really hard to manage so many science classes and labs and also worry about having Epics of India homework due at midnight every night. I definitely think I need to work on my time management and prioritize my responsibilities better. I have a lot on my plate this semester and I know if I don't manage my time well, I can very easily just fall apart and fail everything. I did read a lot of cool stories this week when working on my comments. I think that's it's so great to see the remakes and twists that people put into the same stories that I've been reading all week. Some peoples' minds are just so creative and out there, I sometimes do wish that I was better at creative writing and thinking. Other than that, I think that everything is just kind of flowing and routines are starting to be established, which is good. Hopefully everything just falls together as time goes on and the semester progresses.

This is how I currently feel about life

(Image Information: Image retrieved from Dream Time)

Week 4 Storytelling: Guha and Shiva

Mr. Smith stared nervously at his chicken scratch on the board. He wondered how the kids would react to his goofy introduction and whether they would respect him or not. As the clock hit 12:20, he started to see kids pile into the classroom. Some straight up ignored his "Hello!" and "Good Afternoon!" and others just quietly nodded their head, gave him a soft smile, and took the farthest seat away from the front.
"Ouch.. This is about to be one rough semester" he thought as he glanced at the roster and tried to match the students with their names.
The clock struck 12:30 and the kids on their own calmed down and turned towards the front waiting to see what he had planned.
"Well, at least I don't have to yell or do stupid icebreakers to calm these kids down," he thought nervously to himself.
Right as he was about to clear his throat and start his introduction, the door swung open and this tall scrawny boy walked in. His face had a very nonchalant attitude and his demeanor gave off careless vibes. "Hi. My name is Troy." he muttered as he quickly grabbed the nearest seat.
Mr. Smith's introduction went smoothly, all of the kids laughed and encouraged his goofy self... except for Troy. As the day went on, Mr. Smith realized how much of an outcast Troy was. He didn't want to work with a group, he had the most negative attitude, and every chance he got, he would shoot down Mr. Smith's ideas and suggestions. It's like he wanted to be the class clown and alter the students' mindsets but at the same time he wanted to act cool and not associate or interact with anyone. Mr. Smith decided to just give him time and see how his behavior progressed.
As the days proceeded, Troy's behavior took a dramatic downfall. Troy started arriving extremely late to class, disrespecting the students, back answering/smart mouthing Mr. Smith, leaving in the middle of lecture/discussion, etc. He tried pulling Troy to the side during class and emailing him afterwards, but never got a decent response. After a while, Mr. Smith just realized that his sole goal was to teach and as long as he was impacting enough students, Troy would just have to learn on his own.
As the end of the semester neared, Troy's grades dropped further and further. One day Mr. Smith was sitting on his desk grading papers and planning the final when he heard a soft knock at his door. Mr. Smith motioned for whoever it was to come in through the small little window. A couple seconds later, Troy came strolling in. He had a guilt-ridden look on his face. Mr. Smith put his papers to the side and looked up at Troy, "What can I help you with Troy?"
Troy grabbed a chair and pulled it up to Mr. Smith's desk. "Mr. Smith, I came here to sincerely apologize. I know I've made your first semester teaching at this school extremely hard and I'm sorry. I've had a really rough semester with my family and friends. A lot has changed in my life and nothing seems right anymore. I don't know where I fit in, I don't know who my true friends are, I'm not even sure what major or career path I want to follow. I used to be so strong and confident and now i'm weak and feel like a coward. I feel like I just use my carefree attitude as a mask to cover how I really feel. But Mr. Smith, I really am drowning. My grades are terrible in this class and if I don't pass this class, I know that I won't be able to move on to any of my major-related classes. Is there anyway that you can help me?"
Mr. Smith just sat there in utter shock and silence. Out of every kid in his class, this was the last person he had expected to walk in and say all this stuff. Mr. Smith sat there for a minute just absorbing everything that Troy had just said. Troy had really been the worst student and had given him such hard times. But then he thought back to the role of being a teacher. This was his job. He had signed a contract when he became a teacher to work with every single student and treat each one fairly. Mr. Smith pulled out a blank sheet of paper and told Troy they were going to make a mini timeline, things that Troy could do to bring his grade up to a C, homework and quizzes that he could possibly make-up, extra-credit that the class would be given before the final, and studying tips for the final itself.

As the last few weeks progressed, Mr. Smith noticed the progress that Troy was making. He really was such a brilliant and passionate student. If only Troy had done this earlier, then this semester would have worked so well in his favor. Troy ended up making a C in the class and actually passing the final with flying colors. Troy nor Mr. Smith could believe how much Troy and his work ethic had changed over the semester.

Troy now understood that even though problems constantly arise and occur, life is life. These things will never stop or just disappear. Troy realized that school is and always will be a top priority. When it's time for class, all problems and worries should be left at the door and his sole focus should be in class.

Shiva: The All-Forgiving

(Image Information: Photo retrieved from Shiva)

Author's Note: This was a remake to Guha's story in Buck's Ramayana. When Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana were received by Guha in the forest, he told them how he had rejected Shiva's priests and kicked the statue of Shiva everyday. But when Guha died and was being lead to Yama's realm, Shiva actually rescued him because he considered Guha to be his most devout follower. This story was just a modern little tale showing how even though Troy was so disrespectful and mean to his teacher, when Troy was drowning, Mr. Smith was the one that rescued him.

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

Week 4: Reading Diary B

Buck's Ramayana
Reading Notes: Pages 60-109.

Important Notes:

• This version of Ramayana shows more of the details. Now the readers knows that Kaikeyi wasn't out to get Rama at first, her mind was actually changed by her servant, Manthara. 
• Either way, Kaikeyi forces Dasharatha to obey her two promises. So he makes Bharatha King and throws Rama into exile for 14 years
• The last Ramayana we read also didn't tell us about the citizens causing the delay of one night by raising the river up, that's interesting and definitely shows their love and dedication to Rama
• Guha is also a new character. I like Guha and how devout he is to Shiva after the series of events that occurred in his life
• Kaikeyi asking Dasharatha to teach her the language of the animals even though she knew it would cost him his life, is very selfish of her to do. I am glad that Dasharatha overheard the animals and made his own decision
• Lakshmana builds a house for the exile and his friends, called Bharadwaja's Ashram
• Dasharatha's death is related back to that karma story when one day he shot a little boy with an arrow on accident and the dad placed a curse on Dasharatha, telling him that he would be separated with his sons during death. 

Thoughts and Predictions:

• Rama is one brave and courageous guy. If I was thrown into exile by my father or mother for 1 day, let alone 14 years, I would be extremely upset and question their decision. Rama went into exile without even knowing WHY. 
• I can't believe that even as Rama is leaving, he's asking his father not to be upset with Kaikeyi. I feel like Rama is my role model in life. I wish I was even 3% as great of a person as Rama. 
• Guha's story actually reminds me of a story we have in my culture about Prophet Muhammad. There was this lady and she was very envious and hated the Prophet. Everyday, when he would walk by, she would throw trash and other items out her window and hit him on purpose. This happened for many years. One day, she fell very ill and after the Prophet realized that the trash hadn't been thrown on him for a couple of days, he went up her apartment to check up on her. She was dying. She begged him to let her die, but instead, he took care of her and nursed her back to complete health. She begged for forgiveness from the Prophet and he forgave her. She then became a devout follower

Week 4: Reading Diary A

Buck's Ramayana
Reading Notes: Pages 1-59

Important Notes:

• Valmilki turns into a poet because she curses the hunter of a dying bird and her curse comes out in a song format. Brahma tells the Ramayana to Valmilki who then in turn tells the Ramayana to Lava and Kush; the sons of Rama
• Ravana challenges Indra who then goes and begs Vishnu to incarnate himself and defeat Ravana
• The rahshasas are like 3 demon children. Vishnu kills Mali, but the other two escape to the Naga Kingdoms
• Sumali, one of the escaped demon children, sent his daughter Kaikasi to have Vishravas's babies. Four more rahshasas appeared. 10 headed Ravana, giant Kumbhakarna, good guy Vibhishana, and demon-daughter Shurpanakha. 
• Ravana was a demon of many powers. Only thing that could defeat him was a human. Ravana was given the city of Lanka by Vaishravana and got married and had a son named Meghanda
• Ravana caused a lot of chaos and pain. Even when Vaishravana asked him to stop, he didn't. Instead he went and attacked Mount Kailasa where Vaishravana was staying.. 
• Ravana ended up getting cursed by Indra and by Shiva's bull, Nandi. 
• Ravana tried being smart and attacking the King while he was bathing. King caught him and squeezed him with his 50 arms
• Ravana conquered Yama, Surya, Chandra, and almost Amaravati. Indra was captured by Ravana's son and thus got the name Indrajit.
• Rama becomes Vishwamitra's student 
• Rama releases Ahalya from her curse that was placed on her by her husband who caught her in bed with Indra
• Rama breaks the bow of Shiv and is now allowed to marry Sita. Rama's 3 other brothers also marry girls from the same family as Sita. Then Dasharatha brings his sons and their wives back to Ayodha.  

Thoughts and Predictions:

• Why does Rama exile Sita because of gossip? I definitely thought their love was truer and more mature than that.. I wish there was more on why Rama exiled her instead of confronting her for the truth.
• How did a random "good demon" appear from demon Sumali's daughter and Vishravas? This makes me want to do some genetics and find out the probability of a demon girl and a good guy getting married and looking at the odds of the child becoming a demon or not. 
• I think that Ravana is such a trouble maker. I feel like he has no morals or ethics. Trying to harm someone that gave you the city you live in is super messed up.. I'm glad he got cursed. Hopefully Karma gets to him
• I hate how Narada is such an instigator. I feel like Narada is constantly starting fights and urging Ravana to challenge other gods and characters
• That family marriage was really sudden and weird. It's crazy how that worked out and how all 3 brothers found enough girls in that family to marry them.

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Week 3 Storytelling: Hanuman in Ravana's Court

      Hanuman pats himself on the back as he realizes the clever plan that he's made up. If he lets Ravana somehow capture him, then maybe, just maybe, he can convince Ravana to give up his foolishness and surrender to Rama. So instead of sneaking around quietly in the woods and trying to avoid trouble, Hanuman starts causing crazy ruckus and chaos around the kingdom in hopes that Ravana will hear about it and come out to capture him. Sure enough, after about 30 minutes of troubling the citizens of the land and causing mad chaos, Indrajit sneaks up behind Hanuman and captures him. When Hanuman wakes up, he is surrounded by Ravana and his entire court. 
Ravana looks at him and says, "What are you doing here Hanuman? Why are you causing trouble in my Kingdom? For even stepping foot here, I should have you killed."
Hanuman looks up and says, "Ravana, do you know how strong Rama is? You have taken Rama's most precious possession and love of his life, Sita. You have broken his heart and led him on a wild goose chase around so many countries. Rama is overwrought and will definitely defeat you when he gets the chance. Don't you think that maybe you should surrender instead of embarrassing yourself later on?"
       A flash of anger passes through Ravana's eyes and then a conniving smile falls in it's place, "Hanuman, you think that Rama, out of everyone, can defeat me? You must be out of your mind. I am better than Rama in every way, shape, and form. I can defeat Rama with my eyes closed and I will show this to you as soon as I get my hands on Rama. That coward doesn't deserve a beautiful woman like Sita. You are a fool Hanuman and you deserve to be killed."
Before Hanuman can respond, Vibhishana steps in and says, "Ravana, my dearest brother, stop! Hanuman is only telling you this for your own good. Why not listen to him and give him a chance to explain himself? Hanuman is loyal to his friends and it is not fair that you kill him just because he is here to warn you about what his friends might do to you. Why don't you show him the truth of your words instead and kill Rama first? Actions speak louder than words Ravana."
Ravana chews over everything that Vibhishana just said and decides that Vibhishana is absolutely right. But Ravana isn't content with just letting Hanuman off with a warning. No God, let alone a foolish Monkey God, can walk in here and just insult him the way that he did. So without warning, Ravana sets Hanuman's tail on fire and tells the court to dismiss him and throw him out in the forest. The guards pick Hanuman and his burning tail up and start guiding him to the gates of the city. Before they realize what's going on, Hanuman turns around, whips his tail, and quietly but quickly sends out a curse that burns the entire city of Lanka down. 

(Image Information: Photo retrieved from Ravana burning Hanuman's tail)

Author's Note: I chose this story because when I was doing my reading assignment earlier, I realized that the story of Rama and Hanuman in itself, could have so many added details and dialogue. I was already imagining the extra events and details when reading and when I saw this as one of the prompts, I decided it was a great way to portray what I was thinking in my head when reading the story. My main goal of this story was to show what Ravana and Hanuman were thinking while they were interacting.

Bibliography: Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana.

Week 3: Reading Diary B

The Ramayana by R.K Narayan
Reading Notes: Pages 131-171.

Important Notes:

• Hanuman rescues Sita. Right as she is thinking about committing suicide, he comes in, shows her the jewelry, and destroys the Ashoka Vana where Sita is kept guarded
• Hanuman comes up with a plan and gets himself captured by Ravana's son Indrajit. He tells Ravana to surrender to Rama but Ravana is stubborn and doesn't want to listen. Instead he burns the tail of Hanuman and in turn, Hanuman burns the entire city down
• Ravana is mad that a monkey, of all animals, attacked him and his city. Vibhishana offers Ravana really good advice and tells him about all the curses he is under and that he should release Sita. Ravana rejects the advice because he feels almighty and powerful.
• Vibhishana comes to Rama and asks for asylum
• Rama then asks the sea god to help him cross the sea to Lanka. 
• Ravana tries really hard to trick Sita and convince her that Rama and Lakshman are dead
• The battle gets really really intense. Rama defeats Kumbakarna and Mahodara. Lakshman defeats Indrajit. 
• Rama and Ravana fight and Ravana is finally defeated
• Sita is put to the test of purity by Rama
• Rama returns to Ayodha

Thoughts and Predictions: 

• When Ravana tries to trick Sita and Vishnu breaks the power of Rama's stun and brings him to Ravana, where is Sita then? It's almost like she just disappears. If she had been with Ravana at that time, it would have been the perfect opportunity for her to return to Rama
• I feel like it's really weird that Rama out of all people doubts Sita. Sita is so loyal and loving towards him and Rama is usually so trusting. But I guess everyone has their doubts sometimes and Sita was Ravana's captive for a very long time...
• I'm happy that Rama finally returns to Ayodha. It's sad that he spent 14 years in exile and went through so many problems and battles. But it's also great to see how fast time flew by and how him, Sita, Lakshman, and Hanuman made it through. 

Week 3: Reading Diary A

The Ramayana  by R.K Narayan
Reading Notes. Pages 89-130.

Important Notes:

• Ravana kidnaps Sita against her will and takes her away 
• Hanuman, the God Monkey, is finally introduced. He is very loyal to Sugriva. 
• Sugriva promises Rama that if they help him defeat Vali, then Sugriva will help them find Sita 
• Rama once again helps defeat someone bad. He help Lakshman, Hanuman, and Sugriva defeat Vali. Rama uses his arrow and Vali recognizes it and first deems the entire situation wrong but then changes his opinion right before he dies. 
• Sugriva is so caught up in how own life that he forgets his promise to Rama. Lakshman ends up going to visit and Sugriva and arranges a meeting for him and Rama. 
• Search parties are sent out for Sita. Hanuman and Angada reach the end of the ocean and still cannot find Sita anywhere
• Sampathi in return for Rama giving her wings, tells Rama that she saw Ravana take Sita to Lanka

 

Predictions and Thoughts: 

• My first predictions were right about Ravana! Ravana kidnapped Sita against her wishes and took her. I'm surprised he didn't just take her back to his kingdom and instead is taking Rama and Lakshmana on a goose chase. 
• I don't understand why Hanuman disguised himself as a scholar when Rama and Lakshman came.. He seems like a character that I could follow. 
• I really don't like Vali. He seems very short-tempered and unreasonable. I also can't believe that he stole his brother's wife. I wish we could hear the wife's story and thoughts. Maybe about running away and staying with her husband or liking Vali from the beginning and just using Sugriva? 
• When I read that part about the curse and Mount Matanga, I instantly assumed that Hanuman, Lakshman, and Rama would get Vali to come to Mount Matanga and that way they wouldn't even have to fight him, the curse would kill him. But he was defeated another way. 
• What I noticed while reading this was how much time has passed since Sita has been away.. Rama and Lakshman spend an entire rainy season in the forest. I feel like that's a lot of time and I wonder what Sita must be going through. I wish we could hear her side of the story right now. 
• It's so cool to see the effect Rama still has on others. For example, when Sampathi hears Rama's name, her wings instantly grow back. Rama has such great bonds and connections with almost everyone he meets.