Indian Epics

For this weeks story lab I chose to take a look at the Writer's Write website. Below are some of the articles that I found interesting. Harry Potter and The Not Very Good Writing The author talks about how J.K. Rowling is getting worse as an author. For a children's book Harry Potter is very long. It also includes many characters that don't serve a real meaning. She also includes excessive description that can distract from the actual plot. How to Write The Tragic Love Story - A 10-Step Formula 1. Immediate attraction/ love at first sight 2. Forbidden love 3. Fight their feelings 4. Eventually give into feelings - short lived 5. always forces keeping them apart 6. Lovers kept apart but long for eachother 7. They get back togehter 8. Moment of truth 9. One/both die 10. Those left behind realize their mistake.

I decided to continue reading the graphic novel about Bhagavat for my reading this week. This second part is titled Krishna: The Subduer of Kaliya. It begins with the people of Gokul settling in Vrindavana. Balarama and Krishna take the cattle to the forest but while they are there they encounter two demons. One is a black calf and one looks like a crane. They defeat them both. Another demon in the form of a serpent tries to attack them but Krishna also defeats it. Krishna fights a water snake with 100 heads, named Kaliya. He allows him to live as long as he doesn't poison the water. Pralamba, an asura, tries to fly away with Balarama but he kills him. Krishna saves the cattle from a fire by sucking the flames in with his mouth. Bhagawat Comic Bibligraphy: Bhagawat: The Krishna Avatar by Anar Chitra Katha Publication

This week I chose to read the graphic novel, Bhagawat: The Krishna Avatar. Part A is titled The Darling of Gokul. This story starts with Arjuna's grandson Parikshit. Parikshit asks to hear the story of Krishna. This story begins when Devaki and Vasudeva are married. They receive a prophecy that their eighth child will kill Kamsa. Kamsa puts them in prison and kills their children as they are born. The 7th and 8th children, Balarama and Krishna, are secretly taken to Gokul to be raised. Kamsa sends Pootana to kill the children but Krishna defeats her. It turns out he is the reincarnation of Vishnu. Yashoda sees the universe in her sons mouth. He is a very mischievous child. Bhagawat Comic Bibligraphy: Bhagawat: The Krishna Avatar by Anar Chitra Katha Publication

Gandhari listened on from the main hall as her father and Bhishma. She knew they were talking about her and from the sounds of it she had just received another marriage proposal. “But he’s a prince!” Bhishma insisted. “My daughter can’t marry a man like that.” Her father replied angrily. A man like what? Ghandari wondered as she continued to listen on for clues as to whom they were talking about. Suddenly she heard a loud band as the door to her father’s office flew open. She tried to act natural, pretending to be engrossed in a book that had been open in her lap. “Daughter, Bhishma has a proposal for you. The prince Dhiritarashtra, from Kuru. The only problem is he’s blind. I understand if you don’t want to have to live with this for the rest of your life. Say the word and I’ll send him away.” Ghandari was shocked that her father would think she was that shallow. She rolled her eyes as she thought about it. People in the kingdom were always calling her stuck up and selfish. If on...

This part starts with the Pandava's exile in the forest. Arjuna goes away to find weapons.Duhshasana and Duryodhana plan to stage an attack to kill them. Hidimbi is sent to kill them but falls in love with Bhima, and makes herself beautiful. He falls in love with her too and kills her brother. They get married and have a son who's a magician. Her and her son leave to a different world. Vyasa tells the Pandava's to visit wise men. He intervenes when Duryodhana threatens them. Film Adaptation of Mahabharata Bibliography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EENh1hxkD6E&t=0m5s Title:   The Mahabharata Director : Peter Brook Scriptwriters:   Jean-Claude Carriere and Peter Brook Year:  1989

This week I continued to watch Brook's Mahabharata. This second part picks up before the game of dice. Krishna tells the Pandavas and Draupadi that Yudhishithira will be king. Dhiritarashtra gives the Pandavas a piece of his kingdom which angers Bhima. Duryodhana wants war. He visits the Pandavas palace and runs into invisible walls. The Pandavas mock him which makes him even more angry. The game of dice begins and Shakuni, a cheater, plays in Duryodhana's place. Yudhishthira gambles away his brothers, himself, and Draupadi. Duhshana tries to remove Draupadi's clothes but she prays and the Sari extends endlessly.Draupadi asks for her husbands freedom. Yudhisthira goes back for another round.They lose and are exiled for 12 years. Film Adaptation of Mahabharata Bibliography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EENh1hxkD6E&t=0m5s Title:   The Mahabharata Director : Peter Brook Scriptwriters:   Jean-Claude Carriere and Peter Brook Year:  1989

For my Story Lab I decided to read EmpoWord and the chapter on telling a story. It talks about how storytelling is often a part of our writing and thinking. It can be seen in things like music or science. When telling a story it is important to narrow your scope to include only the important details. Things like pacing are also relevant with it being important to give consideration to how much time each event is given. I also learned about the different POVs and the different techniques I can use. One thing that stood out to me was the part about dialogue. I've been trying to incorporate dialog into my story and sometimes it's difficult to make it flow. I feel like this chapter taught me skills that I can use as I continue to write my storybook. Writing Bibliography: https://content.library.pdx.edu/files/PDXScholar/empoword/96/#zoom=z

I decided to do my extra credit reading on Gandhari: A Mother Blinded by Love. In the comic she receives a blessing from Shiva that she will have 100 sons. She marries Dhritarashtra the blind. In order to share his burden she blindfolds herself. She gives birth to a lump and cuts it up into 101 pieces and puts each in a jar of ghee. They take shape in 2 years and form 100 sons and a daughter. The eldest brays like a donkey when he is born which symbolizes a bad omen. When he grows up he is jealous of his cousins the 5 Pandavas (Pandu and Kunti's sons). He tries to poison his cousin Bhima but fails. They play the dice game. Ghandari Comic Bibliography: Gandhari: A Mother Blinded by Love

For my reading notes this week I chose to watch the film adaptation of the Mahabharata. I enjoyed this version because it was interesting to see it in the form of a movie. The movie contains people from all different cultures. Vyasa tells the story of the three women who Bhima wins. One leaves because she is love with another king. Their husband dies and the two women have to sleep with Vyasa to have babies. One baby is blind and the other is pale. The pale one, Pandu, is cursed and if he sleeps with his wife he will die.His wife Kunti has a special mantra. She calls down the sun God and has a baby with him. I liked the way the movie is easy to understand and fun to watch. I'm looking forward to watching more of it. Film Adaptation of Mahabharata Bibliography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EENh1hxkD6E&t=0m5s Title:   The Mahabharata Director : Peter Brook Scriptwriters:   Jean-Claude Carriere and Peter Brook Year:  1989

-The townspeople thought the Sun God had appeared to them but Krishna told them it was just Satrajit wearing the Sun God's jewel. -he gave it to his brother Pasena, who was an evil man. Because of this the gem would bring him death. He was killed by the lion. -Jambavat, King of the Bears, gave it to son as a toy. -People tried to blame Pasenas death on Krishna. -Krishna married Satyabhama and some of the men killed her father in jealousy. -Akrura found the gem in his garments and gave it to Krishna, but he kept it and renounced women. -Krishna and Rukmani's first son is Pradyumna, He is meant to kill the demon Sambara, Sambara took him and threw him in the sea but a fish caught him and swallowed him whole.A woman found him in the fish and kept him. She taught him how to fight. -Pradyumna and Rukmavati marry. -Balarama kills Rukmi by shattering his skull with dice after he is insulted. Krishna and Jambavati Bibliography: Kincaid. Shri Krishna of Dwarka http...

-Krishna was born as a reincarnation of Vishnu. Out of a piece of his hair. -Kamsa puts his sister and brother in law in jail. -The eighth child is born and Krishna's father escaped the jail and switched him with a baby girl. -Krishna grows up to be a naughty boy. -He steals butter from the neighborhood women. -He saved his friends from the serpent. -Many demons are sent to kill him but he defeats them all -His mother catches him eating mud but when she looks she sees the universe in his mouth. -This is when she accepts that he is something special -He falls in love with Rhada Krishna  as a child Bibliography: Kincaid. Shri Krishna of Dwarka http://iereadingguides.blogspot.com/2015/12/reading-guide-kincaid-krishna-chapter-1.html

This week I chose to do the story lab. I chose to watch the two Ted talks on stories and friends.The first Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks  about her experience growing in the U.S. with her Nigerian roots. In her talk she stresses the importance of not judging a person or country on a single story we hear about them. Often we see picture and things in the news and make assumptions based on that. We need to understand that there is more to a culture than we see and there is not one specific stereotype that everyone fits into. The second stalk was about imaginary friends and their consequences. Jennifer Barnes, a ya author, talks about the emotions we feel for fiction and their characters. We spend so much time on books, movies, tv shows, that are fiction. One of the things that draws us to fiction is the relationships we form with characters. These relationships are called parasocial because we don't know them. Ted Talks logo Bibliography: two TED talks about stor...

- Brahma sees Krishna sharing his food and he questions this. He decides to kidnap Krishna's friends but Krishna recreated them to trick Brahma. - Krishna plays his flute to calm the bull Hastin. He then rides it. -His family refuses to let him marry Rhada. He reveals his true identity as a God and savior of the people. -Kamsa sends Akrur to trick Krishna and invite him to a dinner but he tells him Kamsa's plan. -Kamsa attacks Krishna with elephant but Krishna is stronger. -Kamsa orders his army to attack and Krishna and his brother defeat them. Krishna kills Kamsa. Krishna and Rhada Bibliography:  Epified Krishna Videos

This week I decided to watch the Epified videos about Krishna's story. I like watching these videos because I feel like they give me a better understanding of the stories. Kamsa learns that Devaki (his cousin's) 8th child will hill him so he puts her and her husband in jail. He killed her first 6 but the 8th was a God so he couldn't touch him. This son was Krishna. Vasudev exchanged Krishna for Maya to protect him. Maya was actually Durga Krishna kills Putana  When his mother caught him eating mud, she made him open his mouth to see that the universe was inside him. He played the flute Krishna loved the dancer Rhada  Lord Krishna with his Flute  Bibliography: Epified: Krishna.  Web Source

For my second extra reading assignment I decided to continue watching the videos I started the other day. While I do think reading the original text I think that this can be very beneficial as well. I especially enjoyed the story about the Pandavas and how it was told here. A few things that I think could've made it better would have been if there was color. I preferred the film Sita Sings the Blues because of its more movie like qualities. It could have been more enjoyable if it used more of a storytelling technique. Karmic Revolution Bibliography: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrWYQjLLbXcitH65DQccwo3hSnsA05JV4

For my extra Mahabharata reading I decided to watch the videos  Karmic Revolution by Epified TV. The thing I like about watching videos is it can give me a better understanding of what was going on in the story and when. It breaks the story down so I'm able to understand it more. Because the Mahabharata was so complex this was especially useful to me. I will probably continue to watch this for more of my extra reading. Karmic Revolution Bibliography: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrWYQjLLbXcitH65DQccwo3hSnsA05JV4

So far I'm happy with the progress I've maIde. I feel like my writing has improved and I've gotten better at understanding the stories we have to read. I'm most proud of my writing and I feel like I've become more creative. I've been using the extra credit comments option. In the future I would like to spend more time on my stories to avoid grammatical errors and add more attention to detail. The Golden Deer Source:  Wikimedia

I feel like throughout this class I've improved my writing skills. Being able to read about something and create a story from it has made me think more creatively. Receiving feedback from other students is very helpful to me because it helps me see ways I can improve my skills and I can see my story from different views. So far I am happy with the work I've done on my blog and storybook. I would like to go back and fix a few grammar errors or parts where the stories could flow better. I think I could include more detail in some parts too. I feel like my reading notes help me make a note of stories that have caught my eye that I would like to recreate. Rama and Sita. Source:  Flickr This image is one of my favorites because I feel like this class has focused so much on the story of Rama and Sita. I really like the colors in this picture and you can see their love for each other. 

Duryodhana plans to take Krishna captive but this backfires because Krishna transforms into his divine form. Karna tells Kunit that he will only attack Arjuna A battle takes place. Krishna shows Arjuna a sermon called the Song of the Lord to prepare him for battle. Arjuna fatally wounds Bhishma and Karna takes his place. Arjuna's son is killed in the battle.  Drona is killed. Duryodhana is killed by Bhima and Krishna says its Karma. Yudhishthira becomes king.  Everyone dies and Arjuna's grandson is king continuing the Pandavas legacy. Image source : Bhima and Duryodhana Bibliography:   The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic , R.K. Naraya

Duryodhana makes a plan to humiliate the Pandavas. The plan fails as he is captured by the gandharvas and the Pandavas have to save him. The Pandavas come across a lake and they drink from it and they die because they refuse to answer questions. Yudhishthira answers the test from his father Yama and his brothers are resurrected. They are awarded unrecognizability during their 13th year exile. They spend this 13th year in King Virata's court. Draupadi is raped by the queens brother. Bhima squeezes him to death.  Duryodhana gets suspicious when he hears what happens. His ally Susharman proposes a cattle raid. Prince Uttara learns about it and the Pandava's reveal their identity to him.  Uttara (king Vitra's daughter) and Abhimanyu (Arjunas son) are married. They start preparing for war with Duryodhana. Image source : Bhima and Kichaka Bibliography:   The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic , R.K. Narayan