Famous Last Words for Week 2

This week has been quite hectic. On top of all of my schoolwork, I have been preparing for the first speech tournament of the semester, which requires me to have to memorize a ten-minute speech, and relearn all of my pieces. I am leaving in three hours for Texas, and I am hoping that I do well!

I learned in this class this week, that my proofreading skills when it comes to story-like writing need quite a bit of improvement. I am really good at academic proofreading since I am a communication major, but the kind of proofreading we have to do for this class is much different for me. I will continue to work on it, though and improve. Even if it does seem difficult for me right now, I will not give up.

I really enjoyed working on the Storybook project assignment for this week, because it helped me learn more about a subject that I really like—karma—and taught me about a new subject that I am also starting to like—dharma. I also enjoyed writing my storytelling post for this week, because it was centered on one of my favorite scenes from what we read in The Ramayana in which Ravana goes crazy for his love for Sita (whom he has never even met). I thought the scene was hilarious and really wanted to write about it for that assignment, so I was happy with the result.

In my Japanese class we started a new chapter that has a lot of new concepts and vocabulary. I have been good all week about reviewing the material outside of class, though, so I feel like I understand them pretty well. We had a vocabulary quiz this morning, and I am pretty sure that I aced it! In my intercultural communication class we learned about how the field started, and the definition of culture. I am really enjoying my classes this semester because they are pretty much all centered on countries that aren’t the United States, so they all provide me with extra learning opportunities.

Also, Chobani now makes green tea flavored yogurt. I love anything that is green tea flavored, and this new item did not disappoint. It was delicious, and I am quite sad that it is only out for a limited time.

Image information: Personal Photo of Green Tea Chobani; photo from January 2015.

Possible Storybook Topics

1)   Possible Topic: Karma

I have always been interested in the concept of karma, and I am a strong believe in the power of it. I think that it would be interesting for me to further my research into the topic so that I can understand it even better. I know that I could make some good stories out of the concept of karma coming around to punish people who have done wrong, or rewarding those who have done well. I am also a Libra, so I love the concept of balance.

Research So Far:

I looked at the Wikipedia links that were given in the topics guide. I always forget that karma can carry into your next life under the belief of the Hindu. I learned that it is not fate itself, and in fact translates to words like “deed” and “act” in the English language. I also didn’t know that karma is divided into three categories, and that there are beings whom control karma’s effects.

2)   Possible Topic: Dharma

I have always heard the word “dharma” but I never quite knew what it was. Curious, I decided to look at it as one of the Storybook topics, and I found myself to be very interested in it. I really like the concept of dharma as must as I like the concept for karma, so I would really enjoy looking more into it.

Research So Far:

Again, I looked at the Wikipedia link given on the topics page so that I could learn about it. I also looked at the About page that was given. I learned that dharma is like karma, but had a broader effect, it is worldwide instead of linked to a single person, and it asks that people do their part in order to keep the world in balance. But it can of course be linked to the individual as well.

3)   Possible Topic: Minor Gods (Probably Agni or Yama)

Whenever I learn about mythology from other countries, I have always been more interested in learning about the minor gods than I have about the main gods. I feel like the minor gods are where I generally find the stories that I enjoy the most. I also feel that since there are so many minor gods, it would be interesting to choose one for the Storybook project. When it comes to picking a minor god, I would probably pick between Agni or Yama.

Research So Far:

I looked at the two Wikipedia links that were given for both Yama and Agni. I enjoy the fact that Agni serves two purposes, as the god of fire and as a messenger. I also learned that Agni had three different births, each at a different level of being: heaven, earth, and mid-space. I learned that Yama is the god who keeps track of dharma and the deeds of the people on earth. Yama also has a twin sister that sometimes appears in the epics, and Yama’s name even means “twin”.

Image Information: Agni God of Fire; Web Source: Wikimedia Commons

4)   Possible Topic: Saraswati

I did not know who Saraswati was until I was looking at the pages of the minor gods and clicked on a link in one of those pages. Once I read about her, I enjoyed her and decided that I would like to learn more about her. Since she is the goddess of music, arts, and learning I felt the need to learn more about her. I have always been interested in the arts having been classically voice trained, I played violin for five years, I have been in speech and debate for seven years, and I have acted since middle school. So, since I am into the arts, I wanted to learn more about the goddess of the arts.

Research So Far:

From her Wikipedia page, I learned that she posses powers of purity and healing. She is often seen sitting on a white lotus and a musical instrument, which symbolizes her purity and her part in being the goddess of the arts. The instrument that she is playing, which is often a lute or a veena also represents the sciences as well. She is often also seen around a peacock, and I love peacocks.

Image Information: Saraswati with Instrument and Peacock; Web Source: Wikimedia Commons

Storytelling for Week 2: Ravana in Love

He was at it again…

Vayu, Yama, and Agni watched their roommate Ravana as he went about doing rather strange tasks. However, it hadn’t been the first time they had seen the man do these kinds of things. The first time had been when he had failed a class, the second time had been when he had a twenty paged paper due in nine hours that he hadn’t even began at that point, and the third time had been when he had stayed up for 50 hours straight playing videogames. This was the fourth time in a year and it was tiring, yet they had already signed a housing contract to live with him next year as well.

What was he doing, you ask? Quite bizarre things.

He couldn’t decide whether or not he wanted the fan in his bedroom to be on or off. He said he was too cold when it was on, and too hot when it was off.

He couldn’t stand still. He had been pacing the entire apartment since early this morning after he had gotten back from the gym.

He kept turning his light on and off again. He was either being given too much light from the thing, or not enough at all.

In short, he was irrational.

“We must figure out what it wrong with him this time. I can’t deal with him when he is like this,” Agni muttered in annoyance.

“Who will do it, though?” Yama asked, looking at the other two men wearily.

Suddenly, Agni had his finger to his nose, “The nose goes,” he claimed, and Yama followed in suit.

Vayu huffed, “That’s not fair, guys. I had to talk him down from this last time.” The other two didn’t care, though. Yama was the long-winded one after all. He was good at talking.

With another huff, Vayu approached Ravana cautiously. “My roommate, whatever is the matter?”

“Can you quiet down? Your voice is much too loud,” Ravana snapped, flipping his light switch and then his switch for the fan yet again.

“I’m sorry, but we’re worried about you,” Vayu responded, this time in a whisper.

Stomping his foot, Ravana glared at the other, “What is wrong with you, man? Your voice is much too soft, speak with more gusto!”

Vayu felt like slapping the other man. “Ravana, what is wrong? Are you having trouble with school, again?”

“No, of course not!” Ravana snapped. “It is only the fourth week of the semester, my grades are fine!”

“Then what’s wrong if it isn’t school?” Vayu persisted; he was going to settle this so that Ravana would calm down.

“It’s her. While I was at the gym, I heard about a…a… goddess. I heard her voice, and I heard the other men speak of her, but I did not lay my eyes on her face. I do know that she is the most beautiful woman in the world, though.”

Shaking his head, Vayu crossed his arms. All this for a woman? Ridiculous. “If you didn’t even see her, then how could you know? You are being irrational, and it's possible that you could never even see her again.”

Clasping a hand on the other man’s shoulder, Ravana got very close to him with a serious expression. “A man just knows. She is the one, and I love her already. The others said that she has been at the gym every Tuesday morning this month around the same time. And I have to see her and ask her to be my girlfriend!”

Ravana could definitely be irrational at times, and this was definitely one of them. He was already in love with this woman and he hadn’t even seen her yet. Vayu knew he was crazy, but the only way to calm his roommate would be to let him work this out whether through seeing the woman again, or letting it out of his system through his bizarre antics. “Alright, then. Make sure to go to the gym at that time next week and find her. Do you know her name?”

“Yes, yes I do,” Ravana replied with gusto, “Her name is Sita, a beautiful name for a beautiful soul.”

Vayu nodded, “Okay, then. Next week, go and ask this Sita out and she will hopefully say yes.” Or at least he hoped that she would say yes so that his roommate would calm down and be normal again for a while.

Ravana did seem to calm down a little, and there was a longing in his eyes. “I will do that. By this time next week, Sita will be mine!” 

Standard Gym. Web Source: Wikimedia Commons

Author's Note:

During The Ramayana, Ravana learns of Sita from his sister as a ploy to get him to take out Rama for her. She tells him about Sita’s beauty and expresses how wonderful she is to him. Ravan then falls deeply in love with her and begins to become incredibly indecisive and frankly, nearly crazy. It disturbs the gods that he has captive within his palace because he is practically taking it out on them.

I really liked this part of The Ramayana, and when I read it I thought that it sounded like a typical college student when they have some sort of large discovery and don't know what to do with themselves (of course not as drastically as Ravana, though). I pretty much wanted to make a story that would make people laugh and think of friends who have done the same kinds of things Ravana was doing in his pining for love.

Instead of his sister telling him about Sita, I thought Ravana could learn of her at the gym because I see posts on social media about people pining over other at the gym all the time. Since the three gods already live in Ravana's palace, I thought they would make good roommates. Since he learned about Sita at the gym and isn't going to war with Rama in thanks to his sister, I thought I would leave that out. Perhaps he could go to war with Rama after learning he is already Sita's boyfriend, though.

Bibliography:

The image is what I imagine when I think of a standard gym, it was found at Wikimedia Commons. 

Story retold from pages 74-78: 

Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic.

Week 2 Reading Diary B: Rama and Soorpanaka's Anger

I was glad that Bharatha was against his mother’s plot to have him take the throne instead of Rama, and that he shamed her for doing such a thing. And although he was so angry, he spared her life because he has such a great respect for Rama, and it was something that Rama himself would have done (page 58). He seems like someone who is as pure hearted as Rama himself is, especially since he decided to go after his brother and bring him back from exile. He, like everyone else cares for Rama so much that he wants him to take the throne instead of him, but since Rama is a man of his word he unsurprisingly says no (page 60). I wish he would have agreed and went home, because since this is still only the first half of an epic, there is no telling what’ll happen during his fourteen years in the forest. And of course, the first problem comes when Rama finds Soorpanaka, who reminded me of a siren from The Odyssey but of course Rama did not fall into her trap when she fell in love with him and tried to make him hers (page 67). But of course, poor Sita is targeted by this scorned woman until Lakshmana notices and saves his brother’s wife (page 69). And of course, like any story, Lakshmana should have killed Soorpanaka when he had the chance because she wanted vengeance. I found her brother, and the almighty god, Ravana to be annoying, especially in his temper tantrum where he gets so moody, I knew he would not be good news. I felt sad when he killed poor Jatayu who was to be like a father to them, when the bird had done so much to save Situ from Ravana’s grasp. I believe his last words though, and that Rama will get her back (page 89).

I feel bad for poor Sita for abducted by Ravana who is so in love with her beauty.

Ravana and Sita. Web Source: Wikimedia Commons