Reading Notes: Public Domain Mahabharata, Part A

Vyasa and Ganesha
The story of Vyasa's birth definitely caught my attention.

King Shantanu and Ganga
In this scene, Ganga basically weds Shantanu if he promises not to tell her what to do. She then proceeds to kill all of their children. Shantanu finally gets fed up and breaks the marriage vow. He had no idea that this was all part of a plan to return the Vasus to celestial beings. At the end of the scene, Ganga explains and presents him with a son who had the virtues of all the Vasus. This was an interesting story that I think it would be fun to change up.

King Shantanu and Satyavati 
At the end of this scene, King Shantanu requests to marry Satyavati, but the fisherman declines unless Shantanu will promise to make their son the heir. Shantanu can't do that to Devavrata. This reminded me of when Rama had to complete the challenge to marry Sita, which was one of my favorite scenes of The Ramayana. It is interesting to me all the deals that fathers strike up before they will give their daughters away in marriage.

Devavrata's Vow
In this scene, Devavrata gives up his right to the throne so that Shantanu may marry the love of his life. This is such a selfless act! It would be fun to create a new story out of this.

Bhishma at the Swayamvara
Here we see another contest to win someone's love! This scene was actually more similar to the Rama/Sita scene that I referenced earlier. This reminded me of the story that I created for my Ramayana/Harry Potter mashup. Maybe I could incorporate this somehow in a new story.

Amba
In this scene, Amba deals with a rejection similar to rejection in the modern day. I think this story could easily transformed to be something more modern. I liked all of the emotion and anger. It would be easy to transform.

Kunti and Her Son
Radha finds the baby floating in a basket down the river.

Pandu and His Wives
Pandu shoots the deer which was actually a brahmin. He is then cursed to die in the arms of one of his wives. This would be an interesting scene to make a story out of.

Bhima and the Nagas
Duryodhana poisons Bhima and throws him into the Ganges, where he it attacked by snakes. However, the poisons of the snakes counteracts the original poison...this was an unexpected twist.

Ekalavya

He longed to be taught by Drona, but could not because he was one of the Bhils. So he proved himself and then cut off his thumb for Drona. I thought this was an odd scene.

The Arrival of Karna

This scene is interesting because Karna and Arjuna do not realize that they are brothers. This scene would be really fun to make a story out of. There is a lot of room for creativity!

Duryodhana's Jealousy

This scene is filled with jealousy and evil. I think it would be another fun scene to make a story about.

Source: http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/mahabharata-online-public-domain-edition.html

(Devavrata giving up his right to the throne. Source)

Improving My Feedback Focus

The first technique I tried was reading out loud. This definitely helped to improve my focus. I often have trouble staying focused. Especially when I'm reading, I will often notice my mind drifting. Whenever I am reading a textbook and notice that I am not paying attention, I will usually go back and re-read that portion out loud. Reading aloud slows me down a lot, so it isn't something that I will use all the time. But if I need to be re-focused, this is a good tool to get my mind back into what I'm reading.

Next, I tried the copy-and-delete strategy. I loved this strategy! It was very similar to taking notes, but I liked the organization of this method a lot better than typical notes. What I ended up with was similar to a summary. This would be very helpful for a lot of my classes.

Lastly, I tried setting a timer and spending 10 minutes reading a story. This method really surprised me because I read the story a lot faster than I thought I would. This made me realize that I was rushing through it and not taking enough time to really appreciate the story. I think that setting a timer is great for things that I really need to make myself slow down on, especially this class! I think that this strategy will help me give a lot better feedback to others' stories.

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Overall, I think that the copy-and-delete strategy was my favorite. This strategy would be especially helpful for longer readings. Reading out loud is really only helpful for me with shorter readings or just to get my mind re-focused. I think that the timed reading will be especially helpful for this class, but I'm not sure when else I will use it. I think that all three strategies are very helpful, but all in different contexts!

(This rabbit seems very focused...he's probably reading out loud. Wikimedia)

Story: Sandy & Rob

Sandy and Rob were the perfect couple. They were the typical high school sweethearts who had been dating for years. Sandy was the captain of the cheerleading squad and Rob was the quarterback of the football team. Many boys had eyes for Sandy, but Sandy only saw Rob. She was the most faithful and good-hearted girlfriend. However, there was one boy who had fallen especially hard for Sandy. His name was Ravi and he had always dreamed of being with Sandy. He looked for any slip up by Rob to make his move. Unfortunately for Ravi, Rob was just as faithful as Sandy.

But on one fateful day, Ravi approached Sandy with news that he thought would change both of their lives forever.

It was halftime of a Friday night football game when Ravi approached her. “Hey Sandy, can I talk to you?” Ravi asked.

“Of course!” Sandy exclaimed with a smile, “What’s up?”

Ravi pulled Sandy aside, as not to make a scene. “Unfortunately, it’s not the best news…”

Ravi proceeded to tell Sandy how he had seen Rob with another girl. He told her about how he wanted to give Rob the benefit of the doubt, but then he saw him kiss the girl. Knowing that Sandy wouldn’t believe it, he pulled out photo evidence.

“I’m sorry Sandy. I know this is kind of creepy and maybe not my place, but I just wanted to protect you. You are a beautiful and amazing girl. Nobody wants to see you get hurt or taken advantage of.”

Sandy couldn’t believe her ears. How could Rob betray her? She didn’t want to believe what she was hearing, but it was hard to dismiss the evidence that was sitting right in front of her. Her face burned red and her eyes welled up with tears. She looked to the ground to try to hide the emotions that were overwhelming her body. She would give anything to be anywhere but here in this moment.

“I’m so sorry, Sandy,” Ravi said with a sympathetic look on his face. He moved closer and placed a hand on her shoulder as he softly whispered, “you deserve a lot better”.

Sandy felt disgusted. Regardless of what she deserved, she didn’t want anyone else. Just as she was about to thank Ravi for his kindness, he moved even closer. He put his arm around her. While Sandy knew that he was only trying to comfort her, she felt uneasy.

“I’m sorry Ravi, I just don’t feel comfortable with this. Rob may have hurt me, but I am still his girlfriend. I will be faithful to him until the end. No amount of information could change my mind about this.”

Annoyed, Ravi stood abruptly and threw the photos to the ground. Without another word, he stormed away.

Sandy was confused by his ridiculous behavior, but was happy to be left alone.

She looked to the ground and picked up the photos. How could it be true? This was not the Rob she knew.

Then she noticed something.

The pictures looked odd. When she looked closer, she realized some major distortion on the photos. These pictures have been edited! Instantly, she felt like a fool for believing Ravi. How disgusting that he would use these phony photos to try to steal her away from Rob. Sandy felt relieved that it wasn’t true, but furious that Ravi could be so devious. 

(The football game where Ravi confronted Sandy. Source)

Author’s note: In the scene “Rama Attacks” from the Public Domain Edition of the Ramayana, Ravana tries to trick Sita into believing that Rama has been killed so that he can have her for himself. He even uses false evidence. For my story, Rob was inspired by Rama, Sandy was Sita, and Ravi was Ravana. I was inspired by some of the other stories I’ve read where the Ramayana was transformed into a more modern tale. In this scene, I was moved by Sita’s continuing faithfulness to Rama. I also thought that Ravana’s tricks were very typical to the everyday evils and temptations that we face. These were the themes that I wanted to reflect in my story.

Bibliography:Public Domain Edition Ramayana: Rama Attacks

http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/pde-ramayana-rama-attacks.html

Reading Notes: Public Domain Ramayana, Part D

Rama Attacks
In this scene, Ravana tries to trick Sita into believing that Rama has been slain. She believes him and immediately wishes to join him in death. However, she soon realizes that this was a trick. I think that her loyalty to Rama is truly beautiful. Ravana seems to have endless tricks up his sleeve, as many evil forces in our lives do...trying to trick us into making poor decisions. I think this could be turned into a more modern story somehow.

Indrajit
In this scene, Garuda comes to the aid of Rama and Lakshmana when they appeared to be dead. Unfortunately, Ravana showed Sita the image of Rama and Lakshmana appearing to be lifeless on the ground. I can only imagine her despair at this time.

Kumbhakarna
This was an interesting scene. Kumbhakarna is the sleeping giant who wakes to eat scary amounts of food, animals, and people. It was a little strange, but I think you could make a modern spinoff somehow.

Lakshmana and Indrajit
This time, Indrajit tries to convince Rama that Sita has been slain. Again, Sita and Rama's love is extremely apparent. These scenes really touch my heart and would be easy to re-tell in a modern way.

At the end of the scene, Lakshmana kills Indrajit.

Ravana's Lament
This scene actually made me sympathize for Ravana. No father wants to have to bury his son. His lament was surprisingly heartfelt and emotional. However, his reaction to kill Sita was unwarranted. I'm glad that they did not let him go through with that plan!

Indra's Chariot
I had almost forgotten that the gods were the ones who planned for Rama to defeat Ravana. This is such an interesting plot of the story.

Mandodari's Lament
This lament was very heartfelt and sad. I know that it is custom for these men to have several wives, but it was send when Mandodari talked about him wanting Sita and forgetting about his wife. I think that this could be turned into a modern story. There is still the underlying theme of forgetting what you already have and lusting over what you wish you had.

Sita and Rama
I hate this part. I was excited for Sita and Rama to be reunited and this was rather devastating. Sita was kidnapped and raped...this was not her fault, but Rama is no longer attached to her.

Sita Tested
I loved that Sita stood up for herself and demanded that everyone know the truth. She is a very powerful female character and I would like to write more stories about her and maybe about this scene.

Here, Rama also learns the truth about who he is and what he was meant to do.

Rama and Bharata
Here, Rama comes back and the sandals are placed back on his feet!

Valmiki's Hermitage
I could not believe that after all that Rama would banish Sita. However, I love the part of the scene when Rama comes across the two sons that he doesn't know are his.

Source: http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/ramayana-online-public-domain-edition.html

(My favorite part of today's reading was when Sita was tested and protected from the fire. Source)

Story: Vali's Revenge

My name is Vali. I am a strong, powerful leader and I have had many opportunities to display my great strength. I have a brother whose name is Sugriva. He is also a very powerful fighter. Unfortunately, he is not as dependable as I am. Being reliable is essential to being a leader, but Sugriva is an evil traitor. Family values are of utmost importance to me and I refuse to accept someone who has no respect for blood. As we speak, I am on my way to engage him in battle. Before we begin, I will give you the backstory.

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Years ago, I was fighting an enemy who took our battle beneath the surface of the earth. Timid to travel underground, I made Sugriva promise me that he would watch the mouth of the hole and wait for my return.

Sugriva promised.

The battle raged on for months upon months, but I finally killed the foe. I was exhausted but excited to share the news with my brother. I hurried up the tunnel, but when I reached the top…it was filled in. I had no escape—I was stuck underground! I had used every ounce of my strength killing this beast and didn’t know if I had it in me to break through the ground. I rested for weeks and finally built up the strength to crash through the mountain that sat atop me.

How could my brother do this to me? I thought to myself that surely it had been a mistake. However, when I arrived back to Kishkindha, I saw none other than my beloved brother ruling my subjects.

I have never felt so betrayed.

I banished my brother and took away his wife. I truly believed that this was not punishment enough, but I couldn’t bring myself to kill someone who shared my blood.

However, I have received word that Sugriva wishes to engage me in battle. Perhaps now I will truly bring justice to the situation by removing this fiend from our family completely.

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When I saw Sugriva arriving, a fire of anger lit inside me. How dare this traitor show his face again!?

My wife, Tara, had begged me not to engage in this battle, but I knew I had made the right decision. I had to right the wrongs that had been done to me. There was no way that I would not win.

With power and rage, the fight began. Sugriva quickly uprooted a tree that he flung toward me. The blow slowed me down, but would not deter me. Enraged by the nerve of this conspirator, I used every inch of power and might that I could find within me for battle. Unfortunately for me, Sugriva was a powerful opponent. I should have guessed as much; our family is full of the biggest and strongest.

The fight raged on for hours. After what seemed like an eternity, I could tell that I was beginning to wear him down. A boulder that I threw at him landed on his leg, causing him to fall to the ground. In an instant, I stood atop him, ready to make my move. With my hands in the air, I was ready to unleash the move that would end my brother’s life.

Nothing could stop me…or so I thought.

“Vali, halt!” said a voice from behind me. I turned to see none other than my beautiful wife standing there, startled and out of breath. I was always delighted to see her shining face, but today’s timing was not ideal.

“What in the world is it!?” I snapped.

In this moment, Sugriva escaped my grasp and sprang into action.

“Sugriva, don’t you move either,” my wife began. “I have information that will change this entire situation.”

Confused, we ceased fighting and turned toward my wife. What information could she possible have that was vital enough to risk her life by coming into this war zone?

It was then that Tara told me the words that began to break my heart. She told me that she believed Sugriva’s story that he had not meant to cause me harm. I could not believe that she could possibly turn against me.

But then, a vulture appeared from the sky and stood beside her.

“Wise brothers,” said the vulture, “I was in the woods the day that this rivalry began. I watched as Sugriva guarded a mysterious hole in the ground for over a year. I could not fathom what could possibly be in this hole that was so important. It captivated my attention enough that I never left watch. Soon enough, there was a horrendous scream and blood escaped from the hole. I saw young Sugriva mourn and weep. I knew that whatever he had been guarding was no longer surviving in that hole. Respectfully, Sugriva closed the hole and paid proper homage. When Sugriva left the hole, I did as well. I assumed there was nothing left to see. I never knew what had been in that hole until today. When I came across Tara, she told me the tale of the feuding brothers and expressed her concern about this battle. I knew that I had to come tell my tale before it was too late.” And with that, the vulture bowed and flew away.

I could not believe my ears. My stomach churned. I could not tell if I was feeling guilt or relief. I was thankful to discover that my brother had never wronged me, but I was sickened to realize that I lived the past decade of my life insulted over a misunderstanding. With a humble heart, I stuck out my hand. I forgave Sugriva and I hoped that he could forgive me too. Without hesitation, my brother firmly grasped my hand with a look of sincerity in his eyes. I knew that I could not undo what happened over the last ten years, but I was thankful to have my brother back.

(Sugriva and Vali reuniting. Source)

Author’s Note: This story is based off of the scene Sugriva’s Story from the Public Domain Edition of the Mahabharata. I kept the context and character profiles very close to the original. For the background information at the beginning of my story, I used the original background information from the story of Sugriva and Vali. However, in the actual scene, Sugriva comes back from banishment for revenge and kills his brother. Being the family-oriented person that I am, I hated the idea of feuding brothers. I especially hated that it ended with one of the brothers being killed. I thought this would be a fun opportunity to write a story with a happier ending. In the original story, the whole ordeal is a misunderstanding. I changed the story by having the vulture tell his account of what actually happened. What the vulture saw was the same as what happened in the original story. I just added the character of the vulture to bring light to the misunderstanding. I also changed the story by having it told from Vali’s perspective. I knew that Vali had a lot of built up anger, so having it told from his side made the truth coming out even more of a shock. I really enjoyed writing the story from a new perspective and creating a happy ending from an originally tragic one. It was a fun challenge!


Bibliography:
Public Domain Ramayana: Sugriva's Story

Reading Notes: Public Domain Ramayana, Part C

Sugriva and Hanuman
I loved Hanuman's reaction to Rama's words. You could tell that they were in desperately in need of help and overjoyed at the thought of receiving it. I thought it was interesting that Sugriva had such a similar experience.

Sugriva's Story
Sugriva's story was so sad. The quarrel was all based on a misunderstanding. Instead of seeking revenge on Vali, I think it would be interesting to prove that Sugriva believed that he was being loyal to Vali and never meant to harm him.

Sugriva and Vali
I loved the emotion that Tara showed in this scene. She was sad and scared about her husband fighting Sugriva and Rama. I think it would be interesting to make a spinoff story about this.

The Rainy Season
This scene really spoke to me. Rama's lament was so heartfelt and sorrowful. I really liked all of the emotion that was felt here. I think it would be interesting to write about what is going on from Sita's perspective during this time. It would even be interesting to go back and forth between Rama and Sita. They obviously both love and miss each other very much. I'm drawn to writing about this topic.

Sampati
I love the vulture characters, and I liked that Jatayu's brother entered this scene. This adds another motive to find Sita, not that they needed one. I think it would be cool to write something where Jatayu comes back...maybe as a ghost, to help them find Sita.

Sita and Ravana
This scene really struck me. The bond between Sita and Rama is so strong, and the fact that someone is trying to lure Sita away from Rama is sickening. This would be an interesting scene to write from Sita's perspective.

Hanuman and Sita
It would also be interesting to write about this scene from Sita's perspective. I'm sure she is overwhelmed with joy at the hope of being saved, but she is still wary of trusting anyone.

The Burning of Lanka
Hanuman's tail burning Lanka was an unexpected twist. The thing I have noticed about the Indian epics is that they frequently throw in something that I didn't see coming. I think it would be fun to write something about this scene. I love the joy at the end of the scene when they realize that Hanuman had found Sita.

Vibhishana
I appreciated the voice of reason that came from Vibhishana. I loved when he was banished and joined forces with Rama. I think it would be really cool to write this part from Vibhishana's perspective. We don't know a lot about him at this point. I could do more research, or I could use this space for creativity.

(The image of Hanuman's tail setting fire to Lanka was one of my favorite pictures from today's reading. Source)

Feedback Thoughts

Feedback is tricky thing. It is something that we all love and hate. On the surface, everyone wants feedback. If I can be better somehow, I want someone to tell me! However, when it comes to actually receiving feedback, it's never as fun as it sounds. I think the problem with feedback is that is often feels like a personal attack.

To use the example of this class, when I leave a constructive comment on someone's story or project, I'm telling them how I think they could make their story better. I know that this has nothing to do with who they are as a person. We are a class, working together toward a common goal of making great stories and getting good grades. However, when I read a constructive comment on my own stories...it's hard not to take it personal. These stories (just like anything else in life that you receive feedback on) are something that you put a lot of thought and effort into. We are often proud of our work, so any suggestion can feel like an attack; that is just human nature.

I think the best way to make feedback easier to swallow is to remember to compliment what you like. You might have heard about the idea that you should "sandwich" feedback by putting compliments on either side.

Example: This story is really great! I like how you made Character A interact with Character B. But perhaps you could develop more on Character B's past. I think it would make the story flow better. I loved the character and would love to learn more about him!

Now, I've often heard this method critiqued because it seems like you are beating around the bush or not being straightforward with your feedback. However, I disagree. I think when we are trying to help each other, we need to make sure we tell them what we do like and what we don't like. Knowing what's good is just as important as knowing what needs work.

I think that as long as you are being honest, giving positive feedback can make the constructive criticism easier to take.

As for taking criticism, my favorite thing to remember is that you are more likely to succeed when you become comfortable with being uncomfortable. As one of the articles mentioned, feedback is uncomfortable! Sometimes, it is downright hard to take. But once you become more comfortable with this, you become better at taking criticism and learn how it will help you grow.

It's important to remember that the person giving you feedback just sees additional potential in you. At the end of the day, you want to be as successful as possible, and feedback is the way to get there!

(One of the most valuable lessons I have learned in college is the benefit of asking for feedback as much as possible! Moodle)