Week 12 Story: Common Tropes Among Story Characters

All tropes come from the TvTropes website: Source

Situational Hand Switch- The main character is injured or partially incapacitated, forcing them to use other parts of their body to accomplish tasks. We see the character grow despite their struggles.

Iconic examples of this trope:
-Eragon. The character Eragon breaks his wrist and has to fight with his other arm for some time.
-Game of Thrones. Jaime Lannister had his hand cut off. The great swordsman had to learn to fight with his other arm.
-Star Wars. Luke Skywalker had his hand cut off by Darth Vader. Luke, however, gets around this by obtaining a robotic hand.
-Peter Pan. Captain Hook had his hand cut off. It was replaced by his hook!
-The MCU. Bucky Barnes (also known as the Winter Solider) lost his arm falling from a train. It was replaced with a cybernetic implant.


God of Thunder- Religions and stories love to have some sort of deity who can control lightning and thunder.

Iconic examples of this trope:
-Thor. God of Thunder in the MCU and in Norse mythology. He controls lightning with a number of different weapons that only the worthy are capable of wielding.
-Zeus. The head god of the Greek Pantheon, he is known for his iconic lightning bolt he uses as a weapon.
-Jupiter. Zeus's Roman counterpart.
-Indra. Indian mythology.
-Keranos. God of storms in Magic: The Gathering.
-Zapdos, Raikou, Thundurus, Zekrom. These are all iconic legendary electric-type pokemon.


Fur vs Fang- The battle between werewolves and vampires appears in numerous media despite the two creatures having no inherent difference requiring conflict

Iconic examples of this trope:
-The 2004 movie "Van Helsing." Only a werewolf is capable of killing Dracula.
-The Underworld franchise. The entire movie franchise is based on the battle between werewolves and vampires.
-The Dresden Files. Monster hunters known as the "Alphas" can turn themselves into wolves. They fight off vampires from time to time.
-The Vampire Diaries.
-The Mortal Instruments.
-Tolkien's LOTR Universe. Vampires and werewolves both serve Sauron but hate each other.
-Twilight.

"I Just Want to Be Normal"- The main character of the story doesn't want the responsibility, powers, or strength that they have come to possess.

Iconic examples of this trope:
-Elsa in Frozen. Elsa tries to hide her powers to be seen as normal.
-Miles Morales in Into the Spider-Verse. He wants to fit in at school even before he has powers. he struggles with his powers as various Spiderman characters depend on him.
-Maximus in Gladiator. Emperor Marcus Aurelius wants Maximus to be the next Emperor. Maximus wants to return home to spend time with his family.
-Cypher in The Matrix. He aligns himself with the Matrix to catch Morpheus so they will return him to the Matrix.
-X-Men. The ongoing struggle between mankind and mutant-kind creates strife despite so many mutants wanting nothing more than to be "normal."

Mutants in the X-Men often struggle with their powers- they just want to be normal.

Source

Some tropes are so common that there's no reason to give examples that have them. Such tropes include:
The "Nice Guy"
The "Sensitive Guy"
The "Manly Man"
The "Clingy, Jealous Girl"
The "Girly Girl"
The "Damsel in Distress"

It seems quite clear that despite any storyteller's desire to create a new "type" of character, there are so many different tropes that it is almost impossible to create a new trope that does not already exist. Personalities, types of characters, types of conflict, and more are all summarized by a number of different tropes. Thus, while there are so many stories in the world, I wonder- are there not a ton of stories that are effectively the same? For example, I think of the Hallmark Christmas movies my girlfriend loves. I hate them. Why? If you've seen one, you've seen them all because the same tropes are present in every movie.
Are there a limited number of stories that can be created? Is the media, story-telling ability of the author, and the "shell" of the character (boy, girl, cat, bear, angel, alien, bacteria, etc...) all that differentiates the exact same story from another almost exactly like it? I think of Warriors (books about clans of cats who work together or fight at different points) and the MCU. In all honesty, is there that big of a difference? Both have character development, internal struggles, teamwork, and more. It's just that one is about cats and one is about superheroes. At the core, are they the same story?
This website is making me think ALOT about storytelling.

Reading Notes: Tales of India: Krishna and the Gods Part B

All chapters for this reading come from "Krishna and the Gods": Source

13. Surya

Surya is the son of Dyaus and Prithwi. Everyday he would hop on his chariot and bring light and life to the Earth. Eventually, he grew tired and lonely of this- he wanted a wife. Sanga, daughter of Wiswakarma the architect of the gods, became his wife. Together they had three sons, one of which was Yam who became the judge of the dead. Sanga was weak and unable to withstand the power of Surya. She had to leave him to continue living. She replaced herself with a woman named Chhaya. When Surya rode his chariot to bring life to the Earth, it did not have the usual effects. He had been deceived! He flung Chhaya from his chariot and told his driver to continue on while he searched for Sanga. He found her and convinced her to come back, promising that he will not turn his full radiance upon her ever again. She returns to him.

14. Waruna

A great and powerful king wanted a son. Try as he might, he could not have a child. He prayed to Waruna for a son that he would, in turn, sacrifice to Waruna. Waruna granted the king a son. The king was immensely happy, yet ther weight of his deal wore on him. One day the son asked the king what was weighing on his mind. The kind told the son of the promise he had made to Waruna. Waruna thought the king was failing to meet his promise, so the king developed an illness. The son took some of the king's gold with him as he went to buy a son from a family in the kingdom- the king could then sacrifice that son in his stead. Finally the son found a family that would take his money. Before the boy, bought to be sacrificed, was to be killed, he asked if he could sing. The king granted permission. The boy sang a song of joy and celebration so beautiful that the other gods convinced Waruna to not require the boy as a sacrifice. Waruna did exactly that.

16. Indra

A mortal man named Ahi was jealous of the many sacrifices made to Indra. He thought that he had the power to be as great as Indra. Thus, he built a great fortress to protect him from Indra's power. He constructed lightning bolts of his own with magic. He captured the rains so that other mortal men would no longer worship Indra. Once Indra learned what had happened, he summoned the Maruts, spirits of the storm. Indra and the Maruts attacked the citadel, smashing it into pieces and killing Ahi. They released the rains, and the people once again loved Indra.

18. Brahma

In the beginning there was only Brahm. He created the gods and made them immortal. He made Agni to rule the earth, Wayu to rule the air, and Surya to rule the sky. He created manifestations of himself as Brahma, Wishnu, and Siwa. He made the waters and placed a seed in them. That seed grew to produce Brahma. He roamed the seas as a boar  until he raised the land out of the waters with his tusks.
One day Brahma was offering a sacrifice. His wife, Sawitri, refused to hurry through her tasks to join him for the sacrifice. Thus, Brahma asked Indra to find him a second wife so that his sacrifice might not be for nothing. He married Gayatri, the milk maid, and began the sacrifice.
Sawitri then came and was outraged. She said vile things and wished terrible things on everyone present. Yet Gayatri used the sacrifice to call down blessings on everyone that Sawitri had cursed and reaffirmed the fact that they are gods- such curses cannot affect their power.

20. Siwa (Shiva)

Siwa lived on the peaks on the Himalayas. He, with Brahma and Wishnu, controlled everything as the creator, preserver, and destroyer. Yet, Brahma and Siwa argued, and Siwa raised arms against Brahma. To absolve this sin, he had to wander the wilderness. His queen Uma followed him into this penance. They suffered the heat of India in the wilderness. Then during the rainy season, Siwa grabbed a cloud to use as protection from the ceaseless rains. He journeyed to the city of Benares to be absolved of his sins. Even today, people continue to make this journey for penance.
One day, Uma died. Siwa was so heartbroken that the other gods had her be born again. She had to prove the power of her love before the reincarnated Uma could join Siwa again. She did so, and Siwa swore that nothing would ever take her from him again. Shortly afterwards, the Asuras made war on the gods. They defeated Indra and the other gods, yet Uma took up Siwa's weapons and defeated the Asuras. Now, whenever men want to win her favor, they must win in combat.

Reading Notes: Tales of Ancient India: Krishna and the Gods, Part A

All of these chapters are found in the same book, Tales of Ancient India. Source

1. How Kans Afflicted the World

There is a great king named Ugrasen. Life is perfect for everyone in his kingdom. One day, the king has a son. All sorts of bad omens indicate that the son's birth should not be celebrated. The king asks wise men to tell him what all of these omens mean. They tell Ugrasen that his son, Kans, will be a mighty ruler, but he'll rob his father of his power, work with the powers of evil, and oppress the followers of Krishna. This quickly became evident when Kans as a child would strangle people he met. He eventually overthrows his father, gathers armies of demons, and becomes a powerful ruler over a terrible wasteland. The gods took action- they went to the strongest of the gods and asked for help in stopping Kans. He tells them to be born as mortals and that he will follow suit in time.

2. How Kans Threw Dewaki into Prison

Dewaki is set to marry Wasudew. Kans throws a great feast to celebrate. During that feast, Kans is told that Dewaki's eighth child will be his downfall. He grabs Dewaki and throws her to the ground, yelling at her. Wasudew acts a voice of reason. He convinces Kans to allow them to continue living but that Kans can do whatever he wishes with any children they have. They have six children. Kans kills them all. Before having a seventh child, Dewaki prays to Wishnu, the mightiest of the gods. She gives birth to the seventh child, and Wishnu takes the child to another house to be raised. Kans comes looking for the seventh child- they tell him the baby died before it was born. He doesn't trust them. The locks up both Dewaki and Wasudew. In time, the gods come and free Dewaki and Wasudew from their prison.

3. How Krishna Was Born

Krishna is born to the Wasudew and Dewaki amid trumpet sounds and nature collectively celebrating. Krishna's godly form is presented to his parents. He tells them that he needs to be taken away to another city so that he can one day put Kans to death. Then he makes Wasudew and Dewaki forget his godly form, but they remembered his message. Krishna puts guards to sleep, opens the door, and frees Wasudew from his handcuffs. They swap Dewaki's eighth child with a baby girl. As Kans goes to kill this baby girl, the gods intervene and inform Kans that Dewaki's eighth child will still kill him.

6. How Indra Worshipped Krishna

Krishna did everything possible to make the people of Brindaban love him. He put out forest fires and defeated evil an evil serpent that plagued the land. In doing this, Krishna became more popular among the people than Indra. Indra became jealous and sent torrential rain to destroy the city. Krishna protected the city by holding a mountain over it. Indra comes down and worships Krishna. The people of the city realize who Krishna truly is. They also worship him. Yet, he wipes their minds so he can continue to live in peace and secrecy.

9. How Krishna Slew Kans

Krishna and Balaram went to the wrestling grounds. A great elephant blocked their path. They tell the rider to move the elephant or it will die. The elephant goes to attack Balaram, who swats away the elephant's trunk. The elephant attacked in pain and fear. His tusks passed right through Krishna. The brothers battled demons, warriors, and wrestlers, defeating all of them. Kans, in fear, told his men to go kill Ugrasen, Wasudew, and Dewaki. Krishna killed his men on the spot. Then he jumps towards the throne. Kans tries to defend himself with his sword, but Krishna ultimately grabs Kans by the hair and splatters him across the ground. He defeats all of Kans' brothers. He then performs funeral rites for Kans with the many widows of Kans.

12. How Rukmini Became the Bride of Krishna

Rukmini was so beautiful that word of her beauty travelled throughout the land. Krishna falls in love with the idea of Rukmini. She then hears great stories of Krishna from a travelling bard. she starts to pray that Krishna may become her husband. Her two brothers each propose husbands. The first proposes Shishupal. The second proposes Krishna. The first brother is outraged and claims that on Shishupal is fit for Rukmini. When Rukmini finds out she is to marry Shishupal, she sends a messenger to Krishna, asking him to come marry her. The older brother and Shishupal plot to get rid of Krishna once he arrives in the city. Their schemes don't work. Yet, when Krishna gets Rukmini into his chariot and he raises his sword, Shishupal flees. In fact, no bloodshed occurs. Krishna and Rukmini are married.

Week 11 Story: The Foolish Greedy Chipmunk

There once was a young chipmunk who lived with his mother and father in the forest. Each fall, the chipmunk family would work together to gather as much food as they could before winter arrived. This chipmunk and his parents lived through many winters by hoarding acorns and seeds they found while scavenging in the forest. They always made it thought the winter, but as the chipmunk grew to adulthood, the family found less and less food each year to store for the winter. As the chipmunk family left their cozy little home in the spring of each year, they looked thinner and thinner.

This past winter, the chipmunk and his family barely made it through the winter. Our young valiant little chipmunk knew that his parents would not make it through another winter with such little food. He volunteered to venture off to find new sources of food for the family. His parents reluctantly agreed, and the young chipmunk headed off on his adventure. He wandered for days and days, searching for a steady source of food for his family.

One week after his journey began, the chipmunk found a small grove of oak trees. Acorns galore were scattered on the ground. There was enough food to feed the chipmunk family for an entire winter! Yet, the chipmunk knew that his family would be in the situation the following spring- they would run out of food and the young chipmunk would have to journey off to find more, again. Thus, the chipmunk passed by the oak grove, knowing that he could return if he found nothing else.

Two weeks after his journey began, the chipmunk found a clearing with all kinds of berry bushes. These bushes were so plentiful that their colorful berries were scattered across the ground, ripe for the taking. Yet, the chipmunk knew his family would be in the same situation in three years. He wanted to make sure his family never needed to worry about food again. Thus, the chipmunk passed by the berry bushes, knowing he could return if he found nothing else.

A month after his journey began, the chipmunk caught of whiff of his favorite food- peanuts! The chipmunk had been raised in the South, thus he had been raised on stories of delicious peanuts. He'd only ever had the pleasure of eating them once, but he knew nothing in the world tasted better than peanuts. Following the scent, the chipmunk climbed a tree to peer over a massive peanut farm. There was enough food there for the chipmunk to feed his family for the rest of his life! He excitedly scampered down the tree to the nearest peanut plant. He yanked and yanked on the plant for a whole day until it finally came free. The chipmunk plucked the peanuts off the plant, stuffed them into his chubby cheeks, and journeyed home with a whole FOUR peanuts.

The young chipmunk stuffed his cheeks and headed home

Source

The young chipmunk returned home, just over two months from when he first set out to find food. His parents were horrified when he pulled just four peanuts from his chubby cheeks to add to the winter food storage.

"How are we supposed to live on this?" the young chipmunk's parents cried. The chipmunk explained that he would bring enough peanuts from the farm he found for the family to have food for forever! Yet, his parents were disappointed.

The young chipmunk's father took the young chipmunk under his arm and said, "My son, we simply need food to survive. At this rate, we will not have enough to make it through the winter.  Please understand that we can survive on acorns or berries, but only if you bring enough home for the family. We cannot possibly survive on your favorite food, peanuts."

As the chipmunk's father walked away, he looked back at the young chipmunk to say, "Do not let your greed be our downfall. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

Author's Note: After reading the jatakas this week, I wanted to write a story that both focuses on an animal and teaches a lesson. Specifically, I liked the story "Spend a Pound to Win a Penny" (Source). The chipmunk in this story is comparable to the monkey in that story- both wanted more than what they could have easily had, and it cost them dearly. I also wanted to add in elements of the chipmunk being too greedy, like the family in "The Golden Feathers" (Source). I tried to teach two lessons at once, as the father chipmunk states at the end of the story.

Reading Notes: The Giant Crab and Other Stories Part B

Birds of a Feather: Source

There is a mean, mean horse named Chestnut. He bites and kicks everyone, humans and horses alike. One day, the king tries to buy some horses from a dealer. The king does not want to pay the full prices for the horses, so he pays Chestnut's groom to take Chestnut by the horses he intends to buy and let him loose. The groom does so. The king returns to the vendor. Seeing these bruised and ugly horses, the king does the vendor a "favor" and pays half price for the horses. The vendor then catches onto the king's trick. He brings his own mean, mean horse named Strongjaw to defend his other horses. The next time the groom brings Chestnut around, Chestnut and Strongjaw act like best friends and tame ponies. No one understands what has happened. The wisest man in the kingdom is called upon to explain the events. He claims "birds of a feather flock together."
Lesson of the story: Everyone belongs; they may just need to find their group.


Spend a Pound to Win a Penny: Source

A monkey is in a tree above some men cooking peas for dinner. When they turn their backs, the monkey sneaks down and steals their peas. He puts some in his mouth and as many as he can carry in his hands. The monkey clambers back up the tree but loses a pea in the process. "My pea!" cried the monkey. By opening his mouth, all of the peas in his mouth fell out, but the monkey didn't notice. He dropped the peas he was holding to find the one he had lost. While searching for the lost pea, the men return. They chase the monkey off, and he is left without any peas at all.
Lesson of the story: Be thankful for what you have & greed spoils happiness

The monkey is losing his peas!

Source

Silence is Golden: Source

A lion has a child with a she-jackal. The child looks exactly like a lion but has a roar like a jackal, which is quite unimpressive compared to that of a lion. One day, while the cub plays with other lions, he tries to roar to scare the others. The other lion cubs mock him, and the cub learns to keep his mouth shut.
Lesson of the story: Don't speak when it isn't necessary.


The Quail and the Falcon: Source

A quail lives on a farm, eating weeds, worms, and the like that comes above ground when the farmer tills his fields. One day, the quail wants to more food. He leaves the field and heads to a forest. In the forest, a falcon snatches the quail up. The quail states that he should have just stayed home where the falcon wouldn't have caught him. The falcon, hearing this, releases the quail, claiming that he can catch the quail anywhere. Thus, the quail returns to the farm. As the falcon swoops in to snatch the quail, the quail dodges the falcon. The falcon crashes into the ground and dies.
Lesson of the story: Having something for sure is better than the possibility of something more.


Lacknose: Source

A gardener lost his nose in his youth, and it has never grown back. Three little boys want to get flowers from the gardener. The first boy tries to deceive the gardener and says he hopes the man's nose grows back. Offended, the gardener chases the boy away. A second boy asks for flowers in the same fashion. Offended, the gardener chases the second boy away. The third boy is more directly states that he would like a flower, The gardener gives the third boy his flower.
Lesson of the story: Honesty is the best policy.

Reading Notes: The Giant Crab and Other Stories Part A

The Giant Crab: Source

A giant crab lives in one of the few lakes in the forest. When animals come to drink, the crab attacks one, drags it under the water, and has his meal. Eventually, the animals are afraid to drink from this lake. An elephant and his life choose to put an end to the crab menace. The whole elephant herd goes to the lake to drink. The wife watches the lake as the elephants drink. As they go to leave, the crab attacks the husband elephant. The wife elephant begs the crab to let him go for a kiss. The crab lets go of the husband elephant who promptly jumps on the crab, crushing and killing the menace.
Lesson of the story: Seduction can be deceiving & Don't be a jerk or you'll get what's coming for you


Wise Parrot and the Foolish Parrot: Source

A master owns two parrots and a maid that is known to steal things. When the master leaves for a trip, he tasks the parrots with telling him if the maid has stolen anything. Shortly after the master leaves, the maid begins to steal. She picks locks and eats his food. One parrot chimes out that he will tell the master. The maid offers the parrot some sugar. When that parrot eats some, she points out that he too has stolen. She plucks of all of his feathers for stealing. The other parrot say nothing and is left alone. When the master returns, the maid tells the master she caught the first parrot stealing, so she plucked his feathers. The master understands. Yet, that night, the other parrot speaks, and the master realizes that the maid also stole from him. He kicks the maid out of the house.
Lesson of the story: Lying and hypocrisy will eventually be caught.


The Dishonest Friend: Source

A man entrusts his plough to a friend when he has to leave. When the man returns, the friend does not have his plough. He claims a rat came and ate it, though he had actually sold it for money. The man knows something is up. He takes the friend's son for a walk, leaves the son with his family, and returns to the friend without the son. He claims a hawk snatched up the boy and flew away. The friend takes the man to court. The authority there realizes what has happened and hints that once the plough is returned, the boy may be returned as well. This occurs, and the man realizes that honesty is the best policy.
Lesson of the story: Honesty is the best policy.


The Mouse and the Farmer: Source

A mouse lives in a hole with thousands of golden coins. In his hole are thousands of golden coins. Every now and then, the farmer would share some of his food with the mouse. Eventually, the mouse wanted to show the farmer his appreciation. The mouse started to bring a golden coin to the farmer each day. The farmer wanted to show his appreciation, so he bought a large piece of meat which he shared with the mouse. As this continued, the mouse got fatter. One day, a cat threatened to eat the mouse, but the mouse instead offered the meat from the farmer. Thus, each day, the mouse offered a gold coin, received meat from the farmer, and gave that meat to the cat. The mouse became skinny and frail. The farmer asked the mouse why he was skinny and weak. The mouse explained that he was feeding the cat to stay alive. The farmer gave the mouse a glass ball that he fit inside. The cat, not receiving his daily meat, ate the mouse inside the glass ball. Not able to digest it, the cat eventually died. The mouse escaped the cat's body and went on giving the farmer a coin and receiving meat each day.
Lesson of the story: Do not take advantage of the success of others.


The Monkeys and the Gardener: Source

A gardener wants to visit a fair in the neighboring town. He asks for the monkeys in the garden to take care of the garden so he might visit the fair. The monkeys, knowing the gardener has treated them well, offer to help. The gardener leaves, sure that the monkeys will know what to do. The king monkey tells all the monkeys that they will water that plants by the length of their roots- longer roots get more water. The monkeys go pluck plants from the ground, measure their roots, and water the plants accordingly. When the gardener returns, the plants are all dead and wilted. The monkeys explain what they have done. The gardener is horrified. The gardener's boss says that he should have known what to expect when he asked monkeys to do his work. The gardener is fired.
Lesson of the story: Don't pass your work off to someone else & If you want something done right, do it yourself.


The Goblin in the Pool: Source

Like the crab story, a goblin lives in a lake, eating creatures who try to take a drink. During a dry spell, other lakes around the region dry up. Creatures have no choice but to drink from the lake. One monkey tries to take a drink. He's gobbled up. A second monkey tries to drink. He's gobbled up. A human comes along. The monkeys warn him of the goblin, so the human takes reeds along the shore, bends them, and uses them as a straw. The monkeys and other creatures copy this, and the goblin dies because no more creatures are killed trying to take a drink from the lake.
Lesson of the story: Innovation saves lives & Learn from the actions of others.

This is how I imagine the monkeys from the story

Source

Week 10 Story: EmpoWord

Below are notes taken while reading Chapter 2: Telling a Story from EmpoWord,

A dynamic vs a flat character:

-A dynamic character changes over the course of the story. They're fleshed out, life-like, and realistic. They're a character you can relate to. 

-A flat character has little to no depth. They aren't usually relatable because numerous details about the character are never presented. Often, the reader may know nothing about the character but their name.

-Rama is a dynamic character

-Any of the characters from the jakata tales are flat characters.

Plot has three major elements: scope, sequence, and pacing.

-Scope is an understanding of the limits of the plot. Think of it like cropping a picture. Cutting unnecessary parts of a picture can be useful to show the main portion of the picture better. Stories are just like that. Make sure the plot is "big" enough that it's a good picture but not so big that you can't focus on the details.

-Sequence is the order in which the story is told. The story does not alwas have to be chronological, but it needs to be told in an order in which the reader can understand. Movies like "Pulp Fiction" are great examples of how sequencing can impact storytelling. 

-Pacing is the amount of time/story telling devoted to each part of the story. This often depends on the sequence, but making certain parts of the story (exposition, climax, resolution) longer or shorter can dramatically impact the strength of the story.

Stories can be told from a number of different perspectives, or points-of-view:
-1st person. The story is told as though it is coming directly from the author or main character (Uses words like I, we, my, etc.)
-2nd person. The story is told as though it is happening to the reader (Uses words like you, your, etc.)
-3rd person. The story is told from outside the minds of any character as though someone watching the events occur is telling the story. This may or may not include seeing the thoughts of the characters in the story. (Uses words like he, she, they, etc)

The medium of the story impacts how it is understood. A video complete with music and dramatic scenes will impact the audience in a different way than a piece of poetry or a novel. Consider your story when constructing your story.

Additionally, consider the fact that there are multiple ways to effectively convey the same message. "No, thank you," "Nah," and "I don't want to" all indicate that someone's answer is no, but by choosing the proper version, the mood and personality of the character can be revealed.

These various elements all impact an audience's understanding of the story.

Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales Part B

The Two Pigs: Source

An old woman finds two little piglets in the forest. She takes them home and cares for them as her own children. One day, men try to buy the pigs from her for a feast. She refuses to sell her children. Eventually, the men get the old woman drunk and she sells her least favorite of the two pigs. The pig realizes he is being sold, and he runs back to his brother who reminds him that their mother loves them because their mother had loved them since the day the first met. The whole village hears this message. The pigs, in all their wisdom, are taken to the king. They are adorned with jewelry and riches.
Lesson: Love defeats everything.


The Patient Buffalo: Source

A giant buffalo is tormented by a monkey in numerous ways. A fairy appears and asks why the buffalo does not use his strength to injure the monkey so it will leave him alone. The buffalo answers that he does not want to make the monkey suffer just so that he is happy.
Lesson: Do not make others suffer for your own happiness.

Here's a buffalo and a monkey! This duo is too friendly for the story...

Source

The Great Elephant: Source

A single elephant lives alone near an oasis in the desert. With his great ears, the elephant hears travelers struggling in the desert. He goes out to talk to them. They are starving and thirsty. Some of them have already died. The elephant tells them where they can find an oasis and the body of an elephant they can eat. Then the elephant runs off, makes it to the top of a hill, and jumps off. The travelers come across the body of the elephant who had helped them! They are sad, but they eat the elephants so his sacrifice was not in vain. They then have the strength to get through the desert.
Lesson: Self-sacrifice is the greatest form of sacrifice.


The Quarrelsome Quails: Source

A bunch of quails live in the forest. A hunter comes with a net to catch the quails. The king quail says that if they work together, they can fly off with the net and avoid being captured. This works for some time. Then, the quails begin to fight among one another. While distracted, the hunter catches some of them. The king quail and those who listened were never caught.
Lesson: Teamwork makes the dream work.


The Noble Horse: Source

A very handsome and strong horse lived in the stables of the king. When war came from the seven surrounding kingdoms who were jealous of the successes of this king, the horse was needed for battle. A single knight rode this horse, battled the entire army for the first enemy king and took the king as a captive. This continued for the second, third, fourth, and fifth kings. The horse was injured while fighting the sixth army. Yet, he refused to let his knight ride another horse- that could lead to his death! The horse was used for battle against the seventh army, but he was seriously injured. The horse told his king to be merciful- let his prisoners live. The king did just that, and the kingdom was at peace for some time.
Lesson: Do not underestimate the power of mercy.

Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales Part A

The Guilty Dogs: Source

The royal dogs chew on the leather straps of the king's chariot. The King commands that all of the dogs in the city be killed as a result. The king of the dogs goes to the king of the city and asks how his decision can possibly be fair. The king implies that because he does not know who ruined his chariot, all dogs must suffer. The king of the dogs reveals who actually ruined the chariot; it was the royal dogs.
The lesson to take away: do not punish the many for the actions of the few.


The Fairy and the Hare: Source

A hare and hist three animal friends search for food everyday. One day, they feel the urge to help others. They decide that any food they find with be given to others so they may eat as well. The hare's three friends each find/steal food to give to others. The hare decides he will offer himself as food. A fairy disguises herself as an old starving man. She turns down the food offered by the hare's friends. The hare offers up himself as food. The fairy makes a fire. The hare leaps in, but doesn't cook. It's a magical fire! The fairy thanks the hare for his kindness.
The lesson: Self-sacrifice is the greatest form of sacrifice.


The Golden Feathers: Source

A man sets out on a quest to find riches for his family. Wandering the forest, he finds a fairy who asks what he is doing. He explains he is looking for riches for his family. The fairy turns the man into a golden goose! He flies back to his family, gives them a single feather for them to sell, and he flies away. The mother sells the feather. She tells her daughters that they have to trap the golden goose if he returns that so that might stay wealthy. The goose returns and is trapped. Yet, his feathers, forcefully taken from him, are white rather than golden. The goose is now useless. They release the goose, and his feathers become golden again. He lives out his days in the forest with the other birds.
The lesson: Don't be selfish when offered something out of kindness.


The Swan Kingdom: Source

Sixty thousand swans live in the world's most gorgeous lake, ruled by the king swan. A human king wants to meet the swan king but does not know where to find him. The humans build the most gorgeous lake in the world, even more beautiful than the swans' lake. Each day they cry out that all swans are welcome at this lake. Eventually, two swans of the swan kingdom visit the lake. They return home to tell the others of this lake. The king swan, overwhelmed by the will of his people, decrees that they should go to the new lake. While there, the king swan is trapped. All of the swans abandon their king except one loyal swan. The swan's loyalty inspires the human king. He treats the swans as a guest and eventually sets them free.
The lesson: Loyalty is one of the world's most desirable qualities.

Two inseparable swans, like in the story

Source

The Master's Test: Source

An old teacher is teaching his younger students. He tells them that they need to get money so that he may continue living. He tells the students to find a place where no one is watching and steal from the rich. One pupil questions the teacher as the other students leave. He says he cannot steal, as even if "no one" is watching, he is still watching himself. The other students are ashamed that they did not understand this message, but they learn from their mistakes.

Week 9 Story: The Downfall of the Undefeated

It was January 18th, 2015 in Seattle, Washington.

The score was 19-14.

Only 2 minutes and 9 seconds separated us from the Super Bowl.

A single fluke of a play ripped that dream from us.

What happened? Two words.


Brandon. Bostick.


Those who know this name know the pain- that gut-wrenching, soul-crushing, hope-devouring pain that sticks with you for years after the fact- that this man inflicted on loyal fans of the Green Bay Packers. Even now, many still shudder at the name. Many have never forgiven him. Brandon Bostick will forever live in infamy among Packers fans, as all of us were left to ask the age-old question "what if...?"

Contextualization is vital to understanding the impact of Brandon Bostick's actions that day.
Both the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers ended the regular season with a 12-4 record. This caused the teams to be the first and second seeded teams in the NFC, respectively. Not only did this give the Packers a first round bye in the playoffs, but Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay's quarterback, was having a historic season that secured him the MVP. While the Packers were not unbeatable, there is no doubt that they were one of the best teams in the league that season.
Each team glided through their first playoff game with ease. This set up the matchup between the Seahawks and the Packers in the NFC Championship game. The winner would take a trip to the Super Bowl.

In one of the grindiest playoff games in history, the Packers took a 16-0 lead into halftime. On four scoring drives, the Packers had been held to only a single touchdown; the Seahawks technically still had life. This was despite astounding offensive and defensive dominance by the Packers.
The Packers' lead evaporated in the second half. The score was 19-7 with three minutes left in the game. With 2:09 left, the Seahawks scored again, making the score 19-14.

That's when Brandon Bostick happened.

He handed the Seattle Seahawks the miracle they so desperately needed. Rather, he couldn't hold onto the victory.

The Seahawks lined up for an onside kick. The Packers knew what was coming. They lined up accordingly. The ball was kicked. Players on both teams took off at a sprint. The ball flew the necessary ten yards through the air... directly to Brandon Bostick.

He leapt into the air to catch the ball.

It. Bounced. Off. His. Helmet.

Seattle recovered the ball.

The hearts of devoted Packers fans across the nation shattered.

The worst part? Brandon Bostick was not supposed to have ever touched the ball. His job on the play was to block, allowing Jordy Nelson to catch the ball.

Brandon Bostick's infamous onside kick recovery

Source

As the game went on, the Seahawks drove down the field. They took the lead with 1:25 left on the clock. 19-22.

Aaron Rodgers led a miraculous drive that ended with the field goal necessary to tie the game and force overtime. Yet, it was for nothing.

Seattle won the coin toss, immediately drove down the field, and scored before the great Aaron Rodgers had a chance to take the field.

The game was over.

Brandon Bostick had lost the Packers the game and a trip to the Super Bowl because he couldn't do his job. Just like that, an amazing Packers team was felled by a single mistake. A historic Packers season ended on a fluke, a mistake, an accident.

Nothing could change the fact that the season was over. The Packers were never the same afterwards.



Author's Note: I based this story on that of Bhisma. It was my understanding that he was arguably the greatest warrior in this story. Yet, he was defeated in battle. Why? He could not bring himself to fight a woman. The concept of someone who is so utterly astounding in one discipline- strength, intelligence, etc- yet has some sort of glaring weakness that turns their ability on its head spoke to me while reading the Mahabharata. This reminded me of the 2014 Packers. Like the Packers, Bhisma should never have been defeated in battle. He couldn't bring himself to fight anyone born as a woman. In that moment where Bhisma paused, he was shot full of arrows and eventually died. This was the inspiration for my story. The historic 2014 Packers, complete with MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, were defeated by something so absurd that it was unbelievable. Onside kicks NEVER work. In fact, the kickoff rules have changed since this event, making onside kicks even less likely. Yet, the impossible happened. As a die-hard Packers fan, I knew I couldn't make it through the whole semester without writing a story about them, but it genuinely made me sad to write this story. My own memories of the game came back, and the overwhelming feeling of disbelief still sticks with me today every time I think of this game.


Bibliography: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu by Richard Wilson

Reading Notes: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu Part B

Again, the source of all of the readings is found here: Source

Section 7:
Selfishness overwhelms Duryodhana. Always jealous of the Pandavas, he cannot bear the thought of the Pandavas finding happiness or success, even after they have served their 13 year exile! He takes action to begin war against the Pandavas to reclaim Yudhishthira's portion of the kingdom for himself. Krishna is sent to reason with Duryodhana. Krishna appears to have convinced both Dhritarashtra and Drona that war is unnecessary. However, Duryodhana cannot be swayed. He wants war.

Section 9:
Bhisma is killed. He says he can't fight someone who was born as a woman. Well, the warrior Shikhandin was evidently born as a woman. Bhisma effectively gives us. He's shot with a ton of arrows that cause him to die a long painful death. If I remember correctly, he doesn't even die until the entire battle is over.
This concept of a great warrior being defeated by some absurd rule is mind boggling. This guy couldn't fight a woman. Hercules was invulnerable except for his ankle. I want to write about a guy who is invulnerable to everything but something silly like deodorant.

Bhisma was killed because of his weakness; I want to write a similar story

Source

Sections 10 & 11:
Arjuna and Karna battle. They end up tying in battle on two consecutive days. In battle on the third day, Arjuna's bow breaks. By the rules of combat, Karna should let him retrieve a new weapon. He doesn't. So when Karna's chariot gets stuck, Arjuna returns the favor. He kills Karna when the rules of combat say he shouldn't. This is ultimately not immoral because he was just doing to Karna what Karna had done to him.

Section 12:
Duryodhana escapes the battle. He waged war even after his great warriors died. He hides in the forest near a lake. The Pandavas find Bhima who defeats Duryodhana in battle. At this point, the Pandavas learn that all of their sons were killed! The Pandavas learn Karna was their brother, and they mourn for everyone who died in battle.

Reading Notes: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu Part A

All of the following comments can be found here: Source

Section 1:
I struggled to remember how Duryodhana was related to the Pandavas. This very succinctly reminds us that they are cousins. The matchup between Karna and Arjuna was a great focus in the first rendition of the story, and it is still present in this condensed version. I think it important to note that Karna was mocked for his humble upbringing as though he is somehow less than Arjuna because he was not the son of a king. The difference in social structure is quite evident in this point.

Section 2:
It is made evident that the task to win Draupadi's hand in marriage was so difficult that only Arjuna was to be able to do it. Interestingly, Draupadi becomes the husband of only the oldest brother Yudhishthira because of a different wording in the statement of the Pandavas' mother. Again, Karna's low-born upbringing screws him over.

The five Pandavas and Draupadi

Source

Section 4:
The entire kingdom is split between Duryodhana and Yudhishthira. Each rule their own part, but Duryodhana wants to rule everything. He cheats to win the kingdom from Yudhishthira. In fact, he wins all of the Pandavas and Draupati. They become slaves. However, Draupati asks for a favor from Dhritarashtra, and they all go into exile rather than become slaves.


Sections 5 & 6:
The Pandavas, disguised, help fight to regain stolen cattle. Draupadi has to convince the prince that Arjuna, disguised as a dance instructor, is capable of driving a chariot. Eventually the Pandavas reveal their identities to the prince and re-take the cattle. Their exile is then over.

Week 8: Progress Review

Looking back:

I'm happy with my progress so far- I've completed every assignment so far, and I'm on track for the grade I want to end the course with. I have a decent weekly routine. That routine seems to change every week based on the demands of my other classes. I've taken those demands in stride and managed to make it work. I haven't needed to do any of the extra credit assignments just yet, but I am comfortable with that fact.

Looking forward:

I want to take advantage of spring break. If I can get two or three weeks ahead in this class, the rest of my semester will be so much easier. After that week, I want to avoid completing any of the assignments the same day they're due- I want them done well in advance.

My inspirational picture:

Success isn't something that you're owed. Greatness is taking success and claiming it as your own.

Apply this to your GPA, a really hard class, or the semester as a whole.

Source

Week 8: Comments and Feedback

Feedback in:
I feel that feedback I've received is too polite. I don't know if people are trying to avoid hurting my feelings or if my writing legitimately has few errors. Looking at my comment wall, almost everything is focused on what I'm doing well. Then there are multiple comments that cover the same topic- I had a weird * sentence at the end of my introduction for a while, and once I fixed it, I had re-written one sentence terribly. Numerous people focused on these two elements, said polite things, and moved on. However, this tends to be better than the story feedback I receive. Almost all of those comments are about liking the story and the creativity. I wish more of my classmates gave feedback that focuses on what they don't like or what I'm not doing well.

I want feedback to tell me where I failed. Why? For this reason.

Source

Feedback out:
I'd like to believe that I'm giving good feedback to others. I know that I want feedback that tells me where I need to improve- that's what I try to give others, especially on their projects. I've found that my feedback comments are often much longer than the word requirement; I don't bother counting the words. I try to give specific areas in which the person can improve- grammar, run-on sentences, undeveloped ideas, or things that I don't understand.

Blog Comments:
Commenting on different blogs has given me an idea of who I'm talking to. I like when I can am assigned a story to comment on and I can go "Oh! This is the person who said xyz." I especially enjoy reading responses people have to my introduction.

Looking Forward:
I think I need to correct some of my obvious mistakes more quickly to ensure that I only receive a few comments about the same issue. If I make corrections quickly, then others may have to look a little harder at my writing in order to give me decent feedback.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

My current thoughts on my position in the class-

• I enjoy the reading and writing assignments. I started off the semester almost two weeks ahead of schedule in this class. Shortly after classes started, I was only one week ahead. Now I'm doing things the day they're due. That's not to say that I'm irresponsible or struggling. I'm simply having to put more effort into my ChE classes than I originally thought I needed to- I am SO glad I had given myself that buffer of almost two full weeks of work.
• I plan to get a bunch of work done for this class over spring break. With five weeks of this class (according to the class calendar) after spring break, I think I can work very hard during that time to make the rest of the school year much easier on myself.
• I'm happy with my blog. I've enjoyed blogging more than I thought I would. I actually improved the layout of my blog specifically for this assignment! I changed the color scheme and picked a better background. 

I had not reviewed the design/layout of my blog since I created it almost two months ago. This image pertains to Magic, a hobby I enjoy. I wanted to make it my blog's background image, but I really disliked the appearance of the tiled background, so I chose to not use it.

Source

• I have found that my reading notes are somewhat useful when writing my stories. They provide a starting point and little else. I certainly go back through and look at them for inspiration, but once an idea comes to me, I just write about that idea without any further inspiration.
• I enjoyed the Ramayana more than the Mahabharata. I believe this is because there was one main character in the Ramayana whereas two families and all of their children were the main characters in the Mahabharata. There were so many characters to try to keep straight!
• I've found that I like to read multiple sections of the reading at once and then decide what the vital details/events are that I want to write about. I think this process has worked well so far.

• Moving forward, I want to give myself more time to complete the readings. I can do this by completing them early! Spring break should give me that chance to get ahead. When I read the readings the day they're due, I find myself missing important details or not fully understanding what occurred during the reading.
• I have tailored my reading notes to focus on my project, seemingly forgetting that they can also be used to write the weekly stories. I want to broaden my view and include interesting things in my reading notes, even if they don't directly apply to my project.

Week 7 Story: Beast Battling Brothers

13:00 on Monday, the 8th: A monstrous beast has been attacking Kishkindha. As both king and the city's greatest warrior, it is my duty to track down this fiend and put an end to its reign of terror in and around my city. My brother Sugriva will be hunting the beast with me. I have yet to hear of any two descriptions of the beast that match. Reports say the monster walks on two legs; others say it walks on four. It has been described in a number of different ways- scaly, furry, fiery, enormous, and even invisible. Despite these descriptions, I have little fear that beast will be too much to handle

09:00 on Tuesday, the 9th: Sugriva and I left Kishkindha this morning. Equipped with the finest weapons and a week's worth of provisions, I hope to find and slaughter this monster soon.

18:00 on Tuesday, the 9th: While we have not yet found the monster that has been terrorizing Kishkindha, we have followed its path of destruction through the forest. Trees have been completely ripped from the ground. Enormous scratch marks score the ground. Even a straight narrow creek I've seen numerous times before now bends as though it were injured by the beast! As the sun sets, I pray that monster does not devour Sugriva and myself in our sleep.

10:00 on Wednesday, the 10th: Sugriva and I have tracked the beast to a series of underground tunnels. Because my boon should afford me additional protection from the fiend, we have decided Sugriva will stand guard outside the tunnel while I venture inside. Thus, should I die during my feat of heroism, Sugriva may retrieve my body for a proper treatment before returning for reinforcements. I now plan to venture inside this musty tunnel in defense of my city.

This is the entrance of the tunnel Vali is venturing into

Source

---

The evening of the 10th: Vali has not yet returned from the tunnels. He has been gone for some time. I have heard the roaring of the beast inside the tunnel. While I have not yet heard Vali's voice, I am beginning to worry.

Midnight of the 10th: With the moon high in the night sky, I can only see by the light of the moon. A sticky and warm fluid has begun to flow from the tunnel. I believe this fluid to be blood. I have no way of knowing whether this blood belongs to Vali or the beast, but I am beginning to worry my brother may not return. I did not know this network of tunnels was so vast.

Sunrise on the 11th: After a few short hours of sleep, I awoke to the rising sun. I can now confirm that blood has pooled at the entrance to the tunnels. I pray that my lapse in consciousness did not lead to my brother's death. I cannot imagine telling Tara, the woman I love, that her husband has died. Perhaps I could help her through her grief? Should Vali not return before noon, I will assume he has died.

Noon on the 11th: Without Vali in sight, I feel that I have no choice but to assume Vali has died. Surely battling the beast did not require more than a full day from the greatest warrior in the kingdom. If the beast could defeat Vali, I fear that no man will ever best the beast. Rather than waste hundreds if not thousands of good men, I realize that I have but one choice- I must leave my brother in the tunnels so I can trap the beast for good. I look at the blood in the tunnel's entrance. Surely, Vali has died.  Knowing the size and strength of the beast to be impressive, I grab an entire mountain from the neighboring region. I shove the mountain deep into the tunnel, ensuring nothing can ever escape. At that moment, I realize I must rule in my brother's stead because whether by the beast or my hand, Vali is now surely dead. It is certainly a good thing that Sugriva, King of Kishkindha, has a certain ring to it. It is a name I expect people to hear for years to come.

---

Author's Note: This story was inspired by my project and the story of Vali and Sugriva. From information I could find, the story goes that the two brothers were together hunting a great monster. Vali followed the monster into underground tunnels while Sugriva stood guard at the mouth of the tunnel. When blood came dripping out of the tunnel and Vali failed to answer Sugriva's calls, Sugriva blocked the mouth of the tunnel with a mountain, ensuring that nothing could escape the tunnels- including Vali. The blood was that of the monster Vali had killed. Sugriva had trapped his beloved brother and returned to Kishkindha to claim Vali's crown and wife.

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Section D

"Ghaotkacha" by Donald A Mackenzie: Source

It is quite evident at this point in the story that the reason the births of the many sons of the Pandanvas and the Kauravas were all mentioned throughout the Mahabharata was so they could all be killed off during this great battle. This way, the extreme battle can impact the main characters of the Mahabharata without actually killing the very vital characters.


"Death of Drona" by Sister Nivedita: Source

I found this story exceptionally entertaining- Drona's love for his son was what had kept him alive throughout the battle. Bhima killed an elephant with the same name as his son and claimed to have killed Drona's son. No one told Drona that Bhima had killed an elephant rather than his son. Distraught, he was unable to summon his celestial weapons to defend himself. Dhrishtadyumna killed Drona by chopping off his head.
This sort of ridiculous, but plausible story, makes me wonder if some sort of comparable situation could be used in one of my stories about Vali for my project.


"Arjuna and Karna" by Donald A Mackenzie: Source

Arjuna and Karna battle with their bows and arrows. Arjuna's string breaks. He yells that Karna needs to give him the chance to fix his bow string so they can fight with honor. Karna continues to shoot arrows at Arjuna. Krishna talks to Karna about how his recent actions have lacked any sort of honor, especially cornering and killing Arjuna's son. At the mention of his son's name, Arjuna shoots Karna's head with an arrow.


"The Pandavas and Bhishma" by John Mandeville Macfie: Source

After an eventful evening during which Ashwatthaman attacks the Pandava camp, the Pandavas visit the dying Bhishma. He gives advice on how to rule now that they control everything.
This feels like a redemption story to me, and I really like the Bhishma got that ending.


"The Forest and its Ghosts" by Donald A. Mackenzie: Source

Vyasa revives all of the warriors who died in battle, allowing them to have final words with their families. Vyasa allows widows to follow their husbands to the afterlife if they so choose. All of these warriors disappear as the sun rises.

This is what I imagine the returning warriors took a form comparable to this.

Source

On top of this, we see the main characters sort of give up living to pass on to the afterlife. I thought this was unique to Rama and Sita, but I now feel that this death is possible for any main character of an Indian story.

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Section C

"Arjuna and Indra" by Donald A. Mackenzie: Source

Indra, Varuna, Yama, and Kubera each give Arjuna celestial weapons. He then wages war on Indra's enemies, the daityas and the danavas. Indra rewards Arjuna with gold and a diadem.
This section could be useful if I want to write about celestial weapons in any story- this section goes into a fair amount of detail about these weapons.


"Bhima and Hanuman" by John Mandeville Macfie: Source

We see Hanuman! Bhima and Hanuman are apparently brothers, as both are sons of Vayu. This section comes across as though Hanuman is the vessel for an author who is trying to educate people on the rules of morality in Indian culture with minimal effort. Hanuman talks about morality after Bhima can't pick him up? Yep. And then they part ways. This section is so odd.


"Karna and Indra" by Sister Nivedita: Source

Karna is the man who was born with natural armor and earrings that make him invincible. Indra disguises himself as a brahmin to trick Karna. He asks for Karna's armor and earrings. Karna sees through Indra's disguise. He ultimately gives up his armor and earrings for any invincible dart that can be used once upon a single deadly foe. Importantly, Karna took a vow in the previous section to kill Arjuna. Coincidence? I think not.


"Bhima and Kichaka" by C.A. Kincaid: Source

Prince Kichaka, tries to rape Draupadi. Her five husbands cannot defend her because they're all disguised to serve out their last year of their exile. Draupadi, disgraced, tells Bhima of Prince Kickaka trying to rape her and then hitting her when she refused. Bhima tricks Prince Kichaka and ends up killing him because of his treatment of the disguised Draupadi.

"Krishna's Mission" by Donald A. Mackenzie: Source

The Pandavas have put together an army and begun to rebuild their army and power. They want peace with Duryodhana. Krishna is sent to directly ask for peace but the Kauravas had plans to kidnap/attack Krishna. Krishna shows his godly form, scaring everyone but Duryodhana. He returns to the Pandavas in peace.

This reminded me of Superman pulling off his shirt and revealing who he truly is, inspiring awe in others.

Krishna's reveal is like Superman's- they're both so powerful

Source

Week 6 Story: Microfiction

Dribble (50 words):

The scent of coffee and bacon woke me. Sun shone through the blinds onto my face. I stretched before going to the bathroom. The cry of the baby shattered the peace of the morning. That's when I remembered. I live alone. Whose baby was crying and who was cooking breakfast!?

Source

Six Word Story (6 Words):

My rejection letter shattered my world.



Twitterature (140 characters):

I didn’t know how to study. Lectures didn’t help. I stopped attending class, read the textbook, taught myself, and everything became clear.

Author's Note:
I wrote three stories because I felt that the second and third required so little time to write that I could put forth additional effort. Yet, I needed to do a shorter assignment this week because I have a BIG test to study for.
My idea behind the first story was somewhat silly. I had a conversation about the movie "The Hangover" with a friend of mine this morning. The conversation was still on my mind, so that was my inspiration. Obviously, my story doesn't have all the same craziness.
My second story I wrote because the same friend showed me a tik-tok (ugh) of a girl who was recording while she got the email about her rejection from dental school, and you could see her face absolutely fall apart. She didn't say anything, but you could tell exactly how she felt by her expression. Given that she could convey that emotion without words, I thought I'd use as few words as possible to do the same thing.
The third story actually comes from my roommate. He actually gave a speech in one class about how he had stopped going to the lectures for another class because the professor was not good at lecturing. He learned everything he needed by simply reading the textbook. It worked. This was on my mind because I'm really considering doing the same for one of my classes this semester...
The exercise of conveying information in so few words was not easy. Each of the stories has the maximum number of words/characters it can have, and I still want to say more.

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Section B

Bhima and Baka by C.A. Kincaid: Source

The Pandavas escaped the fiery trap that was meant to kill them. They managed to escape secretly- no one knows they are alive. Bhima must fight a rakshasa in the woods to keep his family safe. He does this by breaking the rakshasa's back over his knee. Bhima then kills the warlord Baka by the same process, freeing a local village from the tyrant.
Bhima's process of killing his enemies in this manner makes me think of the iconic battle between Batman and Bane, shown below. Even if it's silly, this was the first thing I thought of

This is exactly how I imagine Bhima defeats his enemies

Source

Draupadi's Swayamwara by Donald A. Mackenzie: Source

Draupadi is this gorgeous woman who is destined to have five husbands and be a Pandava queen. In her previous life, she was never satisifed by her husband. She prayed to the gods who promised she would be a high-born woman who would have FIVE husbands. Arjuna shoots the fish target with his arrow to win Draupadi's hand in marriage. Vyasa reveals that the Pandavas are each incaranations of Indra, so there is no problem with five men marrying the same woman.

This whole setup is wild.

Arjuna and Subhadra by Donald A. Mackenzie: Source

Part of the arrangement for Draupadi's marriage to the five Pandava men was that while Draupati spent time with one brother that the other brothers would leave them be or face exile for twelve years. When a fearsome rakshasa attacks the city, Arjuna needs his weapon to fight. His weapon is in the same room as Draupati and one of his brothers. After fending of the rakshasa, Arjuna leaves the city in exile for breaking his oath. While he is away, he visits the city Prabhasa and his friend Krishna. He falls in love with Krishna's sister Subhadra. The expectation is that Subhadra will marry Duryodhana despite the swayamvara having not been held yet. To get around this, Arjuna simply kidnaps Subhadra. Knowing that no man would want Subhadra after she had spent time in the house of another man, they welcome Arjuna back to hold an official marriage. Staying in Prabhasa until the end of his exile, Arjuna finally returns home. Draupati welcomes Arjuna's new wife.

Draupati then has a son for each of her five husbands while Subhadra has a son with Arjuna.

The idea of multiple wives blows my mind. I imagine that the children of Draupati and the Pandavas will ultimately be important. It also seems that men are rewarded for questionable actions- this is the second instance in the Mahabharata of men widnapping women to make them their wives!

Gambling Match by Donald A. Mackenzie: Source

This story seems a little ridiculous to me. Yudhishthira and the Pandavas visit Duryodhana to gamble. Yudhishthira seems to understand that the game will be rigged, but he plays along anyways. He gambles away everything- his gold, jewels, elephants, and slaves. He lost his whole kingdom, himself, all of the Pandavas, and even Draupadi. Why did he not stop gambling!? We see that eventually Duryodhana mocks Draupadi. He tries to strip all of the clothing off of his new slave in public. He mocks the Pandavas who are all now his slaves. Draupadi goes to Dhritarashtra who knew nothing of Duryodhana's actions. He offers Draupadi whatever she wants- she asks for herself, the Pandavas, and Yudhishthira to be freed. That's where this week's reading ends...

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Section A

King Shantanu and Satyavati by Donald A. Mackenzie: Source

Satyavati is a girl born of Indra's sperm that was swallowed by a fish. When a fisherman caught the fish, he released the two children, the boy and the girl, living inside. The fisherman was able to keep the girl, Satyavati. She grows up giving people rides across the Ganges. She grows up a little before brahmin Parashara comes along. He is overwhelmed by her beauty and asks her to mother his child. In return, he will remove the fish smell from her, she will smell like perfume for the rest of her life, and he restores her virginity.
On a side note- I'm not entirely sure what that last part is supposed to mean. The idea of such a thing seems ridiculous in mind.


Bhishma at the Swayamvara by Sister Nivedita: Source

To this point in the story, Bhishma seems to be a decent person. He forfeited his claim to the throne so that his father could marry again! However, in this portion of the Mahabharata, Bhishma goes to kidnap the daughters- Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika- of the king of Benares. A contest is occurring to determine who is fit to marry these women. However, Bhishma steals the three daughters and fends off multiple armies with his archery skills! Eventually the king of Benares surrenders. Bhishma takes the daughters back to Hastinapura for his step-brother Vichitravirya, who is currently acting as the city's king.


Amba by Sister Nivedita: Source

Amba is the oldest of the princesses that Bhishma kidnapped. She had secretly sworn to marry the King of the Shalwas. She tells Bhishma about her previous arrangement. He sets her free to go marry the King of the Shalwas so that this younger step-brother does not have a marry a woman who will not love him. She goes to the King of the Shalwas, who Bhishma defeated in battle when he kidnapped Amba. He treats her terribly. Eventually, she leaves him to become exceptionally pious. As a result of her piety, Shiva offers Amba a boon. She wants Bhishma dead- she thinks he ruined her chance of a happy marriage when he disgraced the King of the Shalwas. Shiva promises that Amba will kill Bhishma. "How? She's only a woman!" Well... Shiva promises to reincarnate her as a man so that she can kill Bhishma in a future life.
Amba's response? She prepares and lights a funeral pyre and jumps on.


Duryodhana's Jealousy by C.A. Kincaid: Source

Pandu was named as king when he came of age. He two wives each had numerous sons- these two sets of sons came to be known as the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Duryodhana is effectively the head of the Kauravas. He goes to King Dhritarashtra and deceives him. He asks the king of send his queen and the Pandavas away to an entirely wooden palace he's had built. Everything in the palace is soaked in oil. This is Duryodhana's plan to get rid of the Pandavas, as they are better than the Kauravas in almost everything.

The Mahabharata is structured very differently than the Ramayana. It focuses on MANY more characters. It is much harder to keep them all straight, as no single character is specifically followed throughout the story like Rama was.

Week 5 Story: Vali's Defeat at the Hands of Rama

     I awoke in the night to news that my brother was traveling towards Kishkindha. I knew exactly why he was returning. He wanted to claim my throne and wife. Sugriva, my younger brother, the man who had left me for dead and attempted to rule in my absence, wanted the same things he had wanted from me his whole life. As the eldest of the two of us, the throne of Kishkindha was rightfully mine. Tara too was rightfully mine. It was I who first laid eyes on her while I helped Indra churn the ocean long ago. A beautiful aspara, a water spirit, Tara had appeared among the sea foam and the waves. I knew we were destined to be together. I presume Sugriva also experienced the overwhelming flood of emotion I had felt when I first saw Tara. I could see that he wanted her for himself, despite her devotion to me. It was evident in every interaction between the two of them. I could do little to prevent Sugriva's advances, as violence was never an option. As my brother, I would never harm Sugriva. 

     That changed when he trapped me in a cavern with the largest and most fearsome rakshasa after Ravana himself. Sugriva had left me to die! He filled the cavern entrance with a mountain to trap me with that monster. It took me months to escape that prison. When I finally dug myself free, Sugriva sat upon my throne! He had claimed my Tara as his future wife. My rage controlled me that day. I challenged Sugriva to battle, crushing his weapon, his body, and his will. My weak younger brother never truly stood a chance. Upon reclaiming my throne, I exiled the traitor.

     Yet, here he comes yet again. His desire for Tara and my throne somehow managed to stay intact when I had broken everything else he possessed. I lay awake, Tara beside me, unable to return to sleep. It was not fear that kept me awake. It was the excitement- Sugriva's pitiful attempts to claim what was mine would soon come to an end.

Vali pierced by an arrow, bleeding.

Source

     Lying in a pool of my own blood, I no longer possessed that same confidence I'd had the previous night. I should have known that Sugriva would only return with some sort of trick. We both knew that he could never best me in battle. He was conniving and cowardly enough to act on that knowledge. Not even my boon, my ability to steal strength from my opponents, could protect me from an opponent I did not know I was fighting.

     When Sugriva had met me at the gates of Kishkindha with his weapon in hand, I had hardly expected him to back towards the woods before taking off at a full sprint. My honor challenged, I had no choice but to chase the coward. Bit by bit I had gained ground on him. I lunged at Sugriva, knocking him to the ground. He leapt to his feet, spear in hand. One swing from my axe splintered his spear in half. I raised my axe to deliver Sugriva's final blow. He knocked my legs out from under me and kicked my axe away. Sugriva leapt on me in an attempt to overpower me. He stood no chance. I maneuvered myself free of his grasp and wrestled him to the ground. We writhed among the mud and leaves, struggling for dominance until I heard a brief whistling noise. I felt a sudden piercing pain in my chest. I released my grip on Sugriva and fell onto my back. This pain was like nothing I had felt before. Grasping for my chest, I saw an arrow had pierced through my body and was sticking through my breast. I could do nothing to prevent the stabbing pain or the flowing blood. 

     A muscular man radiating power and godliness entered my field of vision. He peered over me. With that short glimpse, I knew who had fired that arrow through my chest. Rama. Rama had shot me like a coward. Sugriva had deceived me like a coward. Yet, honor hardly mattered as Sugriva peered over me before everything faded to black. 

Author's Note:

This story is a first-person, and somewhat fabricated, account of the death of Vali. Rama shoots Vali with an arrow from behind as he battles Sugriva. Sugriva then leaves exile and becomes the king of Kishkindha! The story is based very much on the story of Vali's death from the Ramayana,

Bibliography:

"Vali's Death" by Romesh Dutt- Online Source

Reading Notes: Part B of Sister Nivedita's Ramayana

I noticed in this re-telling of the Ramayana that when Ravana was speaking to his council that the reader was told of a boon that I do not believe was made evident to the reader in the previous version of the story. It states that "one time when Ravana had ill-used a celestial dame [that Brahma] laid upon him a curse that if he ever did the like against his victim's will, then his head should break in 100 pieces." This clarifies that actions that Ravana takes- he wants to kill Rama so Sita is free to marry him and she will consent to actions she has otherwise been refusing. This makes so much sense. Previously, I had failed to understand why Ravana had kept Sita at all- why not just kill her? He needs her consent for sex otherwise he dies, and her beauty has convinced him to keep her alive for that reason. Very interesting.

Additionally, the many generals of Ravana's army are named and killed one by one. They all have such absurd names that make it quite clear that they are "bad guys." They have names like "Goblin", "Man-Killer", and ... "Tall". What creative names. This version seems to focus much more on the battle itself, rather than all of the events in Rama's life that precede the battle.

Ravana is battled by Rama and Hanuman

Source

In this version, Rama beats Ravana in battle but mercifully lets the demon king go so that he can beat Ravana in another battle? What? This does not make the slightest bit of sense- Rama wants to rescue Sita!

I wonder how "earning boons" works. Why are rakshasas able to make sacrifices that earn them boons? Could the gods simply refuse their sacrifices? They all want Rama to defeat Ravana because Ravana has a boon that prevents any of the gods from touching him. Can they not take these boons away? I want to do more research on this topic. Specifically, I thought of this when Indrajit made Lakshmana believe he had killed Sita in order to buy himself time to make a sacrifice and earn a boon that would make him invincible.

Sita raises the same point that I had thought of on my first time reading the Ramayana- Why did Rama go through all of this effort to save her if he's simply going to reject her anyways?

This version of the story has Rama see his dead father among the gods as well!

Reading Notes: Part A of Sister Nivedita's Ramayana

The source of every subsection of this reading is found here: Source

The very first thing that I notice about this version of the story is how quickly it moves. Sister Nivedita does not spend much time at all describing things. This reminds of a technical report, in that only actions and events are described. For example, Rama meets and marries Sita within the first four sections of the book.

In this version of the story, Rama is described as being quite wise. I don't believe that he was described as being so learned in the PDE Ramayana. Additionally, Sita is not described in the slightest. It was said that she was born from a trough as her father plowed a field. Beyond that, she is essentially not mentioned.

The process of naming Rama as the king is much more in-depth in this version of the story. In the previous reading, I don't believe that Rama was so far into the process of becoming king when Kaikeyi asked Dasharatha to exile Rama. This makes her scheming even worse than it seemed in the other version, as she effectively pulled the throne right out from under him! Kaikeyi needed a fair amount of convincing in this version of the story as well.

I also noticed that Vali was effectively left out of this rendition of the Ramayana. His death was not mentioned. Rather, it was stated that if Rama helped Sugriva overcome Vali then Sugriva would help Rama recover Sita. I hadn't understood this point- the fact that Rama killing Vali was effectively a trade- until now. Yet, my confusion still stands. Vali's death is stated in three words- "Rama overcame Vali." I had thought that a major point of contention within the Ramayana was the fact that Rama "dishonorably" killed Vali. I suppose that this controversy was completely avoided by leaving out Vali's death?

Ravana is kidnapping Sita!

Source

The most notable difference between the two versions of the Ramayana is the fact that Sampati, the vulture, states "Do ye repair thither and avenge the rape of Sita and the murder of my brother." Did Ravana force himself on Sita? I had previously assumed that he merely held her captive until she would submit to their marriage. This would explain why Rama did not want her back due to her lack of purity. It all makes sense now.

Finally, the same few metaphors are used repeatedly. "Like a plantain tree in the wind" appears quite commonly. I assume this is cultural/regional, as I know I have never seen a plantain in my life. Additionally, elephants are mentioned frequently.