Portfolio Guideline

First, let's explore a dark tale about Thataka's fall from grace in The Case of Thataka.

Next, read about he devastation of the Rakshasas in The Valakhilyas' Plea.

Here is a tale that shows how Sita lost trust in the man she loves in Sita's Trial.

Now, read a story about a man who remained silent while his wife drowned seven of their children in Shantanu's Misfortune.

Famous Last Words Week 10

Well, I am so happy that this will be the last Famous Last Words that I will be writing for the semester because after this week I will be pretty much done with this class.  I am so happy that this semester is almost over.  Now I have enjoyed my time at the University of Oklahoma, but I am so happy that I will no longer have to do homework.  Speaking of homework, I got pretty much nothing done over the break.  I did a few small things but as far as big papers go, I did not do anything.  It is not that I needed to have these things completed by this week or next week, but if I would have, it would have made my life so much easier for the rest of the semester.  Oh well, I’ll just have to do it the hard way.

            So last night was a little crazy with the tornado in Moore.  I went to my night class at six o’clock that evening.  We were watching a movie, and were only about forty minutes into it when my teacher kept walking in and out the room several times.  At first, I did not notice this at all until several times later.  Finally, she rushed into the room and shouted for everyone to leave because there was a tornado in a panicked voice.  Now, usually, I stay pretty calm, but I was a little freaked out at first.  I had no idea where this tornado was and my professor acted like it was right outside.  Also I was being a good student so I did not have my phone or computer out.   Well, everyone was freaking out.  It was not until someone checked and saw that it was in Moore.  Now, Moore is close, but it was definitely not close enough to come running into the room shouting and causing a panic.  

A tornado.  Source: Wikipedia.

Resize Tech Tip

Image that I re-sized with PicMonkey.com.  I chose this image because I really liked the look of the temple. Source: Wikipedia.

Storytelling Week 10: Drona's Despair

           At first, the words do not fully hit you until a few moments later because you cannot believe that something so horrific could actually be possible.  A million terrible thoughts crawled through my mind as I was told that my son had been killed.  A father should never have to see his son die before him.  To lose a child is one of the most painful experiences that no one should ever have to experience.  It was as if I had lost apart of myself.  In a moment, I had lost everything that I had to live for.  My mouth became dry, and I was unable to speak.  I do not believe that I even had the will to cry because I was so incredibly shocked.  I had no desire to be on this earth any longer.  I was fully prepared to die and leave this world that my son had so cruelly been evicted from.

Before this incident, I was invincible.  Nothing could stop me—no man, no beast, no weapon, no god, and no amount of power could stop my destruction.  However, it was this very instance that broke me.  It broke my will to live, my spirit, my hopes, and my plans.  I shriveled into nothing, absolute nothing.  There are no other words to explain how I felt in that very moment.  No word, no matter how powerful, could describe the type of pain that ran through my mind.  No measurement could be taken to understand the amount of pain that came with this terrible news.  The only word that comes to mind when I try to describe how I feel is nothing.  Nothing to live for and absolutely nothing left to die for.  With that thought, I began to take off my armor as tears stung my eyes and began to silently roll down my cheeks and onto the floor.  I noticed a man quietly standing behind me, waiting for the right moment, and I knew that he would have no hesitation in taking my life.  In a funny way, I was thankful.  I was thankful that someone was there to end my suffering and misery.  I had no desire to breathe the air of this world unless my son was also inhaling it.  Once I was finished with my amour, I got to my knees and bowed my head waiting for that final blow to bring relief.  

Drona during the war.  Source: Wikipedia.

Author’s Note

For this story, I wanted to give Drona a voice when he hears that his son was killed.  I know that within the original, Drona would never have had time to have much inner dialogue with himself besides the obvious despair of losing his son.  However, I just wanted to elaborate on a father’s thoughts after he has lost a child.  The story is true to the plot.

Bibliography

Narayan, R. K. (1978). The Mahabharata.

Reading Diary B: Vaka

The part about Vaka is so interesting.  It reminds me of that old fable or maybe it is a parable about the grasshopper and the ant, which was later turned into that kids’ movie A Bug’s Life.  I know that in the parable, the ant helped the grasshopper willingly, but in the movie it was their job to feed the grasshopper, and if they did not do that, it was suggested that death and destruction would be involved or something along those lines.  I know that this took a weird turn, but the dynamic of this situation reminded me of that film and parable.  Possible storytelling blog.  Why were these human sacrifices made?  Was it to eat?  Was it to keep the village in fear?  How long has this been going on?  Who were the people that were sacrificed?  How were they chosen?  Were any them women or were any of them children?  Was it only men?  Did anyone offer themselves to be a sacrifice?  What did Vaka do with these sacrifices?  How did this entire situation come about?  What is the history of the village?  Inner thoughts of Bhima as he was sent to fight them?  Inner thoughts of the villagers as he was sent to fight them?  Were they scared or elated?  If he was triumphant, it would be a great thing, but if he failed, Vaka would surely be very angry at this attempt.  So I am sure that there would have been tons of mixed emotions.  

A rakshasa,  Source: Wikipedia.

Reading Diary A Week 11: Ocean Churning

The part about the ocean once being milk is so interesting.  I also find it interesting that it was a way to obtain immortality.  I think that speaks a lot about the power of milk and how it was looked upon.  It must have been upheld very highly in ancient times.  I am sure that milk was seen as a tool for survival because it is a very caloric drink and meal, especially full fat milk.  I am sure that in times of a drought or a shortage on food, milk from cows or goats was greatly appreciated because it allowed people to survive.  For these reasons, it makes sense that milk is seen as a tool to gain immortality.  A snake churning the ocean water seems very odd.  Where did this snake come?  Is there a significant reason why this snake was chosen or why a snake was chosen at all?  It is odd that poison erupted from this though.  How did this poison come about?  (This is a possible storytelling blog post.)   What kind of form did this poison take?  Possibly a liquid?  Was it from the snake?  Why did it turn his throat blue? Was the poison blue? Is there any significance in the color blue?  Does it have to do with turning the ocean into salt?  Became blue because it is the color of water, not milk?  Salt water depraves life.  Salt absorbs water so for this reason it is not a good source of water or hydration.  

The churning of the ocean.  Source: Wikipedia.

Reading Diary B Week 10: Drona's Son

The part about them using Drona’s love for his son Ashwatthaman against him is so interesting. I mean I think that it is really cruel to do this. I know that they really did not kill him, but they used someone so dear to him to trick him into his downfall. How cruel. It reminded of that Spiderman movie with the Green Goblin or Dr. Octopus. In this movie the villain decides to kick Spiderman where it hurts the most and that is in his loved ones. I just remember that the villain tried to kill Aunt May. Well, I know that this was an odd way to go in this reading diary, but honestly that is what this made me think of. I do not know why, but this whole situation just rubs me the wrong way. Like it was the use of a father’s love to go to his downfall. Perhaps it is because it is not black and white. The characters are not inherently good or inherently evil, which just confuses my emotions even more. I know that the good guys did not kill him but it is still really messed up for them to use such emotions in such a way. It is just not cool or right. It is sort of disgusting. Something is so vile about using someone’s emotions in such a way. Emotional violations are just so wrong because it uses what every human being has—emotions and feelings—to gain something. It’s gross.

The battle between Bhima and Duryodhana

Reading Diary A Week 10: Giant Deer and A Lake

The part about the deer and the Brahmin is so interesting.  Where did this deer come from?  Why did it take these things?  Was it by accident?  Why is this deer a giant?  I think that these could be great topics for storytelling.  Also the part about the voice form lake.  Who is the voice?  What is in the water?  Why does it kill those who drink it?  I know that it is a test from their father.  It seems stupid.  Like they really didn’t listen to a mystical voice saying do not drink this water until they answer some questions for unknown reasons.  I mean what does this really prove?  I think it opens up great opportunities for a storytelling blog, but it makes no sense at all. It just seems like a dumb way to set up Yudhishthira as the good son or the wise son.  It just seems dumb, but I am sure that this will have great affect on their lives and adventures.  I am also sure that it has something to do with dharma and karma and some higher mystical power, but I just cannot get past loopholes within a plot and narrative.  I guess modern Western storytelling conventions, especially within a narrative or a plot, have ruined me and most likely others when we read stories from not only the past but also stories from other countries.  I wonder if people like Buck or Narayan who retell stories like this consciously understand this type of struggle.  On one hand they need to be faithful to the text, but on the other side they have a flaky narrative.  

A lake. Source: Wikipedia.

Famous Last Words Week 9

I am so glad that Spring Break is almost here.  It is definitely time for a much needed break.  I do not know about anyone else, but I am going to be sleeping and spending some time with my family.  A few weeks ago we were supposed to have a birthday party for my niece, but due to the bad weather we changed it to another week.  Instead of having her birthday party that next weekend, we had to cancel because I got really sick.  So this Saturday we are having a little party with cake and ice cream.  She has already gotten her presents, but we just want to make sure that she has a birthday party and feels loved.  Other than that my Spring Break week might consist of playing some video games, helping my sister move into her new house, and more sleeping and resting.  Yeah, it sounds like it is going to be a pretty good week.

This week has been crazy.  I hate midterms, and the types of midterms I hate the most are ones that require you to do everything in only fifty minutes.  This test had multiple choice questions, true or false questions, short answer questions, and an essay with only fifty minutes.  It just seems like it was too much.  I think the test would have been better if one of those sections would have been taken away because there was literally no time to think about what to write within the essay.  There was no time to think clearly or organize how you were going to write the essay.  I know that when I left almost everyone was still there.  It was just way too much, which is why I clearly need a week off from this school and just life in general.  

Spring Break poster.  Source: Clipart.

Storytelling Week 9: Shantanu's Misfortune

When I first saw her by the river, I knew she was the woman whom I wanted to marry and mother my children.  She was absolutely beautiful with long, soft waves, like the water on a calm morning by the ocean, of rich dark hair that fell to her lower back.  Her olive skin looked softer than any piece of fine silk, and her eyes were a mesmerizing sepia color that would cause any noble man to become speechless.  She noticed me watching her from some trees not too far from the river bank.  She smiled and waved for me to walk over.  We didn’t speak much.  In fact, I never even asked for her name; however, I was so captivated by her beauty and charm that I asked her to become my wife.  Without any hesitation she assuredly said yes. 

Before I could fully take in my happiness and fortune at finding such a great beauty to be my wife, she made a demand that forced to uphold or else she would not agree to be my wife.  Furthermore, if I ever broke this promise during our marriage, our marriage would be over.  No matter what she did, at any time, I would never question her or her actions.  At the time, I thought nothing of this request.  I only thought of wedding this beautiful being before me and starting a family with her.  To me, this powerful request was an act of a woman ensuring her safety, happiness, and freedom within a marriage to a king.  For this reason, I quickly agreed to her demands.

A few days later, we were married in an elaborate wedding full of food, lights, and entertainment, and only a few months later, my wife was pregnant.  I was so elated to be a father and have an heir to my kingdom.  It was the most joyous time of my life.  Never throughout the first few months of our marriage did she do anything that would have caused concern.  In fact, she was a perfect wife who was humble and supportive.  She was a virtuous queen, and everyone within the kingdom adored her. 

Once our first child was born, we were overwhelmed with happiness.  I couldn’t wait to watch this child grow; however, my wish never came true.  After only a few months, my wife took our child to the Ganga River and drowned him.  I couldn’t believe that such an act was possible.  How could my beautiful wife who had never shown a harmful trait kill our innocent child?  I was heartbroken but I kept my silence in order to keep my marriage.  I thought that perhaps this was a one-time occurrence, or a test to see if I would truly hold to my promise.  However, my wife went on to kill six more of our children.  Once she became pregnant with our eighth child, I could no longer remain passive.  I knew that I had to destroy my marriage to save my child’s life.  

Giving her up was a difficult decision, but I had to save my child.  Every time I would hold him in my arms, I looked into his eyes and I saw myself.  I couldn’t handle seeing him die like the others.  I just couldn’t.

Shantanu meeting a beautiful women by the Ganga River.  Source: Wikipedia.

Author’s Note

For this week, I chose to tell the beginning of the Mahabharata where Shantanu meets Ganga, marries her, and discovers that she is drowning their children.  Within the original, Shantanu never questions or forbids Ganga to do this because of a promise that he made to her before they were married.  Essentially, I found it just so interesting for an individual to remain quiet while his children are murdered.  For this reason, I wanted to focus on Shantanu’s perspective and inner dialogue throughout these events.  I wanted to capture his fascination with Ganga and her beauty, which had an effect on him giving her whatever she asked for in order to become his wife.  I chose to have no dialogue within my story because I felt that it would distract from Shantanu’s thoughts, and the original gives some dialogue from the characters.  For these reasons, I felt that it was not needed.  I also chose to end this story before Ganga reveals her true actions because I wanted the sole focus to be on Shantanu’s thoughts while he sees his wife go from a good woman to the killer of his children.  While the story is very true to the original, I did expand on some details.  For example, within the original, their first child is given no specific gender, and Ganga is merely described as beautiful without any detail. 

Bibliography

Narayan, R. K. (1978). The Mahabharata.

Famous Last Words Week 8

Wow, this week has been hectic.  I don’t understand why but in almost every class, I have to do a presentation this semester.  Before this semester, I have probably done three presentations in my entire undergraduate career at OU.  Well, I don’t mind doing these presentations, but so far every group that I have tried to meet up with, we have had to cancel because of the weather.  Since
I am a perfectionist, nothing scares me more than meeting up the day before and having a few hours to put everything together and make it coherent.  But what is really ridiculous is the grade amount that this presentation is worth.  It is 6% of our overall grade.  What?!  Why even bother? I just wish that I had more time and was better prepared. 

However, I’m glad that there was a snow day this week because it gave the chance to get some much needed work done.  Unfortunately, I’ll be paying the price for it next week when my night class will have to stay the entire three hours to make up for the time missed.  It’s okay.  It is an easy class with little to no work, but it is exhausting to stay three hours in a room and talk about race issues.  The class is an AFAM class.  It is not stressful because there is blatant racism from people but because race is such a heated topic that it always brings up issues that are controversial.

I’m so glad this was a review week because I definitely needed the break.  I needed the break to help relieve the stress from other classes and work and I needed this break to focus on getting rid of this sickness that I have.  I’m sick but I have no time for it.  

Winter Weather. Source: Wikipedia.