Week 3 Review

This weeks course announcements I like the graphic and english proverb below. The proverb is, “One loose pebble can start a landslide.” I really love this proverb because I think it can relate to life in may ways. Not only can a landslide be seen as a destructive force, but it can also be a really creative force. In nature landslides destroy mountain sides and pretty much everything in its path, but landslides and also create new fertile soil for new plants to grow in. This week has been challenging for me and I think I see this quote as a source of inspiration. If I don’t make sure all of my pebbles are in place, then I could see a devastating landslide. Next week I am going on an archaeological dig in southern Oklahoma. To do this I am having to work ahead in all of my courses and try to finish up some major work before I leave town with no internet access. It has been challenging and I am currently, frantically, attempting to cement all of my pebbles down before the whole mountain comes crumbling on top of me!

Wiki Mountain Image

Styles Brainstorming: Karma and Social Media

Topic:
My storybook will be about how the personified character version of Karma would be like. For  this storybook I would like my goal to be to choose a story from four different sources dealing with some main characters. From my readings so far I would like to use the story of Ravana and Sita. I think the episodes involving this story will make a great Karma story as Ravana “gets what he deserves”. Another story I would like to use is Indrajit from Public Domain Editions Ramayana. I think this story would be interesting from Karma’s perspective because the actions of Rama may have led to him being saved by Garuda.

(Ravana, Sita, and Jatayu)

Because I am using Karma as my character I do not think I will have trouble finding stories to use, in fact, I think I am going to have more trouble on deciding which stories I would prefer, which may take some thought. My main criteria for choosing stories will be stories that have an already strong Karma presence. This could include stories which feature a character with ill-will or bad intentions or maybe a story where someone is making a very difficult decision.


Bibliography:
1. Ravana and Sita, from Public Domain Editions Ramayana, by Romesh Dutt (1899). 
2. Indrajit, from Public Domain Editions Ramayana, by Romesh Dutt (1899).

Possible Styles:

First-Person Storytelling: I like the idea of using this style because it would make the character Karma, an actual present character. By using the first-person storytelling style I would be able to access Karma’s inner thoughts and dialogues which would be great for the social media component  of this story. With this style of storytelling I would be able to really delve into Karma’s thoughts and understand why “it” is making the decisions the way it does. 

Courtroom Style: I think this style would be great for Karma. May people view Karma as a cosmic justice type entity. Maybe I could set up Karma as a judge and the plaintiff and defendant as characters from which every story I am retelling. I am very excited about this style. 

Blogging/ Social Media Style: For this style I would like to incorporate the Diary of Karma with Karma’s Social Medias. I think this would be great to get the real emotion behind Karma and its decisions. I like the idea of a blown platform to convey the ideas of Karma. I think this story telling style would take some work to make it “look” nice online. I would have to figure out how to set up fake social medias and other accounts, but it could be successful. 

Bedtime Stories: I like the idea of a bedtime Karma story. Something you could tell your children, a life lesson, that would help them fall asleep, but also be a really good read. I think this could make some really excellent Karma stories! 


In addition, I like this storybook!

Storytelling: Week 3

In this weeks episode of Superheroes and the Stolen Goods:

Last week we learned that James and the Pick Axe gang had stolen grave goods from a 2,000 year old American Indian grave site. The materials from this site are protect by both federal and tribal legislation. the grave goods consisted of pottery, projectile points, and preserved cloth fragments! The items of cultural heritage are irreplaceable and now in possession of the criminal masterminds. James and the Pick Axe gang are planning to resell these items to people who do not understand the laws concerning cultural heritage items.

Archaeologist and political activist Dr. Allen took to the streets to track down these criminals! As he was doing online research trying to find the bandits he came across a craigslist ad that listed some of the many items stolen. He contacted the men who were selling the items and arranged to meet them at a remote warehouse.   

Dr. Allen had finally found the materials he had been searching for, but he was powerless to detain the bandits without help from the local authorities. He decided to wait in the shadows and document the items, so that he may file an official report to the police. From afar he took videos and photographs to document evidence of their criminal activity. The material was stored in a large safe centered in a warehouse. One bright light that hung from the ceiling was concentrated on the safe. Four guards circled the safe constantly. They were big men with tough looking exteriors. One of the men wore a ragged and stained shirt. He face was covered by a black eye patch and his facial expression was fixed in an angered position and another sported a large scar from his left temple down to his ear lobe. The Pick Axe gang was a nearly bunch of dudes! 

Dr. Allen presented the evidence to official and the next day they launched an investigation to recover the stolen items. A hoard of public officials, news anchors, archaeologist and supporting citizens showed up to the warehouse the following day. The grave goods were recovered and returned to the rightful owners!

Hanuman and Sita

Author’s Note: This story is based on the assemblage of stories, but mostly The Ashoka Grove story. This story is who Hanuman, the monkey king, and how he found and rescued Sita in Lanka. It begins with Hanuman going to Lanka in search of Sita, Rama’s wife. After searching he finally finds her at her captor Ravana’s palace. She had been hidden away outside in his palace surrounded and guarded by demons. Humana hides in the shadows and watches as scary looking demons guard her religiously. Eventually, Hanuman is able to get close enough to Sita to rescue her and free her from Ravana’s capture, but Sita does not believe Hanuman is there to save her at first. Sita thought Hanuman is just a ploy by Ravana to try to convince her to marry Ravana. After much conviencing Hanuman is able to successfully release Sita from her captor and return her to her husband. While escaping Hanuman grows as large as a mountain and sets all of Lanka on fire! In my story I used the grave goods, inanimate material of great importance culturally, to represent Sita and the robber to represent Ravana. The archaeologist could be representative as Rama or Hanuman. I chose to use the story of archaeologist because it is my profession and a problem that is very close to me. I also wanted to type my name as Dr. Allen (fictional, but not for long). 

Reading Diary B: Public Domain Ramayana

Public Domain: Table of Contents

Rama and Lakshmana See Garuda

Indrajit - My Favorite Story (?)

This story is a little hard to follow. It starts with the monkeys causing havoc as the climbed the rakshasas walls and battered the gates yelling "Victory for Rama". The rakshasas began to fight with the monkeys and it became a huge mess! The rakasasas are stronger at night and killed thousands of monkeys. Rama's army began to fight back against Indrajit, but he used his magic to become invisible and "showered deadly wounding arrows upon rama". Rama and other heros were wounded with thousands of arrows and the monkeys gather with sadness.

Indrajit left the battle as the victor and for a time the fighting stopped. Rama seemed to be dead, but he was not. Garuda, a great winged beast came and the arrows fell from the wounded heros and then Garuda held them! Garuda warns Rama to not trust the rakasasas in the battle field anymore because they are cunning. Once Garuda left the monkey's and Rama and Lakshmana advanced toward the gated Lanka.


Rama Crowned King

It was a happy day in Ayodhya because Rama was going to be crowned King! Fourteen years are the fighting began. Rama sat on his fathers throne and they began a ritual. First they took sacred water from all distant streams and oceans... all of them. The water was poured by holy priest on the consecrated king. Rama had jewels placed on his head and fragrance at his feet. Music began and Men in all nations hailed Rama as their “lord and rites king!” The land was right again and everyone was happy. People, Plants and Animals were all joyous and prosperous under the new king!

Reading Diary A: Public Domain Ramayana

For this reading diary I am combing how I traditionally take notes with how I took notes during week 2’s reading diary B. Here it goes.

Public Domain Ramayana

41. The monkey king, Sugriva, sent Hanuman the monkey-god to disguise himself and approach Rama and Lakshmana.

42. The monkey king ask Rama to fight Vali in battle.

43. Wife of Vali, begs him not to go to battle with Rama.

44. Vali goes to battle with Rama and dies

46. The monkey king promises to now help Rama find Sita, who was stolen by Ravana. Due to the exile, but Rama must wait until the end of the rainy season. Rama cannot enter a city. Rama’s lament is basically him saying he has a lot of pain because Sita is gone. It is actually a really sweet and sad read. 

47. Rama is upset with the Monkey king for his inaction to help him find Sita. The monkey king then sends an army of monkeys and bears, in all different directions, to find Sita. They searched everywhere!

48. The army headed south discoveries that they are headed in the right direction to find Sita!

49. Tragic short story of how Sampati, the bird that tried to save Site from Rama, lost his ability to fly.

51. Hanuman, the monkey god, enters the city of Lanka in search of Sita. He soon finds Ravana’s palace and Ravana sleeping, but no Sita. :-(

52. Hanuman wanders around the palace until he finds the Ashoka grove. He then found Sita. Demons surrounded her, some with fearsome heads.

53. Hanuman, the monkey god, hides in the trees and watches as Ravana tries to persuade Sita to denounce her lover Rama and take Ravana as her new husband. When she refused, Ravana tells the Rakshasis to “break her will”.

54. The monkey god keeps watch over Sita. It was hard to talk to her in secret. When Hanuman finally meets Sita she think he is Ravana in deceitful form. But he convinces her he is truthful. 

55. Oh no!!! Hanuman is captured...

Vibishana Leaves Lanka and Joins Rama

56. Hanuman divulges his secrets about being a part of Ramas envoy. Hanuman tells Ravana to give up and surrender. Ravana wanted to kill Hanuman, but urged by his counsellors sets the monkey gods tail on fire... :-(

57. The monkey god sets fire to all of Lanka because he receives help from his lord. 

58. Sugriva ordered everyone to march on Lanka and attack!!!!

59. Ravanas councel backs Ravana in the decision to go to war with Rama

60. Vibishana, Ravans brother, does not agree with Ravana about going to war with Rama and leaves to join Rama.