Famous Last Words: Dead Week

Famous Last Words: Dead Week

Haiti Skies
Personal Photo

This week was full of hard things, but also joyful things. This class this week was catch-up time and time to get ahead so I can make sure my grade is okay. Nevertheless, I learned discipline and what it means to put aside things happening at home so I can focus on earning a degree and this class helped me get closer to attaining that goal of being the first person in my whole family to earn at bachelor's degree! What a blessing that is. I enjoyed this class because it allowed to read others' writings and thoughts and even learn about their lives. I feel like each and every person I read from is talented and gifted in writing, whether that is natural or learned. I am definitely a learned writer and even continued learning that this week in this class of how creative can I actually be. I am honored to have taken a part in commenting on everyone's blogs and being able to navigate through their projects that have lasted all semester and taken a lot of hard work and dedication. I definitely cannot wait to take these skills and use them in my job I have someday. I greatly enjoyed learning about a different culture and diving into a different side of the world, bringing it to this side of the world. What a beautiful culture and people group! I do hope one day I get to travel to India and hear some of these stories from people there and hope to take in the culture first-hand. There is so much to take in and I am a firm believer in spending a good amount of time in a country before I can say much about it. I hope that throughout this course I have also attained better technological skills that will help me to help others in the future, as I have been helped in this class. Looking forward to what post-grad life holds! I am excited for new, purposeful times and to use these skills to help others in whatever location I may be in!

Wikipedia Trail: Haiti to Australia

Wikipedia Trail: Haiti to Australia

Flag of Haiti
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#1: Haiti

I read about the country that I lived in for two summers, plus couple more week long trips. Something new I learned is that French is spoken by 42% of Haitians, I had no idea that many spoke French!

#2: French-based creole languages
I read about the language of Creole created when the French brought African slaves over to the island of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Creole was formed as the slaves were no longer allowed to speak their native language, so they would write down the language the French were speaking and eventually spoke it for themselves. The writing looked different from French so Creole was formed out of those different spellings over time.

#3: Indian Ocean
I read about the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean in the world, bounded by Asia, Africa and Australia.

#4: Australia
Australia is the largest country in Oceania and is the 13th largest economically.

Reading Notes: The Noble Horse, Reading A

Reading Notes: The Noble Horse, Reading A

The Noble Horse
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Plot:
There was a beautiful creature who lived once, the Horse of Brahmadatta, King of Benares. He was more beautiful than any other. His stable was a palace. The city was the happiest city in India. Seven kings came together and said the enemies are quickly approaching the gates, we must come up with a plan. So Brahmadatta allowed them to take his horse, so that they would be victorious. Suddenly in war, all the kings fell and the knight knew there needed to be something differently done. The king felt helpless and the knight encouraged him to not give up hope. The king died.

Characters:
Horse of Brahmadatta, King of Benares
Seven kings
The knight

Setting:
City of Benares

Bibliography: The End of the World, Twenty Jataka Tales, Noor Inayat, The Noble Horse

Reading Notes: The Golden Goose, Part B

Reading Notes: The Golden Goose, Part B

The Golden Goose
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Plot:
Golden clouds passed over the city of Benares and the sky was covered in gold. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful goose flew across the sky. The King told the goose that he ought to be king. He allowed music to play and entertainment to come for the goose. The goose was pondering why the king would do such a thing and the other geese assumed the king wanted him to be his friend. So the geese and the goose descended down to earth to meet the king. The next day the King was walking through the gardens near the lake of Anokkatta where the bird came to him and he sprinkled water on the king. The king spoke to the geese and they said they had a race with the sun. The king warned them that this was too hot for them to take on. They ignored him and went anyway. The young one went and couldn't take the heat. The golden one flew back and caught the little one. The Golden one decided to take on the task the little one had and the golden one soared high up above the clouds, never to be seen again. The sky indeed became golden again.

Characters:
people of Benares
A beautiful goose
The geese
The King

Setting:
The city of Benares
near the lake of Anokkatta

Bibliography: The End of the World, Twenty Jataka Tales, Noor Inayat, The Golden Goose

Reading Notes: The End of the World, Part A

Reading Notes: The End of the World, Part A

The End of the World
Image Source

Plot:
One day a hare was sitting under a tree and was wondering about what would happen to him if the earth came to an end. Suddenly, an apple fell from the tree and hit the ground next to him! He ran home quickly and went to his brother and was baffled by what had happened to him. The hare kept running and told another and ran after him. He was afraid the earth was breaking to pieces and so they all started running until a thousand hares were running through the fields together. They raced through many locations and came to a jungle where a wise lion lived and told them that yes, this was true and they would die if he did not save them. So they went up a mountains and he asked why they would run at such a pace. They would continue giving the reason that the earth is breaking to pieces. They thought the elephants were doing this. The only one who actually saw the earth breaking was the one hare. Suddenly the great lion realized that the only thing the hare had seen was  fruit falling. He told the crowd and they lived happily ever after.

Characters:
A little hare
Another little hare
A thousand hares
A wise lion
Elephants
Rhinoceros

Setting:
Under a tree
The fields
Jungle
Mountains

Bibliography: The End of the World, Twenty Jataka Tales, Noor Inayat, The End of the World

Week 15 Story: The Golf Course Flood

Week 15 Story: The Golf Course Flood

The Forest Fire
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Once upon a time, in a golf course far, far away, there lived a family of geese.  The mother goose and father goose took very good care of their seven children and made sure they were protected from the golf balls that would come flying through the air daily. They made sure the goslings were well fed and were given plenty of nutrients through bread crumbs the golfers would use, or from what the earth had to offer.

They did notice one day that the littlest gosling would only peck at golf balls instead of eat his own grub. This fact concerned them. Why would the small gosling not eat? Did he not need to grow?

The parents discussed this and decided there was not much else to do besides wait on the young gosling to come to his own conclusion that he needed to eat. 

One day the mother and father were walking and talking and they passed by Badger and Owl. Both creatures were having a fine day and noticed how upset the mother and father goose looked. They began to speak to them about feeling as if the gosling might be preparing for something coming. Though they did not know what, the mother and father goose found comfort in knowing that there might be hope for their little one.

After a few days went by, the afternoon time arose and there was strange smell in the air. It was that of mud. It seemed like there was quite a few clouds in the sky and suddenly it was down pouring all around the lake. The geese family could hardly find shelter strong enough to keep them from the rain. It kept getting worse and over time, the pond began to fill up and the golf course was filled with water. Though the geese were made for water living, they certainly were not prepared for the winds and pressure coming against them. 

The little gosling, since he was so small, was able to duck in and out of the water and air and fly way up in the midst of rain and dodge the rain drops. It was as if something had taken over him! He eventually brought all other six siblings to be with him in a tree trunk at high ground to where they would not drown. 

After a couple of days, the waters dried up and they lived happily ever after! 

Bibliography: The Forest Fire, Twenty Jataka Tales, Noor Inayat, The Forest Fire

Author's Note: I took the story from the Twenty Jataka Tales by Noor Inayat of The Forest Fire and created my own by giving it a more modern style of writing and including a more "Americanized" version of the story. Instead of quails, I used geese but still kept the family unit strong and included the one gosling instead of the one duck. I tried to also include other characters to change the storyline a little by providing an intervention between the badger and the owl. 

Reading Notes: The Forest Fire, Part B

Reading Notes: The Forest Fire, Part B

The Forest Fire
Image Source

Plot:
Mother Quail told the seven little quails to stay while the mother and father brought them worms. The weird thing was that Mother and Father Quail noticed that the seventh only ate grass-seeds, rather than like the others that ate the worms and insects. The little one who only ate the grass-seeds did not grow wings like the others. One night the family was awaken by sad cries and the mother and father and seven little quails and they were fearful. They were sure it was a fire. The flames burned and glowed across the forest. The little quail said he is small with no wings, but he can speak to the flames. One by one the little heads came out of hiding and saw that the forest fire was gone! The family went and walked in peace and the little quail smiled as he saw the forest waking up again. They lived happily ever after!

Characters:
Mother Quail
The little quails
Father Quail

Setting:
The Forest

Bibliography: The Forest Fire, Twenty Jataka Tales, Noor Inayat, The Forest Fire

Reading Notes: The Swan Kingdom, Part A

Reading Notes: The Swan Kingdom, Part A

The Swan Kingdom
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Plot: There were about 60,000 swans who lived in the kingdom. The swans were beautiful and everyone praised them, yet Brahmadatta, the king of Benares, was obsessed with the swans and wanted them more than anyone else. So he went to meet the king and then he let the king know there is only one way to go about this. He recommended the lake was relocated across near the gates of Benares. The lake was cleaned and finished and the birds and butterflies came souring around the lake. The call was heard daily and the many creatures came from far and wide to feast and dwell here. Two of the swans came and looked over and said "We wish this was our kingdom!" and they flew all over scanning the surface of the waters and of the land around them. They asked the king to take them to the lake at Benares and the king was advised not to allow such a thing. So the king let the swans go for a day. They went and swam and had the time of their lives. A trap was set and the foot of the king was caught. The 60,000 swans were alarmed by this and fled to the air, as if the king had passed and was killed. The king asked Sumukha to have the swans return to Manasa, for they could not be content alone. Sumukha however stayed by the king's side.

Characters:
King Dhritarashtra
Sumukha, the commander of the army
The Swans
Brahmadatta, the King of Benares

Setting:
The Kingdom

Bibliography: The Swan Kingdom, Twenty Jataka Tales, Noor Inayat, The Swan Kingdom

Reading Notes: The Empty Lake, Part B

Reading Notes: The Empty Lake, Twenty Jataka Tales, Part B

The Empty Lake
Image Source

Plot:
In a beautiful lake, many fish came together to hear a story told by one of their own. One time, the story began, there was a king who had a gold back. He lit the way through the waters and spoke in a whisper throughout all the earth. Queen Rain forgot to send showers so Mother Earth would need to replenish where there was a loss. King Wind would take all the drops away and the lake became a pool. Queen Rain heard the whisper and looked down to awaken the clouds, and King Thunder came as well. Then fire reigned down. Suddenly the earth shook and the cloud-leaders marched around the sky and the cannons were shooting lightning and the raindrops fell. The King was afraid that the water might be taken away before the lake filled up, so he spoke louder. Suddenly the water rushed from the sky and the fish recognized it was the King's love to shake the earth and allow water to pour into the lake. They lived happily ever after.

Characters:
Fish
A great king
Queen Rain
Mother Earth
King Wind
King Thunder

Setting:
The Lake

Bibliography:  The Empty Lake, Twenty Jataka Tales, Noor Inayat, The Empty Lake

Reading Notes: The Young Parrot, Part A

Reading Notes: The Young Parrot, Part A

Cover of Twenty Jataka Tales
Image Source, 

Characters:
Flood of Parrots
The King
The Queen


Setting:
The hill
The Field

Plot:
There was a hill with silk cotton trees and a flock of parrots

Bibliography: The Young Parrot, Jātaka tales, Noor Inayat, The Young Parrot

Reading Notes: The Stolen Plow, Reading B

Reading Notes: The Stolen Plow, Reading B

The Judge
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Plot:
Two traders came into town and needed a plow mended.  They figured out the mice had eaten the plow. So they took

Setting:
Small village

Characters:
Two traders (Village and Town)
Judge


Bibliography: The Stolen Plow, More Jataka Tales, Ellen C. Babbitt, The Stolen Plow

Reading Notes: THE GIRL MONKEY AND THE STRING OF PEARLS, Part A

Reading Notes: THE GIRL MONKEY AND THE STRING OF PEARLS, Part A

The tree of the monkeys
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Plot:
The king went for a walk and returned to his family to swim at the lake together. While they were swimming, the queen and her ladies left their jewels with the servants. When she did this, a Girl Monkey was watching her and wanted the string of pearls so she waited and hoped the servants would fall asleep eventually so she could make her move. The servant ended up falling asleep. The Monkey went jumped down, took it and went back up into the tree.

Characters:
The king
the queen
her ladies
A Girl Monkey
The servant
The Guards

Setting:
The Woods

Reading Notes: The Elephant Girly-Face, Part B

Reading Notes: The Elephant Girly-Face, Part B

The talk of the robbers awoke Girly-face.
Image Source

Plot:
The king had an elephant and his name was Girly-face. This name was given to him because he was kind and gentle. He never hurt anyone, said the keeper. There came a night when robbers came into the territory of where the elephants were kept, near where Girly-face slept. He awoke. The robbers were prepared to kill anyone who was awake. Girly-face took this literally, and felt maybe he was being taught to be good in this way, to have no pity and to not be good. Girly-face, the next day, picked up the keeper with his trunk and threw him, killing him. The other keeper saw this, and for days Girly-face became very ugly to where no one would go near him. The king heard about this and sent one of his wise men to ask Girly-face straight up. The wise man knew Girly-face and saw nothing the matter with him. He concluded, he must have heard the bad men talking and acted upon their words. The keepers responded with confidence that yes, there had been bad men here. So the wise man told the king what happened. He suggested Girly-face be around some good men so he can be a good elephant once more. So they did and Girly-face responded with goodness. Concluding that he must not kill anyone. From then on, Girly-face never struggled with not being good again.

Characters:
The king
Girly-Face
The keeper of the elephants
Other keeper
Wise man

Setting:

Bibliography: The Elephant Girly-Face from Jataka Tales, Ellen C. Babbitt, The Elephant Girly-Face

Reading Notes: The Quarrel of the Quails, Reading Part A

Reading Notes: The Quarrel of the Quails, Reading Part A

Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt
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Plot: Quails lived in a forest and they had a wise leader. A man lived with them there and actually his vocation was to catch quail and sell them. He would find them by hearing the leader's voice. So he mimicked the leader's voice and the quails would be tricked into believing their leader was calling them. He would throw and net and catch them and sell them. The wise leader eventually caught on to this. He told the quails they must end this. He said for the next time the fowler tries to cast a net that each of them must put their heads through the holes in the net so they collectively can fly away to the nearest thorn-bush. Then they can be free. The quails said "sweet let's do it". The next day, they did this and told the leaders. The next day and the next day it kept happening. The wife of the man was angry because there was no money coming in. He explained that the quails are no longer quarreling so he's no longer able to capture them. Soon enough, one quail demanded to know who bumped his head. It broke out in anger. So the fowler took advantage and said for the quails to lift their nets. So he caught them all because they were not unified in agreement.

Setting:
The Forest

Characters:
The Wise Leader
Quails
Man (the fowler)

Bibliography: Jataka Tales, Ellen C. Babbitt, The Quarrel of the Quails, Reading Part A

Reading Notes: Nivedita. Mahabharata, Part A

Reading Notes: Nivedita. Mahabharata. Part A

Drone trains the young princes
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Plot:
The prince sons of Pandu and the prince sons of Dhritarashtra play ball and the balls are rolled into a deep, dark well. A brahmin (Drona) decides to try to receive the ball back by throwing his ring in, shooting an arrow into the well, and then retrieving the ring. The boys tattle by telling their great-uncle Bhishma and he hires Drona to teach the young princes how to be trained. The princes are made to promise that they should help Drona after they are trained for battle. Arjuna says yes. Arjuna immediately is favorited by Drona. Ekalavya tries to join the school but Drona says no. Ekalavya stays in the forest and creates a statue out of Drona and calls it his guru as he too trains to be an archer. Ekalavya eventually loses his thumb due to paying the fee to Drona and he is no longer able to be an archer. Eventually, Yudhishthira enters the pictures and comes to a gambling match between himself and King Dhritarashtra and loses all his earnings. These earnings result in gambling away his own brothers, himself and Draupadi. Now he is a slave to Duryodhana and Draupadi claims that say Yudhishthira loses himself, then he doesn't get to gamble her away because he's not even his own anymore. The pandavas eventually return and Shakuni wins the entire contest. The Pandavas enter into a season of exile for twelve years and the year after their exile ends they go into a season of the utmost disguise. Yudhishthira then appoints Arjuna to seek out more celestial weapons in order to gain more power. In the Himalayas, Arjuna encounters a holy man in disguise of his real father Indra. Indra tests him

Characters:
Pandu
Brahmin
Drona--the brahmin
Bhishma--the boys great uncle
Drupada
King of Panchala
Arjuna-son of Indra
Ekalavya--low-caste, non-Aryan Nishada boy
Bhima
Duryodhana
Karna
Kunti
Yudhishthira
Dakshina
Draupadi
Indra-the god and father of Arjuna

Setting:
The Court
The Himalayas

Bibliography:
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Mahabharata, Sister Nivedita, Reading Guide

Week 8 Progress

Week 8 Progress

A precious puppy of an OU student I met on campus last semester
Personal Photo

I feel like my progress has been slow coming. Like I spoke of in my last post, I feel like I genuinely have a passion for writing but struggle with technology. I am a grandma when it comes to anything with computers besides communication. I could definitely use some help navigating webpages and creating websites/webpages and organizing them in such a way that meets the criteria for the class. If anyone has any tips that would be incredible! 

Other than that, I feel like it has been incredibly rewarding getting to learn about Indian Epics and the culture of India. I took this class because I feel called to go to India next year when our pastor leaves to go plant a church in his home village. I am excited to take what I learn when I go to India!

I am hopeful about more progress that will be made! 

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

Haitian Homes in the village of Minoterie
Personal Photo

Comments have been super helpful for me. I have technically only had comments on my one story but I like how every one is very unique and intricate in their giving of feedback. Feedback can be difficult to give at times but I feel like everyone does a really excellent job at giving positive feedback, as well as constructive gracious feedback.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

Week 8 Reading and Writing

Personal Photo

Looking Back

I honestly love writing, but this class has really challenged me because I'm not used to making up stories. I also realized I am pretty horrible at organizing blogs and reading information on a blog, but I will say I becoming less horrible, which is full of hope and excitement that I can (after 6 weeks) finally comprehend the assignment. I am thankful for a professor who is patient and allows grace when I mess up on the assignments and stories. It's been cool to be allowed to do things wrong but learn immediately and over time.

Looking Forward

I'm stoked about getting to become more creative and reading more stories! I look forward to hearing more techniques and learning more from my peers and from Laura!

Reading Notes:Narayan's Mahabharata, Part D

Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata, Part D

Arjuna and Krishna
Image Source

Plot: 
Krishna will have to go to Hastinpura on behalf of Yudhishthira. Dhritarashtra hears about Krishna coming and longs to give him the ultimate celebration on behalf of his visit. Vidura knows that Krishna only desires peace and justice rather than a celebration and tried to explain this to the king. Duryodhana makes a plan to captivate Krishna. Before he leaves, Krishna tells Karna that he will be loyal to him and then tried to convince him to abandon Duryodhana. Karna says a hard "no" and promises Kunti that Arjuna will be attacked in the upcoming battle and the other four sons will remain untouched. The war happens and the Arjuna is upset he will have to combat his guru Drona and his own family as well. Krishna knows this and sings "Song of the Lord" to him. Arjuna is now ready for war. Dhrishtadyumna attempts to murder Drona because of his dad's humiliation but Drone doesn't allow this to take place. Bhishma is wounded. More revenge. Karna now goes in to fight. Abhimanyu, Jayadratha and Arjuna all have a showdown. The goal is to kill Ghatokacha. Drona is murdered by Dhrishtadyumna. So much death takes place and wounds abound. After the battle, the Pandavas return to Hastinpura. Yudhishthira becomes king. Krishna is killed while sleeping by the river. All the Pandavas die also. Arjuna's grand son grows up to be king of Hastinapura and the Pandava line lives on.

Characters:
Duryodhana-the eldest of the Kauravas
Dhritarashtra-King of Hastinapura, not easily persuaded
Bhishma and Vidura
Ulupi-the naga princess who marries Arjuna
Yudhishthira-new king of Indraprastha
Maya-great ancient king of the asura, daitya and rākṣasa race
Shakuni-Duryodhana's maternal uncle 
Bhima-the second of the Pandavas
Urvashi-an apsara who falls in love with Arjuna
Nakula-the fourth of the five Pandava brothers 
Yama--the god of death and of Dharma
King Virata-king of Virata Kingdom
Draupadi--hairdresser of Queen Sudeshna
Kichaka-Queen Sudeshna's brother

Setting: 
Camp near the Pandavas
Forest near the lake
Virata Kingdom

Bibliography: 

R. K. Narayan, The Mahabharata, Page 85-131, Reading Guide

Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata, Part C

Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata, Part C

Bhima defends Draupadi from Kichaka
Image Source

Plot: 

Dhritarashta finds out through his spies that the Pandavas have a plan with Arjuna concerning the weapons he is teaching them how to use. Shakuni encourages Durodhana to create a camp near the Pandavas to shame them. The gods have a different plan. They intend to send a gandharva to make Duryodhana act. The battle takes place and the gandharvas capture Duryodhana but then the Pandavas set him free. The plan backfires. While in the forest the Pandavas notice a brahmin walking who claims a large deer stole his staff and kindling to make a fire for sacrifice. The Pandavas try to capture the deer but fail. Nakula sees a lake but then a voice appears and say he must answer questions before drinking from the lake. Nakula, being thirsty, refuses to answer and drinks anyway. Sahadeva, Arjuna, and Bhima all do the same and all die. Yudhishthira runs over and find all brothers to have ceased from existence. Yama was testing them. The brothers rose again and then were given the gift of unrecognizability. After 12 years, the 13th year is spent at the court of King Virata. Yudhishthira plays a game of dice with him. Bhima is a cook, Nakula is a stable boy and Sahadeva is a cowherd. Arjuna lives as a eunich and a crisis happens where Draupadi is raped by Kichaka and Draupadi wants revenge. Kichaka is killed. The cattle raid happens. A war preparation happens with Balarama and Krishna and dissension at Hastinapura takes place. The Pandavas plead for peace and Yudhishthira tells Sanjaya to tell Hastinapura to give him five villages for the brothers. The sons are banished. Gandhari finally says war is over and Vyasa believes war will be the doom.

Characters:
Duryodhana-the eldest of the Kauravas
Dhritarashtra-King of Hastinapura, not easily persuaded
Bhishma and Vidura--
Ulupi-the naga princess who marries Arjuna--
Yudhishthira-new king of Indraprastha--
Maya-great ancient king of the asura, daitya and rākṣasa races--
Shakuni-Duryodhana's maternal uncle 
Bhima-the second of the Pandavas--
Urvashi-an apsara who falls in love with Arjuna--
Nakula-the fourth of the five Pandava brothers 
Yama--the god of death and of Dharma
King Virata-king of Virata Kingdom
Draupadi--hairdresser of Queen Sudeshna
Kichaka-Queen Sudeshna's brother

Setting: 
Camp near the Pandavas
Forest near the lake
Virata Kingdom

Bibliography: 

R. K. Narayan, The Mahabharata, Page 85-131, Reading Guide

Week 07 Story: Beyond the Tower

Beyond the Tower

Rapunzel
Image Source

Once upon a time, there lived an elderly woman named Rapunzel.

Now this woman was no ordinary woman. She actually had quite an adventurous life and had lived in a tower at one point. She was kidnapped as an infant. She never wanted anyone to know, but now she was on her way to telling an infamous, yet riveting story...

Rapunzel was about to tell her grandchildren her life story.

Her nerves almost got the best of her. She paced up and down the hallway, her grandchildren sitting in the guest bed playing with their new toys they had just received from her on the visit. Rapunzel had never told her own children of the life she used to live, but she knew she must tell someone so the story never was truly lost. Even if they did not know the story was about her, she must say it. She must.

Rapunzel walks in their room with a soft smile and a tender face. She is at peace knowing these young ones will carry on the name well and grow up to retell a story so precious to her.

"Okay, little ones. Time to go to bed, but first, a bedtime story. Who would like to hear?" Rapunzel asked.

"Oh me! Oh me!" says little Ruth.

"Me too! Me too!" says little Forrest.

"I declare this story to be told. Let's begin." said Rapunzel.

The children nestled into their covers. Rapunzel breathed in and out. This was it. The story was being told.

The Story

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a princess. When she was young, she was stolen from her parents and taken to a tower by an evil woman who just wanted to be young again. You see, this princess had special hair that magically healed any thing that needed healing. Did I mention it was long? It reached from the top of the tower to the bottom. The princess was kind. She was servant-minded. She was a daughter worthy of praise, except she never received praise.

One day on her sixteenth birthday, she sent the evil woman to the market to get her some paints. Before the evil woman leaves, she warns the princess to never go with a group of horses that run through the pasture below them. These horses were known as "the Maximus".

"The Maximus you should not make peace with. I thought they were dead, but indeed they are living." said the evil woman.

"Okay. I will not speak with them." said the princess, who had every intention of being kind to all that passed by the tower.

Lo and behold, the Maximus came by soon after the evil woman left. Rapunzel watched them run down the mountain and into the pasture below her. She knew they did not get along with the evil woman who kept her in the tower and she had to make peace with them.

"Hello friends! Would you like to come in for some tea?" She called out to them.

The horses looked at each other and smiled. It had been a long time since someone had actually cared enough to invite them in.

The leader of the pack called back to her, "Of course! We would be honored to sit in your presence, miss."

The princess lifted each horse up, one by one, into the tower. As they sat and had tea, they discussed the hardships they had all been through. The princess had an idea. Why not give them some land in the pasture to graze for a few days? They needed a place to stay. She asked them and they agreed to take a portion of the land below her. When the evil woman returned, they would work it out through a game of dice.

The evil woman returned and she wanted justice. These horses stole her land.

"Not so fast," said the princess. "You owe me for all the time I have spent here. I demand a game of dice to decide who keeps the land."

The evil woman, being an expert dice player, agreed with a sly grin.

The game began. The evil woman played with such ease, the Maximus struggling to keep up. The first round was lost. The evil woman demanded the Maximus give her the golden necklace the leader was wearing. The Maximus, unable to speak out of sadness of losing the game, handed the necklace over. The evil woman gives the Maximus three wishes. They wished for the land. They wished for the rest of their group to be reunited. The last wish, they had nothing to share.

The evil woman suggests they meet at the stream close to the tower. They met there and began the second game of dice. Eventually, the evil woman won and made an agreement to allow the Maximus to dwell over in the woods with the frogs and locusts, who were friendly creatures.

Eventually, the princess escaped and went to visit the Maximus. After a few years, she permanently lived with them. She was able to teach them how to use her hair to heal any wounds or illness they may have.

The End.

Rapunzel watched her grandchildren's sleepy eyes. As they closed, she knew it had been said. The story that clung to her soul for so long was out. It was now up to them to pass it on.

Bibliography:

"Reading Guide part A and B", R. K. Narayan, Reading Guide part B

"Indian Epics: Reading Notes, Week 06", Marla Duvall, Reading Notes,

"Tangled", Wikipedia, Tangled - Wikipedia

Author's Note: I took the story of "Narayan's Mahabharata", specifically parts A and B, and told the story from Rapunzel's point of view. Rapunzel represents the king of Hastinapura and part of the character of Arjuna. The evil woman represents Duryodhana. I wanted the story to have a lighter feel to it, so I included Disney characters from the movie "Tangled". The plot is similar to that of the Mahabharata because there is a game of dice and some tension between two parties. I wanted this story to really portray friendship and love because I felt as if the king tried to befriend the Pandavas. In this story, I made Rapunzel a good friend to the Maximus. This light-hearted, heart-warming story similar to parts A and B of the Mahabharata will hold to be a good bedtime story to anyone who listens.

Reading Notes, Narayan's Mahabharata, Part B

Reading Notes, Narayan's Mahabharata, Part B

Dhirtarashta and Duryodhana
Image Source

Plot:
Duryodhana is afraid because he receives news that the Pandavas are living and his dad isn't able to find any reason to be against the Pandavas. He is encouraged be a place of peace in the middle of the situation. Ultimately, the king invites the Pandavas to his kingdom in Hastinapura. He even offers that they could own a portion of the land. So they agree and they build a city Indraprastha.   Arjuna goes into exile for twelve year and ends up getting married to a naga princess names Ulupi. Yudhishthira is named king over the city of Indraprastha. A fire takes place at the Khandava forest and Maya is actully saved and ends up building an assembly hall full of illusion and provokes foolishness. Shakuni plans to get revenge on the Pandavas and his strategy is simple: play a game of dice, knowing that the Pandavas are unaware of the level of expertise that Shakuni possesses. They agree to meet for the game and wait in suspense. The dice game begins.   Suddenly, Yudhishthira has lost all. The game goes on anyways. Gambling happens and eventually Draupadi is gambled away and dragged out of the hall. She is mistreated and told to take her clothes off, yet every time her sari is ripped off, another appears in the same place. Bhima wants revenge. During this, the perpetrator of the mistreating of Draupadi (Duryodhana) gives her three wishes. After these wishes, the possessions of the Pandavas are given back and peace is retained again.

A second game begins. The Pandavas depart and Duryodhana is very angry with the whole situation and demands to have a second match of the game of dice. They meet at the Ganga river. The Pandavas end up living with the hermits in the woods and peace is decided, though attack was wanted on some sides. The allies of Krishna are promised to be punished. Yudhishtira is mocked for being so kind and forgiving. Arjuna visits Amaravati and is taught how to sing and dance. Urvashi is here and eventually Urvashi grows to love Arguna and he doesn't feel the same way. He gets cursed by her (wow that's harsh) but he gets blessed by Indra any way for his character. After a few years, Arjuna returns to Pandavas and learn how to fight with the weapons he brought and offered to them.

Characters:
Duryodhana-the eldest of the Kauravas
Dhritarashtra-King of Hastinapura, not easily persuaded and
Bhishma and Vidura
Ulupi-the naga princess who marries Arjuna
Yudhishthira-new king of Indraprastha
Maya-great ancient king of the asura, daitya and rākṣasa races
Shakuni-Duryodhana's maternal uncle 
Bhima-the second of the Pandavas
Urvashi-an apsara who falls in love with Arjuna

Setting: Kingdom of Hastinapura (later the city Indraprastha is built)
              Ganga river
              Amaravati, the heavenly city of Indra

Bibliography: R. K. Narayan, The Mahabharata, Page 41-83 Narayan's Mahabharata Reading Guide 

Reading Notes, Narayan's Mahabharata, Part A

Reading Notes, Part A

Narayan's Mahabharata

Shantanu pursues Ganga 

Plot: Shantanu spots a woman near the river, and he marries her. He has no idea what he is getting himself into. She ends up drowning the babies in the river and when the eighth one comes along, he begs her not to. The wife confesses she is actually THE river, disappears and then agrees to let the eighth child live (Bhishma) and plans to reunite the child with his father later in his life. Shantanu finds love for another woman, Satyavati. They have some chaos happen when her father won't allow the relationship to continue. They end up having two children, Citrangada and Vichitravirya. Chitrangada is appointed king and tragically ceases to exist. Another king actually puts his daughters out to win a suitor. Bhishma takes all of them for Vichitravirya and even still Amba promises herself to the Shalwa king. Amba doesn't want revenge but Ambika and Ambalika still marry Vichitravirya, both women. Here's where it gets a little twisted and a little strange, but there is a happy ending! After a series of fish, Pandu shooting at a deer and the deer cursing Pandu, many sons are conceived and the boys conceived are trained by Drona. An escape is made from a fire. There is hiding, another attempt from King Drupada to get his daughters married off, and more husbands and wives getting married.

Character: 
Shantanu-King of Hastinapura
Ganga-river and wife of King of Shantanu
Vasus-the eight gods begot from Ganga
Devavrata/Bhishma-the eighth child of Ganga
Satyavati-second love of Shantanu
Chitrangada-king but then dies
Vichitravirya-other son of king
Amba, Ambika and Ambilika-daughters of neighboring king
Neighboring king

Setting: city of Hastinapura

Bibliography: R. K. Narayan, The Mahabharata, Narayan's Mahabharata Reading Guide 

Week 05 Story Planning: The Divine Archer

Week 05 Story Planning: The Divine Archer

Lord Rama, with brother, wife, and devotee.
http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch05d-ind.htm

Research:

1. https://glitternight.com/2012/03/17/mythology-the-neglected-epic-myth-of-yi-the-divine-archer/

While this article did not specifically identify Rama, the Divine Archer, it did shed some light on other epics of other divine archers from the Chinese and other cultures and people groups. We learn that the sky and sun are too a huge part of the story in defeating evil and monsters. Yi, the Chinese divine archer, was also a king. He saves his people and defeats dragons. A huge difference is how Yi met his wife. She was actually so grateful that he did not kill her that she wanted to marry him! So Yi and the goddess Chang O got married out of escaping death. 

2. http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch05d-ind.htm

"Ramayana translates as the Story of Rama. It is believed to have been written by a Brahmin named Valmiki, a man whose style of poetry was new and a style to be copied thereafter. It is said to have appeared between 400 and 200 BCE. The story takes place centuries earlier, when Aryans were expanding their influence over Dravidians in southern India, the Aryans engaging in missionary endeavors supported by military power and a strategy of divide and conquer. In its seven books and 24,000 verses the Ramayanapraises the heroism and virtues of Aryan warrior-princes: the Kshatriyas. The Ramayana has as its main hero a prince called Rama, whose life the Ramayana describes from birth to death. Rama and his brothers are depicted as embodying the ideals of Aryan culture: men of loyalty and honor, faithful and dutiful sons, affectionate brothers and loving husbands, men who speak the truth, who are stern, who persevere but are ready and willing to make sacrifices for the sake of virtue against the evils of greed, lust and deceit."

I really enjoyed the simplistic overview of the story of Rama. Though this article also did not specifically correlate with the Divine Archer, it holds a lot of solid background to what is to come in the Divine Archer. One of the main themes in the book is the brothers and their integrity and character. I enjoyed this more than any other themes, and would love to hear even more about the loving way they lived their lives. Nothing about them was selfish, but instead all about others and the people they were defending. Their love was never inward, but sacrificially outward. 
3. https://chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/5903

"Because the Iliad and Odyssey and the Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata are all culturally representative works that seek to appeal to broad audiences, these epic dyads highlight both mastery models and coping models. More precisely, within each pair of poems, one poem presents a hero who masters what he needs in order to demonstrate his society’s existential ideal, while the other poem proffers a hero who has to cope with difficulties in order to attain this ideal. The contrast between the mastery and coping models of these coupled epics takes symbolic shape in the disparity between their human heroes’ capacities to embody divinity."

This article does an excellent job capturing the comparison between the Iliad, Odyssey, Ramayana, and Mahabharata and how they all tie into society and the heroic ideals. This article proposes that the shape is all to capture divinity across cultures and the attainment of certain goals is very similar. 

"The mortal battle that results from this abduction occasions Rāma’s very existence, for the prince actually incarnates half of Viṣṇu. This god agreed to assume human form as Rāma and his three brothers in order to defeat the overweening Rāvaṇa (whose great-great-grandfather, the divine creator Brahmā, had rewarded Rāvaṇa’s austerities by making this demon invincible to all supernatural beings and vulnerable only to humans and other mammals).Yet, even though Rāma bests Rāvaṇa with the help of an army of monkeys and even though Rāma knows that Sītā has remained faithful to him during her captivity, he nonetheless insists that she prove her purity twice. The first time she does so, she undergoes and is unscathed by a fire ordeal.Still, despite her acceptance by her husband and their subsequent engendering of twin sons while reigning together as Ayodhyā’s king and queen, Rāma decides to banish Sītā to the forest to quiet the rumors of her infidelity that have continued to spread among the Ayodhyans. The couple then lives apart for more than twelve years, during which Sītā is sheltered by Vālmīki at his hermitage, where—early on—she gives birth to Rāma’s and her boys."

I found this super interesting. Rama gets banished by his father, and his wife is kidnapped. He, knowing all, knows she is still pure but still makes her prove it (why?) and then she is proven that she is pure. After a while, he banishes her anyway for twelve years and she is protected the entire time. This is the aftermath of the Divine Archer and gives some light on what happened afterwards. 

Bibliography:

Gould, F. J., & Banker, A. (1911). The divine archer, founded on the Indian epic of the Ramayana, with two stories from the Mahabharata. London: J.M. Dent & Sons.

MYTHOLOGY: THE NEGLECTED EPIC MYTH OF YI THE DIVINE ARCHER. (2016, September 15). Retrieved February 16, 2018, from https://glitternight.com/2012/03/17/mythology-the-neglected-epic-myth-of-yi-the-divine-archer/

(n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2018, from http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch05d-ind.htm

Why People Need Epics: Terming and Learning from the Divine Yet Human. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2018, from https://chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/5903