Week 8 comments and Feedback

Feedback in

I think the quality of comments and feedback that I receive from everyone is great.  I feel that by looking at the comments I can better tailor my blog stories to have a more profound impact on the reader.  Hopefully, I can draw their attention and not divert it. The comments that I find the best are the ones that are critical and offer suggestions.

Feedback out

I feel like the kind of comments that I leave everyone is helpful. I think that I offer good insight and helpful suggestions while not coming across as rude or disrespectful. I think that other people's writing has helped me shaped my own writing because I can really see what other people like and don't like when it comes to the stories we tell.

Blog Comments

I do feel like I get to connect with people while commenting on their blogs.  It is a good interaction that can set the tone going forward in this class if I have questions I need to ask.

Looking Forward

I could probably make sure that my comments give more helpful suggestions and also some "what if" questions. I feel like no changes are needed for my introduction or comment wall.

Feedback. (March 18, 2019)

Mohamed_hassan. Source: Pixabay

Week 8 Progress

Looking Back
I definitely am happy with my progress. I think I am a week or two ahead of where I was last year when I was in the Mythology and Folklore class. I am most proud of the fact that I am actually getting ahead of class.  Trying to balance this class and my capstone is a challenge but with me being a week ahead it allows me more time to focus on my capstone. My weekly routine is doing most of the assignments on Sunday then finishing it up on Monday.  The assignments I enjoy the most is definitely adding to my storybook.

Looking Forward
I want to keep the same pace that is have been going with for the rest of the semester and not slack off. One pitfall that I want to put off is putting off a week of homework for this class since I am a week or two ahead.  I might change the layout of my storybook later on but I am not sure yet.

Looking Forward. (February 9, 2018)

500px. Source: Wikicommons

Week 8 Reading and Writing

I feel that my reading and writing assignments are going well for me.  I must say that it is a tad difficult to understand what I am reading since I know nothing about Indian folklore.  What I can say is that I enjoy it a lot.

I am happy with the layout of my blog because I feel like the overall aesthetic is representing what we are reading.  On top of that my project website is coming along very well and hopefully it will be better than the one I did for Mythology and Folklore.

My biggest writing accomplishment in this class would probably be the fact that I am able to write stories at all.  Having really no background in understanding Indian epics, I thought it would be difficult to produce stories and understand them but I feel like I am doing a good job.

I don't think there is anything that I need to be doing to get more out of the readings.  I think the stories I write could be a little more cohesive and not be as rushed.

NA. (April 3, 2016)

NA. Source: Pixabay

Week 7 Story: Raiding at Night

Backstory

There once was a young man named Jake. Jake had been at odds with the young prince named Sadik who ruled his lands ever since he learned that Sadik ordered the execution of Jakes Family. The reason for this execution as because the young prince’s father was having affair with Jakes mother.  Jakes mom used to be a healer for the kingdom and one day, after treating the king for back pain for over a year they kissed.  One might ask, “What led to this kiss?” well you see, the King and his wife had not been happy in their marriage for some time and the Julia, Jakes mother, provided companionship and happiness he had never known with his current wife. As the two saw each other in secret, one day, their relationship was discovered by the Kings wife.  Unable to take the heartbreak that she had suffered, she wrote a note to her son telling him everything and then proceeded to jump form the highest point in the tower into the moat.  As Sidak grew up he harbored a dark plan to get his revenge for his mothers’ death.  One day when he was 17 he led a small contingent of his most faithful soldiers into Jake’s town and proceeded to slaughter everyone.  Jake was out tending to crop when he heard his mother scream out. He raced back towards the house and as he peered through the window he saw Sidak sticking as word through his moms’ heart.

Sidak said, “All the pain you caused me, You were the reason my mother took her life, so now I take yours!” As Sidak and his men left the house Jake jumped through the window and cradled his mom vowing for revenge no matter what the cost.

Later

A few years later Jake kept hearing about all the awful things Sadik had done to other families in the area that Jake lived he decided enough was enough.  He decided that on the night of the 13^th he would sneak into the castle and murder Sidak so that he could harm no one else.  As night came, Jake made an appeal to the God of Safety, Paul, asking him to protect him long enough to get revenge for the death of his family.  As night came Jake crept slowly through the cover of the brush towards to castle.  He noticed right away that there were not hardly any guards on patrol so he hoped that it would be an easy in and out job.  As Jake came upon the main gate he realized that it was locked and as he scanned the outer wall he saw that he would have to climb up the sides of the tower to reach Sidak’s room. Jake held his breath and began his climb to Sidaks’ room.  A couple of times while making the climb he slipped and it seemed like all hope would be lost, but somehow he regained his grip and footing and continued to climb. Eventually, he reached Sidaks window, and he softly opened it as to make no noise.  Soon he came to the bedroom where Sidak lay sleeping.

 Sidak sensed something was up and suddenly woke up alert as Jake lunged at him screaming, “This is for my mother!”

As Jake was trying to strangle Sidak, Sidak pulled out a knife from under his pillow and proceeded to stab Jake in the stomach.  Crumpling to the ground, Jake could barley stand, but he suddenly felt the power of Paul surge them him and he made one last lunge at Sidak. As the grappled Jake was able to grab the knife and plunge in into Sidak’s throat. As both fell to the floor Jake knew he was dying but he felt at ease knowing he had avenged his mom.  Sidak on the other hand was in tears and blood was pouring out of his mouth and neck wound.  As morning came the neighboring cities surrounding the kingdom had heard about what had happened.  Jake was proclaimed a martyr for the oppressed. All around there were uprisings using Jake as their hero, when the people went to war with unjust forces.

V for Vendetta. (March 4, 2015)

WolvesOfTheTwilight. Source: Wikicommons

Authors Note: For this story I wanted to just have two characters to focus on.  I wanted there to be a good and evil character.  In the original story we are given two characters who are after revenge and it does not end well for either of them.  With this story I wanted Jake to know the cost of getting revenge and even though he does die, the oppressed people in surrounding kingdoms know what he has down and they too rise up and fight back.  The moral of the story is that evil will never win.  I wanted to give a God a little part because this story was really only about vengeance.  In the end vengeance can consume you and will most likely lead to your death. Often when vengeance is talked about, there are always negative repercussions.  Sure, this is true in this story but it also shows that vengeance can signal that people who are being opposed can change that and take back their life.

Bibliography: Gibbs, Laura. The Night Raid. The Night Raid

Reading Notes Part D: The Night Raid

This story is really short and sweet, but it gets to the point right away.  With the telling of this story I feel like it really isn’t dragged out or nothing is lingered on for a set amount of time.  What I meant by that is that too often story tend to linger on certain details and aspects of the story without really telling us the purpose of it in the end.  With The Night Raid the exact opposite occurs.  We are introduced to our leader character right away and we find out what he is really all about.  We understand that the son is after vengeance and right off the bat that lets us as the reader know that this will not end well.  The reason that I say this is because everyone knows that a person seeking out vengeance does not go the way that they want, it usually ends in tragedy.  What is also interesting about this story is that this act of vengeance that is being told to us incites a much larger battle that the person is not able to watch because they are dying.  It shows that seeking vengeance sometimes has long lasting consequences that sometimes we cannot see the scope of.

Even though I said we know who the main character was of the story, the introduction of another character who seems to be equally as important sort of confused me.  If they had just focus on the first young man we had met and made it all about his vengeance and how that incited a larger battle I would understand it so much more clearly.  With the addition of this other character, its kind of makes us wonder who we should be following along with. The story is great for the simple fact that short and sweet is sometimes the best way to do something.  While it does have some problems that story overall, was very enjoyable.

Seige of Cuddalore. (1890)
Richard Simkin. Source: Wikicommons

Bibliography: Gibbs, Laura. The Night Raid. The Night Raid

Reading Notes Part C: The Battle Begins

I really enjoyed reading this story a lot. What makes this story so much different than anything that I have read so far in this class is that with this war story we don’t just get a brief synopsis we get most of the war.  It seems like to often when reading about war in myths or folklore, people often focus on the beginning of the war or the end.  There seems to be never in between, but with this story we are given insight into how each character is thinking while also being provided details on what is occurring.  I feel like the more descriptive that stories can be about the battles of war, the more people will get a better understanding of how much of a blood bath its way was back then.  What we also get in this story is a very descriptive detail about what is going between both sides. We get a better understanding of the casualties that are suffered and the damage that is being caused by all the killing.  It seemed that each guy kept winning every other day but there seemed to be no clear victor.

One problem that I have with this story is the fact that it is not split up into more parts. I mean, I understand them wanting to get the full range of the battle down in one chapter, but it is a little boring.  If they had split this story up into two or three chapters dedicated to one sides perspective the other sides perspective, then the final battle I think it would have made for a great story. I feel that making story’s sometimes too long can feel monotonous to a reader and have them lose interest very quickly.  Overall, I did enjoy the story and hope for more like it in the future.

War Elephant. (NA)

NA. Source: Wikicommons

Bibliography: Gibbs, Laura. The Battle Begins. The Battle Begins

Week 6: The House of Fire

Once upon a time there was this mischievous little kid only named as Luke. He was known around the town of Errandale as a trickster and a bully.  No one knew who his parents were, he was often seen running around town in the same clothes he had on the week before.  Nobody ever paid attention to him, he would usually bully the little children were playing outside.  All the time he seemed to get away with whatever mischievous little thing he was doing. All his tricks seemed harmless until one fateful day.

The Day of The Fire

Luke was wandering around one fateful Autumn day when he came across what he thought was an abandoned farmhouse at the edge of town.  Now, Luke had seen this farm house a couple of times and he was always intrigued by how tall a fire would be if the building somehow caught on fire. Now unbeknownst to everyone in town Luke loved playing with fire because he was a pyromaniac.  That same Autumn day Luke was walking by the farm house he decided that night he would set it on fire.  He waited until the sun went down then went with his little lighter and stared to gather some dead leaves. He stacked the leaves and dry twigs he had gathered outside the barn door at both ends.  When he though the coast was clear he proceeded to light the brush, he had collected on fire. As the fire started to engulf the building he suddenly heard screaming and coughing from inside the barn.  He started to panicky because he though that no one was inside and that it was just abandoned.  Without thinking Luke made his way to the side of the barn and as he was trying to find a way in he saw that there was a couple of rotten boards.  He ran over to them and started to kick them out and eventually they broke.  He crawled through as fast as he could and when he was inside he saw that a family of four had been living there.  He rushed up to the father and told him that he had a way they could escape.  Luke led the family through the boards and out to safety. 

As the family started to hug one another the father asked Luke, “Where is your family son?”

Luke couldn’t reply because he was a mute, but he started to right out in the dirt that he was an orphan and his family had been burned to death by an evil with.  The old man thanks him profusely and give him a long hug after learning what had happened to his family.  He then proceeded to ask Luke if he would like to live with them for the rest of his life and Luke’s eyes teared up.  No one had ever been nice to him and people had always treated him with disgust.  He finally found somewhere he belong and from that day forward, Luke acted like a model citizen and never caused any more trouble.

Barn of Fire. (NA)

NA. Source: Pexels

Authors: I took this story from The House of Fire. I changed a considerable amount.  I wanted this story to be way different than what was shown in the original.  I didn’t want anyone to die and I wanted to give the main character a sad backstory that explained why he was the way he was.  In the original story the people inside the house that caught fire and I wanted Luke to be able to save them in this one. It gives his character a kind of redeeming quality that was missing. I know Luke never tells them he set the fire, I wanted to leave that up into interpretation for the reader to decide if he ever told them.

Bibliography: Gibbs, Laura. The House of Fire. The House of Fire

Reading Notes Part B: The House of Fire

There is so much to say about this story.  When I first chose this tory to read I thought it was going to have a different ending completely.  Usually when I ready myths or folklores, they have somewhat of a decent ending. I am trying to remember the last story that I read that had the evil villains succeeding and I am drawing a blank.  What was even more shocking was that men wished harm to a woman and children.  That is usually very frowned upon in any culture and I don’t believe there are many stories that deal with that.  I remember feeling happy when I thought the wicked captain and his man died in the flames. Unfortunately, that feeling went away once an innocent woman and her children perished by the flames that somehow reached where they were staying.  It also blows my mind that the prince and king could celebrate so freely for the deaths of what they thought was the queen and her sons. It just really shows how heartless those two men were and how they were not fit to be royalty. Even though the main targets of the evil plan lived, the queen’s son was directly responsible for the deaths of innocents. It makes me wonder how he is going to feel after knowing what he did.

I was wondering why they needed to have the children and mom die in the first place.  I feel that it really didn’t serve any purpose for the theme of the story. I guess a purpose of them dying would be to let others know that even though you are trying to beat evil, sometimes there are tragic consequences. Also, this story shows that a false narrative can cause a domino effect that maybe hard to come back from.  Overall, I did enjoy this story, it just stunk that a woman and her kids died for no real reason.

Purochan. (1968)

Ramnadayandatta Shastri Pandey. Source: Wikicommons

Bibliography: Gibbs, Laura. The House of Fire. The House of Fire

Reading Notes Part A: Drona's Revenge

This story is a lot more interesting in regard to the battle sequences that happen.  The overall descriptions that are going on throughout this story just seem to reinforce the idea that Indian mythology is all about the details, even if they are small.  It seems that all the stories that I have read up until this point are the most intricate and detailed that I have ever read.  They want us to know who each character is and who we should be focusing on.  With this story it lets us know right away that we are dealing with Drona and his pupils.  The overarching theme to this story seems to be that sometimes battle is necessary to combat the trials of evil the invade a good land. Like many other stories that I have read across the last two semesters, the battle sequence does not last long.  One thing I have always been curious is why is that? I have been researching and cannot seem to find an answer about why the battles we read about are not gory and detailed letting us know the horrors of battle.  It would seem that this story, like most of the ones that I have read care more about the politics that happen after the battle.  While that is all good and well it is rather boring, and I think most people would agree. Sometimes it is hard to try to figure out who the good characters and evil ones are.  The reason I say this is because it sometimes seems that the ones we considered to be good end up being the ones that are the most hated.  Overall, I did really enjoy this story.  I feel like I say that a lot but I do go through some stories that are rather boring and I only like to write notes on the ones that can hold my interest like this one.

Drona. (August 15, 2107)

Mughal. Source: Wikipedia

Bibliography: Gibbs, Laura. Drona's Revenge. Drona's Revenge

Week 5 Story: The Divine Archer

John was leading his troops into battle against his ex-best friend Devin.  John and Devin had a falling out a long time ago over John marrying Devin’s ex fiancé.  John couldn’t help it though, when he saw Rachel, he felt an instant connection with her.  Devin had been ok with the marriage for a while but as time had passed a deep seated hatred had started to eat away at him until it eventually consumed him.  Almost 5 years to the day after John had been married, Devin decided that enough was enough.  He told his army to gear up for war, they were going after John.

Present Day

John’s men seemed to be more skilled and proficient at fighting, while Devin’s men seemed to be struggling.  In John’s heart he knew he should stop the fighting, but he was afraid that if he did then Devin would try to sneak attack him.  As John was fighting he came across Devin.  

John yelled, “Devin, stop this madness! There is no need for us to fight.  We were like Brothers once.”

Devin responded, “Yes we WERE brothers, but now I have nothing but anger for what you did to me!  The only thing that will cease this anger is your death.”

John knew that unless he did something the battle would only end when everyone was dead.  So, John, being the respectable and manly man that he was, he laid down his sword.

He said to Devin, “Strike me down if you must, but your anger will always linger.”

Devin looked at him with hatred in his eyes but lowered his sword.

He said, “You maybe right…”and then he proceeded to swing his sword at Johns head. As John saw the sword heading toward him he closed his eyes. The next thing that either of them knew, the sword broke in half on John’s neck.  Devin stared in disbelief as he looked at the hilt of his sword. 

When John opened his eyes, he looked at Devin with sadness and said, “Hate will never beat the light Devin. Now go home and leave all this anger behind you.”

Devin was so startled he had no idea what to do. As soon as John spoke to him something inside of him let go of the hate and he just crumpled to the ground in tears. 

As John walked away from Devin he said, “I will always be here for you my friend. If you decide you ever want to talk more amicably.”

Rama and Ravana fighting. (February 28, 2018)

Gita Press Gorakhpur. Source: Wikicommons

Authors Note: I wanted to tell the story of Rama fighting Ravana. Even though Rama is victorious, I wanted this story to show compassion and that violence and death are not always the answers. I also wanted to change the backstory of why the two were fighting. I also wanted there to be some dialogue to show John (Rama) as a objector to the fight and one of the most compassionate people. Devin (Ravana) represents the anger that festers inside someone if left uncheck.

Bibliography: Gibbs, Laura. The Divine Archer. The Divine Archer

Reading Notes Part B: The Divine Archer

Part B of this reading, to me at least, was a lot more entertaining than the first part.  The reason that I say this is because we get to see Rama go on a question to find his love.  Along the way he encounters a multitude of different types of characters who help him in achieving his goal.  Also, there a part in the story where battling is taking place and I am a huge battle person so that is the most fascinating part of any story.   What is also great about this story is that it shows the trials and tribulations that Rama faces in his later life.  I don’t know what it is but I just generally. Love learned about myths that involve a main character in the latter part of his life.  I feel like so much time is spent on his youth and young adult hood we never really get to experience the things he goes through as an adult. Beside that fact what is great about these stories in Part B is that it introduces us to other characters that are just as important to Indian folklore.  This way it gives us a brief tease of what we can expect to read about when we come to these characters.

Unfortunately, with the battle phases they didn’t seem to cover much ground.  I always find it weird that people never want to elaborate inn books about the brutality of war.  Everyone knows how brutal it is because we see it on tv every day, so why not in books beside military ones.  I feel like being more descriptive about everything that Rama and Sita are going through would have been more helpful because it would have allowed us to get a more visceral reaction if we had known what was going on with them.  Even though there are some negatives with this section of the story I still feel like it outdid the first part I read, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Rama and Site Playing. (February 22, 2018)

Gita Press Gorakhpur. Source: Wikicommons

Bibliography: Gibbs, Laura. The Divine Archer. The Divine Archer

Reading Notes: Part A The Divine Archer

I really enjoyed reading this story. Even though Part A is considerably longer than what we are used to me really enjoyed how in depth it goes.  The descriptions that are given throughout the first part of the book are exquisite.  It makes me feel that I am really there when I am reading it.  I have always said that in order to capture a reader’s attention you must have immaculate detail as well as an interesting narrative that continues to drive the story forward. This story does just that.  I also like that in the context of section A we get a bunch of little stories that are all tied together.  The book does a great job at showing the culture of Indian and the different stories that are still prevalent to this day and age.  I can for sure say that when I was reading these stories, it definitely brought back some life lessons that I have learned in my life. All the characters that I have come across in this novel seem to represent a different way of life.  On top of that I feel that there are definitely illusions to other myths from other cultures. Rama breaking the bow that no one could bend reminds me of the sword and the stone.  

While there are a lot of great qualities to this first section there are also some negatives.  I felt like some of the wording and portrayal of the characters were kind of repetitive.  The stories seemed to drag on for pages at a time. I am always appreciative of the authors trying to get as much detail into the novel as possible but sometimes it can be a little too much. Overall, I thought the stories were great, while a little wordy at times.

Rama and Sita. (October 21, 2016)

Infinite Eyes. Source: Flickr

Bibliography: Gibbs, Laura. Divine Archer. Divine Archer

Tech Tip: Twine

Instead of doing a story I decided to check out Twine.  I have heard of twine but never used it.  I thought that it was very enjoyable creating a game others can play.  I think it definitely would be neat to create a story on twine.  It would make it more interactive and that way whoever is playing the game would not lose interest.  By actively participating they are presented the same choices as the characters in the story.  In a way they are choosing their own fate as well as their characters.

Twine would be a really cool way to do a storybook for our project.  It would be a interactive experience for all involved. The people would be able to see the consequences of the choices that they make.  Sure, they can go back and choose different choices but they will always be haunted by the first choice they made.

I have included the link if anyone wants to play.  It is a real simple dumb game but I thought it might make people laugh.  I am planning to do another one that will be longer and more detailed.

Storybook Plan

When I do this storybook I will focus on three different horrors in Indian culture and connect them all together in the last story.  The type of stories that I will be giving are suspenseful, terrifying, yet ones that have heart.  I think the common connection that I will have will be focusing on the main character Milo.  These evil entities attack Milo when he is at his lowest after he loses his family.  They eventually end up teaching him that life is worth living and to preserve the memories of his family.

The first story will focus on the Bakasura and how he disguised himself as an elderly gentlemen and tried to feed off Milos sadness. Milo will meet a acquaintance named Phoebe who has been tryin to vanquish Bakasura since he killed her brother.

The second story will have Milo come upon a Vetala, that is inhabiting the body of his dead mother.  Milo will come across his friend Seth who will try to help him banish the vetala from his mothers bodies and she can have a proper burial.

The third and final story will have Milo fighting against the previous two demons and Hidimba, the demon King.  Milo's friends will join him as they face off against their greatest foes and finally rid their world of evil.

The message that this story will provide is that no matter what bad happens in your life, it is worth living no matter how dark the days get.  Perseverance is something everyone can do with friends by your side.  Another message will be no one is truly alone who has friends.

Comment Wall

This is my comment wall

Creepy child. (NA)

Author: Na. Source: Needpix

Here is a link to my storybook

Reading Notes Part D:Rama Attacks

The story that I chose for part D was rather short.  While it was short it was enough to whet my appetite and left me wanting more.  Any good story or myth should always leave the reader wanting more. Like I have said in past notes, I really appreciate how descriptive these stories are and even though it is only two paragraphs I felt I learned more in those two paragraphs than I have in reading a chapter of a science fiction book. When it talked about the “clouds raining blood” or “snow-white clouds,” I had no problem visualizing what was being read.  I have always been a person who craves details so that way I can imagine the story in my head.  I am more of a visualizer and the more descriptions and details that I read the clearer the picture becomes in my head like some other people.

I feel like I am going to have do some research about why there are monkeys in these stories that I am reading.  What is the reason for the monkeys? I intend to find out.  Also, one thing that I did not like is the story did not go into detail when describing the battle that rage. It was kind of anti-climactic when Rama’s head was brought to Sita.  I was hoping we would get to find out how he died and if it was a glories death or silent. One thing I have noticed that is different between Indian lore and Greek lore is describing battles and fights.  The Greeks were very descriptive and sometimes went a little to overboard, but it brought the battle to life, whereas Indian lore doesn’t really describe the battles.  Overall, the story was a good quick read I just hope the ones I read after are more descriptive.

Rama and Sita. (1957)

NA. Source: Wikipedia

Bibliography. Gibbs, Laura. Rama Attacks. Rama Attacks

Reading Notes Part C: Sugriva and Hanuman

What to say about this first reading?  I really enjoy that the readings have a preview about what happened in the stories before if you haven’t read them. These readings never seem to be too dull at all.  I always seem to be captivated by what I am reading.  Then I eventually find myself reading the story again and again just for the fun of it. The descriptions that are used in this story allowed me to visualize in my head what was going on. What I have learned so far from the three readings I have done so far is that the story tellers really take their time. They like to be as accurate as they can and also like to be as descriptive as a they can.  Even though the message they want to get across is done so well that one could most likely skip over the meaning. 

What is interesting to me is that in Indian stories a character that you meet here and there can shape shift into an animal.  I have always wondered why Indian stories needed to have those kinds of characters.  I think it is a new take on telling myths by having humans transform into monkeys.   That is also one other thing that I noticed a lot of. In Asian culture it seems like becoming a monkey or having a monkey in a story is key to the progression some way.  It also seems that every type of culture has certain Gods that do something interesting.  The Wind God in Indian culture reminds me of Thor because he controlled lighting and wind to some degree.

Sugriva. (1628-1649)

Unknown Author. Source: Wikicommons

Bibliography: Gibbs, Laura. Sugriva and Hanuman. Sugriva and Hanuman