Storytelling for Week 2: Deer Hunting at its Finest

Once upon a time, in a far away forest there was a deer. He was just an ordinary deer trying to survive in this harsh world. One day, the deer crossed a small pond deep in the forest, that looked as if it were sparkling. The deer was so overjoyed to see water, that he drank and bathed in it for days. After leaving the pond, the deer realized he had a coat of gold around him that shined so bright it was almost blinding, and that he felt as if he had supernatural powers. As time went on, he became stronger and stronger until he was eventually invincible. His speed was increasing by the day, his strength was astronomical, and his precision and power was higher than ever seen before. This creature was godly even to the gods, and was given the name "golden deer".

It has been known for hundreds of years that if you catch the golden deer, you will be granted the powers that the deer had possessed, and will live an immortal life full of love, happiness, and fulfillment. It would take a very special person, with very special, unique talents unlike anyone else to capture this deer and reap the profits. The catch is that the deer is nearly impossible to capture, because of his strength and speed, and therefore hasn't been seen in hundreds of years. Some even question the truthfulness of this story that has been passed down for generations.

~~~

Deep in the forest there was a man named Rama, who lived in a picture perfect log cabin with his beautiful wife, Sita. Rama and Sita lived what most would call, a perfect life. One day, while sitting in their long cabin, Sita asked Rama to go fetch some food as they were running low. Of course Rama did so, and willingly went out the door in search of some food. As the afternoon went by, Rama had no luck so far. Time went on and Rama was still on the hunt, until he halted immediately. He spotted something that was shining through the bushes.

So many thoughts were racing through his mind... "Is that what I think it is?" he thought to himself. "No.. It can't be!" he questioned himself.  "But, what if it was? I would be a hero and would live an everlasting life full of love and power...I'm going for it!"

Rama capturing the deer. Wikimedia

Rama slowly drew closer to the deer to get a better look, but he still wasn't sure of its authenticity. He didn't want to get too close in fear that the deer would notice him and his opportunity would have passed. As he begins to point his bow he thinks to himself, "Man, Sita is going to be so impressed if I am the godly man that catches the golden deer!" and without any further preparation he goes in for the kill, striking his arrow right at the golden deer! He begins jumping with joy and runs over to the deer expecting to be gaining his powers at any minute. As Rama walks up to deer he is immediately filled with disappointment. The deer was a fraud. He had been covered with gold glitter to fool him into thinking he was the golden deer! "Impossible! I am a fool for falling for that", Rama exclaims with furry.

He storms back to his log cabin, full of distraught and humiliation. As he approaches his cabin, he hears a cry for help. He says out loud, "Oh no, something has gone terribly wrong!", and then he sees a terrifying scene. His beloved Sita is being taken away on a schooner with great speed. Rama catched on to what has happened today, "I have been tricked! Someone covered a deer in glitter knowing I would find him and think it was the golden deer, and in the meantime captured my wife!" He then gathers his things in a scurry and heads after his wife, with a look of revenge in his eyes.

~~~

Author's Note: I chose to tell the story of Sita being captured because I wanted to add light and simplicity to this intense part of The Ramayana. I changed the background of the story quite a bit and added in some of the inner thoughts I would think Rama might have had in this situation. In the actual story, Ravana and Maricha make a plan to abduct Sita, so Maricha disguises himself as a golden deer to capture the attention of Sita, who then begs Rama to catch it for her. While doing so, Maricha calls out for help using Rama's voice, so that Sita would think he was in trouble. She forces Rama's brother, Lakshmana to go save him, leaving her unguarded. She then gets taken away by Ravana. 

Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana.

Week 2: Reading Diary B - My Journey Through the Ramayana Continued

The last chapter ended with one of Dasharatha's son's mother, Kaikeyi, demanding her wish be that Rama is sent into exile for fourteen years, and her son Bharata become the successor. Dasharatha had no choice but to abide by these wishes since he owed them to her. Dasharatha dies when he hears of Rama's departure into the forest. Bharata is so enraged that his mother would exile his own brother, that he refuses to take the crown. Lakshmana and Sita accompany Rama with his exile.

Chapter 4: Encounters in Exile 

This chapter begins with Rama, Lakshmana and Sita continuing through the forest. They encounter Jatayu, a bird who was previously a friend of Dasharatha. Once Jatayu was informed of Dasharatha's death, he wanted to end his life then and there, but the boys convinced him to keep his life, as he is the closest thing to a father figure now. He agreed to embark on their journey with them.

-> A quote that I loved from this page was when Jatayu said, "While I fly, follow me in the shadow of my wings"(p.66). To me, this quote represents security for the boys and Sita. They are now being watched over by the bird, and it almost seemingly feels like their father watching over them from above. With all of the uncertainty and danger in their journey, they now have a feeling of comfort and solace when being protected by a friend of their dads.

As they continue to embark on their journey, they finally reach Panchvati. Rama is reminded of the reason he is here in the first place... "he had come here to encounter and destroy the asuras, the fiends who infested this area, causing suffering and hardship to all the good souls who only wanted to be left alone to pursue their spiritual aims in peace"(p.67). Ramas purpose of incarnation was to destroy these asuras and therefore abolish the fear from all men and gods, to establish peace, and to bring justice to the world. While he was in the woods, he meets a woman named Kamavalli, daughter of Sage Visravas and sister of Ravana, and is immediately paralyzed by her beauty.

-> Although he is just mesmerized by her beauty, Rama's reaction to this woman makes me wonder if he finds it somewhat normal to be in love with more than one woman at a time, since his father had many wives. Does polygamy exist in this story?

Kamavalli quickly asks for Rama's hand in marriage, but he politely refuses. As Sita walks out of their cottage toward the two, jealousy overcomes Kamavalli. She then goes on to convince herself that Sita is not Rama's wife.

-> This reminds me of a modern day situation, as every girl feels envious toward that one girl that seems so perfect on the outside, making you feel a bit of insecurity. I also know we have all at some point in time convinced ourselves of something in order to feel better and more in control about a situation.

Kamavalli goes to extremes to break apart Rama and Sita, and plans to capture Sita. She later gets captured by Lakshmana, who punishes her by cutting off her nose, ears, and breasts. She eventually runs off to her brother, Ravana in Lanka.

Chapter 5: The Grand Tormentor

This chapter starts off with Ravana in Lanka, and gods are acting for his every need. Vayu, god of wind, was there to blow away flowers and sweep the halls clean, Yama, the god of death, was there to sound the gong at each hour of the day, and the god of fire was there to keep lamps, incense, and camphor flames lit at all times. Many more were there to serve him. Out of no where, Soorpanka comes running to the scene, falling to the throne, crying, "See what has happened to me!" (p.80). Ravan is furiated, until she begins to talk about Sita and her beauty and falls in love with her just from her description.

Ravana visits his uncle, Maricha to gain advice about Rama, since he had been up against him before. They come up with a sneaky plan, not to fight off Rama, but to distract and trick him, and then snatch Sita. Maricha disguises as a beautiful deer, capturing Sitas attention. Rama attack the deer so that Sita may have it, and while doing so he shoots him, but his cries sound like Rama's. This worries Sita, and she forces Laksmana to go check on him. While doing so, Ravana shows up to capture Sita. Her efforts are not enough to keep him from taking her. Jatayu, their protector, comes back into the picture and tries to fight off Ravana! He exclaims, "Don't seek your own ruin, and the ruin of your whole clan, class, tribe, and all. Rama's arrows will end your career, have no doubt about it"(p.94). His efforts fail, and he gets struck down. Sita is now captured by Ravana, but Jatayu is able to tell Rama what has happened before dying. He can now finally be with his beloved friend, Dasharatha. His last words, "Do not despair. You will succeed in the end"(p.95), showing his faith in Rama. To me, this feels like it is almost coming from his father, and foreshadows his success in getting Sita back safely.

Narayan, R. K. 1972. The Ramayana. 

Week 2: Reading Diary A - My Journey Through the Ramayana

As I began to read Narayan's The Ramayana, I was unsure of what to expect. I have honestly never heard of the epic, and really had no idea of what it entailed. My first impression of the book was.. "Wow, there are a ton of words in here that I can't even pronounce!" But, after continually reading and with the help of the study guides, I quickly caught on and quite frankly am really impressed with this book so far.

Since the names of the characters are long and begin to mesh together, here is a character list with a short description in order to refer back to along with some important points from each story.

Characters and Stories:

Dasaratha - Dasaratha is portrayed as approachable and dedicated to his duties as a ruler. His people think very highly of him as is described as the king that "was always accessible, and fulfilled his duties as the ruler of Kosala without grudging the hours spent in public service" (p. 7). This character is relatable because he holds great responsibility and has much fame, but only desires for a son to carry on his name. He eventually has four sons - Rama, Bharata, Laksmana, and Shatrughna.

Sage Viswamithra - Former king and conqueror. Wants to journey to Sidhasrma to perform a yagna (sacrifice) and requests to bring along Rama as his protector. Is portrayed as wise and knowledgeable, and acts almost as an educator and mentor to Rama and Lakshmana as they proceed on their journey.

Rama - Son of Dasaratha and an avatar of Vishnu. Rama is portrayed as caring and helpful. The people of the Ayodhya say "with you as our prince and your great father as our guardian, we lack nothing" (p.6). He chosen by sage Viswamithra to accompany him on his journey and serves to protect him. As chapter one came to an end, Viswamithra address Rama by saying, "O great one, you are born to restore righteousnous and virtue to mankind and eliminate all evil. At our yagna, I saw the power of your arms, and now I see the greatness of the touch of your feet"(p.22).

Lakshmana - Son of Dasaratha. Accompanies Sage Viswamithra and Rama on their journey.

Thataka's Story - Daughter of Suketha, a demigod of might and purity. Has two sons, Mareecha and Subahu. Her husband was killed, and she and her sons demanded revenge and transformed to demonhood. Killed by Rama.

Mahabali's Story - Seized heaven and earth while Vishnu sat in meditation, and then later was summoned down below.

Ganga's Story - The river Ganga (Ganges) was brought down by Bhagiratha with the help of the god Shiva. The river "flows along the valley, coming down from the Himalayas, carrying within her the essence of rare herbs and elements found on her way" (p.17). Every inch that she touches, becomes holy.

-> How the Ganges formed: King Sakara performed a horse sacrifice, and while doing so King Indra stole the horse, hiding it behind Sage Kapila underground. Sakara's son later dug a huge hole in search of the horse, where they then destroyed Kapila, and only one survived, Bhagiratha. Bhagiratha wanted salvation for his dead family, so he then brought the Ganga river down.

Ahalya's Story -  Ahalya was created by Brahma with the ingredients of absolute beauty. God Indra was very attracted to her and was convinced he was the only one for her. Brahma notice this, but gave her custody to Sage Gautama who then raised her, then eventually married her. Indra could not stand being away from Ahalya, so one day when the sage was gone he snuck in and made love to her. Sage Gautama came back to the scene and punished him by covering him in "female parts" to show the world what is really on his mind. Sage Gautama punished Ahalya by imploring her to a rock.  Later on Sage Gautama said, "May the thousand additions to Indra's features become eyes"(p.21), and eventually became known as the "thousand-eyed god".

Sita - Daughter of King Janaka and avatar of Lakshmi (Vishnu's wife). Rama immediately falls in love with her. The king declared that any many who can bend Shiva's bow, can have permission to marry Sita. Rama completed the task!

What stood out to me:

In the beginning of the reading, there was a quote that really stood out to me. It read,

"You cannot count on the physical proximity of someone you love, all the time. A seed that sprouts at the foot of its parent tree remains stunted until it is transplanted. Rama will be in my care, and he will be quite well. But ultimately, he will leave me too. Every human being, when the time comes, had to depart and seek his fulfillment in his own way" (p. 19).

I find this quote so timeless because of its relatability. Everyone at some point in time has to be separated from someone they love and it is truly a difficult thing, but it is part of life and is something that we need to adapt to. This was said by Sage Viswamithra, a former king and conqueror as he was pleading to Dasaratha to allow his son Rama to go on a journey to Sidhasrama. The King is having a hard time letting go of his beloved son. As a college student, I often visit my family back home, but then have to leave to come back up to school and it is difficult to say goodbye. I could only imagine how much more difficult it is for my parents, so I understand Dasaratha's feelings. As the young embraced on the journey, they had many feelings of distress and bewilderment.

Narayan, R. K. 1972. The Ramayana.

Week 1: Famous Last Words

So far I feel really great about this class. It took me a couple of days to get comfortable with the layout of the class and with the blogging, but I quickly got the hang of it! Looking back at this week, I am amazed that I have actually created a blog! I am really proud of myself for sticking with this course and getting as involved in it as I have. I would say my best writing for this class so far would be the "My Favorite Places" post, because it was my very first post and I was really excited to get to share a little bit about myself and my amazing journey this summer. I discovered that in order for my blog posts to be great, they must be authentic and representative of myself. When I am writing a post, I try to make them relatable and personable so that they are more enjoyable to the readers. Since this class opened a week early, I was able to get far ahead and work on the assignments before classes had actually begun. This was really nice because I was able to focus all of my attention on this class and these assignments. Now that school has officially begun, I'm already finding it more difficult to stay ahead with all of my other classes. I am in a couple of really tough classes this semester that require a huge chunk of time, but I definitely think it is manageable since this schedule is so flexible. Something really cool that I heard of this passed week was that the University of Oklahoma's admissions office planned to deliver the first acceptance letter for this next year in a huge way. They loaded up all of the football players, cheerleaders, the band, pom girls, ruffnecks, the schooner, and as many students as they could fit onto 6 charter buses, and personally delivered the acceptance letter. I thought this was just such a cool thing for our university to do and it really represents our pride and "family-like" campus. I just thought this was so cool and had to share! Overall, this has been an amazing first week of the semester and I cannot wait for the many more to come!

Image of the University of Oklahoma football team from wikipedia

Week 1: Introduction - About Me

Hey guys! My name is Alyssa Rucci, and I am a junior here at the University of Oklahoma. Originally, I came to OU for the meteorology program, but I soon figured out that it was not the major for me. Now, I am a Pre-Occupational Therapy major, and I absolutely LOVE it! I really wanted a career where I would be helping and working hands on with people, so I think this is a great path for me!

A fun fact about me is that I am absolutely obsessed with dogs! I have two of my own, a golden retriever (named Sugar) and a black lab/collie mix (named Taylor) and I just adore them! I love how each dog has it's own personality... sugar is super clumsy and goofy, while Taylor is really smart and protective!

(Image Information: personal photo with Sugar and Taylor; photo from February 2014.)

I was raised in Southlake, Texas and my family still lives there today. I love everything about Texas, but I know once I graduate I hope to be able to go somewhere new and different. I have a love and passion for traveling and experiencing new cultures. I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in China this summer, where we traveled all over and experienced so many different lifestyles and cultures. It was the best experience of my life, and I hope to be able to study abroad again before graduating!

(Image Information: personal photo on The Great Wall of China; photo from May 2014.)

(Image Information: personal photo in the Lijiang Mountains; photo from June 2014.)

(Image Information: personal photo at the Aberdeen Fishing Village in Hong Kong; photo from June 2014.)

I think it would be an understatement to say that this was the best summer of my life! I also got the chance to spend a week in Cape Cod this summer, which was so cool because it was such a different setting from where we normally vacation in the summer. I had never really been in the Northeast before, so it was awesome to get to see the city of Boston and the spend a week on the beautiful beaches along the cape. I also got to go surfing for the first time! It took me quite a few tries to get up on the board, but once I got it, it was a piece of cake and so much fun! This was definitely a summer of new experiences and trying new things for me, and I am so thankful for all of the opportunities I have been able to have. 

(Image Information: personal photo surfing in Cape Cod; photo from June 2014.)

Well that was a little bit about myself, my summer experiences, and my interests! I'm very excited for this class and I am looking forward to trying something new by creating this blog!

Week 1: Storybook Favorites

The first storybook that caught my eye was Heavenly Gossip. I chose this storybook because it is based off of my all time favorite tv show, Gossip Girl. The layout and design of the storybook is really eye-catching, with a bright pink background contrasted with the black. I love how this is formatted just like the actual show. "Gossip girl" is character that remains unknown throughout the series, making anonymous blog posts about about scandals and secrets of their peers in the Upper East side of Manhattan. I think this is such a creative way to connect something ancient and historical to something modern and new!

The next storybook that I looked at was Love Diaries. Initially, this one caught my eye because I am a sucker for a good love story, but once I actually opened it up and read the introduction, I could not stop reading it! There is something so captivating about this storybook since it was personally handed down to the writer of the storybook herself. You can really sense the writer's connection and sense of pride toward the diaries, which I loved. I found myself reading almost the entire storybook because I was just so curious about the characters and about how everything ended up! I think the writer did a really great job appealing to the audience and making this storybook into something relatable by changing the diary entries into a modern style. It really is a fascinating storybook!

The final storybook that I looked at was Wives' Tales. The title got my attention, because I could assume the story would be about how wives lived back in time, and to me that seemed like a really interesting concept. After reading the introduction, I thought it was really cool that the writer "went back in time" and told storys comparing the life of wives then to now from her own perspective. Since I have absolutely no previous knowledge of the Indian epics and of the stories that have been passed down, everything that I have read is very new and fascinating to me, making me want to read more!

Week 1: Indian Epics

As this class begins, I feel a bit apprehensive yet excited. I have never been much of a creative or "think outside of the box" person, but i'm hoping this class will help to change that. From watching Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues, I noticed that there was a lot of room left for interpretation, and you can really take what you want from the film. I believe this class will be a lot like that, where we will have to read a story and interpret it in our own ways and create it into another story, which is something I am very new to. This class will definitely be a challenge, but i'm hoping it will help me find a more creative side of myself. Something I am very interested in is traveling, and experiencing new cultures. I hope to incorporate some of my experiences with traveling into this class and into my blog posts.

Week 1 Storytelling: The Baker's Man

"PAT-A-CAKE, pat-a-cake, baker's man!

So, I will master, as fast as I can:

Pat it, and prick it, and mark it with a T,

Put it in the oven for Tommy and me."

(Traditional Nursery Rhyme)

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There was once a man, named Bill, who worked at a bakery. Bill didn't do well under pressure, so the new job as a baker posed its fair share of challenges. Bill was not quick with his hands, so when the bakery was crowded with people lined up out the door wanting cakes, they would become furious! One day, the line at the bakery was much longer than normal, and customers were getting mad left and right. One day, a man named Tommy, and his son, were next in line for a cake and after waiting over 30 minutes for their cake, they began to yell and scream at Bill to make it faster. This was very stressful for Bill and he soon became very discouraged. After that day, Bill decided it was time to make a change... he was going to learn how to bake fast under pressure! Days and weeks went by and no progress was made by Bill, and he was soon to be fired if he didn't improve quickly. He was about to give up until one day he realized that he had a genuine love for baking cakes and that he wasn't going to let being under pressure take that away from him. In order for that to happen, Bill created a simple pattern to make every cake with the same details and preciseness. He would pat each cake, prick each cake, mark each cake with a "T",  then put it in the oven, and serve it to be enjoyed by all! Once Bill got used to this pattern he created, he began to bake cakes faster and faster each time. By the next time Tommy and his son came into the bakery for a cake, Bill had mastered baking cakes in record time all while being under pressure. Once he saw Tommy and his son though, horrific memories of being embarrassed and discouraged came flooding back, but Bill shook those memories away, patted the cake, pricked the cake, marked it with a "T", put it in the oven, and then served it to Tommy and his son to enjoy! They were so please with how fast their service was and how delicious the cake was that they praised Bill, and came back every week since!

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Authors note: I created this story based on the nursery rhyme, "Pat-a-cake", from The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang and released in 2008. This nursery rhyme does not have much of a meaning behind it, but rather it was created for pleasure. Traditionally, children clap their hands together when saying this rhyme. When writing my story, I wanted to add a meaning behind this rhyme. The meaning I chose to display with my story is that hard work pays off, and to never give up something you love when you are faced by a challenge. 

Blogger Templates Tech Tip

I chose this template because it presents a neutral, simple background, but still represents myself and my writing. I have a love and passion for traveling, so the flying birds add the perfect touch! I have never done a blog before, and have never really read blogs either, so this is all very new to me. I have really enjoyed learning how blogging works so far. I have never been much of a writer so I am excited to try something new! Since I have no previous experience with blogging, I am really new with the template designs, but with time I can hopefully become familiar with them and discover what I like best!

Week 1: Shanghai, Beijing, Lijiang... My Favorite Places!

Shanghai, China. I took part in the Journey to China 2014 summer study abroad program, where I spent a month of my summer traveling many different cities throughout China. Among the cities that I traveled to, Shanghai was the first and one of my favorites. The city of Shanghai is a relatively new city, becoming modernized within the last 20 years or so. The city is absolutely breathtaking with its mix of modern and traditional structures and I truly enjoyed experiencing its diverse culture. Being the first city I had traveled to, and the first time I had ever been out of the country, you could say it was a bit of a culture shock. With that being said, I had some incredible experiences in Shanghai, and visiting The Bund was definitely top on my list.

(Image information: personal photo of a group of Journey to China students at The Bund in Shanghai; photo from May 2014.) 

Beijing, China. Another city that I had the pleasure of traveling to this summer was Beijing, the capital of China. This city was much different from Shanghai, in that it was an extremely old city with a lot of history. This was one of my favorite cities to travel to because of the amount of history. We got to travel to the Great Wall of China, which was the highlight of my trip. We grow up learning about the Great Wall all throughout the years of history classes, but nothing compares to experiencing it for yourself. It was breathtaking, and an experience of a lifetime that I will forever cherish.

(Image information: personal photo on the Great Wall of China; photo from May 2014.)

(Image information: personal photo of Journey to China students jumping on the Great Wall of China; photo from May 2014.)

(Image information: personal photo on the Great Wall of China; photo from May 2014.)

Lijiang, China. Visiting Lijiang was one of my favorite parts of the Journey to China trip. This was the first city we had gotten to visit that hadn't been modernized. Lijiang has such natural beauty, and I was lucky enough to experience it first hand. We stayed in a hotel in "downtown" Lijiang, which had gravel roads and little huts all around selling hand made goods. The hotel was partly outdoors, and didn't even have air conditioning.. it was quite the experience. The culture was so different from the other parts of China because they lived such different, and much simpler, lives. My favorite part of this city was visiting the Tiger Leaping Gorge, a beautiful gorge within the mountains of Lijiang. The beauty of Lijiang is indescribable, and will forever remain my favorite place. 

(Image information: personal photo of downtown Lijiang, China; photo from June 2014.)

(Image information: personal photo of the Tiger Leaping Gorge; photo from June 2014.)

(Image information: personal photo of the Tiger Leaping Gorge; photo from June 2014.)