Storytelling for Week 6: Brothers

Timothy was so excited to be a part of his brothers' excursion into the woods. It had been so long since all of them had gone out together. He grinned when he thought of the swimming hole that they were heading for. Once there, they were going to have the ultimate time in one of the last few days of summer.

Jeremy and Jimmy were pointing at something in the trees. It was probably just a silly bird jumping around in the branches. However, those two really loved their birdwatching and they were dedicated to finding all of the birds on the recent edition of Birdwatcher Master Plus list.

Edward led the way as usual. Being the oldest, he was always the one the other brothers followed. George was behind them. He was such a happy-go-lucky kid. That certainly was characteristic of him being the youngest child.

As they took the double fork in the trail that signaled that they were about a half mile away from the swimming hole, they heard a rustle in the bushes.

An old man limped out with a distraught look. "Boys, I need your help."

The brothers looked at each other.

"A giant deer crashed out of the woods. It scooped my cane out of my hands, winked and ran away. Would you be able to catch him while running using those young legs of yours?"

All the brothers nodded simultaneously. They ran off in the direction that the old man pointed. Timothy briefly wondered if this was a good idea. After all, how well did they know this man? He brushed away the branches that hit his face. He stumbled a little, but caught himself. After he regained footing and looked up, he realized his brothers had disappeared.

"Guys? Where did you all go?"

He stumbled through the woods. In a few minutes he realized he had arrived at the swimming hole.
He did not see any of his brothers around the area.

Timothy gazed at the water. He suddenly became aware that he felt really hot and sweaty. "It would feel fantastic to just take a dip!" Timothy mused.

"Wait just a second, young man!"

Timothy paused with one foot in the air. "Yes?" he asked with hesitation.

"I need you to answer a quick couple of questions for me."

"Okay, shoot."

"What is black and white and red all over?"

Timothy paused. What in the world? Luckily, George was a fan of ridiculous jokes like this.

"An embarrassed zebra?"

"Correct! Your brothers thought it was a newspaper!"

Timothy realized this was probably super weird and he should be careful about talking to a random voice. In fact, why was he talking to this voice?

"You did so well on that that I will let you bypass the other questions. Here, I will release your brothers."

With that, four brothers fell from the trees. They sat on the ground trying to recover from what had happened.

"Wait! Who are you?" Timothy yelled to the sky.

"There is no need for you to know that just yet. You will find out soon enough. Just enjoy your day!" the voice responded cheerfully.

The brothers stared at each other, looked at the water, and began to walk home.

was the deer real or made up?

Author's Note: I have to admit I was feeling a little uninspired this week. I got slammed with tests and had to work overtime to cover shifts. The Mahabharata just did not have that spark to me this week. It did not really help that much of this selection of the pages was violent and gory. However,
I am stubborn enough to work through a bit of writer's block. I started with a story that I thought was somewhat interesting and let the words come.

In the original story, the Pandavas brothers do not heed the warning of a mysterious voice above the water. They just wanted to drink up and quench their thirst. The last brother decided to listen to the questions and was granted his brothers back to him. I wanted to twist it up a little bit and make it maybe more relatable. It certainly has the possibility of coming across as a little silly. However, if it makes you laugh during this tough week, I will say it was worth it. The original story was from The Mahabharata by R.K. Narayan (2008).

Reading Diary B [Narayan's Mahabharata]

I read from R.K. Narayan's The Mahabharata.

Wow. This last section of the Mahabharata was rather intense. The battle was rather gruesome and the descriptions were kind of crazy. For instance, the part where Dhrishtadyumna cuts off his head after believing his son is dead and the part where Bhima kills Duhshasana. Bhima drinks the blood of Duhshasana! This sounds like something from a vampire movie.

Also, the way that they tricked Dhrishtadyumna into believing his son was dead was so horrible. It almost could have been funny if it did not end the way that it did. They killed an elephant with the same name as his son. After they killed it, Yudhishthira told that Ashwatthaman was dead but muttered that it was the elephant. That was when Dhrishtadyumna cuts off his head.

I think both of the epics are interesting. I would have to say I like the Ramayana so far, but the Mahabharata is growing on me. I do find it to be more dark, though. It seemed like the Ramayana had a lighter note to it even though it was still serious.

However, the way this one ends is with so much death. Even Yudhishthira mentions that he is not happy about winning the battle and needs time to grieve over the deaths.

Krishna and Arjuna

Reading Diary A [Narayan's Mahabharata]

I read from R.K. Narayan's The Mahabharata.

I would have to say a favorite part of mine was when Duryodhana was planning on humiliating the Pandavas. Except it ended up being so turned around that Duryodhana was shamed. I could not imagine how he must have felt when he was captured and then released. That was a definite humbling experience.

Also, what is the significance of deer in these epics? I would not imagine India to be overrun by deer but this is at least the second reference to deer. First, there was when Sita sent Rama to catch the golden deer for her, which we all know was a trap allowing Ravana to come kidnap Sita. Now, there is a story told about a giant deer that stole the Brahmin's staff. This leads to the Pandavas going after the deer and eventually find a lake that has a voice. Only one brother passes the test that was actually being presented by their father. So, do the deer have a connection to traps and trickery? Or are they so rare, Indian people associate them with something devious?

Another deer reference in the Mahabharata

Storytelling for Week 5: Thoughts

I brushed my long dark hair out with contemplative strokes while gazing at the white, fluffy clouds that graced the sky. I smiled for what seemed the first time in a long time. Life was not that bad in this particular moment.

the sky on the fateful day

Memories came back to me of a particular time I would rather forget. I stood before five brothers who just argued all of the time. Did they not realize that they were presenting themselves to be just five immature little children? They had not been thinking of my feelings in that moment for sure. The least they could have done is actually presented themselves to be men worthy of having me as their wife. After all, was I not the princess?

Who could really reason with them, though? After all, they had forced me to be the wife of five men. Of five men! I was really astonished that this was a thing. It had been mentioned that it was inappropriate for a woman to the be a wife of five men. She would be considered a "public" woman ... no, I was considered a public woman. I pondered this sadly for a few moments. I used to have a great reputation. Now, look at me. The humiliated woman who had five husbands.

Some indignation arose. How was it that a man could have five wives and not be considered immoral? There was an astonishing lack of equality in society. I could not do a thing about it, though, because I was a woman.

I thought of my mother and how she would have been deeply saddened to see me in this situation. She had higher hopes for me and my future. I had higher hopes for myself.

"Draupadi!"

I was startled from my thoughts and turned to see one of my handmaidens come running in a desperate rush. She looked somewhat terrified as she stopped to catch her breath,

"What is it?" I asked with hesitation. Did I really want to know?

"They ..." she gasped, "They have gambled you away to another man."

My heart sank. Why does this happen to me? Why always to me? I stood frozen in shock while her words slowly ran through me. Another man? I was to have six husbands? Or just one? What had my current husband done to me?

I realized I had to think quickly. Knowing his gambling problem, I was probably not the first thing he had lost.

“Go back and ask if he gambled away himself first.”

Her eyes lit up as she realized what I meant. She took off out of the room. I waited with my breath held and the hope that this was going to work.

Author's Note: This story is very close to the original. Draupadi, the princess of Panchala, had been given to five brothers as their wife. It had been brought up that her reputations was going to be ruined since she would be considered a “public” woman. However, it was done and she became the wife of five men. It was worked out that she would spend one year with each man. After that year, she would then move on to be the wife of the next brother for a year. In turn, the brothers had to agree to erase her from their mind at the end of their allotted year. So, Draupadi received the wrong end of that deal. She was not even going to be remembered by her husband with whom she had just spent an entire year. My hope in writing this story was to help the reader see more of Draupadi’s side. I want them to see how this situation must have made her feel. It was not good in any possible way. It was a horrible situation and it is somewhat astonishing she was able to still think quickly to attempt to find a way out of her circumstances. The original story comes from The Mahabharata by R.K. Narayan (2008).

Thoughts About My Comments

So, everyone has been super encouraging with the comments they leave on my wall. I really appreciate the feedback. At first, I was a little nervous because I am not used to putting out my writing like this on the internet. However, everyone has been so welcoming and nice about it. My favorite comments are those that give me specific feedback on the things I am incorporating into my stories, such as dialogue or sound effects. It helps me see what other people see when they read my posts.

I hope that my comments have been helpful for people. I have tried to mention my overall feelings about the post and then go into specifics about what I liked best and what stuck out to me the most in their writing. 

Reading Diary B [Narayan's Mahabharata]

I read from R. K. Narayan's The Mahabharata.

So, I realized I mentioned a story in the last reading diary that I was technically supposed to read for this reading diary. Oh well. Sometimes getting ahead in your schedule can create a little bit of confusion.

I still think Draupadi learning that she was the stakes in a game of dice was one of the craziest stories from this part of the epic. I would be so upset and would feel terribly betrayed if I was in her place. However, she demonstrated great courage and quick thinking. When they went to break the news to her that she had been essentially gambled away, she asked if her husband had staked himself first. So, she had already started looking for a way out of her predicament. Also, when they were going to so horribly rip off her clothing in front of them, she pleaded with Krishna and he came through for her. Draupadi demonstrated that she was always thinking even when in pretty horrible situations.

I think that the women of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana are some interesting characters. Even though they are almost overlooked by the other characters, they all have strong personalities and are not afraid to act independently of the men. That is why they are going to be the focus of my Storybook Project.

another powerful portrayal of Draupadi requesting Krishna's help

Reading Diary A [Narayan's Mahabharata]

I read from R. K. Narayan's The Mahabharata.

This was very interesting. It was similar but also very different from the Ramayana in my opinion. I do not know if the language was updated somehow, but it was a little easier to read than the Ramayana.

I thought the opening story was an interesting way to start this story off. Santanu must have thought that Ganga was extremely beautiful to basically ignore her strange request. He let her drown seven babies before he finally realized he should probably stop this odd behavior. The situation kind of begs the question of was Santanu ever afraid of Ganga? Surely he felt like he was walking on eggshells at times when he knew his wife was murdering their children.

I would have to say the part of the story that describes Draupadi being given to five men is very strange. It was brought up that her being the wife of five men makes her look like the wrong kind of woman. However, in that same speech, it was discussed that it was okay for a man to have five wives. This shows the change in thinking for cultures.

Krishna comes to Draupadi's rescue

Famous Last Words

Well, I had a really crazy week for sure. I had three anatomy tests in the span of one week and two papers besides the assignments for this class. I had to reminding myself to take a breather while I was going from studying for one test to the next one.

I think it became more stressful because I struggled to keep up with everything. I think it was a good lesson for me about keeping on top of my schedule. It is tough balancing a full-time school schedule and even just a part-time job, but it is possible. I just have to be more careful about staying ahead of the rough weeks in the schedule. Five classes can definitely collide and cause a busy week for a student.

This upcoming week, I plan on getting ahead in this class since we have the ability to work ahead of the current week. That is a definite bonus and will help when I near the end of the semester and finals week rears its ugly head.

Otherwise, I have learned a lot in all of my classes. I feel like my brain is a little full. But I have an open day tomorrow and Lola, my puppy, will be at the doctor all day. She is getting spayed and she has to stay under observation for a few hours afterwards. She has been getting spoiled all day today since she has no idea what is coming tomorrow!

Lola!

Lola is a mystery breed. We thought she was a German Shepherd and a Labrador mix. However, she is almost four months old and only fifteen pounds. I am wondering if she has maybe husky or smooth-coated border collie. If anyone wants to take a guess and let me know, that would be great!

                                                                                                                                                

Reading Diary B {Devee Sita and Promila}

I read from Devee's Sita and Promila.

After reading this version, I realized just how helpful those reading guides are to understand what is going on fully. When I read Promila's story, I had to keep going over passages I already read to try to completely realize what happened. I even tried googling for a reading guide but could not find anything.

I really enjoyed the courage of Promila and how she is not afraid to take action for what she wants.  She was not even afraid to take an army of her maidens to go after her husband and see him. I like how Rama recognized her devotion and realized that he was not going to be able to stand in the way of her.

The ending of her story was so sad, though. They were so happy together and then of all things, her husband is killed! When he was killed, it was a little heartwrenching when his first thought was of his promise to Promila that he would come back. He was so upset about having to break his promise that it did not seem important to him that he was dying.

Indrajit in battle

Reading Diary A {Devee Sita and Promila}

I chose to read Sita and Promila by Sunity Devee.

I think what I enjoyed most about this was the way it went more in depth with Sita's side of the story. This is similar to what I want to do in my Storybook Project, so I was loving the details in this story. I think women more often than not want to know more about how characters felt throughout the different scenes.

My favorite part was where Sita was watching Rama with the bow. The way it was written demonstrated her desperation for Rama to win the privilege of marrying her.

This retelling of the Ramayana is a great example of short and sweet writing. It is done very well but it gets the point across and all the necessary information without being too wordy. I would consider it to be the type of story that more women in today's world would select from the shelf.

what Sita saw from her window

Styles For Miles

TOPIC: For my topic, I will be writing about the women of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. More specifically, I am interested in Sita and also Draupadi. In the Ramayana, Sita has such interesting depth. She was the woman that Rama fell madly in love with, so much so that he could describe her feet enough to set her apart from other women. I would like to look into her side of the story as much as I could. Also, Draupadi would have so many interesting aspects of her story to explore. She found out that she was the prize in a chess match. No woman ever wants to find out she's the object of a game. If I gave her a voice, I think she would have a lot to say.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by R.K. Narayan (2006).

2. The Mahabharata by R.K. Narayan (2000).


POSSIBLE STYLES:

Newspaper Reporting: This would definitely be in the Third-Person format. I was imagining it like a reporter finding either Draupadi or Sita after the whole story happens and getting their thoughts. Or it could be more like a reporter on the scene just reporting what he sees. The images could be in a style like photojournalism. The whole Storybook website could also be designed to look like a newspaper.

Coffee Shop: I do not know how sold I am on this particular style. I imagine this to be Sita and Draupadi meeting in a coffee shop like so many good friends like to do. They find a cozy couch and just talk about the things that went on in the past week. This would be a very interesting way to get into the very depth of their feelings on their lives. There is nothing really like two good friends and coffee to get two women to talk about their stories. It would be the most interesting if I told it from one of their sides. So, I could tell the story from Draupadi's point of view and that would even allow readers to see her thoughts on Sita's story.

PTA Moms: Going off the last idea, it might be interesting to imagine these two women as moms involved in their children's schools. Ravana could turn into an evil principal from another school who admires Sita's PTA organization skills. This idea is seeming a little out there and more on a Doctor Who level of storytelling.

Miss America Pageant: A last idea could be imagining Draupadi and Sita as contestants in the Miss India pageant. It would be rather easy to include the craziness of Sita being kidnapped and perhaps Draupadi is the stakes in a gamble on who wins the pageant. This would definitely be a Third-Person Storytelling type of project.

 

 

 

Draupadi



 

Storytelling for Week 3: The Visit

*knock, knock*

Tressa looked up from her book. She had been thoroughly engrossed in her new copy of Gardening in Indian Climates for Beginners. She would develop that green thumb one day and show Michael that he had not married a girl without the ability to cook.

*knock, knock*

Tressa was slightly confused. She and Michael were new to town and had not really met anyone would just come on over for a visit. Should she open the door? She had sent Michael to the store for a new bag of rice, so no one was at the house besides her.

On the other hand, she could just picture the happiness on Michael's face if he came back and found her chatting with a new friend while they both held cups of steaming tea.

*knock, knock*

"Coming!" Making up her mind, Tressa moved to the door. Opening it, she found an older gentleman.

"Hello, my dear! I noticed you and your husband had moved into the neighborhood and wanted to introduce myself. I brought cookies!" With that, he presented a tin decorated with charming deer in a lovely grassy area surrounded by woods.

Tressa hesitated. This seemed a little off, but he did seem like a sweet old man. And how could she refuse cookies?

imagine this full of cookies

"Of course! Come right in!" she opened the door for him to shuffle inside.

"Thank you, dearie, thank you so much," he settled into the sofa she motioned him towards, "There are not a lot of people who would be willing to spend time with a lonely old man like me."

Her heart softened. Why did she have misgivings about this situation again?

"No, I bet you are just lovely. I was just thinking that I needed to meet some people in the area. Oh, and my name is Tressa," she paused as she waited for him to give his name.

He did not share his name. "Oh, my dear, I am surprised you are not swamped with visitors already! But tell me, is your husband out?"

"Yes he is," as soon as Tressa said this, she regretted it. She should not have mentioned that she was here alone.

The old man began to chuckle. Tressa was very confused. As his chuckle grew louder and slowly morphed into an evil laugh, she realized she had made a very big mistake.

"Who are you?" she cried as light began to encircle him.

The light was blinding and then it vanished. The man was no longer a cute old man. He was blue! He had ten heads!

"I am Ravana, the lord of the demons! I am here to take you hostage!"

"What in the world??" Tressa couldn't breathe. Ravana scooped her up with the ground surrounding her and ran out the door with an evil chuckle.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the original story, Ravana disguises himself and meets with Sita while Rama is away hunting the golden deer (which coincidentally made an appearance on Ravana’s cookie tin in the above retelling of the story). Sita let him in although the reader obviously knew it was a bad guy. This made me wonder what it was like from Sita’s point of view for the whole situation. I thought it was kind of a hilarious encounter when Ravana scooped up Sita and took her away. It made me wonder what had been going on in Sita's mind during their little "visit" and how she was probably terrified when Ravana transformed into the ten-headed lord of the demons. So, I tried to imagine what she was thinking with some different characters in a slightly more modern setting to help readers relate to the shock and terror when she finally realized what was going on in her house. Except I just kept laughing when I thought about her seeing him with the ten heads. I hope the seriousness and the comedic touch came through in this retelling. The original is from R. K. Narayan's The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (2006)

Reading Diary B [Narayan's Ramayana]

I read from R. K. Narayan's The Ramayana.

It seems really strange to be finally finishing the story. Good battled evil and good won. I would have to say that my favorite part of these pages comes from Narayan's epilogue. I like where he explained that Hanuman had been advised to dedicate his like to serve Vishnu. He did this without even thinking about it when he realized who Rama really was. This demonstrates some awesome loyalty. It even was stated that if Rama's name was whispered, Hanuman was there. Even if the story of Rama was told, he would be present. Narayan states that Hanuman is one of the most important characters in the Ramayana and the narrator will often pay a tribute to him when the story is told.

If this book was a movie, the battle of Ravana and Rama would be the part where audience members were perched on the edge of their seat, holding their breath, and wondering how Rama was going to be able to take down the evil Ravana. It would definitely turn into one of the most talked about movie scenes of the season. I wonder if Rama would have been able to take down his enemy if he had not dedicated so much time to really think about his next moves.

Ravana and Rama in Battle

Reading Diary A [Narayan's Ramayana]

I read from R. K. Narayan's The Ramayana.

These were some very interesting pages of the Ramayana. There were battles and deaths. There were abductions and disguises. This part of the story felt like a truly epic Indian Epic. I am a visual learner, so I adored the multiple descriptions of different scenes. The moments where Rama is contemplating his future course of action is a great example of this. The way the clouds are described make it easy to picture.

Ravana kidnapping Sita

Also, the part where Sita threw down her jewelry so they could have a way to find her was rather brilliant. Even when they found Sita among all the ladies, she had thought ahead to keep a small piece of jewelry so they knew that it was really her. These actions demonstrate that Sita kept a level head through everything. It really is no wonder why the god Vishnu incarnate would love this woman. 

Rama demonstrates that he loves Sita so much. When they doubt they will be able to find her, Rama assures them they will know and describes Sita's feet in such loving detail. He has paid attention to her. I feel like there is probably a good marriage lesson in here somewhere. However, that is something for a different class and a different conversation.

Potential Topics

1. EPIC COUPLES AND LOVE STORIES: I enjoy a great loves story and I bet there are some great ones in these epics. I already like the story of Rama and Sita. It could be interesting to combine couples from each of the epics.
   RESEARCH: I have learned about the Ramayana and its background. I also have learned about the beginning of Rama and Sita’s story. If I chose this topic, I would probably pick three of the couples I find most interesting. I also started research on the couple, Ahalya and Gautama. My research from the Wikipedia page said that Rama releasing Gautama from the stone is an example of the saving grace of God. This is an interesting aspect. I might want to look into the allegory aspect of the stories.
   
   
2. ANIMALS: I am very interested in this topic because I love animals. I work at a pet hospital, so this topic is almost guaranteed to keep me interested and focused for the whole semester. I do not know a lot about the animals so far in these stories. However, I am definitely looking forward to their appearances in the stories.
   RESEARCH: I started to read about Hanuman from the Ramayana on Wikipedia. He looks like a monkey man creature. The breakdown of his name, however, means “disfigured man”. There is one explanation that Indra, the god of the deities, struck him in the face when he was a child. That is kind of a sad beginning to a life.
   
   
3. WOMEN CHARACTERS: I am all for girl power. It could be really fun to explore the depth of the women characters in the Ramayana. Sita has a lot of information and possibilities in her story. I could go a couple different ways with just her story. However, I think it could be interesting to go into the stories of other women in the Ramayana.
   RESEARCH: To look into this topic more, I read about Draupadi from Wikipedia. She was described as the most beautiful women of her time. It went into more detail about a game of dice. I think I have actually heard a little bit about this story before. The game reaches a certain point were Draupadi learns she is a stake in the game. I cannot imagine her feelings as she found out and this could be an interesting aspect of a storybook project to explore.

(Hanuman: The Disfigured Man)

1. KARMA: This is a tempting topic. Almost everyone has heard of karma. It would be very interesting to use my semester to explore the origins of this idea and the original meaning of karma.
   RESEARCH: The Wikipedia article states that the actual meaning of the word is “action, work or deed”. Good deeds and thoughts allow for good karma to occur later in life and bad deeds lead to bad karma. This is very interesting to me. However, I do not have any ideas on how to turn this into a Storybrook.

Week 2 Storytelling: What Happened to the Weather?

Lily was enjoying the cooler weather. It had been a scorcher of a summer. She had looked forward to the cool breeze of winter for a long time now.

She had spent the day cleaning her house with the last bit of warm weather. It was a good choice because as soon as darkness began to close in on the day, a gentle breeze brought a refreshing crispness to the air.

Her husband had already gone to bed. She was sitting in the soft, cushy chair by the window while looking at the stars that had begun to peek out. All was right with the world.

Suddenly an oppressive heat hit her. "What is this?" Lily wondered to herself. Any hope of winter seemed to have been erased from the air. It was almost unbearable. As it began to increasingly heat up to what felt like the middle of summer, Lily became alarmed.

She stepped outside to see if it gave her any clues. As she gazed into the distance, an enormous gust of wind nearly blew her over. It began to pour rain like the heavens themselves had opened.

Ravana's Monsoon

Lily was now becoming terrified.

She sprinted inside, grabbed a towel and began to dry out her hair while she ran towards her husband who was unsurprisingly still sleeping. "Hugo! Hugo! Wake up!"

It seemed like the sun itself had heard her. The darkness disappeared and the sun was suddenly in the sky. Hugo stirred. He turned to see Lily standing in the door with her mouth open.

"What is it? Oh, am I late for work? How did I sleep in so late? Lily, are you okay?"

Lily just stood in the doorway. "You...what...weather...sun..."

"Lily, what happened? Are you okay? Why is it so hot outside?"
 
Suddenly, the sun disappeared. The moon was back in the sky. It was like nothing had ever had happened.

Lily was still silent and Hugo was way more confused than ever.

In another part of the world, Ravana was pining over Sita. His frustration was driving the seasons back and forth and causing confusion among every resident of the earth.


Author's Note: In the original story, Ravana, who is the lord of the demons, essentially throws a temper tantrum when he realizes he does not have Sita as his own wife. He does not like it when the weather was cold and he hated when it was warm. He wanted it to be daytime and then he wanted it to be night again. A monsoon even arrived in the tumultuous changing weather patterns. Personally, I thought it was hilarious and unexpected change in the pattern of the story. It definitely added a comedic note to the story where it was getting kind of serious. I was trying to imagine what someone would have thought to see these drastic changes occurring. In order to communicate that confusion and utter chaos, I wanted to write about what someone was going through somewhere else while these seasons were switching back and forth. I hope the reader can feel how strange it must have been while Ravana threw a fit. It definitely made me laugh while I wrote the retelling of these few paragraphs. The original story is from R. K. Narayan's The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (2006)

Reading Diary B [Narayan's Ramayana]

The second part of my reading covered some rather interesting ground. I read from Narayan's Ramayana.

One of my favorite parts to this selection was where Ravana was essentially throwing a tantrum over Sita. He was not satisfied with the weather during his frustrations. He kept insisting that it change. The winter turned to summer. A monsoon came. Night turned into day. I thought it was a hilarious touch describing the confusion of people and animals. Maybe it is a good idea for the gods to have an anger management class. It could solve a lot of problems.

On another note, perhaps Ravana has taken up residence in Oklahoma. This could explain the random weather patterns.

The other interesting story was where Rama went after the golden deer for Sita. He was hesitant to go after the deer because he was fearing for her safety. But he loved her so much that he wanted to make her happy. So, he kept her under the care of his brother while he went to get the deer.

Then he realized his mistake. It was a trap and he had fallen for it. The deer called out for help in Rama's voice to trick Sita into making Rama's brother go check on him. The brother knew it was a trick. However, Sita must have been extremely persuasive because she managed to get both brothers to do what she wished.

The concern of the brothers was correct, though. Ravana moved in when Sita was left alone. I like where this chapter ended because it kind of feels like a cliffhanger.

Ravana: lord of the demons