In the following post, I will write about potential topics
for my Storybook Project:
Heroes and Heroines
Every time I read the Ramyana I enjoy the stories told about
Rama. He is my favorite character due to his deep personality and his strength in
battle. He excels in every battle, fighting off many demons at a time with no
help. He has mainly caught my attention though because of his obedience and
empathy towards the fellow characters. My favorite scene thus far is when he obeys
his father in being exiled to the forest for fourteen years. I feel I can
really use this in my own stories because I want to write about a well-rounded
hero/heroine that can perform in battle, while being a great leader by showing
trust, obedience, and empathy for people.
The research I have done thus far is on many Wikipedia pages
regarding Rama and his battles, especially against the rakshasa Khara. I also
read about the scene where the demon Maricha forms into a golden deer and
tricks Rama. I further looked into Sita and Lakshmana because of their constant
involvement with Rama. I hope to continue reading about these three and their
adventures with saving Sita.
Gods and Goddesses
I find the Gods and Goddesses to be very intriguing because
of their power and ability to create avatars. Thus far my favorite God is
either Shiva or Vishnu. Vishnu has been very involved with the Ramayana because
of his avatar Rama. Rama is sent by Vishnu to defeat the monarch of rakshasas,
Ravana. I find it very interesting that they are able to become more than one
person and go onto earth as a human to accomplish tasks they want done. They
are very unique beings that can be useful in creating many stories that can be
creative and different. The Gods and Goddesses, especially Shiva, constantly battle
the demons to protect everyone. I will definitely use a God or Goddess and
their avatars in my future Storybook.
The research I have done are mainly on Shiva. He is a vital
God in the Hindu religion that takes on many forms. For example, he puts on the
roles of Destroyer and Benefactor, Ascetic and Householder, and Nataraja.
Nataraja is his involvement with dance and music. These are all found on
Wikipedia and I really enjoyed reading more about this God. My research of
Vishnu is mainly on the Ramayana and his avatar Rama to try and destroy Ravana. I have also looked at past storybooks about different Goddesses.
Source: Reikiserpent
The God Shiva
Rakshasas and Asuras
(Demons)
I have really enjoyed reading about the stories involving the
demons. I find it interesting that the demons can transform into other creatures
to trick the heroes/heroines. My two favorite demons this far are Ravana and
Maricha. These two are interesting because they team up to trick Rama in order
to kidnap his wife Sita. Furthermore, their unique appearances allows me to
imagine the many different possibilities for these demons. Ravana is imagined
to have many heads and arms. This will make my stories easier because these
demons can be anything that I want them to be, allowing me to be very creative
in my own stories. Also, going into the readings I thought that demons only
represented evil and were not capable of being good. However, in the Ramyana,
Virdha is a celestial musician trapped inside a demon. This could come in handy
when I am writing my stories to create an interesting plot twist.
Source: Reddit
Ravana and his ten heads
My research thus far has been on Wikipedia, the Ramyana, and past storybooks.
I have focused on Ravana mainly because I feel that he is the root of all evil
(a.k.a. all the demons). Ravana is very intertwined in Ramas, who is my favorite
hero. Therefore, I will continue reading about Ravana and the demons he employs
to kill Rama (Maricha).
Love Stories and Epic
Couples
In the Ramayana, I have enjoyed reading about the relationships
between the two main couples; Dasaratha and Kaikeyi, and Rama and Sita. I liked
these love stories because they were the cause of many of the crucial decisions
in the Ramayana. For example, I found the dynamic between Dasaratha and Kaikeyi
to be extremely interesting. Without her decision to force Dasaratha into
exiling Rama, many of these epic tales would not have happened. Furthermore,
Rama and Sita’s relationship allow the depiction of Rama’s true heroism to be
displayed as he hunts for the kidnapped Sita. I feel that love stories and epic
couples will allow me to create the motivation for my hero/heroine. This will
be an aid in many of my main plot points in order to create the feelings and emotions
of the heor/heroine.
My research thus far have strictly been on Wikipedia and past storybooks for the
love stories and epic couples. I have done a lot of research on Rama so far,
therefore I know more about Sita and his relationship more than most. They have
been quoted plenty of times for saying that they cannot live without each
other. You can see this in Sita’s decision to be exiled with Rama as sacrifice.
I am interested in furthering my research into many more of the epic couples in
the Ramayana.
Source: DollsofIndia
Rama and Sita in the forest after exile
Trevor, I like the topics that you picked that could be of your interest. I too picked Rakshasas and Asuras as one of my main topics of interest! We should collaborate on what stories in the Ramayana we could write spinoff type stories for our storybook/portfolio. Let me know if you might want to do something like that! Thanks for posting!
ReplyDelete-Tyler