Online Education Review

I have taken many online courses throughout my college experience. I love the freedom they provide by not having to attend a class at certain times on specific days. Online courses give you the freedom to do your coursework whenever you want. Even though I like the freedom, I do like some structure in my online classes. I like specific deadlines and multiple deadline. This helps me to keep up with the work, and not put it off until the last minute. This class gives me many deadlines and it helps me to not get behind. I am in another online class this semester that only gives unit deadlines. These units have many assignments. I find myself putting this work off until the last minute. I love online classes. I always try to take them, if possible.

Keyboard

Gen Ed Review

When I first saw all of the Gen Ed requirements for OU, I was not excited. I did not want to take all these extra classes that did not seem important at all. When I started to take these classes, I actually got excited. There were so many options, and I could almost always find a class that I knew I would enjoy. My Gen Ed requirements were mostly filled with music for non-majors classes, because I love music. Those classes and my other ones have given me so much knowledge in subjects I would have never considered before. These include many women and gender studies classes, Islamic law, and even this class. I have learned so much from all of them, and I am glad that OU has this requirement.

Music

College Writing Review

I have done so much writing in my college career. It hasn't been as much as others, because I am a science major. I have done many papers throughout my semesters, and I feel that my writing has greatly improved. I think this semester has definitely helped me to improve, because every class I am in has some writing aspect to it.

Specifically with this class, I feel that I have improved with my writing creatively. I am a science major, so I am not very artistic or creative. This class has helped me with being more creative in my storytelling. I have gotten very great feedback from my classmates and from our teacher! This has helped me improve so much! I can look back through my stories and see my improvement every week!

Writing

Week 12 Extra Reading Diary: Ramayana Part 2

Ramayana

The Golden Deer was one of my favorite stories from The Ramayana. I was excited to read it again in this unit. Maricha disguises himself as a golden deer. Rama chases after the deer, and Ravana kidnaps Sita. Jatayu and Ravana fight, but Ravana wins.

In Rama's Quest for Sita, Rama searches for Sita. Rama is filled with grief because Sita is gone. Jatayu told Rama what had occurred between him and Ravana. We also learn about Hanuman and Sugriva in this story.

The story Hanuman contains the story about Hanuman going to Lanka. I enjoy that story, especially because of reading storytelling posts that others have written.

Hanuman and Surasa fighting

Rama wins the battle against Ravana in Rama Confronts Ravana.

The story comes to an end in Rama's Coronation. Rama returns home after his exile. People doubted Sita's virtue because she was captured by Ravana. Rama banished her from the kingdom. She gave birth to Lava and Kusa. 

Week 12 Famous Last Words

The end of this semester is almost here! That is a thought that has been on my mind for the past week. I am graduating in a month. Is this real life?

I have been working really hard to prepare for the end of the semester. I have three big papers due, so I am trying to get ahead in this class. I want to finish early, so that I can focus on my three papers. I wrote my third story for my storybook project today, and I am proud of that story. I really like the story that I chose and the way that I chose to tell it. My storybook is about mothers and the story I told is about a mother that lost her child. I think it is a great and necessary addition to my storybook. I am looking forward to finishing this project.

It is really hitting me that I am about to be done with school for at least a year. Since I did not get into pharmacy school, I am spending the year working and saving money. I am moving to Edmond to live with my best friend at the end of the summer. We just signed for our apartment a few weeks ago. I start working at my job at Walmart Pharmacy full time as soon as school is over. I hope to transfer to a Walmart Pharmacy in Edmond, so I can stay with the same company. I really enjoy working for Walmart. It is just so crazy to me that school is almost over. I am about to graduate with a Bachelor's degree! I am really looking forward to the next year. I hope to gain a lot of experience working in a pharmacy full time. Also, I am applying for pharmacy school again. Hopefully, this will have a better outcome than last time. I have learned a lot since I last applied, so I'm hoping for a positive outcome!

Jeremiah 29:11

Youtube Tech Tip

Taylor Swift- Shake It Off

This is The music video for Taylor Swift's song Shake It Off. This is one of my favorite songs!

Week 12 Reading Diary B: Bengali Folktales Part 2

Bengali Folktales

This is the second half of this unit. It contains eight stories.

The first story is A Ghostly Wife. A ghost lived near a Brahman's house. The Brahman's wife angered the ghost accidentally. The ghost nearly killed her, stole her clothes, and went to the Brahman's house. The Brahman and his mother did not notice that the woman was not his wife. They noticed that she acted differently. They sent for an exorcist. Eventually, his wife was found. I really liked this story, even though I don't understand how they didn't realize the woman wasn't his wife.

The Story of a Brahmadaitya contained more than one part. (Part 1 Part 2 Part 3) I did not find this story as interesting as the previous one.

I liked the story of The Origin of Rubies (Part 1 Part 2). I always like the stories about kings and queens and princes and princesses.

Ruby (The Origin of Rubies)

The Ghost who was Afraid of being Bagged starts out with a wife griping at her husband. He leaves to become rich. I liked this story. I found it humorous.

The last story was The Bald Wife. This story was about a man with two wives that hated each other. 

Week 12 Reading Diary A: Bengali Folktales Part 1

Bengali Folktales

There were nine stories in the first part of this unit. All of the stories in this half contain multiple parts, so they are long.

I liked the story of The Evil Eye of Sani. It had three parts. (Part 1 Part 2 Part 3) It is the story of Sani and Lakshmi. They are the goddesses of good and bad luck. This story would be too long to use for the storytelling assignment.

The next story was The Boy whom Seven Mothers Suckled. I really liked this story, and I am actually using it for my final project. It is a bit odd, but I like it! It had two parts. (Part 1 Part 2)

The next in this half was The Origin of Opium. (Part 1 Part 2 Part 3) This story was about Ganga a Rishi and a mouse. Rishi changed the mouse into many different animals, because it asked him to. Eventually the mouse was changed into a woman. She ended up drowning. People who use opium will have one quality from each of the animals that the mouse transformed into.

The last story in this unit is the story of The Ghost-Brahman. This was the shortest story of this half of the unit. It only contained one part. I was not as fond of this story.

A Mouse (The Origin of Opium)

Week 11 Extra Reading Diary: Ramayana Part 1

Ramayana

Valmiki tells us the story of The Birth of Rama. The story contains many details and really allows you to visualize the setting. As we have learned before, Dasaratha was unable to have children, so a sacrifice had to be performed. This was the Horse Sacrifice. Rama was born to Kausalya. Bharata was born to Kaikeyi. Lakshmana and Satrughna were born to Sumitra.

Next is the story of Vishwamitra, Rama's Teacher. One night, Rama saw the full moon and wanted it for his toy. No one could soothe him. Dasaratha's chief counsellor gave Rama a mirror that reflected the moon. This comforted Rama. I found this story very humorous. The boys education began at the age of five. Rama did the best. When the boys were sixteen, Vishvamitra talked Dasaratha into letting him take Rama and Lakshmana with him. Vishvamitra taught them a lot.

The story of Rama and Sita is a love story. They fell in love at first sight, and Rama broke the bow of Shiva to be able to marry her. They fell deeply and love and were married. Rama was chosen to succeed Dasaratha as king.

The story of Kaikeyi's Plot tells the story of how Bharata became king instead of Rama. Manthara was the slave of Kaikeyi. She hated Rama. She went to Kaikeyi and talked her into using her wishes to put Rama in exile and make Bharata king. King Dasaratha did as Kaikeyi wished, but he was filled with grief.

Dasaratha and Kaikeyi

The story of Rama's Exile talks about Dasaratha telling Rama about the exile, and Rama leaving with Sita and Lakshmana. 

The Death of Dasaratha occurs while Rama is in exile. He was so full of grief that it killed him.

The last story in this half of the unit was Rama and Bharata. Bharata finds out the news of his father, and that he will be king. Bharata goes to Rama, and tries to convince him to come back. Rama said he won't come back until after his exile is over.

Week 11 Reading Diary B: Twenty-Two Goblins Part 2

Twenty-Two Goblins

I enjoyed reading The Snake's Poison. The king's answer at the end was what I thought it should be.
I found the story of The Girl and the Thief very humorous.
I did not like the story of The General's Wife very much. It makes it seem like women are viewed as property, not people.
I am enjoying trying to figure out the answers to the riddles in these stories. I was wrong in the story of The Four Brothers.
I liked the story of The Old Hermit. I answered the riddle correctly for this one!
The story of Father and Son, Mother and Daughter was The Great Puzzle. It was confusing.

Mother and Daughter

Week 11 Reading Diary A: Twenty-Two Goblins Part 1

Twenty-Two Goblins

In these stories, a goblin is telling stories to a king. At the end there is a riddle that he must answer.

The story of The Three Lovers was interesting, and the answer to the riddle was one that I didn't expect.
The story of The Brave Man, the Wise Man, and the Clever Man was good, but I don't think it would be good for the storytelling post.
I liked the story of Food, Women, Cotton. It had an answer to the riddle that I did not expect.
The Three Delicate Wives story really got my attention. It was kind of strange.

I really like the aspect of the king having to answer the riddles at the ends of the stories.

The king with one of his wives

Week 10 Storytelling: A Family Reunited

Bhishma and his mother, Ganga, were together at the beginning of his life. They had to be separated, because he was cursed to live his existence on earth. He lived a long life of celibacy, and died in battle. Arjuna shot him from behind, which was fatal to Bhishma. Before his death, Bhishma talked to Yudhishthira about becoming king, and then asked him to return him to his mother.He needed to return to his family. Yudhishthira had Bhishma cremated on the shores of the Ganges. Ganga watched this event as it occurred, and she could not wait for her son to return to his true home.

Ganga was so pleased that her son could finally return to her. They had to spend their lives apart, because he was forced to live on earth. She hated that he had to die to be able to return to her, but it was the only way. She washed up onto the shore to take her son's ashes away from the wretched earth. They could return to heaven now.

Ganga took her son up to heaven. They finally got to speak to each other again.

"Oh my son, how I have missed you dearly," Ganga said.
"I have missed you too, mother," Bhishma said happily. "It was horrible to have to spend my life on earth without you."
"It was horrible for me, as well, Bhishma. Your brothers and I missed you so much," Ganga replied.
"Now we can all be together again. This time forever!" Bhishma said excitedly.

Ganga took Bhishma to his brothers. All seven of the brothers were so happy to see their brother. Bhishma was also pleased to see them. It had been so long. They talked for hours and hours filling each other in on what they had missed throughout the years. Now the whole family was reunited and they lived together happily in heaven forever.

The death of Bhishma

Author's Note:

I chose to tell the story of Ganga reuniting with her son because I was intrigued by their story in the beginning of The Ramayana. I thought that it would be interesting to explore Ganga's feelings about her son's death and his return to her. I retold the story of Bhishma's death from the book, and then added my own details about him reuniting with his mother and brothers. This part was not told in the book.

Bibliography:

Narayan, R.K. (1978). The Mahabharata.

Week 10 Reading Diary B: Finishing Narayan's Mahabharata

-Krishna sees Kunti in Hastinapura and tells her about her sons. Duryodhana refuses Krishna's plea for peace.
-Krishna speaks to Karna and tries to convince him to leave Duryodhana. Karna doesn't, but promises Kunti that he will only attack Arjuna in the battle.
-The war begins on the field of Kurukshetra.
-Arjuna shoots Bhishma in the back and Bhishma dies. Karna now wants to fight because of this.
-Drona dies because he is tricked. They make him think that his son is dead.
-Karna and Arjuna fight. Karna's chariot wheel gets stuck and he begs for mercy. Arjuna kills him.
-Bhishma is cremated on the shores of the Ganges. Many, many deaths at the end of the story.
-Arjuna's son is the king of Hastinapura at the end of the story.

Arjuna and Bhishma

Week 10 Reading Diary A: The Thirteenth Year of Exile

-Dhritarashtra has people spying on the Pandavas. He wants to humiliate them, but this ends up backfiring.
-The Pandavas find a lake and want to drink from it. Nakula finds it first and a voice tells him he must answer questions first. He ignores it, drinks the water, and dies. Yudhishthira is the only brother to answer the questions. It was a test from his father, and all the brothers are brought back to life.
-The brothers receive the gift of being unrecognized for their 13th year of exile. They use this gift to be in the court of King Virata.
-Draupadi is raped by the brother of the queen. She gets Bhima to avenge her. He kills Kichaka. The king and queen want to send Draupadi away.
-Karna lost a fight with Arjuna.
-The Pandavas try to make peace
-Bhishma calls Karna conceited and boastful. This makes Karna very angry.

Bhima avenging Draupadi

Week 9 Reading Diary B: Continuing the Mahabharata

-Duryodhana finds out that the Pandavas are not dead. Bhishma and Vidura want him to make peace, but Karna says that they are traitors. He wants war.
-Dhritarashtra gives the Pandavas part of the kindgom. They name the city Indraprastha.
-Arjuna goes into exile for 12 years.
-Yudhishthira is now the king of Indraprastha. The coronation occurs.
-Maya built the assembly hall at Indraprastha and the hall has many illusions. The Pandavas and Draupadi make fun of Duryodhana when he is fooled.
-Shakuni tells Duryodhana to get revenge by playing against the Pandavas in a game of dice. They go to Hastinapura.
-Yudhishthira loses everything he owns in the game. Then he loses his brothers and himself.
-The Pandavas head back to their city.

Dice

Week 9 Reading Diary A: Beginning Narayan's Mahabharata

-Shantanu is the king of Hastinapura. He falls in love with a woman and marries her. The woman tells him to never question her actions. She drowns all of their babies in the river. The king protests when their 8th child is born. The wife says she is the river Ganga and is returning the children to heaven. She takes the eighth child with her and returns to heaven.

-The king then falls in love with Satyavati. They marry and have 2 children. Chitrangada becomes the king, but dies soon after

-A king holds a swayamvara for his daughters to find a husband. His daughters were Amba, Ambika, Ambalika. Bhishma takes all three for Vichitravirya.

-Dhritarashtra marries Gandhari who covers her eyes so she can share her husband's blindness.

-Pandu is married to Kunti and Madri. Pandu can't have children because he is cursed. He shot a deer (who was a celestial being in disguise) and the deer cursed him so he would die if he had sex.

-Pandu's wife, Kunti, has a mantra to obtain sons from the gods. She got this from Durvasa. She previously had a son with Surya (the sun god). Her child was named Karna and she put him in a basket to float down the river. He was rescued.

-Kunti has sons from many gods. They go live in Hastinapura.

-Dhritarashtra wanted Yudhishthira to be his heir. He was jealous that the people liked Yudhishthira more than him. A house was built that could catch on fire easily. The Pandavas are sent there but they are warned by Vidura. They escape the house through a tunnel and live their life in hiding.

-One of Kunti's sons wins Draupadi as their wife. Kunti makes her sons share everything they acquire, so they shared Draupadi as their wife.

Pandu and Kunti

Commenting Review Week

I have found that most of the comments I have received are very useful. I feel very connected with the other students through commenting. I also feel less intimidated giving my opinions about other students' posts because they don't know me! I have really enjoyed comments that have given me ideas to improve my stories. The comments where people suggest other ways I could have written my story or changed something up have been very beneficial for me.
The comments that I have received so far on my project have been very helpful. It is nice seeing how others perceive my writing and tell me ways that I can improve it. I feel that this will help me better my writing and will help me with a greater finished product at the end of the semester.
When writing shorter comments, I try to focus on the good parts of the story. I try to point out one thing that could be better or be different. In the longer comments, I try to be really analytic about the story and try to help the writer with things they can improve.
Commenting is very beneficial for this class and I am glad that we do it. Sometimes I find it difficult because I hate to tell people what they can improve on. I feel like I come off as being rude when I do this. Commenting really does help us improve the quality of our posts and our projects in this class.

Dogs and teamwork

I love this image and just thought that it was really funny!

Writing Review Week

When this semester started, I was most nervous about writing stories. I am not a writer and I am not very creative, so the thought of writing my own stories scared me. I really liked the first writing assignment of the semester. When picking a familiar nursery rhyme, this made the assignment less intimidating. It actually is not so hard to write stories. There are many ways that you can change the story to make it your own. The one I like the most that I have done lately is changing the point of view that the story it told from. This makes it easy to be creative. I got the idea of changing the point of view from reading someone else's story in their blog. I find it very helpful to look at the stories that other classmates are writing. This helps me to think of ways to change up my storytelling.
The feedback that I get it usually very helpful. People are very nice with their comments, but they provide helpful feedback, as well.
For the rest of this semester, I hope that I can continue to improve my writing. I think that helpful feedback from others and creativity in changing up my stories will help me achieve this goal.

Jack and Jill falling down a hill

I chose this image to put in my post because this post really helped me to not be afraid of the storytelling assignment. It made me realize that it is not as hard as I was expecting it to be.

Reading Review Week

I enjoyed reading The Ramayana. It loved reading the stories about Rama and the others. These were definitely interesting stories. My favorite readings are the stories in the Un-textbook. These are easier for me to read since they are shorter stories. These are easier to pay attention to. My favorite section of the Un-Textbook so far is the Khasi Folktales. This section has many cute, short stories like What Caused the Shadows on the Moon and How the Cat Came to Live with the Man. I really enjoyed these stories.
For my note-taking, I really like to talk about the details that happened in the story. I see now that others do things differently. I like that some people use bullet points when doing their reading diaries. I might start to do this in the future. It helps things be more organized.
These reading diaries are very helpful if you need to look back at stories from earlier in the semester. It makes it very easy to recall details from the story that have been forgotten. These are very beneficial.

Rama breaking the bow

I chose this image because I remember reading this story and I liked it very much!

Extra Reading Diary: Khasi Folktales Part 2

Khasi Folktales

What Caused the Shadows on the Moon
There was a family of deities. There was a mother, three daughters, and a son. The three daughters were Water, Fire, and the Sun. The son was the Moon. The Sun and the Moon possessed greater beauty than the two others. The Sun and the Moon were equal. The Moon acted differently as he grew up. He had wayward tendencies. He chose a life of pleasure and did not listen to advice of the elders. He stayed for a while with evil companions and low associates. When he returned home, he was amazed by his sister's (The Sun's) beauty. He went to his mother and demanded that he and The Sun get married. The Sun was angry with her brother and threw ash in his face. This caused marks on his face. The light of the moon has been pale marked by dark shadows ever since.

What Makes the Lightening
In earlier days, animals tried to imitate mankind and speak their language. There was a festival held every 13 moons. There were contests and dances. The animals would attend and wanted a similar carnival. After preparation, the thunder giant was sent to summon people to the festival. Everyone was enjoying themselves at the festival. The lynx did a dance with a beautiful silver sword. The thunder giant saw and thought that the sword was beautiful. The thunder god asked the lynx if he could see the sword, and the lynx wanted to say no. Everyone shouted at the lynx for not being courteous. The lynx gave the thunder god the sword. The thunder god was very forceful using the sword and it flashed everywhere. He leaped into the sky with the sword while beating on his drum. This is now known as thunder and lightening.

How the Cat Came to Live with Man
The cat used to live in the jungle with the tiger (its brother). The tiger was the king of the jungle. The tiger was not mindful of the well-being of his family. The cat was very proud of her family. Their household was very poor because of the tiger. The cat wanted to hide her poverty from her friends and neighbors. She tried to talk to her brother, but he was very angered. He got very sick one day and many people visited him. He told his sister to light the hookah, but she was disgraced because there was no fire to light the hookah. Her brother yelled at her and told her to go get a firebrand from the dwelling of mankind. Children were in the village and began to play with the cat. She loved playing with the children and did not want to return home. The tiger was angry with his sister and all the visitors left. He went to search for his sister and she heard him coming. She grabbed a firebrand and gave it to him, but her brother was abusing her. She returned to the village to live with man.

The cat

Week 7 Strorytelling: The Poor Mongoose

I live in a small town with my mother, father, and brother. My mother loves to take care of my brother and me. We are a poor family and my father has to always go search for food. All of my family members look different than me, but it has never bothered me. I am a mongoose. They are human.They treat me as if I am one of them, so it doesn't bother me. They are my family.

One day I overheard my mother and father talking. My mother thought that I was going to hurt my brother. I was appalled! I would never hurt my sweet, innocent brother! He is just a baby.
My mother asked my father to watch us while she went to get water in the water jar. My father stayed for a minute, but then he was hungry. He left the house to go beg for food. My brother and I were alone.

We had never been alone before. Mother would always watch us and now I know why. She does not trust me. I don't know what I did to make her feel this way. I have never hurt my brother before. I want to do something to make her trust me! Now I just have to think of something to do.

As I was thinking, a huge black snake crawled out of a hole. This was in my room! It was crawling toward my baby brother's crib! I need to stop it!

I ran toward the baby's crib and pounced on the snake. The snake did not like this, but I didn't care. I was not going to let it hurt my baby brother! It tried to fight back, but I was too fast for it. I used my sharp teeth and tore the snake apart. There were pieces of the snake all over my room. Blood was everywhere. But I stopped the snake from hurting my brother!

After my shock wore off from what I had just done, I realized my mother could trust me now! She would know that I wouldn't let anything happen to my brother, because I saved him! I must find her immediately!

I ran outside to search for her. I ran toward the well that she went to for our water. I saw her and ran up to her as fast as I could. She saw me and looked horrified. I don't understand why she looked that way. She should be excited, right? I tried to explain to her what I had done, but she can't understand me. She started screaming at me telling me to get away from her and that she couldn't believe what I had done. She was so angry. Shouldn't she be happy? Then I realized that she thought that I killed my brother.

I had no time to explain. She dropped the water jar on my head, killing me instantly.

Author's Note: The story that I based this story off of is The Loyal Mongoose. As I was reading the original story, a narrator was telling the story. This was so the whole story could be told. I thought it would be interesting to see the mongoose's side and how it was feeling. I stayed with the original story line. The only difference is the story being in the mongoose's point of view.

Bibliography: The Panchatantra of Vishnu Sharma, translated by Arthur W. Ryder (1925).

The Mongoose

Week 7 Reading Diary B: Ryder's Panchatantra Part 2

Ryder's Panchatantra

The Sensible Enemy
A prince was friends with a merchant's son and a son of a man of learning. All of their fathers told them that they show no aptitude for their profession (the profession of their fathers). The prince wanted them all to leave together because it was unmanly to remain their after being insulted. The merchant's son said that they needed money so they should go to Climbing Mountain. They all found gems, but didn't know how to guard them. The son of the man of learning suggested that they swallow them and carry them in their stomachs. A man saw them do this, so he decided to follow them. He was going to cut them open when they fell asleep. The man talked to them and they allowed him to travel with them. They passed a village and a bird sang. The bird's owner understood the bird. The bird told him that the travelers had gems. Robbers caught them and they were searched for the gems. The gems weren't found. They were set free only in loincloths. The bird continued to sing multiple times. The chief finally decided that he would cut them open. The fourth man with no gem in his stomach volunteered to go first. He wanted to gain glory by being generous. He died and the others were freed.

How the Rabbit Fooled the Elephant
Four-Tusk was the elephant king. There was a drought that lasted 12 years. The other elephants went to their king for a solution. He sent elephants in 8 directions to search for water. Those who went eat found a place of paradise. The king traveled with them to this place. They ended up crushing many rabbits that had made this their home long before. The rabbits that were still living got together to make a plan against the elephants. A rabbit named Victory had a plan. The rabbit spoke to the elephant and said they violated the Lake of the Moon. This was because they killed the rabbits that were there. The elephant realized that he had sinned against the blessed Moon. He asked where to travel to ask for forgiveness. The rabbit tricked him and said that the moon was angry because he touched the water. The elephant said it would never return.

The tricky rabbit

The Loyal Mongoose
A Brahman named Godly had a wife that mothered a son and a mongoose. She treated the mongoose like it was her son. She did not trust the mongoose. She thought he would hurt her child. One day the mother left to get water and told her husband to watch their son and protect him. He left to beg for food instead of doing what she asked. A snake crawled toward the baby. The mongoose wanted to protect his "baby brother" and stopped the serpent. He tore the snake to bits. He ran to his "mother" to show her what he had done. She thought that he ate her baby. She angrily dropped the water jar on him and killed him. She ran home to her baby and saw the baby safe and the snake torn to bits. She was sad because of what she had done. She yelled at her husband when he returned. She called him greedy and blamed the mongoose's death on him.

Week 7 Reading Diary A: Ryder's Panchatantra Part 1

Ryder's Panchatantra

The Ungrateful Man
There was a Brahman named Sacrifice. His family was poor and his wife bugged him about going to get food. He went on a journey and went into a forest. He came upon a well. He looked into it and saw a tiger, a monkey, a snake, and a man. The tiger convinced the man to pull him out. The other animals convinced Sacrifice that he should pull them out, as well. They told him not to pull the other man out because he was a shrine of every sin. The animals left and told Sacrifice to visit them one day. Sacrifice felt bad for the man in the well so he pulled him out. The man said he was a goldsmith and told him to bring gold to him. Sacrifice headed home, but then went to visit the monkey. Next he visited the tiger and the tiger gave him a gold necklace. Sacrifice took this back to the man for him to sell. The man took it to the king and the king had Sacrifice fettered. (The necklace was the prince's) The snake came to help Sacrifice. It ended with the goldsmith being arrested and Sacrifice and his family living happily.

The Duel between Elephant and Sparrow
A sparrow and his wife lived in a nest in a tamal tree. An elephant came under the tree in search of shade. He pulled at the branch with the nest on it and broke all the bird's eggs. The sparrow and his wife barely escaped their death. The mother was very upset and a woodpecker tried to comfort her. She wanted to kill the elephant. They came up with a plan and went through with it. The elephant died.  This was a story that was a part of The Plover Who Fought the Ocean

The Elephant under the Tree

Right-Mind and Wrong-Mind
Right-Mind and Wrong-Mind were sons of merchants and they were friends. They traveled to a different country and Right-Mind found a pot with 1000 dinars. They decided to return home. Right-Mind wanted to split the money and Wrong-Mind wanted to each take 100 dinars and bury the rest. Right-Mind agreed with his friend. Wrong-Mind blew through his money very quickly. They went back to their money and each took 100 dinars again. Wrong-Mind lost it all quickly again. This time he went back to the money alone and took it all. Later, Wrong-Mind took his friend back to the spot to get the rest of the money. He accused Right-Mind of stealing it all! They took their issue to court and it was decided that the goddess of the wood would reveal the guilty one. Wrong-Mind asked his father for help. His father told him the story of A Remedy Worse Than the Disease. The story ended with Wrong-Mind being found guilty and being punished.

Extra Reading Diary: Khasi Folktales

Khasi Folktales Page

The Tiger and the Monkeys
The animals were free and living wildly. They decided that they needed a king to reign. They nominated the tiger to be king because of his strength. He was ignorant and self-absorbed. The animals wanted to take advantage of the tiger's ignorance. The monkeys played a trick on them.
The tiger was taking a nap one day and awoke to hear singing. He wondered where this was coming from and a monkey replied that it was his younger sister (it wasn't). The tiger wants to make the monkey's sister his wife because of her beautiful voice. They tried to talk the tiger out of the marriage by saying the sister was too young to marry. The tiger didn't care, but the monkeys talked him into giving them some time. The monkeys made a clay monkey to give to the tiger! The tiger accidentally pulled off the head and the monkeys attacked him. They said he killed their sister. The lion never found out that they tricked him.

The Legend of the lei Tree
The Mountain of the lei Tree is a very romantic spot. This place and the land around it was the most fertile in the world. The lei Tree grew on the summit of the mountain. It was very unique. The people never damaged the tree. They thought it belonged to an unknown god. The tree grew and the land became barren. They decided to send the best wood cutters to cut down the tree. They barely made a mark in the tree, but went home and returned the next day. The marks were gone. This continued for a while. A bird came to help them. She told them that the big tiger healed the tree at night. They left their axes sticking out of the tree one night and the blades cut the tiger's tongue.

The Stag and the Snail
They met at the animals' fair. It was very hot. The animals all chatted about their lives. The buffalo said the stag is the swiftest animal and everyone agreed. The snail was disgusted by everyone boasting. The snail boasted that she had not sweat along her long journey like everyone else had. The snail challenged the stag to a race. The stag agreed to it. The snails wanted to trick the stag and lined up along the path of the race unseen. The stag couldn't see the snail and would call for her throughout the race. She always answered that she was there. The stag was tired and could barely move. Before he reached the end of the race, he heard the snail say she had won.

The smart snail

Week 6 Storytelling: Never Trust a Lion

This story takes place in Benares, where the lion, Brahmadatta, is the king of the land. The lion was eating his meal for the day and he was in a rush. He was eating his food extremely fast. This caused him to accidentally get a bone lodged in his throat. Brahmadatta panicked. He had to find a way to get the bone out or else he was going to die. It was also hurting his throat really badly. He saw a crane named Bodhisatta passing by and decided to ask him for assistance.

"Hey, Bodhisatta," the lion croaked, "I am in need of your assistance."
"Yes, my dear friend. How may I help you?" replied Bodhisatta.
"I was eating too quickly and got a bone stuck in my throat. Can you get it out?" the lion asked.
"Well, friend, the only way I can think of to get the bone out is to climb in your throat. I am scared that you would eat me!" the crane exclaimed.
"Of course I would not eat you! You would be saving my life! Please help me. My throat is hurting very badly." replied the lion.
"I am still unsure.." the timid crane said nervously.
"I will make you a deal. If you get this bone out, I will owe you a favor!" the lion said surely.
"Okay, I will help you, my friend." the crane replied.
"Thank you!" the lion exclaimed. 

As Bodhisatta climbed into the lions throat, the lion was thinking. He was still very hungry and was out of food. He would have to hunt when Bodhisatta got the bone out of his throat...

Bodhisatta climbed into Brahmadatta's throat, and wiggled the bone free. As soon as Brahmadatta felt the bone being freed, he clamped down his mouth.

"You tricked me!" Bodhisatta yelled. "How could you do this to me?"

Brahmadatta ate Bodhisatta and made sure to eat slowly and carefully. He was finally full and glad that he did not have to hunt more for the day. It didn't bother him that he tricked the crane. He killed for his food. He could not have remorse.

The moral of the story is to be careful who you trust. Some people can not be trusted.

The lion

Author's Note: I decided to retell the story of The Lion and the Crane from my reading this week. I chose this story because it did not end the way that I expected it to. In the original, the lion did not kill the crane, but when the crane asked the lion for his favor, the lion wouldn't do it. The lion said the crane was lucky to be alive. I decided to change the end to the lion actually eating the crane. I also wanted to add a moral to the story. I always like to add those, because I feel they are a good thing to have in these stories.

Bibliography: "The Lion and the Crane" by Joseph Jacobs, from Indian Fairy Tales (1890). Web Source: Sacred Texts Archive.

Week 6 Reading Diary B: Indian Fairy Tales Part 2

Indian Fairy Tales Page

The Gold-Giving Serpent
There was a Brahman that was a farmer. One day he got really hot and laid down under a tree. He saw a snake and thought that it was the "guardian deity" of his field. He went to worship it. He poured milk in a bowl and gave it to the snake. The next morning the farmer looked at the bowl and saw a gold denar. This occurred every time he gave the snake milk.
One day the farmer's son took the snake milk because his father was unable to. The son decided he should kill the snake and steal all of its gold denars. The snake escaped its death and bit the son. The son died instantly. The father still worshiped the snake even though it killed his son.The snake told the farmer they could not be friends anymore and gave the farmer a pearl. The snake said to never come back.

Pride Goeth Before a Fall
Ten cloth merchants always went to places together. Three robbers trapped them and tried to rob them in the forest. The robbers took everything they had. They even took their clothes. The ten men only had a small loin-cloth to wear. One of the ten merchants noticed that the robbers laid down their weapons and he thought of a plan. He sang a song that only the other merchants would understand. This told the others his plan: They would divide up into groups of three to gang up on the robbers (three to one). The lead merchant would tie up the robbers. Their plan worked and they were free.

The Demon with the Matted Hair
A son was born to a king. The Brahmans gave the son the name: The Prince of Five Weapons. These weapons are the sword, the spear, the bow, the battle-axe, and the shield. When the son was sixteen years old the king told him to go complete his education. The son went off to receive his education and on his way he went through the forest inhabited by the Demon with the Matted Hair. Some men told him to stay away from the forest because the demon kills every man he sees. The prince was fearless and went through the forest anyway. He runs into the demon and shoots arrows at him. All the arrows get caught in the demon's hair. All of the prince's weapons got stuck in the demon's hair. The demon asked the prince why he wasn't frightened. The prince said he has the weapon of knowledge (he said it differently).  The demon let him go.

How Sun, Moon, and Wind Went Out to Dinner
Cute story!

Demon with Matted Hair

Week 6 Reading Diary A: Indian Fairy Tales Part 1

Indian Fairy Tales Page

The Lion and the Crane
The lion was eating and got a bone stuck in his throat. He asked the crane for help, and the crane was worried that the lion would eat him. The lion promised he wouldn't eat the crane if it helped him. The crane helped the lion, and came back later to ask the lion for a favor. The lion would not help the crane. The lion said the crane was lucky to be alive.

The Broken Pot
This story is really funny to me. The guy makes all these selfish plans and then loses what he has.

The Cruel Crane Outwitted
The crane tricks all the fish in the pond by making them think that he will carry them to another pond. When he gets them to the other pond, he eats them. He does this to all the fish, and then he sees a crab. He decides that he will also trick the crab. The crab is smarter than the crane and talks him into letting him hold onto the crane's neck. The crane later reveals his plan to the crab and the crab kills him.

The Charmed Ring: Part 1 Part 2
A merchant gave his son 300 rupees and sent him into another country to see how well he was at trade. The son came across men arguing about a dog. He begged the men not to kill it and gave them 100 rupees for it. He then ran into people arguing about a cat. They wanted to kill it. He begged them not to and gave them 100 rupees for the cat. This happened again with a snake. The boy was out of money and returned home to his father.
His father called him a fool and sent him to live in their stables. His only companions were the dog, cat, and snake that he bought. They grew very fond of him.The snake talks to the boy about meeting his father and talks him into going with him. They must dive into a spring, but the snake tells the boy if his father wants to reward him what to ask for. The snake tells the boy to ask for the ring on his right hand and the pot and spoon. The boy received these gifts and then returned. The dog and cat were waiting for him. They tested the powers of the ring. A princess appeared and he married her..etc. A prince had fallen in love with the princess and stole her away. The princess asks for a month before she will marry the prince and the cat and dog ask for a month to find the princess.
The story ends with the merchant boy speaking in the ring and his wife returning to him.

Dog and Cat

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Week 5 Storytelling: Bharata Goes to Rama in the Forest

Bharata had just returned from his grandmother's. His mother, Kaikeyi, had just told him about the death of his father and Rama's exile. He was now the king. He was so frustrated with his mother. How could she do this to him? How could she do that to his father? This was not the life that he wanted. Kaikeyi tried to comfort her son. She knew that he was hurting and that is was partially her fault.

"Stay away from me! I can not stand to look at you, horrible woman!" Bharata yelled at his mother. He knew that he was being disrespectful, but he couldn't stand to look at her. It was her fault that his father was dead.

Bharata wanted to make this right. His father wanted Rama to be king, not him. He decided that he must go find Rama in the forest. He hoped that he would be able to convince his brother to return to their kingdom and be their king. As soon as he thought of this plan, he ran outside to leave.
Rama had been exiled for a little while, so Bharata had no clue how far he and the others had gone. He was determined to find them. He walked many miles in search of his brother, the rightful king. Bharata was deep in the forest and finally saw Rama! Rama was sitting with Sita and Lakshmana. Bharata ran to them and hugged his brother.

"Rama, I must speak to you!" Bharata said.
"Okay, brother, let us go somewhere to talk." said Rama.

They walked away from Sita and Lakshmana so they could talk privately.

"Father is dead. He died of grief from my mother causing your exile." said Bharata.
"Oh, no. My heart is broken for the death of our father. Now you are king!" Rama said.
"No! You are our rightful king. You must return to the kingdom!" said Bharata.
"No! Father told me that I must be in exile for fourteen years and I will not break my word to him." Rama said.
"My mother is the cause of this and she will pay. You no longer have to do this, Rama!" Bharata pleaded.
"No, you will be king!" Rama yelled.
"Fine, I will be king for now. After your fourteen years of exile, you will return and be our king. You are our true king." Bharata said to his brother.
Rama agreed with Bharata and decided that was best. He did not want to cause his brother any more grief.
Bharata took Rama's sandals to put on the throne until he returned to rule their kingdom. He said goodbye to his brothers and Sita and then returned to rule the kingdom.

Bharata and Rama

Author's Note: I chose to tell the story of Bharata finding out about the death of his father and going to Rama because I feel like we don't hear as much about Bharata. The story's main focus is on Rama, so I wanted to focus on another character. I wanted to use my imagination to see how Bharata was feeling in this time and what his and Rama's conversation could have been.

Bibliography: 
Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

Week 5 Reading Diary B: The Golden Deer

Ravana's uncle, Maricha, tries to get Ravana to just leave Rama and Sita alone. Ravana refuses and Maricha gives in and helps him. Maricha appears to Sita as a golden deer. Sita convinces Rama to chase and capture the deer. Rama kills the deer and it cries out using Rama's voice. This frightens Sita and makes her worry about Rama. She forces Lakshmana to go find Rama to see if he is okay. Ravana comes to Sita disguised as an old man to trick her. He captures Sita, but first he shows her his true identity.
Jatayu tries to stop Ravana, but Ravana chops off Jatayu's wings. Before Jatayu dies, he tells Rama and Lakshmana that Ravana captured Sita. Sita drops her jewelry on the ground in hopes that someone will find it.

Ravana fighting Jatayu

Ravana would have just raped Sita, but if he did all of his heads would explode. This is because he had previously raped Rambha and because of this Nalakubara put a curse on Ravana. Ravana had to persuade Sita to have sex with him to be able to have sex with her. He could not persuade her.
The first monkey (Riksharaja) was both a male monkey and a female monkey. This story was told to Rama and Lakshmana by Savari.

Week 5 Reading Diary A: After Dasaratha's Death

Kausalya discovers that King Dasaratha is dead. Bharata is at his grandfather's and messengers are sent to tell him the news about his father's death. He returns as soon as possible and learns of his mother's request and Rama's exile. He is disgusted by what his mother did. Bharata becomes king and Dasaratha is cremated.
Bharata goes to find Rama to tell him of their father's death. He also asks Rama to return home to Ayodhya. Rama refuses to return home until the end of his exile because it was his father's wish. Bharata takes Rama's sandals to sit on the throne until his return.
Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita meet Agastya, a sage. The Valakhilyas try to persuade Rama to go to war with the demons and Sita tries to talk him out of it.
Shurpanakha (Ravana's sister) proposes marriage to Rama and he declines. After this, Shurpanakha attacks Sita. Lakshmana mutilates Shurpanakha. Ravana gets help from his uncle, Maricha. They capture Sita.

Ravana and his uncle, Maricha

Week 4 Storytelling: Diary Entries

Dasaratha's Diary:
The Night of the Sacrifice:
I went to my priest, Vasishtha, about my wives and their inability to give me an heir.
"It is so disappointing that I have no successor to my throne. I have three wives! Why can't just one of my wives give me a son?" I exclaimed in agony.
Vasishtha had an idea for a sacrifice. At nightfall, we went out into the night and started a fire. Vasishtha and Sumantra were chanting in unison. A big black giant appeared out of the fire with a gleaming, golden bowl. The bowl was filled with rice. The giant handed this bowl to me and told me to feed it to my wives. This would give me sons!
 I rushed home to my beautiful wives. I had told them previously of the sacrifice, and they were ready for it to be done. I gave half of the rice to my first wife, Kausalya. She ate her portion, then I gave Sumitra half of the remaining rice. I gave Kaikeyi half of what Sumitra had left. I thought that Sumitra needed more rice, though. So, I took some of what I gave to Kaikeyi and gave it back to Sumitra. I could not wait for my sons to be born!

Dasaratha accepting the rice sacrifice

The Births:
After nine long months of waiting, my first wife Kausalya went into labor. She gave birth to my first born son, Rama. This pleased me greatly. Soon after, Kaikeyi gave birth to Bharata. Even later in the day, Sumitra gave birth to Lakshmana and Satrughna.
I now have four sons! Sumitra even bore me twin boys! I now have an heir to my throne and my kingdom will continue to be reigned by my own blood!

Kausalya's Diary:
The Sacrifice:
I was so pleased when Dasaratha found a way for us to give him his heirs! He came home the night of the sacrifice so excited that we would finally be able to be pregnant. He gave us the rice from the sacrifice, and I got the biggest portion. This is because I am his first wife. I will be the one to give him the heir to the throne. My son will be our new king! The rice tasted so sweet, and was so good. I am ready to experience being pregnant. I want to give our kingdom their next king!

Author's Note:
I chose to explore the thoughts of Dasaratha and his first wife, Kausalya, through the process of the rice sacrifice and the birth of the sons. The story doesn't go into much detail about their feelings in that time, so I thought it would be interesting to see what they could have been thinking.

Bibliography:
Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

Week 4 Reading Diary B: The Exile of Rama

Dasharatha chooses to make Rama king and starts to plan the coronation. Bharata is away at this time. Bharata's mother Kaikeyi is pleased for Rama until her servant, Manthara, talks to her about how Bharata should be king. Manthara tells her it would be better for them. Kaikeyi goes to Dasharatha and uses her two promises that he owes her. She uses one to make Bharata king and the other to exile Rama for 14 years.

Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana are prepared to leave, but must stop for the night. The elders of Ayodhya caused the river to rise up and blocked Rama from continuing his journey.

Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana in the forest

Bharata's mother, Kaikeyi, previously had tried to get Dasharatha to teach her the language of the animals. Dasharatha is not allowed to share this information, and if he did, he would be killed. He decided that it was best not to share the information with Kaikeyi. This story is told by Guha.

By the urging of Bharadwaja (a sage), Sita, Rama, and Lakshmana start to live in Chitrakuta. Lakshmana builds them a house.

Dasharatha dies from the grief of his son, Rama, leaving. When Dasharatha was young, he accidentally killed a boy in the forest. He sees a connection between the death of this young boy and the loss of his son, Rama.

Google Timer Tech Tip

I think this is so cool! I think it would be helpful for me because I always say I am going to spend so much time on Facebook or Netflix, and then spend more time than that. This would be a simple timer that I can set so easily to keep me accountable.
Another thing I could use it for is cooking. I always need a timer, and usually use the one on my phone. This timer could be another option!

Week 4 Reading Diary A: Starting the Ramayana by Buck

The demon warrior, Indrajit, begins the book by talking about Narayana and Valmiki (the poet). Rama has exiled Sita when she was pregnant with his two sons. Narada tells Valmiki to go rescue Sita. Valmiki must also teach the story of Rama to Rama's twin sons (Kusha and Lava).

King Dasharatha has no sons. He gets help and a sacrifice is prepared so that his wives will bear sons. Kausalya is Rama's mother. Kaikeyi is Bharata's mother. Sumitra is Lakshmana and Shatrughna's mother. When all of the sons are sixteen years of age, Vishwamitra goes to them and asks for their help in battling the rakshasas.

Ravana had great powers given to him by Brahma. He could not be conquered by gods, asuras, yakshas, nagas, or rakshasas. He challenges many powerful people because of his powers. His brothers also got powers. Vibhishana could always remember Dharma. Kumbhakama could sleep for six months after one day of being awake. Ravana is married to Mandodari and has one son, Meghanada.

Rama helps to break Ahalya's curse that she is under because of her husband, Gautama. This returns her to her former beauty. This curse was because her husband found her in bed with Indra.

Rama and Sita had fallen in love at first sight. For Rama to be able to marry her, he broke the bow of Shiva. He succeeds, and the two are married. Rama's brothers marry daughters of Janaka, also. Janaka is Sita's father.

Rama breaking Janaka's bow

Week 3 Famous Last Words

This week has been a difficult one filled with many emotions, so I wanted to write a blog post to reflect back on the week. 
I had an interview at The University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy this past Saturday for admission into their Fall 2015 program. This has been my dream for as long as I can remember. Pharmacy school is everything I have thought about for my whole college career. This interview was everything.
I was full of nerves as I went into this interview, but my sister helped me to relax beforehand. This interview was a difficult one to prepare for because it is not like typical interviews. It is a multiple mini interview. It included eight mini interviews in different rooms. You are given a situation or a question and have to discuss it with an interviewer for eight minutes. I thought that I did well. I knew that I had some shaky parts, but thought that overall it had gone good. I thought I would be okay.
I received an email a few days ago that said I was not chosen for OU's pharmacy program for this fall. It made me so sad and has messed up my plans. My backup plan is to work for a year. (I am a pharmacy technician at Walmart.) This will give me lots of experience and will also help me to get in state tuition. I am from Texas, so saving money by becoming in state sounds like a great idea! I was not very smart when applying to schools and only applied to OU. I am going to take two courses that I need to be able to apply to another program. I am hoping that working on things to improve my application and preparing better for the interview process will help me to achieve my goal of going to the College of Pharmacy at OU for Fall 2016.
I am struggling with doubts of my abilities and myself. This and other things in my life are looking way different than I thought they would this time last year. It really hurts that all of my plans are on hold for a year. I hope to make the best of this situation! I know that God has a plan for my life and this is all part of His plan! I am deciding to enjoy this year that I now have to work and save money for school. I am not going to give up on my dream!

Martin Luther King quote

Mothers in the Epics: Styles Brainstorm

Topic: 
My storybook is going to be about mothers in the epic stories. I got this idea when reading about Rama and Bharata's mothers. I want to include the story about Bharata's mother forcing the king into exiling Rama and making Bharata king. This story was in The Ramayana. Another story that sounds interesting is the story of Kunti abandoning her child, Karna. I'm also going to look into the goddess associated with mothers.

Bibliography:
Narayan, R.K. (1972) The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic.
Kunti. Website: Wikipedia.

Kunti and her husband

Styles:
1. Deathbed Story: I saw this on the 50+ Storytelling Ideas page. I think this would be interesting for the story of Bharata's mother, Kaikeyi. Did she regret forcing the king to exile his son, Rama? Did she ever think that she made the wrong decision in forcing the king? This could be an interesting story! I feel like on your deathbed you look back on your life and want to give the people you love wisdom. Kaikeyi could be doing this and talking about her previous life choices and mistakes. I feel like a big one would be forcing the king to make Bharata king and exiling Rama. Another story that could possibly be told is Rama's mother. Kausalya could talk about how proud she is of her son, Rama.
2. Bedtime Story: This is a possibility. I have used this style in a storytelling assignment previously. It could be one of the children telling their children stories of their mother! Rama could tell his children all of the good things about his mother, Kausalya.
3. Family Therapy: I got this idea from the 50+ Storytelling Ideas page, also! I think that this storytelling style would be interesting for the story of Kunti abandoning her child. They could be in therapy discussing why she chose the choices that she did. Her child, Karna, would definitely be looking for answers as to why she would abandon him. He would probably have issues from being abandoned, also.
4. An Anthology: I saw this idea on our assignment page. It seems to make sense for the stories I am telling to use different styles. I can do a collection of different stories told in different styles. These styles can be ones that best fit the story being told. The stories I am thinking of using feel like they need to be told in different styles, not the same ones.
5. Narrator of Stories: The goddess that is associated with the mothers could be telling their stories. She could tell the readers if she thinks that the mother is good or bad. I think this would be an interesting viewpoint!