Indian Epics

Monday, March 2, 2020

Week 10 Jakata Tales B

(Image courtesy of Giphy.)

I don't think this is a Jakata Tale, but I loved it. The best part is Timma finds a mechanical horse and flies it over to an island. An automaton! That will work out so well in my storyline with Icarus finding the eagles.

Bibliography:

Rao, Subba. The Secret of the Talking Bird: A Folk Tale from Karnataka. Amar Chitra Katha Pvt, 1982.

Week 10 Jataka Tales A

(Image courtesy of Giphy.)

What?! Week 10?! What happened to Week 9? I got a chance to hang out in Bizzell again, that's what happened. Don't worry. You'll get exciting Week 9 notes, too! See Kid President up there in the GIF? That would be me if Bizzel would let me have more than three comics at a time.

I liked the Crows and Owls story. It made me think of how the Kandavas and Pandavas were advising Yudhistira and Duryodhana when Krishna was trying to negotiate peace.

Biography:

Fernandez, Luis. Crows and Owls: Tales From The Panchatantra. Amar Chitra Katha Pvt, 1981.

Week 8 Progress

1. Looking back. Are you happy with your progress so far? What are you most proud of? Do you have a good weekly routine? What are the class assignments that you enjoy the most? Are you using any of the extra credit options? How have things gone in terms of developing your blog and building your website?

I need 9 EC points to bring my grade from a B to an A. I'm happy with that since there are concrete ways I can bring my grade up. I'm most proud of this insane story that I'm developing. I have a relatively good weekly routine, but I need to use this week to go ahead and work a week ahead so if anyone else in my family gets sick I won't have a week like I had last week. I've used a couple of the EC options, it helps to have the extra reading credits, that helped when I had to re-read portions of the assigned texts or if I had to skip a day of notes because life happened. I am a lot more comfortable with my blog than I was at the beginning. I'm still trying to learn all the nuances of WordPress, but what I have right now looks good.

2. Looking forward. Are there any changes you want to make for the second half of the semester? Any pitfalls you want to avoid? Something new you want to try in your writing? Anything you want to change about your blog or your project website?

No real changes. I just need to get a little ahead in case life tries to attack again. I have several big projects coming up in April, so I should try to work more than one week ahead if I can (avoid those pitfalls!).

I need to dig for images for the website.

3. Image. Find an image to motivate you for the big push through to the end of the semester!

(Image courtesy of Ten Pound Treats.)

I chose the image above to remind me not

I chose the image above to remind me not to procrastinate. I need to give myself time so I don't rush and do a great job.

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

1. Feedback in. Overall, how would you rate the quality of the comments and feedback you are receiving from other students in the class? What kinds of comments are you finding to be the most useful?

I have appreciated the feedback that I have gotten from other students. The comments that I find most useful is when the individual talks about the connections they made based on what I've written or what they learned or realized. It helps me know if they are getting out of the story what I intend for them to be getting out of the story.

2. Feedback out. Similarly, how would you rate the quality of the comments and feedback you are leaving for other students? Have you found some good strategies that help you give detailed feedback? Are you getting some good ideas for your own writing as you analyze other people's writing?

I try to give the same feedback that I find useful. I imagine I'm having a conversation and that they will be responding directly to my feedback. I understand that won't always be the case, but thinking through how I would respond to comments helps me be real with myself and decide whether or not I should use the suggestions I've gotten. I've noticed some good website design that has made me want to step up my game in that department. I'm not there, yet. I'm just trying to get the text layout right before I mess it all up again with images.

3. Blog comments. Do you have a sense of getting to know people by connecting with them at their blogs? Are you happy with how your Introduction post and how your blog, in general, provides a space where people can get to know you?

The Introduction posts have been a huge help. Getting to know a little bit about the individual's personality and knowing they have a way to get to know mine before I give critical feedback helps me be more comfortable in giving feedback. I hate giving blind feedback. It stresses me out. I like the feeling of being a community working together.

4. Looking forward. What do you want/need to do differently to make the feedback assignments more useful for others and/or more useful for you? Do you want to make any changes to your Comment Wall and/or your Introduction?

I haven't seen any complaints about how I have my comment wall set up. I changed my website to just have one post that has information about the site and a link to my comment blog to make the intro information more streamlined.

I need to stop waiting until Sunday night after the kids go to bed to do my feedback assignments. I feel like I'm rushing myself to get all the comments in before 11:59.

5. Image. Explain why you chose that image in particular.

(Image courtesy of Cheezburger.)

I chose this image because I have been fighting Rejection Sensitive Disorder/Avoidant Personality Disorder all my life. Both giving and receiving feedback was hard for me for such a long time. In the past, I would purposely submit terrible drafts if I knew they were for a feedback assignment because if the feedback was critical, I could keep myself from feeling rejected by telling myself that it wasn't even my real work that they were criticizing. I've had several instructors in the English department that have worked with getting me to accept that a draft doesn't have to be my best work, it has to be the best draft so I can get useful feedback in order to make it my best work. It's not supposed to be perfect, but it has to be genuine. They've also coached me on my feedback so I feel more confident in providing criticism. One teacher reminded me that I will be giving feedback to my students and suggested that I think of the people I give feedback to as students instead of peers. I still have a hard time getting into that mindset with my peers, but I've improved how I give feedback to my actual students.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

Overall, how well are the reading and writing assignments working for you?

The reading is going pretty well. I had a hard time keeping up with The Mahabharata. There were a lot of main character names I had to re-read to make sure I had everyone straight. The supporting characters had names that sounded similar to each other, so I had a hard time keeping them straight as well. I checked out The Gita comic from Bizzell and the illustrations helped me get everyone straight.

Are you happy with your blog? With your project website?

I spent about an hour going through comments and adjusting my website. I am happier with the website, but I still have things I need to add or adjust.

Are you satisfied with how the writing is going for your project? How about your story posts?

I'm enjoying the writing, but I'm nervous about it, too. We're supposed to be making a portfolio and my writing is becoming a chapter book! I feel like I'm relying too heavily on Greek mythology to get my story across, but I'm trying to create a sturdy transition from Greek to Indian. Once I get my base story down, I can go back and dig into Icarus's journey to India and use it to retell some of the stories I've started to research in the library.

What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment(s) in your writing for this class?

Getting Icarus off the freaking island!

What has been your favorite reading so far?
I liked the Ancestors of Rama comic book. I like backstories and seeing how stories flow into each other. I was hoping to get some insight into how Jatayu knew Dasaratha, but I think I have some ideas of how I can write those two together if I can't find a story about their meeting.

Are your reading notes helping you each week with your story post?

Since I'm going way left-field with my project, yes and no. Yes, the Ramayana notes I took are very helpful in keeping my storyline straight as I read other texts. I found a few ideas in the Mahabharata that I need to do a Wikipedia trail on. No, because the Mahabharata is post- Ramayana, and there's not a lot I found to help me with my storyline. However, the reading notes for the Mahabharata have helped me make it through the book without being completely lost.

Pick a favorite image from a previous Reading Notes or story post or from your project to include in the blog post, and write a few words about why you chose this image.

(Image Information: Rapunzel of India by Julia Jacob.)

My favorite image is "Rapunzel of India" by Julia Jacob. Through her site, I was able to buy her a cup of coffee (the same price that I would pay a professional site to use a copyrighted image) and connect with her to let her know that I had made an Artist Spotlight on one of my posts. She responded and was very sweet. I started following her work on social media.

Look forward. Is there anything you want/need to do in order to get more out of the reading and writing experiences in this class?

I need to schedule more time at Bizzell. I enjoyed the comics I've read so far and I still have several listed that I need to check out to help me orient some of my stories.

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Week 6/7 Project Revisions to Vengeance of the Sun God, Part 1

Vengeance of the Sun God

Daedalus let the rope slip quickly over the window sill. He had saved weeks of his rations and packed them along with valuable tools to trade for additional supplies for his son Icarus. The young man and supplies were now on the opposite end of the rope disappearing into the darkness below. Daedalus sent his son on an impossible task: find feathers from the wings of the mythical giant eagle so both father and son could escape from the prison of King Minos.

There were no giant eagles, Daedalus knew, but Icarus refused to escape without his father. The long years Daedalus spent engineering the labyrinth below the city of Crete had taken its toll. The Goddess Athena had blessed him with a sharp mind and dexterous hands that improved rather than degenerated with prolonged use. Unfortunately, the prowess bestowed in that gift did not extend to his shoulders, back, and legs. He now moved like an elderly man; back hunched, shuffling gait.

Icarus was nearing manhood. There was no way the boy could build a meaningful life trapped in a tower. No Cretian father would allow his daughter to be betrothed to the son of the highest guarded prisoner of King Minos. Daedalus had to get Icarus off the island. King Minos kept the tower heavily guarded and departing ships were heavily watched by Minos's guards to ensure even if prisoners managed to escape their holdings, they could not flee the island. Sailing a handmade raft from the rocky shore of Crete, for an average man, would be suicide. Daedalus had the knowledge and Icarus had the skill to create a sea hearty craft, but because of his condition, Daedalus could not escape the tower. Even if he could, the two could not realistically build a vessel without being caught by the Cretian guards.

Divinity seemed to agree with Daedalus's desire to get Icarus off the island. One late night after Icarus had retired, A soft knock came at the door to the living quarters. When Daedalus opened the door, he found a familiar guard standing behind a hooded figure. Daedalus moved to the side and allowed the two to enter. Once the door closed, the hood dropped to reveal Queen Pasiphaë, wife of King Minos and the reason Daedalus was imprisoned in the tower.

"I know I can never make up for how my choices have affected you," she began, eyes cast down, guilt making it impossible for her to meet Daedalus's gaze, "but I hope you will consider what I am about to propose and accept it, for the very least, as compensation for your honorable service to me. I was a lustful fool." Her cheeks reddened as she glanced at Daedalus to make sure that he was listening. "You tried to warn me off of Poseidon's advances. When Poseidon arrived at court in the disguise of the white bull, you tried your best to make me see the folly in my desires. Yet, as a good attendant should, you acquiesced and built the wooden structure that allowed me to couple with Poseidon in his bull form. An act that doomed us both."

"It doomed more than the two of us," replied Daedalus. "Both of our sons are prisoners. Yours within the labyrinth, and mine here in this tower."

"Yes. That is what I have come to discuss with you. Icarus has begun catching the eye of my maidservants. He is on the cusp of manhood and should begin seeking his fortune. He cannot do that here, trapped in a tower."

"I am well aware of the fact that my son is near the end of his adolescence and the limitations this tower places on his options," snapped Daedalus. Pasiphaë pressed on in spite of the anger in his voice.

"I have arranged for a ship to wait just beyond the horizon five days from now. Icarus will meet my mother, Perse, in an inlet that is seldomly used. I received a Hippocampus foal as a gift from Poseidon when he first began courting me. The creature lives with my mother in the court of Oceanus. She and the creature will transport Icarus safely to the ship."

***

In order to get Icarus to agree to leave the island, Daedalus has to employ a well-crafted ruse. He created a design for magnificent wings that could carry him on the wind across the sea to Greece. The design was scientifically sound, and it was easy to convince Icarus that giant eagles existed. The search would take the boy far away from the prison tower and keep him safely away from their enemies. Icarus was a determined boy and would not return until he found the fabled feathers, which would be never. Eventually, the boy's supplies would run out and he would have to take on a trade. Hopefully, he would meet a girl and her charms would convince Icarus to focus on his trade, build a family, and forget about Daedalus and the tower.

***

Icarus traced the stories of the giant eagles to the land of India. His journey was long and arduous. He had traded all the tools his father had packed away for him, saving only the knife his father smithed for him: a large dagger, shaped to represent Zeus' thunderbolt, the tang buried into a piece of the Minotaur's horn. His remaining supplies were scant, but now he was standing on the mountain overlooking the roosting site of the giant eagles; the nearly empty bag was now a welcome supply. It had plenty of space to fill with those coveted feathers.

Two young, strong eagles had breezed in on the evening air, settling to roost. As the night deepened, Icarus crept along the thick branches and slew the two eagles. As the second body fell to the rocky mountain terrain below a gleaming light appeared beside Icarus.

"What have you done?!" a throaty feminine voice cried as the light dissipated around her strong form. "Grandson, what caused you to act so unwisely? This is not the way of our clan!" It was Athena, the matriarch of the clan Metionid, and the benefactor of Icarus's father Daedalus. "Do you know who you have just slain? These corpses were Jatayu and Sampati, beloved sons of Aruna, the charioteer of Surya- the embodiment of the Sun God that serves the people of India."

"I was sent by my father. Their wings are the only way that he can escape the tower we have been trapped in," replied Icarus defiantly. "You once favored him, but now he rots in a prison, a slave to King Minos."

"Because your father's actions resulted in the loss of Aruna's sons," prophesied Athena, her stormy grey eyes boring into the sky blue eyes set in the face of Icarus, "your father will also lose his son." In a flash, Athena disappeared. Unsure of what else to do, Icarus remained committed to his quest and climbed to the base of the tree to remove the magnificent feathers that made up the wings of the Aruna's sons.

***

Intermittent plinking sounds began at the window shortly after sundown. Assuming it was the clouds struggling to produce rain, Daedalus hurried across the room to close the shutters. As he reached the window, something stung his forehead. Looking down at the floor, he noticed several pebbles strewn under the window. He thrust his head out the window and looked to the base of the tower. He saw a shadowy form standing below; arm cocked, ready to loose another pebble. Shocked, Daedalus called to the form, "Icarus?" The form froze, saving Daedalus from the sting of another projectile.

"Yes, Father! I'm back and I have so much to tell you!" responded Icarus. Daedalus quickly lowered a rope to his son.

***

The two Metionids stood atop the tower. Daedalus had affixed assorted instruments to the ramparts in order to gauge the weather. The finished wings were stored safely in a pine box waiting for the seasons to turn and bring the hearty spring wind that would carry them to Athens. Icarus watched the instruments closely. The wind shifted toward the mainland, bringing about a barometric change. "Father, it's time." Icarus threw open the lid of his pine box. The duo strapped on their wings and climbed to balance on the ramparts.

The experience was both shocking and wonderful. Wind zipped through Icarus's hair as he worked to gain control of his wings. "Not too high," instructed Daedalus when he was giving Icarus ground lessons, hiding behind the ramparts struggling to remain unseen. "The wax holding the feathers to the apparatus will melt." Later, standing on the ramparts; "Not too low," Daedalus reminded his son before they jumped into the wind. "The sea spray will weigh you down."

Icarus's confidence increased, but he remained mindful of his position between the sun and the sea. Suddenly, an odd movement from above caught his eye. He looked toward the sun, tracking the motion. When his eyes adjusted, he realized that a flaming chariot was quickly approaching him and his father. As it got closer, he saw two men within the chariot. One man driving, and the other testing the strength of his bow. The men's bodies shimmered like the heat off of desert sand. Each man was a dual image, first looking like the Greeks and the next moment sharing the facial features and dress of the Indian clans that Icarus traveled with on his quest.

The bowman drew an arrow of pure fire and aimed it at Daedalus. "This is for Aruna, my most faithful servant!" he cried.

"You slew my sons," stated the charioteer staring directly at Icarus. His face once again shifted and solidified into the face of the man who was surely Aruna. "Your father will pay with his life!"

The wings seemed to come to life and shifted expertly causing Icarus to bank to the left. A thermal pocket caught the wings and they snapped wide, speeding him closer to the chariot, placing him above Daedalus. The image of the bowman solidified as the arrow was loosed. Icarus spiraled out of the sky and hit the water. The weight of the wing apparatus dragged him below the waves.

***

To Be Continued...