Spring 2018 Indian Epics

Back-up I was successful in the backup of my blogger site, but Wix does not at this time feature a download option for backup of their hosted content. However, Wix does offer a save history for the entirety of the work performed, and I duplicated that, so at the very least I do have something to fall back upon if I accidentally delete everything somehow. Check-up I have completed all but one of the core course assignments, and my EC cushion places me at 1 point over the requirements for an A. I think in the future I will try harder to knock out one or two EC assignments per week, as I would feel more comfortable with a higher margin of error if things get down the wire with other classwork and looming finals. Review The Shapes of Stories  was hilarious! I've never actually seen what Kurt Vonnegut looked like before, and he actually seems quite the comedian in this clip. I was also very intrigued by the concepts of his eight basic story shapes. This is something I think I wil...

The stories I read this week both dealt with the grief from losing a spouse. Uttara becomes a widow when her husband Abhimanyu is killed during the great war in the Mahabharata. She is consistently referenced as child-like and innocent, which is honestly somewhat creepy throughout the story. The child-bride is widowed still carrying a child, and she ages considerably throughout the events of the story. This was a horribly depressing story. Her life ends only after her mother convinces her to stay alive and not immolate herself quite yet, as she needs to raise her son first. Siva-Mahadeva, known also as the Shiva, ultimately loses his wife Sati through an elaborate culmination of in-law drama. I liked this story much better, and there were several elements I found very interesting. Sati was very devout for a child; her piety and worship of Siva caught his attention early in her life, and she grew up knowing that they were meant to be together. Over her father's protests, they ...

I chose to continue my reading of Sunny Devee's Nine Ideal Indian Women, and found myself in awe with Sati Savitri. Quick facts: Daughter of Maharajah Ashwapati, ruler of Abanti Fell in love with a man doomed to live for one year Left her home, family, and life of luxury Lived in total happiness with her husband in poverty Story breakdown: Savitri accepted her husband's mortality, and was aware she was marrying a man with an expiration date. Their life is idyllic but shadowed in doom; she is present at his death. When Yom, the God of Death appears to take him, she pleads that he will take her too. After arguing for hours and walking to the very edge of the underworld, she traps Yom into realizing he has no choice but to restore her husband. This is cleverly accomplished via a series of boons he grants in hopes of sending her away.  He inadvertently "blesses" this widow with sons, which cannot be called a gift for a woman whose husband is dead; her virtue woul...