Week 8 Reading and Writing

Overall, the reading and writing assignments are working well for me. I had never read Indian stories before this course, so learning how to navigate them is interesting. There are so many long names I get confused by but I'm getting more and more used to them. I'm having a lot of fun with the writing assignments because Indian epics have a lot of elements that I haven't seen in other stories before. They're giving me a lot of good writing ideas.

I'm happy with my blog and project website, although I'm not sure how I feel about my project yet... My first story didn't flow as easily as I hoped it would, but hopefully after I make edits, it'll sound better. I am really enjoying how my storybook is based more on overarching ideas rather than specific stories (i.e. I use Wikipedia and other online resources rather than citing a book).

My favorite reading so far has been the Ramayana. It just had so many fun ideas, plus it was basically my introduction to Indian stories, so I think I'll forever have a sort of emotional attachment to it. I'm also happy with my notes for my readings. I take notes on things I know I'll forget even though I really enjoyed them, which then gives me ideas for a story later.

Ravana slaughtering Jatayu the vulture, from Wikimedia Commons

I chose this image because it is such a vital scene in the Ramayana. It shows the dedication that certain characters had towards Sita and Rama. That love for the characters drove the entire story.

Looking forward, I don't really want or need to do much else to get more out of the reading and writing in this class. I feel like I have a pretty good routine going, and I'm getting a lot out of the readings already. I'm pretty happy with my progress in the course.