Title: Ramayana
Author: Valmiki
Publication Year: 2009
The king, Dasharatha, had 3 wives and 4 sons. His greatest son, Rama, was strong and brave. One day, Rama and his brother Lakshmana were at the river and saw a maiden most fair named Sita. Rama instantly fell in love and knew he had to do whatever it takes to win over the heart of his future wife.
Rama traveled to the neighboring city where Sita calls home, and finds there is only one way for Sita's father to give him approval to marry his daughter. Rama must string Shiva's bow, a feat that hundred have tried and all have failed. With all his might, Rama picked up the bow, strung it and..."SNAP!" The bow broke in half! Sita's father was shocked and in awe at Rama's power and strength. He knew that a man this strong could project his daughter.
Rama and Sita's wedding was blissful and full of all the pleasantries that can be imagined. Dancing, drinking, and food was in plenty, as all who were present celebrated through the night.
After years of supervision under his father Dasharatha, Rama was to be named King. The kingdom was elated to see Rama step up and become their new king. Solely another of Dasharatha's wives, Kaikeyi, was upset because she desired that her son Bharata to rule. Kaikeyi spoke to her servant Manthara and was reminded that King Dasharatha had promised her two favors when they were married. Manthara also hated the future king Rama because he smote her many years ago.
Kaikeyi confronted Rama and told him of the two wishes she was owed. He used one to exile Rama. King Dasharatha was infuriated! However, to everyone's surprise Rama accepted the request and requested that Bharata should quickly be made king. Due to Rama's bravery, Sita and Lakshmana desired to accompany him into the forest of Dandaka. Sita exclaimed that a wife should never be separated from her husband. Both the good and bad are shared. Next, Lakshmana proclaimed that he would go with Rama and Sita and refused to be left behind.
As Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana suffered in exile, Dasharatha was near death. While reflecting on his life, he remembered the prophecy that he would lose a son. He recognizes the karma that he is rightfully receiving due to his actions and feel as though it is his punishment to accept death.
Nathan, I thought you did an excellent job of giving the reader an excerpt of Rama’s story. The Wow factor was the way you transcribed all of the short readings into one easy to follow story. You gave each one of the characters life and helped the reader understand their personalities.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Kaikeyi always had jealous tendencies when it came to the children. There was just no indication that the story would take a turn with her demanding the throne for son. I wonder how would the events changed it Rama would have actually become king? I wonder why Lakshmana did not take his wife on the journey with him.
The What If could be if you changed the story up a little. You could have made Rama work a little harder to win Sita. Maybe add some additional fictional things to the story. You could also make the storyline funny or add a little humor. You could also add color to the background to give it a dramatic affect. But, overall it was a good job