Indian Epics Spring 2018

        I have always felt sympathy for Karna. He was hit with several bad hands in life, but didn't seem to be all that bad of a person. If things had gone differently, he could've been very successful and happy. I might rewrite his story so that he gets a happy ending. If Kunti had never given him up and if his teacher had not rejected him, things would've been very different. He could have become an even more incredible fighter. He would've had a much more respectable reputation.         In the story of Drupad and Drona, a childhood promise is broken in the greed of adulthood. I think we make a lot of promises to other people and ourselves when we are children that are unrealistic to keep once we're older. I could write about two little girls, one a little wealthier than the other. The girl from the wealthier home would promise the other that, when she received a car from her parents for her 16th birthday, she would share it with the other girl. Of course, when

        On one mid-summer morning, a naked woman emerged from the woods from behind Mr. Whittaker's home. She crouched in his little garden to gorge on strawberries. When Mr. Whittaker saw this through the window, he immediately called for the police. The juice from the strawberries dripped down her face, making it look like she'd been drinking blood. Long black hair flowed down her back, unbound and matted. The police came to take her to a hospital, but she fought them intensely, clawing and biting. She screamed and growled like a wild beast.         The consensus at the hospital was that she was a physically healthy young woman, likely in her early 20's. Her mental health, however, could not be estimated due to her utter and complete lack of cooperation. She had to be restrained or sedated at all times or else she wreaked havoc on the hospital. Later, she was transferred to a mental hospital where a psychiatrist took special interest in her case. He worked very hard to d

        One way to take the ideas in these videos quite literally would be to write about a female character capable of altering the material realities of our world. This woman would be able to control things with her mind, both by moving objects and creating material items out of thin air. The opposing side of this would be a male character able to control the minds of those around him. As a couple, these beings would be unstoppable and very much in control of the world. They would use these powers for both good and bad things. She might produce money for the poor while he might manipulate someone's mind into doing favors for him.         A story that piqued my interest was the one of Brahma trying to be with his own daughter. This would've been horrible for her. I'd like to write about a girl becoming a woman and discovering that her father lusts after her and intends to marry her. He'd be some sort of highly respected figure in the community, perhaps a religious fig

        I like the idea of Kali. On the Ramayana and Mahabharata, women are expected to be tame and obedient to their husbands no matter what. Kali is everything that an Indian woman from this time was not supposed to be. To focus on one aspect of Kali that goes against the societal norm, I might write about a female character displaying a greater interest in sexual activities. This character might enjoy sleeping with several different men. She would be viewed harshly by her community and shunned by other women. But, perhaps this woman would start a social revolution to change the way the people in her village view women and sex.         Another aspect of Kali is her violence and rage. I might write a story about a woman who is created to be a weapon for war. She would be a wild force to only be unleashed on one's greatest enemies. I've never written an in-depth battle scene so this would be a challenge for me. But, I think it would be interesting to describe her madness a

        The concept that societies went from women and men being equals to men being superior is a really interesting one. It made me think about how I could write about a group of people who begin the story as equals. Women and men are able to do the same things and neither is viewed greater than the other. Then, some kind of catalyst causes the men to decide that women are not their equals. Women would be treated more as property as the video mentions happening in real life. This would condense thousands of years of gender evolution into a short time frame. The catalyst might be something/someone from outside society or a single individual from the group.         Another thing that struck me was the idea that the more isolated a woman is, the more valuable she is. I can't imagine having to spend most of my life alone. It would be fun to write about this sort of life from the perspective of the woman. Her whole life she'd be told that her seclusion was for her own good and th

        The first video was very empowering for women. It suggests that one male is really all that is needed to keep a society going. It could be a lot of fun to write about such a society. Many men would be put through trials to find one to fertilize all of the women. The rest of the men would be workers. Obviously, I don’t think this is how our society should be and it would be horrible for everyone involved, but it’s definitely an interesting concept.         The video’s explanations of the older concept of the words whore and virgin were very intriguing to me. I’d love to work with these concepts and maybe write of a woman who was “free” to reproduce with many men without judgement. It makes one wonder if a monogamy is the way our species is supposed to go. So, maybe in my story, polygamy would be accepted. Or maybe, no marriage at all would be fine.          Another story about a woman with teeth lining her vagina also interested me. I think I’ve heard of a movie with a simi