Jacob and The Epics of India

 Notes For Jataka Tales Part B The King's White Elephant     carpenters live on river bank near forest. they go into the forest to cut trees and make lumber. One day, an elephant limps to them on 3 feet. He had a large splinter in his foot. They pulled it out and washed the wound. To repay the carpenters, the elephant helps them in any way he can. They, in return, feed him. The elephant then had a son, whom he took to the carpenters in place of himself because he was getting old. At night the elephant would play with the children of the carpenters in the river. One day, the king came down the river, saw the elephant, and immediately wanted him. The carpenters sold him to the king who took good care of him. Why the Owl is Not King of the Birds     A long time ago the people had a king. The four footed animals also had a king. The fish also had a king. Then the birds started talking and decided that they needed a king. They then decided that the owl should be king...

 Notes for Jataka Tales Part A The Monkey and The Crocodile     I remember reading this one early on in the semester. The monkey fools to crocodile into thinking that his heart is actually a fruit hanging from a tree across the river. The crocodile gives the monkey a ride across, not realizing he has been tricked. How the Turtle Saved His Own Life     I also remember reading this one earlier. A king had a pond made for his sons to play in. They loved the fish, but when they saw a turtle, they were scared of it thinking it was a monster or a demon. The king ordered his men to catch the turtle and bring it to him. They then discuss potential ideas for how to kill the turtle. One man, fearing water, suggests throwing the turtle into the flowing river that goes over rocks and into the ocean. The turtle, being smart, explains that this option scares him greatly and that he doesn't deserve such a fate. The King decides that this is the best option and then they throw ...

 Son of the Sun: Durvasa the sage came to where Kunti was. Most people were afraid of him because he would put curses on people he didn't like. Kunti however befriended him and had great talks with him. Before long, it was his time to go. Before leaving, he told Kunti a mantra that would allow her to summon any god she wished.  After he left, she decided to test the mantra. She looked into the sun and spoke the mantra. The sun god then appeared standing in front of her. She reached out and embraced him. After she stopped, she noticed that a beautiful child was in her arms, and she felt that he was destined to be great. She, not being married, felt that she could not in good faith keep the child as her own. So, she wrapped him up, placed him in a basket, and sent him down the river. I really like this story and I feel like there's a lot of potential here to modify it into something else. Depiction of Drona at Angkor Wat  Wikipedia Commons Bibliography:  Epified Mahabh...

 I really enjoyed watching these videos. The pacing was really good and the illustrations were quite helpful. Shantanu having to watch as his wife kills his first 7 children was really tragic and dark. His wife then tells him about the eight celestial spirits that he had promised to take into the world and immediately free them of mortality. She then left him and took the eighth son with her. 16 years later, King Shantanu was riding near the river, when he saw a mighty archer tame the river with arrows. The archer was his long lost son, Devavrat. The king brought him back to his kingdom as the prince.  Shantanu then fell in love with a fisherman's daughter, but her father refused. He knew that their children would always be second to King Shantanu's children. Prince Devavrat visits the fisherman having seen his father's sadness. Devavrat swore an oath that he would never marry or father any children so that the fisherman would allow his daughter to marry Shantanu. He became...

 I am very happy with my progress so far. I didn't expect to have enjoyed this class and the writings so much. My routine isn't the best but in the end, I still manage to get everything done. In the second half of the semester, I want to get better at sticking to my schedule and not waiting until the last minute. I think in the past few weeks I have done better, but there is still room for improvement. I really want to finish the semester strong so that I can feel proud of my stories and the final portfolio. I really like where my portfolio is at right now and I think the stories have come together much better than I anticipated. I'm looking forward to a great second half of the semester. Procrastination  Wikipedia Commons

 So far I have really appreciated the comments and feedback that I have received on my stories and portfolio. On top of being very useful for revisions, it's really fun to see what people thought of my stories and see what they enjoyed. The feedback people have been leaving has been actually quite useful. I wasn't expecting to use the comments as much as I actually do. I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of leaving comments on other stories or portfolios. I've always felt awkward giving my peers feedback, especially when it ends up being negative. However, I understand the need for leaving comments and reviews. I find these assignments to be the ones that I put off the most, even though they really don't take much time to complete.  Moving forward, I'm not sure much needs to change regarding comments. The comments that I have received thus far have been very useful, and I feel that the comments I have left have been well thought out. Optimizing Feedback  Daily ...

 I am actually quite proud of the blog and website that I have created so far. Every reading and writing assignment has gone pretty smoothly. I've impressed myself so far with my ability to write creatively because prior to this class most of my writing (possibly all of my writing) has been research-based. I have had a hard time motivating myself to do all of the commenting assignments, but the reading and writing assignments have been very enjoyable. My favorite reading so far has definitely been the Ramayana. I found it much more engaging than the Mahabharata although both were interesting reads. Moving forward I want to try to get more ahead with my assignments and be more consistent so that I don't have to do big chunks of work all at once. I would have to say that my story "Abduction" about Pennywise has got to be my favorite story that I have written so far.  Ravana Slaughtering Jatayu  Wikipedia Commons This is probably my favorite image that I have used so far...