Skip to main content

Topic Brainstorm: From Weapons to Brothers

For a project in this class, I have had the chance to look over a vast array of topics such as Dharma, Traveling India, or even Epic Heroes. While each one has it's own inherent interest, four in particular stand out. Those four are Weapons of the Gods, Indra, the Thunder God, Epic Heroes, and Brothers.

For the first topic of interest: Weapons of the Gods. I find this one particularly interesting because they are generally weapons that transcend the laws of physics, and they are generally a violent manifestation of the god themselves. For example, one of Zeus' weapons might be a thunderbolt. I have little knowledge of different Gods' weapons, but most of my knowledge would come from Greek mythology, such as Hephaestus' hammer. I would like to learn more about Gods' weapons in general, and I believe that reading more of these stories will help. In particular, I would enjoy reading stories about how the weapons possessed immense power, and a mortal stole them, or a weapon that a God used to teach a moral lesson.

Promising Link: List of Weapons from Wikipedia

Next, there is Indra, the Thunder God. This was the only topic that I chose that was not a broad topic. The reason I wanted to learn more about the God of Thunder is because thunder and lightening as physical objects have always fascinated me. From stories, I would like to learn how people used to explain the two phenomena, and what it meant to people, especially since thunder and lightning are considered bad omens, but rain, which typically accompanies them, is considered a good omen. I would consider retelling stories with thunder and lightning as being good omens, and I would try to make storms as a whole a better sign for the future.

Promising Link: Indra from Wikipedia

Then, there is Epic Heroes. I love reading a motivational story, and the great thing for me about heroes is that they often marry inspiring characteristics with flaws that all humans possess. From Hercules to Disney's Doug, heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and are often thought to be redeeming characters that overcome great challenges despite all of the odds. If I chose this as a project topic, I would just want to see the most classic Indian hero stories, and I would want to retell them with the hero perhaps failing, or many heroes working together towards a common goal. As per prior knowledge, I know very little about Indian heroes and very little about heroes in general; however, I do have a small knowledge of Greek heroes.

Promising Link: A list of Indian Heroes

Finally, there is Brothers. This one is most interesting to me because I am an only child, so the concept of brotherhood is something that I have only experienced in portrayed media. But media does a good job of portraying brotherhood as something that does not rely solely on bloodline relation in films such as Remember the Titans. Brotherhood has always been something that carries a positive connotation, but I am interested to know if any Indian Epics portray brothers betraying one another, or brotherhood being a vice. Either way, I am interested in reading more about the past portrayal of a brother, and I would consider retelling these stories through the lens of sports. This is because sports movies and TV shows have been the main way I've been able to see brotherhood in action.

Promising Link: A blog on Hogwarts: The Loyalty of Brothers



Thunder and lightning are often seen as destructive, accompanying the redemption of rain. Source: MaxPixel

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Famous Last Words: Week before Terror

This Thursday, I was proctoring a pre-calculus test when our Complex Analysis professor announced that we would have a midterm in a week. Two days after my Thermodynamics midterm. Two days before my Fluid Dynamics Midterms. All within five days of my Numerical Analysis midterm. While this all seems super stressful, atleast once Fluid Dynamics is over, I can look forward to smooth sailing for a few weeks. This week, in contrast to the next few, is looking to be very peaceful as a whole. I got to play soccer with some friends this weekend. I had not played in a few months, but it was great to get back out on the field and run around a little. Even better, I finally decided on a Halloween costume as well- Russell from Up. The only hard thing has been finding badges. Finally, WE GOT A DOG. This part has been most exciting. She came by at some point this afternoon, a friend had brought her up. She basically explored the house for the first bit of the day, and now, she's getting more u...

Story Lab: TED Talks

This week, I completed a Story Lab, in which I watched two separate TED Talks, the links can be found here . The first talk seems to epitomize the first impressions we develop from stories, while the second one delves into the relationships we make with characters. In the first talk, the idea of a first impression is further discussed, where the speaker notes how she had opinions of a country that had been built up solely from a few stories she had been told, and how when she encountered other people, they already had predispositions based on stories they had been told. This can be broadened to a wider audience to suggest that we often see short amounts of information, and then we make the conclusions ourselves. For example, people often just read the headlines of news articles and believe they know everything about that topic afterwards, as opposed to ever reading the article. The second talk digs into the connections we make with fictional characters, and why we spend so much tim...

Week 11 Reading Notes: More Jatakas Tales Part A

This week, I continued reading more Jatakas tales. Three stories that stood out were The Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer; The Woodpecker and the Lion, and The Red-Bud Tree. These stories can be found at More Jatakas Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt. The Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer really stood out because it showed the selflessness of the deer. I feel like I have read many stories where once the deer was free, the turtle would be left to perish in the sack in the tree. But through teamwork, they are all able to survive. I think it's a nice tale about making sure that you always thank those that help you. In contrast, we see the lion disregard the woodpecker in The Woodpecker and the Lion. It is weird that we are suddenly getting so many stories with woodpeckers, but regardless, the lion decides that even though the woodpecker had hedged his bets well with the lion, since the lion did not eat the woodpecker, he has paid his due. This seems somewhat unfair as the lion is telling the woodp...