Week 8 Reading and Writing

I have thoroughly enjoyed all my reading and writing assignments so far this semester. Customizing my blog and my storybook website has been a fun process given my background in web design. I enjoy getting to tweak aspects of the stories I read every week and telling my own version of a tale. My favorite reading by far has been Homer's Iliad. I first read the Iliad when I was 17 while working in a research lab over the summer. I would sneak away during lunch to spend some time poring over the book. Reading those same words again filled me with a sense of nostalgia. My favorite piece of writing I have produced in this class is "The Tale of Threes" which was my Week 2 story based off of "The Three Roses" in the anthology. I'm most proud of it because I allowed myself the most creative liberty when writing it. In the future, I will try to afford myself that same freedom while writing so that I can produce a satisfying result. Writing for my storybook project has been a little difficult because my creative juices haven't been flowing, but with time and more in-depth reading of source material, I'm sure I'll be able to create something worth reading. My notes for readings have been immensely helpful in allowing me to revisit the plot, characters, and style of the story so that I may craft my own version of it.

(Sita undergoes trial by fire to prove her purity; source: Wikipedia)

I chose this image because this part of the Ramayana has always struck a chord in me. Rama's doubt of Sita's purity is a concern that is, unfortunately, persistent in modern India. Despite the Ramayana being my favorite Indian epic, the morality of Rama's actions in allowing Sita to undergo a trial by fire and later banishing her from the kingdom regardless are questionable to say the least.

My most enjoyable weeks in this class have been when I am ahead of schedule instead of rushing to catch up with assignments. If I can stay ahead of the deadlines by one week for the rest of the semester, then I think I can have a more gratifying experience in this class.