Indian Epics

This story is also on my portfolio if you would like to read it there:  The Selfish, Brazen Rabbit Once upon a time, there was a young man named Rabbit. He was the most handsome guy in all the land and knew it as well. He was the favorite of all the others students in town, and even his teachers favored him. He was also smart and a very talented in seemingly every sport. Everyone seemed to envy him and try to follow after him. If he bought a certain style of clothing, soon the entire school would have it. This constant fanfare began to go to his head though. As he got older, his ability to do no wrong made him mean in his soul. He began to toy with the younger students because he could. No matter what he did, he breezed through it. If he skipped an assignment, the teachers gave him an extension. If he was accused of bullying, he claimed to be misunderstood. Somehow life seemed to be perfect for Rabbit. By the time he was a senior, he was the most popular student with anyth...

(Beginning of Story, Pixabay,  Source ) I loved the Jatakas because they remind me of stories I was told growing up. I feel like most cultures have their variations of Jatakas where they use animals to teach life lessons. I appreciated learning this version and seeing what motifs transition from one edition to the next. These were my favorites: The Foolish, Timid Rabbit  by Ellen C. Babbitt: This was one of my favorites. I felt bad for the rabbit because I think that getting caught up in our own thought spirals and letting others get sucked in too is an easy trap to fall into. I also thought it was interesting that the rabbit was foolish because in a lot of western fables, the rabbit is a trickster and witty. This version of the rabbit is skittish and timid, which seems more like how I would interpret real rabbits. I also think the idea that people will blindly follow in a scary situation is still very relevant. There were multiple occasions last year where some loud no...

(Wall of books, Flickr,  Source ) For my reading options, I think I would be most interested in doing a little bit of everything. I am especially interested in the comic books because it is a type of writing that I have not really explored personally. I found several stories that piqued my interest, but here just a few: Tapati: Daughter of the Sun God  I love a good story about a strong female, and I assume being the daughter of a God means that Tapati will have a strong sense of will and storyline. How the Jackal Ate the Elephant  I also think that folktales are fascinating because often there are variations of the same stories throughout different cultures. This one sounds good and it reminds me of the saying "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." Leader: 50 Insights from Mythology  This seems interesting to me because most stories passed down are passed down because of the life lessons you can learn from them and this book seems to outline ...