Week 2 Reading Overview

For the week 2 Overview I selected the PDE Ramayana Online. My primary reason was definitely because it is free and I can access it online. In addition to that I do like the idea of multiple authors so I can see the many different ways the story can be told. As for the comic books and videos, the first comic book I selected was the Ancestors of Rama and the second was the Lord of Lanka. The reason why I picked these two is because they both tell different stories that are familiar to me. The Ancestors of Rama reminds me almost of Robin Hood in a way, distribution of the wealth to everyone. The story of being tested and using moral judgment to make the right decision was another part that I enjoyed. The Lord of Lanka spoke out in a similar way it reminded me of old knight's stories. It is the classic tale of jealousy and power and how the righteous always prevail in the face of right and wrong. Of course never without a difficult and trying journey. For videos I picked Harry Potter Meets Hindu Mythology and the second one was Greek and Indian Mythology Parallels  my reason once again because it was something I am familiar with and can relate to. As a flight instructor we are always taught to find something the student already understands and find a way to connect them to help the student learn. With these two topics videos I was intrigued by their similarities. However, looking at the Harry Potter similarities my curiosity is peaked on if J.K. Rowling was already familiar with Indian Mythology or if it was just a happy coincidence?

For my picture I selected this Image mainly because I have always thought Indian artwork was very unique and I think this picture shows that perfectly. I never really understood it however, moving forward I am sure I will start to see the reason why.

A roundel of Vishnu in his avatar as Kurma, the tortoise.

19th century (Indian Epics and Images)