Part A of the Ramayana gave me an intense but interesting introduction to the famed epic. There were many stories that I found interesting such as Rama winning Sita and the banishment of Rama. Reading the Ramayana now as a college student and for credit is somethingI would have never would have expected. The epic was one I read as a young child, so I have some previous knowledge and understanding of the plot and the significance of the story. Moreover, celebration Diwali each year brings the story back to prominence. I enjoyed reading the guide before each story as it helped me with understanding the older English style used in the stories. While I knew beforehand this was the style of the public domain stories, I felt that it was not too hard to understand, especially with the reading guide before the story. Additionally, having read the epic before helps me with understanding the older English wording. Going back to Rama winning over Sita, I found it interesting in the guide over the comparison between other fairytales when the hero wins over the princess or desirable woman. I have seen this in stories such as Sleeping Beauty when the prince wakes up the princess or even modern stories like Shrek who rescues Princess Fiona from a castle and dragon. Personally, the story of Rama winning over Sita was one of my favorites for Part A. The other story, Rama's banishment, was quite the opposite feeling when reading compared to Rama winning over Sita. It is tough to question why things happen in the plot because of the ambiguity over the authorship and origin of the epic. Seeing Rama so willingly obey his father was noteworthy and is another aspect of Rama that makes hims so worshipped. As I read these stories, I see more and more lessons and values that I can apply to my own life.
Bibliography: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913). [300 words] This section, along with the next two sections, come from a version of the Ramayana by Donald Mackenzie; he also wrote a version of the Mahabharata which forms the main basis for the PDE Mahabharata.
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