Sita Self-Immolates

Introduction: This story will be a new, very different version of the end of the Ramayana. It will begin from the moment Rama left the battle with Ravana. It will feature a much stronger female heroine and it will have a very different ending. An important note to keep in mind in my version is that Ravana did not suffer from any curse restricting his ability to touch unwilling women, including Sita.

     “He did what!?” I practically shouted at the poor attendant sent to inform me of Rama’s immediate return to his kingdom upon vanquishing Ravana. 

     “I’m s-sorry, ma’am,” stuttered the little man, “he was most anxious to reclaim his throne, seeing how the fourteen-year exile is ending soon.” 

     

     "Very well, I’ll make my way there myself," I muttered. “Bring me a chariot then. I’ll depart as soon as you can prepare me this.”

     As I traveled toward Ayodhya, I was a mixture of fury and gratitude. I couldn't believe my dear husband had worked so hard to find and free me, only to leave without so much as glimpsing at me. Luckily, the charioteer explained during the trip that my sweet Rama had been inclined to return to his kingdom due to his brother’s desperate state of mind—Rama worried he might end his own life! Of course, I immediately forgave my husband and spent the remainder of the trip in anxious excitement at the prospect of being reunited with my love. I felt very sure Rama would succeed in calming his brother as well.

     After a time I realized I was not in just any chariot, but rather the vimana of Indra himself! Suffice to say, the trip back was a very quick one indeed. We arrived at the city gates and I proudly exited the chariot. As I strode through the city streets toward the palace, I began to notice an uncomfortable air about the citizens. Darting glances, hushed whispers behind my back: all this greeted the return of the rightful king’s wife? I could not believe their disrespect, but it was of no import to me. "I’ll be with my Rama again soon, and none of these things shall matter any longer," I thought to myself.

     I entered the palace courtyard and nearly fainted with joy at the sight of my beloved husband!Finally, I would be able to move on and forget the wretched feel of the evil Ravana. I rushed toward his glorious embrace, filled to the brim with happiness at being reunited with him. Much to my surprise, however, Rama stepped back at my approach. I was shocked. His face was cold, shut off. I stood stock still, more confused than I had ever been in my life. "How can this be?" I wondered aloud.

     “It is improper for a woman who has been alone with another man to remain in the household of her husband. You may do as you wish, but you cannot stay here.” Rama’s words crushed me. I tried to offer a rebuttal, but only a faint whimper came out. My knees gave out and I sank to the ground. A cry of anguish escaped my lips. A rush of memories assailed me: the first time Ravana approached me, the last time--just before the battle began, and all the many times between. Every single time Ravana raped me  was burned into my memory. I shook my head, trying to clear my haunted thoughts.

     “You think I have forsaken you, my dear husband? Have you no faith in our love, the love that is known through all the heavens and the Earth?”

     “It would be impossible to believe such a beautiful woman had remained pure through such a long tribulation, I’m afraid.”

     “Not only have you held me to such an impossible standard—to avoid rape, being unwillingly touched by a man unwillingly, without an ounce of pleasure or love—but now you refuse to accept your loving, devoted wife even though you worked so hard to free her? I had no say in what was done with my body, husband of mine.”

Rama’s stoic expression made it clear to me that he would not reconsider. I immediately left the palace court. I would not be a victim—not again.

     It took many hours, days, weeks, and months of meditation, counsel, and self-reflection, but eventually I was able to live a happy life. I lived through the trials of Ravana imprisoning me, Rama’s judgment and ultimate rejection of me, and now it was time I live through something new, something good. It was at this point I met Ardhanaranari, who turned out to be the love of my life. Yes, yes, I know. I had said this once before. But Ardhanaranari taught me that love is not about being in eternal servitude; it is about equal love and respect. We take care of one another, and I have continued to enjoy my newly found hobbies. I enjoy reading stories of old, belly dancing, and I even continued my meditation—it’s great for dealing with the inevitable annoyances of living with a lover! Sometimes, I feel as if my new personality has lit my very soul on fire, almost as an offering to the gods...

Author’s Note: I had a lot of fun writing this story. If you can’t tell, I’m a feminist and this story for me represents the Sita I had been wishing for throughout the reading of the Ramayana. I still appreciate the epic as it is; it is a wonderful glimpse into the cultural and religious traditions of India. However, my feminist mind couldn't help recreating Sita as a stronger version of herself. I did try to convey her extreme devotion and original personality as much as possible in the recreated version. I also felt obligated to address the issue of rape in the story, as the manner in which this was handled in the original version really bothered me. I strongly believe it is important to address these issues in our media, and not continue to sugarcoat the issues as our society often does. I guess this is my little contribution to that movement. I only used one source other than the Ramayana; that was Wikipedia. I was initially searching for an androgynous traditional Indian name. I ended up finding this name because it is the name of a particular incarnation of Shiva—one which was half male and half female. I chose this particular name—among several choices—because it was the most neutral in meaning, in my opinion. I liked the idea of Sita’s new partner’s sex and gender remaining unknown. I prefer to let my readers make their own choice, if they wish. I pinned a couple things to my Pinterest board, which is here, in regards to androgyny in case anyone is interested! I chose the image below because it makes me think of Sita with a great sage, who I imagine could have been helpful to her after her trials with Ravana and Rama. In reality, the image actually shows Menaka and Visvamitra, but I chose to interpret the picture differently to fit my story. I chose this title because of Sita's final thought in my version, which is also a throwback to the original.

(Image from Wikimedia)

Bibliography:

Narayan, R.K. (1972) The Ramayana

“Ardhanarishvara.” Website: Wikipedia 
"Vimana." Website: Wikipedia

Week Three: Reading Diary B

So this was the end of the Ramayana—at the least short version of it anyway. The fight scene was very long and dramatic, which made me curious to see what the original will be like! Of course our protagonist, Rama, won and the evil Ravana was defeated. Ravana’s brother took over as ruler of Ravana’s kingdom, which was pretty cool since his brother had turned to the side of Rama and the monkeys. I was a little skeptical of this however, because although the brother did not agree with Ravana’s choice to kidnap and imprison Sita he never interfered in these actions. In the end, he only fled and helped Rama because Ravana kicked him out of their side. He would not have helped to save Sita in any way—in my opinion—were it not for his exile, which did occur due to his speaking out against Ravana’s actions, in his defense.

My least favorite scene in the entire epic came at the very end. This was when Sita attempted to immolate herself due to Rama’s rejection. This irritated me for two reasons: Sita should value herself as a person beyond being Rama’s partner and Rama should also not have held Sita to such an unfair standard. Sita was strong-willed, yes. But had Ravana not suffered from a curse that prevented him from touching an unwilling woman, Sita would have been raped long before Rama’s arrival. In that case, she would not have passed Rama’s test and would have been burned to death and forever kept from Rama. This is an unrealistic, sexist, patriarchal standard and I am not a fan of it. It seems to me that the older the religion, the worse the outlook is for the women. I will say though, this tells me nothing of how Hinduism regards women today, and it is the oldest religion on Earth, after all. I'll keep my hopes held high, for now.

(Image from Wikimedia)

Week Three: Reading Diary A

I was most interested in the section of today’s reading when Rama ‘helped’ the brother to fight his older brother and ultimately kill him. This scene was strange for me because I really did not agree with Rama’s actions and I feel like Rama is supposed to be such a pillar of good morality throughout the Ramayana Epic—as well as the entire Hindu tradition, I suspect. The scene was complicated because at the end Rama explained his reasoning for shooting the older brother whilst he was completely unaware of Rama’s presence. Rama thought that it was right because the older brother had completely mistreated the younger (who had taken on the role of ruler while under the false impression that the older brother was dead). Rama’s reason for shooting him without facing him was in order to avoid the older brother attempting to plead with him after Rama had already made a promise to the younger brother. I guess I was expecting something along the lines of Rama acting as a mediary between the two brothers in order for them to work out their differences and realize what a big misunderstanding it all was. But no, Rama just killed the guy because that was “simpler”…. I did like reading the fight scene though. I also enjoyed the jab the older brother made about how humans fight with weapons while monkeys do not. I actually really, really agree with the sentiment that winning a fight using a weapon does not make you a strong warrior, and I think that’s something most people today forget. But I also wished someone in the story would have pointed out the unfairness of the fight between the brothers—one of which had an obvious advantage thanks to the gods!

(Image of Vali dying from Wikipedia)

Week Two: Famous Last Words

This week I really enjoyed writing my story about the Ganga. I love personifying animals/things and I had a lot of fun describing how the Ganga was—quite literally—steaming mad! I am still doing well in my other courses, and adjusting reasonably well to having courses in full French! I am also looking into getting my certificate to teach English as a Foreign Language this summer—which will be an exciting, daunting task. I’ll continue doing research this week and hopefully find out next week whether or not I will be able to do this during the coming summer. Depending on cost, as well as time, I may or may not be able to go. My dad has offered to pay for some of the expenses, and possibly loan me the remaining portion needed, depending on exactly how much it would cost. (Interest-free, parent-provided loans=BEST LOAN EVER!) I’ll also be taking summer classes though, so it is important I ensure the two interests don’t conflict with one another. If I go, the course will be in New York City, which is awesome. I have only been in New York City once, when I missed my flight home from France and ended up having to transfer airports in the middle of the night, got screwed over by a private taxi (whom I’m thankful only charged me a hundred dollars for a ride, as opposed to kidnapping me), and then spent about seven hours waiting for my flight. So it will be cool to actually get to do a bit of sight-seeing while in New York, when I’m not obsessively studying for this course; I hear it is really intensive. Outside of school, I had a rough day. I am no longer tutoring. The father of the little boy I tutor doesn't really value education and thought the tutoring was a waste of time. He also didn't like me because I have an academic interest in Islam (I’m a religious studies major!) and he is a prejudiced person. So, unfortunately he overruled the mother who was very open-minded and pro-education, and decided not to continue having their son tutored. It’s their decision of course, but I do hope the son learns to value knowledge and be more open-minded than the father. Wish me luck in my search for a new job! Also, my older sister will be staying with me Wednesday and Thursday night, and my younger sister will be visiting me Saturday! I am looking forward to seeing them both! Ooh, and I am going to include a link to a Facebook event which is super relevant to this class. Please feel free to come, share the event among your friends/ FB groups, or even other classes! It is free and is sure to be an interesting discussion by a professor I have heard speak before; she is fascinating! Conversations with Dr. Nyla Khan

(Image taken from Conversations with Dr. Nyla Khan)

Possible Topics for Storytelling

1       Sita: I am interested in Sita because she seems to be an important figure in the Ramayana, at least. I was hoping she develops into a stronger character, but it doesn’t seem like that really happens. This kind of disappoints me; I would have liked to see a more impressive female lead. I only know of Sita what we have learned from our reading, and that she is an incarnation of Vishnu’s heavenly lover.

  

     Research: I did some reading over Sita on Mythfolklore.net. It seems like Sita continues to play a supportive role to her husband, Rama. She doesn’t appear to ever move beyond this role, though that isn’t particularly surprising given the time period these characters were written in. I also searched on Wikipedia and found a more detailed ending to Sita’s story. I was interested because although Rama never took her back in spite of her dedication to him, she attained a happy ending by being returned to her original realm. Sita was an incarnation of Vedavati, and was the heavenly soulmate of Vishnu—who was incarnated as Rama on Earth. In a sense, I guess you could say the two ended up together after all.

2     

            Karma: I have always been interested in karma. I studied it whenever I took a course on Buddhism, and it seems that Hinduism has very similar viewpoints. I like the idea of people being held responsible for their actions—both in the same life and the next, if there is a next life. I would like to see how karma plays out through the course of an individual’s lifespan, or lifespans.

v    Research: The Wikipedia confirmed by beief that Hindu beliefs regarding Karma were similar to Buddhist views. I think I would like to focus on a particular epic, or character, and discuss how karma affected that story or character in particular. Vedavati would be a good example of this, because she incarnated as Sita in order to get back at Ravana and therefore fulfilling the karmic cycle, at least for the moment.

3

        Vishnu: I am interested in Vishnu because I think knowing about him would be more applicable from a Religious Studies perspective because of what a major role he plays throughout Hinduism in his various forms. I also settled on him because he is the one I have a statue of, and I think that’s cool! Haha. I don’t know much about him, other than that Rama is one of his incarnations. I would like to know more about his other incarnations.

Research: I am a little overwhelmed. There is a female incarnation of Vishnu called Mohini. Mohini seems pretty interesting, from what I found on Wikipedia. She is known for enchanting men, and it seems we will be reading about her later in the semester in the Mahabharata. I am also interested in Vaishnavism, a branch of Hinduism devoted to Vishnu. I would like to study this; I think it would interest me because it would give me more definitive answers about at least that sect f Hinduism. Definitive answers can be very hard to find in Hinduism at large! I have found so far that Vaishnavism believes in Vishnu as the supreme god; follow a process of initiation; and focuses on the literal meaning of scriptures.

4.       Ravana: I decided it might be interesting to look at Ravana, as he is the enemy of our current heroine, Sita. He really disliked Rama, too, as the husband of Sita. I haven’t fully decided how I feel about Ravana. I know he is supposed to be the evil character, but I also know stories tend to be very one-sided. I would like to make up my mind for myself! I know nothing about Ravana, other than what I have gathered in our reading.

Research: According to Wikipedia, Rama is also his enemy because Rama cut of Ravana’s sister’s nose! I found it interesting that two of Ravana’s siblings tried to convince him to return Sita to Rama. I also read about Sita’s sneaky trick to keep Ravana from attempting to string the bow and win the right to marry her. This made me like Sita a bit more!

(Image found on Wikipedia)

The Descent of the Ganga

Once upon a time, there was a wild, massive river flowing freely throughout the heavens. This river was so massive, it stretched to every corner of the seven levels of the heavens; it was so wild that no one, not even Kali—the goddess of power—could tame it. However, one very lucky—or simply special, some might say—young man set out to bring this mighty river down from the heavens. For you see, the river had mystical powers, and could cleanse the soul of a human. But I’m getting ahead of myself I suppose…

Before all of that, this ‘lucky young man’ had been one of sixty-thousand sons! Amazing, huh? Tragically, he was the only remaining living son, as his brothers had all been killed. Oh, but that’s another story… This young man, by the name of Bhagiratha, wanted to bring down the Ganga in order to set free his brothers’ souls—which had been trapped, unable to ascend to the heavens in their afterlives. Unfortunately, the Ganga felt that she was entirely too valuable for such a menial task. She was irked at this request and felt she must have a proper revenge on the mortal who had such audacity to solicit her help. Therefore, the Ganga decided to destroy Mother Earth upon her descent!

During her long drop downward, the Ganga was so angry that huge, steaming fumes were coming out of her in all directions. In fact, she got so hot that the entirety of the Ganga began to boil and turned into a giant tunnel of steam! Thankfully, steam is not nearly as harmful as water can be. The Ganga continued rushing towards Earth, but the Earth was no longer in danger. The steam reached Earth and dissipated, so quietly that hardly even a mouse would have noticed. But Bhagiratha was watching, and was much dismayed. He thought his brothers would never be saved with the Ganga having completely disappeared. Little did he know, the droplets of steam did not actually disappear, as much as separate from one another. Many of the droplets fell right to the Earth, landing on the soil and in the great oceans. However, exactly 108 droplets were carried off by the strong winds. These droplets landed in various sacred places throughout Mother Earth, but one such droplet is of significance for this story. That was the droplet which landed on the souls of Bhagiratha’s brothers.

Bhagiratha’s brothers were saved! He was overjoyed! Now he knew with certainty that his wonderful brothers would be able to reach the heavens and live on in the afterlife in peace and happiness. No longer hindered by his burning guilt regarding his many fallen brothers, Bhagiratha went on to live a happy, wonderful life. He fell in love, traveled throughout the lands, and raised a beautiful family. Our sacred places of today come from the places on Earth where the Ganga landed. The number 108 is used for meditation training because this is how many droplets landed on the Earth. This number is sacred and represents a tie to our past, to the time of the Ganga’s descent. The end.



(Image from Wikimedia)


Author’s note: I chose this story because I was fascinated by the story of the Ganga and I also really enjoy personifying things/animals. It was especially challenging to personify the Ganga’s emotions; doing this with animals in the past was much easier for me! Working with only the inner thoughts of the Ganga and limited outward expression forced me to think outside the box, which is why I thought of the Ganga’s entire being reverberating with her rage—something I myself have felt, but never literally experienced in the way the Ganga of my version did. I chose the picture above because it shows a lot of steam blowing off, but it is actually from a volcano—not a giant mystical river! It looks similar to how I imagined the Ganga would have looked, though. The original story tells of another god coming down and literally holding up the Ganga to prevent her from smashing the Earth to pieces. In my version, the anger of the Ganga is what prevents the Ganga from destroying the Earth. I liked this twist because the story becomes more than just a story; it teaches a lesson: when you allow yourself to be angry, you often thwart your own plans. I think this is an important lesson for everyone to learn and one that I myself struggle with more than any other form of self-control and self-discipline.


Bibliography:

Narayan, R.K. (1972) The Ramayana, Naray.

Reading Diary A: Week One

I am really enjoying the book so far! I am having to work extra hard to keep up with all the names and whose mother is who’s! I find it interesting that Rama does not know that he is an incarnation of Vishnu; I would have thought that he would have possessed all the divine knowledge of Vishnu himself. I was surprised to find that Kaikeyi, Bharatha’s mother, did not actually intend to take the throne from Rama initially—but rather she was convinced to do such by her (somewhat crazy) friend, Kooni. I liked reading about Rama and his brother Lakshamana’s travels in the beginning, with Sage Vishwamithra. For me, seeing Rama’s attachment to his brother and willingness to do the sage’s bidding showed his character and made even an incarnation of a deity feel more human. Reading about the Rama’s wedding to Sita was extra interesting because I had previously read a retelling of this story from a past student for one of our earlier assignments. I liked getting to read the story in full for myself,instead of just going off of tid bits of others’ and not knowing exactly what had been changed. This part made it difficult for me to relate to the characters though, as it was clear Sita and Rama only fell in “love” because they were attracted to one another. It seemed like a depthless love story. They made eye contact from afar, Rama strung a god’s bow—proving his inhuman strength—and suddenly they were a match made in heaven? Oh, yeah. They were. Apparently Sita is an incarnation of the Vishnu’s divine lover as well. Cool. Here is a picture of Rama's father grieving over the turn of events and his realization that the reason he is being forced to give his thrown to Bharatha instead of Rama is due to his having accidentally killed a boy years ago, and being cursed for it.

(Image of Dasaratha's Grief)

Famous Last Words: Week 1

 I think my best writing for this first week of class was my storytelling. I did my story over the nursery rhyme “Mistress Mary”. I really enjoyed the assignment and I really latched onto the title, which was slightly different from the version I had grown up with, “Mary, Mary”. My assumption was that the title and rhyme changed over time, in particular due to the negativity regarding mistresses in today’s society. Because of that, I decided to really base my story around the word “mistress”, and the story just grew from there.

My other classes are going well so far. I really like my schedule this semester! I have this online class and two classes on Mondays and Thursdays at 11:30 and 1:30. However, on Wednesdays my schedule is pretty busy. On top of those two classes, I am also taking two evening classes—on the same day! One is from 3:30-6:10 and another is from 6:30-9:20. But my classes are interesting. I think I am going to survive my French classes after all—there was a long, scary moment of doubt on the first day of classes. The class I am taking called “Techniques of Teaching a Foreign Language” is looking like it will be a really useful class for me, since I want to teach English as a second language. I also really like the professor! It is a bit frustrating though, because I have to do something called a micro-teaching. For that project I am required to prepare a ten to fifteen minute lesson in which I act like my classmates are my students. However, I am not allowed to teach in English even though that is the language I intend to teach, because everyone in the class already speaks English. I understand my teachers’ though process, but I would rather focus on teaching English rather than another language. I wonder what would happen if someone did not have any background in another language…. Now I have to decide if I am going to teach in French or Arabic… Hmmm… On another note, I order all of my textbooks via Amazon. So far only one has come in. How long can I go without them before it starts really messing up my grades? .... I guess I am going to find out.

(Image from The Economy of Meaning)

Overview: My Thoughts at the Start of the Semester

I have taken one class on India before, which was also online. So far I do not see a huge connection, but I think I will further into the semester. I also think this class will fill in the gaps where my previous class left off. In that course, we studied a lot about the caste system in India and how it affected everyday life when the British ruled over India. It was interesting but frustrating at times because characters would reference various deities as if the audience would most certainly be familiar with them already, but I was not! I am a religious studies major, but this year is the first semester our department has had a professor of Hinduism since I have been a student at OU--or maybe ever! I have not yet had a class with the new professor, but hopefully I will get to take a class with her in the fall before I graduate. So far I am most interested in Rama and the whole concept of avatars. I have heard of Vishnu but I don't really know anything about him. I used to think I had a statue of Krishna in my apartment, but I am thinking now it is actually Vishnu! The statue has many, many arms. Hopefully I will know for sure by the end of the semester. My overall goal isn't really to memorize all the deities of Hinduism--I'm not sure that's possible! But I would like to learn more about some of the major gods and how the beliefs of Hindus influenced the great Indian Epics.

(Image taken from Wikipedia Article on Vishnu)

Storybook Favorites

The first storybook I looked at was titled RateMyRishi. I really liked this one because the whole premise was just fascinating. It imitates RateMyProfessor.com, which is one of my favorite sites to use when planning my schedule. I enjoyed the tone of the storybook, which was very informal and friendly. The quips between various commentators were entertaining and at times funny. I did feel rather lost, however. There were definitely a good number of references made to stories which we have not yet read. It made me feel like I was missing out on the joke. I did really like the introduction, though. I think the design was a bit boring, but so is the original RateMyProfessor.com design!

The second storybook I looked at was titled Every Lover A Soldier: Tales of Epic Love. This story book was really confusing for me. The idea seems awesome: three women tell three of their own love stories to one another. However, the first woman only ever told one story if I understood everything. The third didn’t tell a story at all! This was frustrating for me because the introduction lead me to expect to read three stories per woman, and I did not experience that. I was also annoyed by the design. Though it was pretty, I found it very impractical. I had trouble reading the stories; I couldn’t read the links to each different page at all. I think you have to balance aesthetics and practicality when designing a storybook or anything else really. I did love the front page, though. It was drawn by the author of the storybook!

(Covershot from Every Lover a Soldier: Tales of Epic Love)

The third storybook I read was titled Diary of Famous Love Stories. I liked the idea of retelling love stories from both the woman and man’s viewpoint. I did not really care for the author’s take on these stories, but the writing itself was good and I think the design was attractive without being confusing or difficult to understand.

Introduction: What I Do

My name is Val. I am a junior at OU; I’ll be graduating in the fall of this year! I am a Religious Studies major, but I intend to teach English as a Second Language after graduation. I really enjoy teaching, and I love that teaching English will enable me to work almost anywhere in the world. Post-graduation I am looking at working in Southeast Asia for a year or two in order to pay off my student loans, but I don’t plan to settle there long-term. I would like to live and work in Northern Africa. There I will be able to work—though I won’t make as much as in Asia. I will also be able to utilize my French. I would prefer to teach in an immersion program; however, if I am unable to find such a position in a French-speaking country then I will have the option to teach English in most public and private schools because many North African countries are French-speaking. I am taking a class through OU this semester which covers the various techniques of teaching a foreign language! I am also taking Jews and Other Germans for my major and French Phonetics and French Film, both of which will help me to finish up my French minor. I hope to eventually be fluent in French, as it will help expand my job opportunities and also offer a lot of benefits in my personal life.

Currently, I work three different jobs. They are very non-traditional, but I really enjoy them and prefer it over working in a more normal part-time situation. Three days a week I tutor a seven-year-old. We cover math, science, reading comprehension, writing, English grammar, and phonics. We also take occasional trips to the public library, and we do science experiments and projects as well. Bi-monthly I clean for a really nice guy that works in the oil and gas industry. It isn’t super glamorous, but it is easy, pays well, and I have the habit of hooking up my phone to the surround sound and blasting music while I’m working. On Thursdays, I don’t have class. I care for a mentally handicapped woman in Oklahoma City. She is thirty-four, and her name is Janet. I also do occasional babysitting and pet-sitting!

(Photo taken by the mother of the little boy I tutor, Jake)

I work a lot more than I really need to, because I’m always saving for the next trip I’m planning. Right now, I am planning to go to Georgia for spring break and Egypt in July for two of my close friends’ wedding. I am really excited! Traveling is something I really love, so I make it a priority to save for trips. I also enjoy dancing and reading. My favorite kind of books is old romance novels, the ones set in the Renaissance especially. I also love swimming; I never miss a chance to go to the beach!

Well, that about sums it up! Feel free to comment if you want to know anything more.

Week 1 Storytelling: Mistress Mary

MISTRESS MARY, quite contrary,

Mistress Mary was an awful young woman—and I’m only calling her young for fear of repercussion. It’s no wonder she never married, she’s so very difficult to be around. What kind of man or woman would want her for a lover, let alone a spouse? Always aiming for queen, she never pushed past her dreadful role as mistress. No one quite knows how our beloved king tolerated her.  Even so, her position provided her with ample power and status, which explained her nasty habit of spending money on such silly, useless things.

How does your garden grow?

Take her garden for instance! At least a hundred feet long, and just as wide as the king’s castle—the size of it alone was enough to make your head spin. Careful now, the young Prince Henry got lost once and never did find his way out of the garden again. The beauty of the garden though, it truly is enough to dazzle. How does Mistress Mary do it?

With cockle-shells, and silver bells,

Well, surely the cockle-shells and silver bells, all lined up in a row, are not to blame. They seem quite useless, really, though a wonderful ringing can be heard throughout the garden.

And pretty maids all a row.

Maybe then, the pretty maids working up and down the rows, tending the garden are to blame for the beauty. That couldn’t be—it’s well known those so-called maids gossip more than anything else! Not a drop of fresh, fertile soil is brought into the garden in the spring; water too, is rare to find. Honestly, what do those wretched girls do all day in there? It cannot be denied that the rose bushes have the biggest blooms you’ll ever find. I guess we’ll never know then, how Mistress Mary’s garden grows…

(Picture of Mary's Garden)

Author's Note: This story is based on the nursery rhyme "Mistress Mary", which is quoted throughout the story in italics. You can find the original nursery rhyme in The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang (1897). I did technically follow the story of the original rhyme; however, I expanded upon it quite a bit and changed the tone of the story. I added a bit of sarcasm and overall negativity, as the story mentions a lost--presumably dead—prince inside the garden and Mary's personality is quite unfriendly. I chose to make Mary an unfriendly character mostly because it fit the first line of the version of the nursery rhyme that I used: "Mistress Mary, quite contrary." No one seems to think much about this line, but it seems very clear to me that Mary was a mistress and not a very happy, warm character. I did not actually change this, but rather expanded upon it to make Mary seem more like a real person. I chose the image above because it reflected what I pictured when writing this story very well. I imagine this being just one section of Mary's vast, beautiful garden. My overall purpose for this story was to make this rhyme more interesting and maybe even remind readers of someone they may have known over the years who had a personality similar to Mary—I think we have all known a perpetually cranky, middle-aged woman at some point!

My Favorite Places in France: Marseille, Vichy and Paris... In That Order!

The summer after my first year of college I studied abroad in Vichy, France. I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Marseille-on the French Riviera-and Paris, as well. Marseille was most definitely my favorite city.

 After some rather horrible travel/communication difficulties upon my arrival in France, I eventually made it to my apartment. Below is a picture of the outside of the building. The efficiency apartment was tiny, even by efficiency standards! But it was cheap-a nice relief from the other costs of living in France! It was also just a few blocks from my school, and close to several of my future-friends apartments'. There was this little cafe nearby that served gyros; I'd never had one before my stay in Vichy. They were SO good. I ate there nearly every day for lunch or dinner. Sometimes both.

(image information: personal photo taken in Vichy, France; photo from June 2013)

These are just the set of keys I used to enter my apartment building, and my apartment. I think they are so cool looking.

(image information: personal photo taken in Vichy, France; photo from June 2013)

While in France, I was pretty much forced to come out of my shell-despite the language barrier and my generally anti-social personality-because I didn't know anyone else and I didn't want to be a complete loner for a month, haha. Pictured below are two girls that I became very close with while in Vichy. I'm hoping to one day be able to visit them! Han is on the left, Yang is in the middle, and I am on the right.

(image information: personal photo of Han, Yang, and myself in Vichy, France; photo taken June 2013)

I went to Marseille for a weekend during my stay. Marseille was an absolutely gorgeous city. Forever a beach bum, I spent a huge portion of my weekend in the water.

(image information: personal photo of myself at a beach in Marseille; photo taken June 2013)

I took this photo at the top of an old fort that is right in the middle of Marseille, and overlooks the harbor. I still can't get over how pretty this place is.

(image information: personal photo take of the harbor in Marseille, France; photo taken June 2013)

Another weekend, I went to Paris, France for "La Fette de Musique", which just means "The Music Festival". The festival was amazing. It takes place annually all over France, but the the best place to be during it is Paris! There were huge concerts taking place in the middle of major intersections, completely shutting down traffic. They also had countless little acts outside coffee shops and other small businesses. It was amazing. However, I couldn't find any pictures from the concerts!

I did take pictures during my visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. This was my very favorite part of the trip. I am a Religious Studies Major, so places like this always interest me. Once again though, the beauty of the place was astounding. Below is a picture of the outside of the cathedral. It was a cloudy day, and it made for a perfect backdrop to my photo.

(image information: photo of the Notre Dame Cathedral

 in Paris, France; personal photo from June 2013)

Inside the cathedral, it was even more beautiful and extravagant.

(image information: photo of the inside of the Notre Dame 

Cathedral; personal photo take June 2013)

Overall, my trip to France was amazing. My French improved by leaps and bounds. I got to see some amazing sights. And I made some fantastic new friends!

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Hope I like this class!