Topic Research: Hanuman

(Hanuman: Wikipedia)

The Adventures of Hanuman

I liked how Hanuman's physical features were continuously being highlighted through out the story. The small short of Hanuman's participate in the leaping contest might make for a good intro that can give testament to his physical strength and power.

Source: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc2.ark:/13960/t54f1rt80;view=2up;seq=228

Hanuman's Errand to Lanka

I would like to emphasize Hanuman's wisdom and loyalty from this story. Although he was upset with Sugriva for living so lavishly, he still followed Sugriva's orders to lead the monkeys to find Sita because he knew that was the right thing to do.

This won't be included in my story, but I thought it was humorous that the vulture was planning on eating the monkeys but ended up helping them after he heard about his brother. His agenda totally changed and two completely different sides of the vulture were shown very quickly.

Source: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951p01091379x;view=1up;seq=71

Hanuman Reaches Lanka

Finally, we get to see Hanuman in action with opponents, which was actually quite impressive to read because he essentially outsmarted all his enemies. I would like to focus on a fighting, or rather "out-smarting" scene. to focus on his wit and intelligence.

Also, another side note, most prose describe Hanuman to be this majestic looking creature, but in the illustration included in the text, he looks like any regular monkey, which was interesting to me.

Source: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951p01091379x;view=1up;seq=79

Topic Brainstorm

(Gautam Buddha: Wikimedia Commons)

Hanuman 

I am interested in Hanuman because he looks like this monkey that was in this Chinese show I used to watch as a kid. Turns out, I'm pretty sure that monkey was Hanuman! Or at least the Buddhist version because I also remember seeing a god reappear in the show every once and awhile. I was very young when I watched that show, so I don't remember much about it, but I do remember the monkey being heroic, so I would like to learn exactly what Hanuman did to become so heroic. I would try to retell the story by creating a new "mission" for Hanuman to embark on to further emphasize his abilities.
Source: Wikipedia

Devi

I initially thought this was going to talk about a single female deity, but there are actually several different goddesses. I know nothing about Indian deities, but Lakshmi caught my eye because she is the goddess of wealth, fortune, and prosperity. I would like to learn about how and why Hindu wedding rituals and traditions take after Lakshmi and Vishnu, and I would probably write a story around the ceremonial aspect of two lovers' wedding.
Source: Wikipedia

Karma

Karma is a word that gets thrown around kind of casually these days, but there is actual history and purpose behind it, and that is why I am so interested in it. I know the basic concept of karma, but I am not familiar with its extent, so I would like to learn about that, as well as how it plays a religious role in the realm of reincarnation. As for a story, I would probably tell a classic, petty, drama-filled story, while incorporating the idea of rebirth into it.
Source: Wikipedia

Jataka Tales

I really enjoyed the set of short stories from week 2, so I wanted to expand upon those readings. I keep forgetting that these stories have some relation to Buddha because the stories were about animals, so I want read more keeping that in mind. Also, I just would like to read the story for the sake of reading them and to learn about Buddha's wisdom. They're funny, and there always seems to be a lesson at the end of each story. For retelling a story, I'm not exactly sure how I would go about it, since it's a collection of stories, but I'm sure I would base my story around the lesson, rather than the characters.
Source: Wikipedia