Week 6: Reading Diary B

Here I Am (Continued):

·    Wow! I didn’t realize that Lanka was so heavily guarded. I wouldn’t expect Ravana to feel the need for any of the cannons, catapults, or other defenses due to his arrogance. Why didn’t Hanuman target all of these things as he was destroying the city from within?

·    Nala’s “imperfection” is certainly an unusual one. Today, most people would consider it to be a blessing if none of their stuff could sink to the bottom of the ocean. Regardless of how they interpret his condition, it definitely proved useful in Rama’s quest.

The Building of the Bridge:

·    I really liked the conversation and development of emotion that led up to Vibhishana’s banishment. While he was certainly raising good points and trying to help Ravana, it was also obvious that he was making Ravana angry. The entire situation was developed much more thoroughly in this version of the story.

·    How didn’t anybody in Lanka notice as Nala built a one hundred league bridge toward their city over the course of 5 days?!

The Siege of Lanka:

·    First of all, spoiler alert for the title of this chapter. If I hadn’t already read another version of this story, that might have taken away some of the suspense.

·    I think that it’s funny that Kumbhakarna’s response to Ravana’s situation was simply, “Give her back.” Ravana’s brother had been asleep for the past 6 months and immediately recognized the error of his ways.

·    “What I don’t like I don’t hear!” What a perfect quote from Ravana that summarizes his entire character. Ravana always does whatever he wants without any regard for the potential consequences of his actions. He even banished his brother for condemning him for being a coward and putting all of the Rakshasas’ lives in danger.

·    I liked how Kumbhakarna even supported Vibhishana when Ravana tried to act like he was a traitor.

The Invisible Warrior:

·    How can Ravana be so irrational when he’s surrounded by so much wisdom?

·    The Sita illusion was well played. I must admit that I wasn’t sure whether or not Indrajit actually killed her.