Week 5: Reading Diary B

Maricha is so wise- I admire how he is courageous enough to tell Ravana to not be so prideful and greedy since it can be so harmful.  Also, it's nice that he reminds Ravana that he was his wives at home who love him- he doesn't need to go after any more.  I think it's also kind that Maricha isn't too prideful and humbly uses an illustration from his own life of the power of having friends and doing right.  However, I find it ironic that Maricha is trying to persuade Ravana to do one thing (be good), and then Maricha helps Ravana in being deceitful- what's up with that?  And he does it so convincingly- he doesn’t do a so-so role-playing job- he does a very good job at luring Rama away and then imitating his voice.  When Maricha died, I was sorta sad because on one hand, I think his heart was in the right place but on another hand, he did a lot of evil as well.  However, I really like how detailed the description of the deer is- it certainly does sound enchanting and very desirable.  Quite beautiful, actually.  I can only imagine what it would have looked like.  I’ll have to try and google a picture.  Anyways, it really frustrates me that no one listens to Lakshmana- there will be another time no one listens to him and it’s hard to read because if others would just listen to each other, many problems could be avoided.   This frustration is very applicable to real life, too.  How many times are there when we don’t listen to someone for whatever reason.  There may actually be a time when hearing them out would do us a world of good.  When Ravana takes Sita, I don’t think this version of the story mentioned that he picked her up via the dirt under her.  Also, he touches her (grabs her around the waist)- does the whole consent/touching death curse not apply in this version?  Ohhhh…now I see the curse.  Also, I didn’t know Rama was supposed to be the king of the bears and monkeys and he can only have his one wife?  Good for him! I just didn’t know that.  Not sure if I skipped over it in the last book or if it’s truly a new detail that Buck put in.  Anyways, the Rishyamuka Hill seems really neat- I wonder if people would intentionally go there or how strict it’d be in terms of how much “bad” you have in you or if waking up rich is totally do-able.