Week 5 Story: Sita Sings Pop
Sita looked into the eyes of the beloved Rama of her younger years. Her twin sons joined their father as she faced him.
She opened her mouth to speak, "First I was afraid. I was petrified. Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side. But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong. And I grew strong1."
Rama moved forward to defend his case. Sita held up her hand and glared at him.
"I would go through all this pain. Take a bullet straight through my brain. Yes I would die for you, baby. But you won't do the same2."
Rama dismissed Sita.
"Sita, I could not risk my subjects not respecting me for keeping you as my wife."
"R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Find out what it means to me3."
With an indignant glare and a roll of her hips, she threw her hands into the air and called to Mother Nature, "Mama, life had just begun. But now I've gone and thrown it all away. Mama! Oooooo4!" Sita fell to her knees. She felt the soft dirt and grass welcome her skin in a comforting embrace. She held her hands to the sky. She finally felt free. Rama had held her heart and will captive too long. She was foolish to believe that his love for her could rival that of his love for the crown.
Sita cried out, "Take me away. A secret place. A sweet escape. Take me away5."
She swayed on her knees, begging Mother Earth to hear her prayers.
She swayed on her knees, begging Mother Earth to hear her prayers.
Suddenly, the ground shook underneath her. A great bolt of lightning shot from the sky and broke the earth. The Great Mother rose from within the crevice, towering tall above the trees in the forest. Her light was overpowering to all but Sita. Her soul was so pure and heart so broken that she gazed upon the light of the Mother in awe. Mother Earth scooped Sita into her great hand and caressed her cheek. "My child, you are the purest of all of my children. You will dwell with me in paradise."
Sita looked gratefully at the Mother. Together, both Sita and Mother Earth turned to Rama. In harmony, they yelled, "Baby, bye bye bye5."Rama could only squint and shield his eyes as Sita vanished into the ground. A single tear fell from his eye. He didn't know if it was because he was forever losing Sita or his power over her.
Author's Note: I watched the video version of the Ramayana. In this version, Sita's feelings are voiced through the songs of Annette Hanshaw. I decided to stay true to this and created Sita's dialogue only out of famous pop/rock songs. In the movie, Sita eventually realizes her worth (as do the other women characters). I really wanted to maintain and emphasize this concept. Sita realizes that she never mattered to Rama more than his crown. I also gave every character their own color for dialogue. This seems like the kind of whimsical thing that Paley would do.
Bibliography: Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley
1. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
2. Grenade by Bruno Mars
3. RESPECT by Aretha Franklin
4. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
5. Bye Bye Bye by NSYNC
I LOVE THIS STORY! The pop songs were such a good way to communicate Sita's feelings because most readers have their own associations and emotional responses to the songs; they're also funny! Also, the fact that Sita discovered her own worth and stood up to Rama was AWESOME. Women are so underrated in most of the Indian Epics I have read so far. Also, the fact that you had a Mother Nature character who supported Sita through her transition was so empowering. Great story!
ReplyDeleteWow, Haley, this was an exceptionally creative story! Great job! I love how you included phrases from popular songs and incorporated them into a story of Rama and Sita. I also love how you focused on Sita’s perspective. I always wondered what it would be like for Sita to realize that she is more important than Rama lets on. Great job!
ReplyDeleteTHIS WAS EPIC!This story put me in such a good mood. In an online class with such a heavy work load, this story was a small light in a dark world. I loved every bit of it, and your song choices were on point. My only suggestion would be adding a little bit more of an introduction. The songs were epic. But I feel that they could have been even better if Rama was going off on a long rant about why he was leaving her and Sita's respone was in song. Also, something like this could be nice to get some more background info on why Rama is dismissing Sita. Also, why does Rama want to have power over Sita? I did not watch the video and was curious if this was a characteristic of him. Other than those teeny tiny things, this was an absolute blessing to me in these assignments.
ReplyDeleteHey Haley,
ReplyDeleteThis was such a creative story that must have taken so much time! I have never seen this done in this class yet and seeing how you applied modern music into this was just amusing! I enjoyed reading every bit of this work of art, because I also like Rama and Sita's story. Great story!!
Hi Hayley I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! The songs you chose and the formatting with color-coded lines were perfect! Mother Earth and Sita departing to NSync was ICONIC and I laughed out loud. I agree so much with the Rama not knowing whether he’d be missing her or his colossal power complex. I’m so glad that Sita recognized her worth and left her worthless husband behind. It was so, so fun to read you channel your inner Nina Paley for this story! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWow, this was so creative!! I really wish that I had watched the video version of the Ramayana now. I loved how you incorporated those songs into your story. I especially like how the songs you chose depicted Sita as a sassy, strong woman. It made me really proud of her! Great job with this story, I look forward to reading your other stories.
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ReplyDeleteHey Hayley,
This is so cool and unique!! Everything about your story was different. I like the layout and the color change in your story. This is the first time I have seen this on anyones story. I really would like to try this myself. Now back to your story, it was so good and creative!!! I am really wondering how much this took you to do because it honestly is so good. I hope to read more of your stories. good luck!
Hi Haley! I twas a little confused with the different font colors and the layout of your dialogue, but I knew something was up based on the way it flowed. This was a great story, and I wish more of the ones we read were written like this- they would be so much easier to remember. I think it was very creative to turn this into a song like telling, and I really look forward to reading more of your stories in the future!
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