Extra Credit Reading Notes: The Five Brothers A
Source: The Five Brothers: The Story of the Mahabharata by Elizabeth Seeger
I like being able to read multiple versions of the same story. I find that the way each author approaches the storytelling is always so different than the other, so I chose to do one more Mahabharata reading for extra credit this week. I like the way this one is written. The use of language is quite nice and makes it easier for me to imagine what all is happening. Though I am familiar with all of the characters, I do still get confused with a large cast, but the language used here makes it easy to follow!
I really enjoyed the beginning of book II, the tournament. I liked the descriptions of all of the weaponry used and the boys themselves. Arjuna, son of Indra, wore golden mail. I can imagine he looked dazzling and gleaming. It's just a nice picture to have. The tournament was described in great deal too. I felt like I was a spectator watching as well. I think a tournament is great way to show off all of their skills, but Arjuna especially. He excels in archery and with all of the attention on him, he does well with the celestial weapons of earth, wind, water, and clouds... and then Karna shows up. (I think the fourth should've been fire, but it isn't my story.) "He was as tall as a golden palm tree and handsome as a full moon." I liked that sentence for some reason. I never would've used a metaphor like that, but it's nice.
I feel like I should talk about more than just that section, so I will move on! Book III covers the Pandavas being banished. I guess that's a pretty big deal. I liked the brahman's advice to the king. I found the story of the jackal and friends to be interesting and relevant to the story. It reminded me of a jataka tale but evil. I find it interesting how many people try to outsmart and outdo the Pandavas. It's truly so many people. I think it would be interesting to do a story that talks about this in some capacity. Like, they are very clearly the heroes of the story. I don't think we're supposed to like them all of the time, but comparatively, they're the better ones. The jackal story just shows how their enemies seek to use cunning to get their way. It was not good advice!
I like being able to read multiple versions of the same story. I find that the way each author approaches the storytelling is always so different than the other, so I chose to do one more Mahabharata reading for extra credit this week. I like the way this one is written. The use of language is quite nice and makes it easier for me to imagine what all is happening. Though I am familiar with all of the characters, I do still get confused with a large cast, but the language used here makes it easy to follow!
I really enjoyed the beginning of book II, the tournament. I liked the descriptions of all of the weaponry used and the boys themselves. Arjuna, son of Indra, wore golden mail. I can imagine he looked dazzling and gleaming. It's just a nice picture to have. The tournament was described in great deal too. I felt like I was a spectator watching as well. I think a tournament is great way to show off all of their skills, but Arjuna especially. He excels in archery and with all of the attention on him, he does well with the celestial weapons of earth, wind, water, and clouds... and then Karna shows up. (I think the fourth should've been fire, but it isn't my story.) "He was as tall as a golden palm tree and handsome as a full moon." I liked that sentence for some reason. I never would've used a metaphor like that, but it's nice.
I feel like I should talk about more than just that section, so I will move on! Book III covers the Pandavas being banished. I guess that's a pretty big deal. I liked the brahman's advice to the king. I found the story of the jackal and friends to be interesting and relevant to the story. It reminded me of a jataka tale but evil. I find it interesting how many people try to outsmart and outdo the Pandavas. It's truly so many people. I think it would be interesting to do a story that talks about this in some capacity. Like, they are very clearly the heroes of the story. I don't think we're supposed to like them all of the time, but comparatively, they're the better ones. The jackal story just shows how their enemies seek to use cunning to get their way. It was not good advice!
An illustration from the book- page 6 (Source)
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