I found these sources incredibly interesting, and it really opened my eyes to the differences that people see and all of the different ways people have interpreted the Ramayana. Different groups have looked at the same story in so many different ways that it can only be identified by name, with different groups referring to the story as their own with specific “detail, folklore, poetic traditions, imagery”(45) injected throughout it. The story is seen in so many different ways and Sita Sings the Blues is a profound personification of this. There are arguments about different interpretations since there are so many, with different characters getting happy endings while others are thrown to the dust. While there are many different ideas of how the story went and how different characters were treated within the story, the film itself is an interesting exploration of this.
Collin, I like how it's the "same story in so many different ways that it can only be identified by name." This story is rather complex, with its different beginnings, endings, and character attitudes. To some, Ravana is viewed with sympathy, whereas in Valmiki's, it is quite the opposite. Even though the storyline shifts depending on the region, the epic is still prominent. Each version of the story speaks to its regional audience, and even though each is contrasting, it's still the Ramayana.
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I think this story is so interesting in its variations of interpretation. It speaks to the values inherent in each of the cultures that groups look to the value in each of the characters in such a unique way. After reading Valmiki's text it is hard to find many redeeming qualities in Ravana and yet in some traditions he is a heroic figure, and in others Sita is the hero ( a badass self saving princess).
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I loved that there were several different presentations of the Ramayana in this film, with the shadow puppets and the blues music and the parallelism to the artist’s real life. I think the fact that there are so many different ways that the story is told in the movie can be seen as a commentary on all the ways that the story has been told and understood for generations; this film that has 4 (ish) different styles of presentation is only a snapshot of the diverse ways this narrative could be spread.
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