Week 9 Story: I Am Woman

There once was a young girl who was told she could be anything. That was until she soon realized that this wasn't always the case. Annabeth was 12 years old when she first was told by a school yard bully that she could never be a marine or a navy seal, girls weren't strong enough. Annabeth was 20 years old when she was told that she would never make it in the entertainment industry, she wasn't pretty enough. Annabeth was 35 years old when she was scolded for never wanting to be a mother, women were always supposed to want to have kids. Annabeth was 60 years old when she was told she would die alone, because she never got married or had babies. These words though never stopped her, she kept on fighting even when life got in the way.

Annabeth had spent her whole life wanting to live up to her parent's expectations, but it never ended up that way. There was always those pressures of who to be and what to do with her life. Annabeth knew she would never been the exact equivalent of the male counterpart, but she knew she had values that were the strengths only a woman could have. This young, scared girl became a powerful woman that not many wanted to face. Annabeth went to law school and graduated top of her class. She was feared inside and outside of the courtroom, and proved so many people wrong that had diminished her in the past. Annabeth was loved by her friends, parents and siblings and that gave her all the satisfaction she needed from life. She knew she didn't have the most typical story, but that's what made hers so great. Annabeth was unique and that is all she could have ever wanted from life.

Author's Note: For my personal story, I chose to turn Shikhandin into Annabeth. In the story about The Maiden Who Became a Knight, we never get to see the pressure the princess felt because she was not the son her parents had prayed for, so I wanted to give her a voice. I always wanted to give every other girl who felt like they didn't have a voice to have one. I didn't keep to most of the story, but I took a major element, repression, I found in this story and turned it into an empowering one. Shikhandin should have been valued for more than just her gender, and I wanted to express that through my story.

Source: The Maiden Who Became a Knight in the Mahabharata by Sister Nivedita



(Women Empowerment: pixabay)

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part B

The Maiden Who Became a Knight is my favorite story from this reading, especially since it is a more empowering story about a female figure, retold by a female voice. The story begins with the eldest queen of Drupada and how she was unable to have a child with the king of the Panchalas. Drupada prayed every day for a son to be born, instead of a daughter. He dedicated his son to fight the battle against Drona. Shiva blessed him and his wife became pregnant, but with a daughter. Shiva did promise Drupada though that a son would be the next born child. Drupada went home and told his queen of the news, and she was overwhelmed with happiness and blessings. The queen was due to give birth and after she did, they informed everyone they had given birth to a son, although it was indeed a daughter. No one was suspicious and the lie went on. They named their daughter Shikhandin, which had a feminine form of Shikhandini. She was raised as a warrior, going through everything that a prince would train as and for. This daughter was just as strong as all the other princes. It was time for this "son" to find a wife, so they searched far and wide for a suitable bride. When the king of the selected bride heard of the rumors that the prince was in fact a woman, he vowed revenge on Drupada and swore to destroy his kingdom. Drupada felt guilty and weak at this time, and the queen publicly took responsibility for this lie. Drupada and his council concluded that the marriage proposal was all in good faith and they believed the daughter to be a son. So they prepared for war and prayed to the gods for help.

Source: Mahabharata by Sister Nivedita


(Shikhandi Battle Scene: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part A

The Promise to Drona was one story that really stood out to me throughout this weeks reading. Drona had taken these princes as his students one day and called for them to gather together and lay down. Drona promised these princes that he would teach them to become strong warriors and learn how to bear arms. He had a special plan for these men. At the sound of this declaration, the princes all became silent in unison. Although one of them, Arjuna, the third eldest Pandavas, swore that he would accomplish this goal set before them. Drona instantly favored Arjuna from this moment on, as he saw all the pontetial Arjuna held and the warrior he would become. Drona and Arjuna had a special bond because of this, and they never wavered from each other's side. Arjuna was set to master the arms he would soon to learn. Princes from all around came to see the famous Drona, master of arms and teacher to men. All of the Kurus and Pandavas were his pupils, and these princes were set to be strong warriors. Karna soon came along and he was very different from the rest. He was rumored to be the adopted son of another royal member of the court. His true birth blood was unknown to everyone though. Karna and Arjuna soon became enemies within their training, always pitted against each other. Karna befriended Duryodhana and his brothers though, not the Pandavas. Arjuna took every opportunity he could to learn and master every skill they were taught, so he could be better than the others. Arjuna was eating one night and found out that even in the dark he could eat without a problem. So he also started training at night and when Drona found him so, he embraced the student fully realizing all the potential this young prince had inside of him.

Source: Mahabharata by Sister Nivedita


(Drona: wikipedia)