CONFLICT
The essay should be written on one of the following topics, your choice:
1. How is The Ramayana a symptom of the conflict between Brahmins and Kshatriyas for social dominance? Could you say that Rama was a Kshatriya prince with good Brahmin values? Was Ravana a Brahmin king with bad Kshatriya values? Why was Rama’s guru, Viswamithra depicted as a KshaRtriya? Is this book a “historic compromise” between Kshatriyas and Brahmins? Read in Wikipedia to get more background on the characters and their castes.
2. Does Sita ever do anything right on her own initiative? Was Rama justified in letting her go into the fire when he knew that she was innocent and never had sex with Ravana? Why does Sita leave Rama after the fire incident? Do not just repeat what Narayan says. Think about this independently.
3. Was Rama justified in shooting Vali from ambush? Did Rama do this mostly because Vali had stolen Sugreeva’s wife, just as Ravana had stolen Sita? Think independently.
Paper Format:
All assignments should follow the Chicago Manual of Style with regards to the footnotes and bibliography. Double-space
All assignments must be written using one-inch margins, 12-point type in Times New Romanfont.
