THE ANALYTICAL
ESSAY WRITING PROCESS
FOR THE
CONSTRUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE
IN THE HUMANITIES
Building an Essay: The Analytical Essay Writing Process
I teach my students a clear, step-by-step process for conducting analysis, finding ideas, and building knowledge in the humanities. My process outlines a method for analysis that must be conducted before a person can sit down to "write a paper," in the same way that a scientist needs to employ the scientific method to conduct experimentation and discover ideas before he or she can "write a lab report." It is a key way in which I help to empower students to figure things out for themselves and to discover their own ideas. They develop motivation and feel proud of the significant work they are able to accomplish using this process. It is one of the most important tools I have to offer my students, second only to the skills of critical thinking. Students report using this process through college and into their adult professions.
The Analysis of the Topic and Pre-Writing Steps
This file explains the analysis part and the pre-writing steps of the analytical essay writing process. It explains each step in brief and provides a clear example of student work for the book Things Fall Apart and its main character Okonkwo.
NOTE: I cannot get an image of the flow chart to show up clearly in the file on Scribd, so I put a copy of it below that is readable.
NOTE: I cannot get an image of the flow chart to show up clearly in the file on Scribd, so I put a copy of it below that is readable.
Evaluating Paragraph Construction: Comparing Six Student Paragraphs
The following teaching tool brings together six different students' paragraphs on the same idea that uses the same scene as its evidence. This provides a great way for students to see what makes one paragraph more effective than another. I use it to teach students how to construct effective analytical paragraphs.
Analytical Paragraph Example: Animal Farm
Analytical Essay Example: To Kill a Mockingbird
For this essay assignment, students start out working individually, but once the analytical part of the process is complete, I put two students together for the second part of the process, the communication phase, to write a team essay. Putting them in teams for the communication of their ideas phase, the writing of the essay, allows me to key the amount of writing for each student to a manageable amount given our time constraints. It works well to juggle the many factors of running a classroom.
This example will begin with the work of one student, and then shifts to a two person effort to create a group outline and thesis. Then, the split the outline topics in half and each student writes one half of the planned essay. We also set the limit of 20 ideas and body paragraphs for the essay to keep its size in check. So, you will note that student A's individual list of major ideas contains over 90 separate ideas, but for the team essay they had to pare it down to 20 ideas that would educate the reader about the whole of Scout.
Cause and Effect Flow Chart on Scout, by Student D
NOTE: You probably need to download this file and open it with a good PDF viewer to be able to see it. It does not show up clearly for me any other way. This flow chart may seem at first glance a bit enormous and over the top, but it represents a good deal of excellent thinking; check it out.
Analytical Essay Example: To Kill a Mockingbird, A Second Team Essay
Cause and Effect Flow Chart on Scout, by Student B
NOTE: You probably need to download this file and open it with a good PDF viewer to be able to see it.
Analytical Essay Example: Of Mice and Men
This essay on the topic of loneliness in Of Mice and Men is an example of a shorter analytical essay with only three major paragraphs in the body of the essay.
Analytical Essay Example: The Ramayana
The Ramayana Essay: Gods, Goddesses, Holy Men, and Demons
Team essay: Spencer- paragraphs 1-5; Eden- paragraphs 6-10; 7th Grade
Team essay: Spencer- paragraphs 1-5; Eden- paragraphs 6-10; 7th Grade
Originally composed around 1500 B.C. in 24,000 stanzas by Valmiki in Sanskrit, the famous Indian epic, The Ramayana, was rewritten by R.K. Narayan into one small book. The story portrays the great Hindu god, Vishnu, in his human incarnation, Rama, and his mission to save the world from being overtaken by the evil demon, Ravana. The story involves many extraordinary characters with divine and supernatural powers, including gods, their helpers, sages, and demons, who oppose each other in a battle between good and evil. Demons, the evil beings, wage an ongoing war against the good beings and try to take over the universe. Gods play a very important role in the story from which many powerful and key ideas can be made. These ideas show a lot about the gods themselves and give reasons for many actions that they take. For example, gods’ insight into universal consciousness; the highest state of knowledge where the truths of the universe are known to the one being with this consciousness. Because the gods have the utmost universal consciousness, they are the holiest of beings which gives them extreme power beyond that of any other being. Gods are also expected to give spiritual power and blessings to any being that prays, sacrifices, or performs austerities in their name. Because of this expectation, a demon or human could gain great amounts of spiritual knowledge and blessings. This makes people willing to go to great extents to please a god or holy being in whom they believe to gain the spiritual blessings on which they thrive. Another one of the deepest causal factors is that the gods have a dharma, an expectation or obligation, to help, fight for, and protect all non-evil beings. Because of this, the gods’ purpose is to abolish evil. Sages also play a very important role in The Ramayana. A sage’s purpose is to carry out the wishes of gods. This means that they try their best to serve gods and they act as an intermediary and allow communication between the human and godly realms. Demons also take a very large part in the story. Demons’ entire purpose in the book is to destroy all that is good and holy. Demons can receive merit and therefore gain spiritual knowledge and power from the gods by doing austerities. In this way, demons can gain great power to accomplish their purpose.
To come in contact with a god, an incarnation of a god, or anything owned by either is an extreme blessing and will give the person with whom the contact is made spiritual power and knowledge. A good example of this is when Vali is killed by Rama, Vishnu’s incarnation (p. 112 par. 3). Rama has been on a journey to find his stolen wife. On the journey, he meets a giant monkey with supernatural powers, Sugreeva, and his assistant, Hanuman. Sugreeva is the brother of the king of the monkey people of Kiskinda, Vali. Vali has been given tremendous powers by Shiva, and is almost stronger than a god. Because of this strength, a love for fighting, and a misunderstanding, Vali has banished Sugreeva from his kingdom. Years ago, a dangerous demon appeared and challenged the strong Vali to a battle. When Vali accepted the challenge, the demon scampered off to the edge of the world, scared. Vali, determined to kill the demon, chased him and was unseen for 28 months. Sugreeva was worried and tried to look for Vali, but his advisors persuaded him not to, as Vali must have been presumed dead. Instead, Sugreeva blocked the entrance through which the demon first came, in case he came back again. But instead of the demon coming back, Vali crashed through the blockade, looking for Sugreeva. When he found him, Vali shouted, “So you thought you could entomb me?” (p. 101 par. 1) With that Vali threw Sugreeva, who was trying to explain the reason for the blockade to him, against the rocks. Sugreeva picked himself up and hurried to a safe place. Now, Sugreeva wants to go back and live in his country. To do so, he will have to kill Vali, since Vali will kill him if he does not. Rama offers his help and makes a plan. Sugreeva goes to Kiskinda and calls out Vali to a battle. Vali accepts the challenge with lust. He runs toward Sugreeva and throws him to the ground. Rama watches with his arrow cocked and ready. At the right moment, Rama fires his arrow through the heart of Vali. After some confusion, Vali sees that Rama is himself a god, and admits that it is a blessing to be killed by such a being as holy as Vishnu himself. Vali realizes that by being killed by a god, he has been given a blessing and obtained something that many sages who have done many austerities have not: a vision of a real god. he sees that he has been given an extreme blessing by the highest god. Vali also realizes that Rama has helped him achieve salvation, or deliverance from the evil ways, and touched his understanding with supreme illumination and divine knowledge.
As well as being holy, gods have extreme power; they have supernatural powers that most other beings do not have. This idea can be shown when Rama uses a supernatural weapon that Brahma, a god, has created for a special use (p. 159 par. 1). Rama and Ravana are in battle. Rama has sent protecting arrows to block Ravana’s asthras[1] . Rama has also sent arrows to chop off Ravana’s ten heads and twenty arms. The arrows have hit their mark, but Ravana is so powerful that his limbs and heads grow back. Rama’s own asthras have been stifled by the power of Ravana. Ravana has led Rama into the air and around the globe twice. Finally, Ravana is becoming weak from Rama’s continuous attacks. Because of this, he begins throwing everything in site at Rama, who just lets the objects glance off him and fall to the ground. Now Rama thinks about how he should finish off Ravana. Rama remembers that Brahma had created a special asthra for Shiva, a high god, to use for destroying a demon. Rama calls this asthra up with prayers and sends it towards Ravana’s heart. Brahma was able to create a weapon so strong that it was able to kill an extremely powerful demon. If the weapon killed a being that flew around the world twice, grew back its heads and limbs when they were cut off, and sent asthras that were only deflected away from the victim at the last moment, one could safely say that the creator of the weapon is extremely powerful.
As well as having extreme power, gods have many beings going to great extents to please them in order to gain spiritual power or something that they want. This can be seen when King Dasaratha performs a year-long yagna[2] in order to get a son (p. 6 par. 1). The king’s advisor, Vasishtha, tells him that if he wanted to get a son and successor, he will have to arrange a yagna. He is also told that the only person fit to perform the yagna is a sage living in the kingdom next to him. Dasaratha then journeys to where the sage is staying, and asks him if he would perform the yagna. Sage Sringa performs the yagna, and it lasts for one whole year. Dasaratha was there the whole time, hoping the yagna will bring him a son. At the end of the yagna, an immense supernatural being emerged from the fire holding a silver plate with a mound of rice. The sage advised the King to take the rice back to all his wives. He told the king that if his wives eat the rice, each of them will have a son. King Dasaratha devotes a whole year of his life to performing the yagna in order to get a son. He went so far as to please the gods so they would answer his prayers. Staying in one place for one whole year to please the gods shows that people will go to great extents to please them.
Another important idea about gods is that they are against all evil. A god’s purpose is to abolish all evil. An example of this is when the god Vishnu incarnates himself into Rama, Dasaratha’s son, to defeat the evil demon Ravana (p. 5 partial par.). Many lesser gods have come up to Vishnu and said, “The ten-headed Ravana and his brothers have acquired from us many extraordinary powers through austerities and prayers, and now threaten to destroy our worlds and enslave us...You alone are the protector and should save us.” Vishnu then promised that, because Ravana never prayed for protection from a human being, he would incarnate as the son of Dasaratha, who, as explained above, was going to be arranging a yagna to get a son. Vishnu also said that other gods would incarnate with to become his helpers later in Rama/Vishnu’s life. Vishnu will incarnate as a human being because a human being is the only thing that Ravana did not pray for protection from. Therefore, Vishnu is trying to abolish evil by defeating Ravana through the only way possible, a human. Through this act, Vishnu shows that a god’s purpose is to defeat evil in any way possible.
Another key type of character in the story are the gods’ helper. Gods’ helpers have supernatural powers. This can be clearly seen when Hanuman, a giant monkey, rampages through Ravana’s city, destroying everything (p. 133 par. 1). Sita, Rama’s wife, was captured by Ravana and brought to his city across the ocean. Rama tells Hanuman that he has powers he never knew he had; that he could grow or shrink whenever he wants to. Hearing this, Hanuman decides to go bring Sita back from bondage in Ravana’s city. Using the powers he just learned about, he takes a giant step across the ocean. When he gets to Rama’s city, Hanuman shrinks down to an unnoticeable size. In this guise, he searches the city for Sita. When he finds Sita, he gives her a ring to tell her that Rama will be coming to save her. Before he leaves, Hanuman grows into an enormous size, and detroys many parts of Ravana’s city. When Ravana hears about the destruction, he sends someone to find and take the monkey to him. When Hanuman is brought to Ravana, Hanuman tells who he is and that Rama will be coming to change Ravana’s ways. Having heard this, Ravana orders for the monkey’s tail to be lit on fire. Hanuman then breaks his bonds and sets fire to the buildings that he left standing during the rampage. Then, hurriedly, so as not to be caught again, Hanuman crossed the ocean and went back to Rama. In order to destroy much of Ravana’s city, Hanuman had to have supernatural powers. If he did not, he would not have been able to cross the ocean, would not have been able to hide himself as an unnoticeable being, would not have been able to stomp on and destroy Ravana’s city, and would not have been able to break out of his bonds and set fire to Ravana’s city. This shows that gods’ helpers have supernatural powers.
Hermits and sages also play a large role in The Ramayana. They go off to live in seclusion in the woods, where they practice austerities to become more spiritually evolved and ultimately to become enlightened. Living in seclusion shows the gods your devotion to them so they give you boons, spiritual blessings, in return for your devotion. This is shown in an incident after King Dasaratha is saved by one of his wives, Kaikeyi on a battlefield in a very vulnerable and dangerous situation. In return and gratitude, he gives her two boons; favors which she can redeem at any time. Years later, King Dasaratha decides to resign and give up his throne. When he decides on his successor, he chooses his son Rama, not Kaikeyi’s son. However, at that time, Kaikeyi decides to redeem one of her boons, and asks Dasaratha to choose her son, Bharatha, as his successor. Also, she asks that Rama be sent away to live as a hermit, living in seclusion in the woods for fourteen years, so that he does not interfere with her son’s kingship. Rama accepts this order wholeheartedly. (p. 48 par. 1) This is because he knows that by living in the woods alone for fourteen years, the gods will see his devotion to them and grant him boons. By receiving these boons, Rama will be able to gain spiritual power which will eventually lead up to enlightenment; the highest state of spiritual understanding and knowledge which most everybody strives for. Because having spiritual power is helpful in many situations, Rama is not saddened at this order; he sees it as an opportunity to gain the spiritual blessings that will give him the divine knowledge that will get him closer to the gods and the knowledge of the truths of the universe. Rama takes the chance to gain spiritual merit and uses it to his benefit and tries to reach his goal of enlightenment.
Sages, after becoming enlightened, have one main goal in life. A sage’s purpose in life is to carry out the wishes of the gods. A good example of this is when Sage Vasistha is given a vision by the gods. The incident starts when King Dasaratha asks Sage Vasistha to help him because he needs to find a successor to take his place on the throne. The sage is given a vision by the gods. He sees all the gods going to the one god Vishnu for help. They are all telling him about how the evil demon Ravana and his brothers have acquired vast amounts of spiritual power through austerities and prayers. They threaten to take over the universe and enslave all creatures of good. The gods go on about how some of the most powerful of gods, Shiva and Brahma, are unable to help because the powers that Ravana and his brothers are misusing for evil were originally granted by these two gods and therefore cannot be withdrawn by them. Vishnu, “the protector”, was one of the only beings left who is able to to save the good beings of the universe. However, one of the boons that Shiva and Brahma had given Ravana, because of his austerities, was immunity and protection from all gods. However, he had never asked for protection from a human being. This meant that only a human could destroy him. Vishnu tells his fellow gods that he will incarnate as King Dasaratha’s son, so that he will be a human who will be able to destroy the evil Ravana. At that moment, Sage Vasistha’s vision is ended. He sees that to become Dasarath’s son, Vishnu will need a medium from which to incarnate through. Because of this, he highly advises King Dasaratha to perform a yagna so that he may get a son who can be his successor. (p. 4 par. 3) This son who will be born through the yagna, the sacrificial ceremony, will be the incarnation of Vishnu. Vasistha advises Dasaratha to do this because he wants to help the god Vishnu in any way he can. By advising the King to perform a yagna, he is helping the god fulfill his purpose of destroying evil. Because Vishnu is in need of a medium to incarnate through, Vasistha does everything in his power to create a yagna for this purpose; he uses his position as the King’s advisor to advise the King to perform this yagna which will not only benefit Dasaratha, but Vishnu as well.
As the beings who are able to communicate and help gods, sages are greatly revered by the good beings. They are entrusted with missions that would not be entrusted to most others, and they are followed by countless people trying to become enlightened like them. As explained above, King Dasaratha was looking for a successor. Sage Vaisistha proposes a yagna for two purposes; so that Dasaratha can get a son and a successor and so that Vishnu will have a medium for which to incarnate through. Dasaratha takes his sage’s advice and performs a difficult year long ceremony so that he can get a son who will be his successor. When King Dasaratha finally gets the son that he has waited so long for, he loves him with all his heart. Rama, his son, is very special to him because he spent an entire year performing austerites to get him. Sage Viswamithra, as a high sage with a good amount of universal consciousness, knows that Dasaratha’s son is truly Vishnu; a fact that most high sages in the area are aware of because of their spiritrual power. While trying to achieve his purpose of helping to carry out the wishes of gods, Sage Viswamithra decides to take Rama on a journey to help him to defeat evil. King Dasaratha agrees to allow the sage to take Rama on this trip. (p. 8 par. 4) By setting Rama on this goal, Viswamithra is helping the purpose of Vishnu’s incarnation be achieved. This mission and journey to defeat evil is a very dangerous one because Rama and Viswamithra must approach many powerful creatures, such as demons, who are looking to destroy all good, which puts them in danger because they are journeying for a good cause. Dasaratha has an incredible love for Rama and spent a year doing many prayers and austerities so that he could get this son. To lose his son in a battle against Ravana would be a terrible thing for Dasaratha because, not only will he lose the beloved son that he spent so long working for, but he would also not have a successor to take his place on the throne. The only person that Dasaratha will allow to be responsible for his precious son in a very dangerous situation would be a sage, such as Viswamithra, because of the amount of reverence, prestige, and trust that sages are given.
Demons also play a large part in The Ramayana. Demons are against all good and want to destroy all that is good or holy. A good example of this is when a group of asuras (a demon class) assemble above a holy yagna. (p. 16 par. 2) Yagnas are very holy ceremonies where holy spiritual blessings are given to the sacrificers. The evil demons assembled above the yagna with all sorts of deadly weapons in their hands. They flung boiling water and garbage at the yagna in an effort to disrupt the ceremony. They uttered all kinds of curses and menaces in the middle of the sacred ceremony. They flung boulders at the sacrificial fire and cried out desecrations. The demons’ purpose was to destroy all that is good and holy; the purpose of this ceremony is to gain holy spiritual blessings from the gods who are the holiest of beings and are the most important and powerful of the good beings. By disrupting the yagna ceremony, they are disrupting one of the most sacred and holy ceremonies because it is a ceremony where holy blessings of good are given to the people. They have also stopped a person from receiving holy blessings which is yet another step towards their purpose. This was all in an effort of disturbing this ceremony, solely because of it’s holiness. By doing all this, they have achieved their purpose by disturbing a holy ritual.
Demons can receive merit; they can gain supernatural powers and knowledge by doing austerities towards the gods. A good example of this is right before Ravana is going into battle with Rama. Rama and Ravana are preparing to fight to prove which force, good or evil, is the stronger and conquering force. However, a battle such as this cannot be won by pure strength, but by supernatural powers and by the holy blessings that one has. Before going out to battle, Ravana prays to the god Shiva to gain benediction for his battle. (p. 152 par. 1) Because of the expectation that gods must give merit and spiritual blessings to whoever prays or sacrifices in their name, Ravana is able to pray to Shiva and can expect to gain spiritual blessings for the battle. Shiva does give benediction to Ravana and therefore Ravana gains more spiritual power and blessings for the battle. This incident shows that even the leader and the most evil of demons, Ravana, can recieve merit and blessings from the gods even though they are getting them from the opposing force of good.
Gods, their helpers, sages, and demons all play significant roles in The Ramayana. The good beings, such as gods, their helpers, and sages, all join together in an ongoing war to defeat the evil demons. Gods, having the utmost insight into universal consciousness, can take many supernatural actions against the demons in the battle between good and evil. The sages and godly helpers, with their divine powers, do all in their power to help the gods in their mission against evil. The demons have gained supernatural powers through prayers and austerities, which they use in their goal to take over the universe. This ongoing battle between the forces of good and evil is concluded when Rama eliminates the evil Ravana with a magic weapon made by the great god Brahma.
[1] Supernatural weapons that are wielded by praying and worshiping.
[2] A ceremony that involves a fire which is done to gain spiritual power and boons from the gods. Items
and prayers are sacrificed to the Fire God Agni, who acts as an intermediary and brings the sacrifices up to the other gods.
To come in contact with a god, an incarnation of a god, or anything owned by either is an extreme blessing and will give the person with whom the contact is made spiritual power and knowledge. A good example of this is when Vali is killed by Rama, Vishnu’s incarnation (p. 112 par. 3). Rama has been on a journey to find his stolen wife. On the journey, he meets a giant monkey with supernatural powers, Sugreeva, and his assistant, Hanuman. Sugreeva is the brother of the king of the monkey people of Kiskinda, Vali. Vali has been given tremendous powers by Shiva, and is almost stronger than a god. Because of this strength, a love for fighting, and a misunderstanding, Vali has banished Sugreeva from his kingdom. Years ago, a dangerous demon appeared and challenged the strong Vali to a battle. When Vali accepted the challenge, the demon scampered off to the edge of the world, scared. Vali, determined to kill the demon, chased him and was unseen for 28 months. Sugreeva was worried and tried to look for Vali, but his advisors persuaded him not to, as Vali must have been presumed dead. Instead, Sugreeva blocked the entrance through which the demon first came, in case he came back again. But instead of the demon coming back, Vali crashed through the blockade, looking for Sugreeva. When he found him, Vali shouted, “So you thought you could entomb me?” (p. 101 par. 1) With that Vali threw Sugreeva, who was trying to explain the reason for the blockade to him, against the rocks. Sugreeva picked himself up and hurried to a safe place. Now, Sugreeva wants to go back and live in his country. To do so, he will have to kill Vali, since Vali will kill him if he does not. Rama offers his help and makes a plan. Sugreeva goes to Kiskinda and calls out Vali to a battle. Vali accepts the challenge with lust. He runs toward Sugreeva and throws him to the ground. Rama watches with his arrow cocked and ready. At the right moment, Rama fires his arrow through the heart of Vali. After some confusion, Vali sees that Rama is himself a god, and admits that it is a blessing to be killed by such a being as holy as Vishnu himself. Vali realizes that by being killed by a god, he has been given a blessing and obtained something that many sages who have done many austerities have not: a vision of a real god. he sees that he has been given an extreme blessing by the highest god. Vali also realizes that Rama has helped him achieve salvation, or deliverance from the evil ways, and touched his understanding with supreme illumination and divine knowledge.
As well as being holy, gods have extreme power; they have supernatural powers that most other beings do not have. This idea can be shown when Rama uses a supernatural weapon that Brahma, a god, has created for a special use (p. 159 par. 1). Rama and Ravana are in battle. Rama has sent protecting arrows to block Ravana’s asthras[1] . Rama has also sent arrows to chop off Ravana’s ten heads and twenty arms. The arrows have hit their mark, but Ravana is so powerful that his limbs and heads grow back. Rama’s own asthras have been stifled by the power of Ravana. Ravana has led Rama into the air and around the globe twice. Finally, Ravana is becoming weak from Rama’s continuous attacks. Because of this, he begins throwing everything in site at Rama, who just lets the objects glance off him and fall to the ground. Now Rama thinks about how he should finish off Ravana. Rama remembers that Brahma had created a special asthra for Shiva, a high god, to use for destroying a demon. Rama calls this asthra up with prayers and sends it towards Ravana’s heart. Brahma was able to create a weapon so strong that it was able to kill an extremely powerful demon. If the weapon killed a being that flew around the world twice, grew back its heads and limbs when they were cut off, and sent asthras that were only deflected away from the victim at the last moment, one could safely say that the creator of the weapon is extremely powerful.
As well as having extreme power, gods have many beings going to great extents to please them in order to gain spiritual power or something that they want. This can be seen when King Dasaratha performs a year-long yagna[2] in order to get a son (p. 6 par. 1). The king’s advisor, Vasishtha, tells him that if he wanted to get a son and successor, he will have to arrange a yagna. He is also told that the only person fit to perform the yagna is a sage living in the kingdom next to him. Dasaratha then journeys to where the sage is staying, and asks him if he would perform the yagna. Sage Sringa performs the yagna, and it lasts for one whole year. Dasaratha was there the whole time, hoping the yagna will bring him a son. At the end of the yagna, an immense supernatural being emerged from the fire holding a silver plate with a mound of rice. The sage advised the King to take the rice back to all his wives. He told the king that if his wives eat the rice, each of them will have a son. King Dasaratha devotes a whole year of his life to performing the yagna in order to get a son. He went so far as to please the gods so they would answer his prayers. Staying in one place for one whole year to please the gods shows that people will go to great extents to please them.
Another important idea about gods is that they are against all evil. A god’s purpose is to abolish all evil. An example of this is when the god Vishnu incarnates himself into Rama, Dasaratha’s son, to defeat the evil demon Ravana (p. 5 partial par.). Many lesser gods have come up to Vishnu and said, “The ten-headed Ravana and his brothers have acquired from us many extraordinary powers through austerities and prayers, and now threaten to destroy our worlds and enslave us...You alone are the protector and should save us.” Vishnu then promised that, because Ravana never prayed for protection from a human being, he would incarnate as the son of Dasaratha, who, as explained above, was going to be arranging a yagna to get a son. Vishnu also said that other gods would incarnate with to become his helpers later in Rama/Vishnu’s life. Vishnu will incarnate as a human being because a human being is the only thing that Ravana did not pray for protection from. Therefore, Vishnu is trying to abolish evil by defeating Ravana through the only way possible, a human. Through this act, Vishnu shows that a god’s purpose is to defeat evil in any way possible.
Another key type of character in the story are the gods’ helper. Gods’ helpers have supernatural powers. This can be clearly seen when Hanuman, a giant monkey, rampages through Ravana’s city, destroying everything (p. 133 par. 1). Sita, Rama’s wife, was captured by Ravana and brought to his city across the ocean. Rama tells Hanuman that he has powers he never knew he had; that he could grow or shrink whenever he wants to. Hearing this, Hanuman decides to go bring Sita back from bondage in Ravana’s city. Using the powers he just learned about, he takes a giant step across the ocean. When he gets to Rama’s city, Hanuman shrinks down to an unnoticeable size. In this guise, he searches the city for Sita. When he finds Sita, he gives her a ring to tell her that Rama will be coming to save her. Before he leaves, Hanuman grows into an enormous size, and detroys many parts of Ravana’s city. When Ravana hears about the destruction, he sends someone to find and take the monkey to him. When Hanuman is brought to Ravana, Hanuman tells who he is and that Rama will be coming to change Ravana’s ways. Having heard this, Ravana orders for the monkey’s tail to be lit on fire. Hanuman then breaks his bonds and sets fire to the buildings that he left standing during the rampage. Then, hurriedly, so as not to be caught again, Hanuman crossed the ocean and went back to Rama. In order to destroy much of Ravana’s city, Hanuman had to have supernatural powers. If he did not, he would not have been able to cross the ocean, would not have been able to hide himself as an unnoticeable being, would not have been able to stomp on and destroy Ravana’s city, and would not have been able to break out of his bonds and set fire to Ravana’s city. This shows that gods’ helpers have supernatural powers.
Hermits and sages also play a large role in The Ramayana. They go off to live in seclusion in the woods, where they practice austerities to become more spiritually evolved and ultimately to become enlightened. Living in seclusion shows the gods your devotion to them so they give you boons, spiritual blessings, in return for your devotion. This is shown in an incident after King Dasaratha is saved by one of his wives, Kaikeyi on a battlefield in a very vulnerable and dangerous situation. In return and gratitude, he gives her two boons; favors which she can redeem at any time. Years later, King Dasaratha decides to resign and give up his throne. When he decides on his successor, he chooses his son Rama, not Kaikeyi’s son. However, at that time, Kaikeyi decides to redeem one of her boons, and asks Dasaratha to choose her son, Bharatha, as his successor. Also, she asks that Rama be sent away to live as a hermit, living in seclusion in the woods for fourteen years, so that he does not interfere with her son’s kingship. Rama accepts this order wholeheartedly. (p. 48 par. 1) This is because he knows that by living in the woods alone for fourteen years, the gods will see his devotion to them and grant him boons. By receiving these boons, Rama will be able to gain spiritual power which will eventually lead up to enlightenment; the highest state of spiritual understanding and knowledge which most everybody strives for. Because having spiritual power is helpful in many situations, Rama is not saddened at this order; he sees it as an opportunity to gain the spiritual blessings that will give him the divine knowledge that will get him closer to the gods and the knowledge of the truths of the universe. Rama takes the chance to gain spiritual merit and uses it to his benefit and tries to reach his goal of enlightenment.
Sages, after becoming enlightened, have one main goal in life. A sage’s purpose in life is to carry out the wishes of the gods. A good example of this is when Sage Vasistha is given a vision by the gods. The incident starts when King Dasaratha asks Sage Vasistha to help him because he needs to find a successor to take his place on the throne. The sage is given a vision by the gods. He sees all the gods going to the one god Vishnu for help. They are all telling him about how the evil demon Ravana and his brothers have acquired vast amounts of spiritual power through austerities and prayers. They threaten to take over the universe and enslave all creatures of good. The gods go on about how some of the most powerful of gods, Shiva and Brahma, are unable to help because the powers that Ravana and his brothers are misusing for evil were originally granted by these two gods and therefore cannot be withdrawn by them. Vishnu, “the protector”, was one of the only beings left who is able to to save the good beings of the universe. However, one of the boons that Shiva and Brahma had given Ravana, because of his austerities, was immunity and protection from all gods. However, he had never asked for protection from a human being. This meant that only a human could destroy him. Vishnu tells his fellow gods that he will incarnate as King Dasaratha’s son, so that he will be a human who will be able to destroy the evil Ravana. At that moment, Sage Vasistha’s vision is ended. He sees that to become Dasarath’s son, Vishnu will need a medium from which to incarnate through. Because of this, he highly advises King Dasaratha to perform a yagna so that he may get a son who can be his successor. (p. 4 par. 3) This son who will be born through the yagna, the sacrificial ceremony, will be the incarnation of Vishnu. Vasistha advises Dasaratha to do this because he wants to help the god Vishnu in any way he can. By advising the King to perform a yagna, he is helping the god fulfill his purpose of destroying evil. Because Vishnu is in need of a medium to incarnate through, Vasistha does everything in his power to create a yagna for this purpose; he uses his position as the King’s advisor to advise the King to perform this yagna which will not only benefit Dasaratha, but Vishnu as well.
As the beings who are able to communicate and help gods, sages are greatly revered by the good beings. They are entrusted with missions that would not be entrusted to most others, and they are followed by countless people trying to become enlightened like them. As explained above, King Dasaratha was looking for a successor. Sage Vaisistha proposes a yagna for two purposes; so that Dasaratha can get a son and a successor and so that Vishnu will have a medium for which to incarnate through. Dasaratha takes his sage’s advice and performs a difficult year long ceremony so that he can get a son who will be his successor. When King Dasaratha finally gets the son that he has waited so long for, he loves him with all his heart. Rama, his son, is very special to him because he spent an entire year performing austerites to get him. Sage Viswamithra, as a high sage with a good amount of universal consciousness, knows that Dasaratha’s son is truly Vishnu; a fact that most high sages in the area are aware of because of their spiritrual power. While trying to achieve his purpose of helping to carry out the wishes of gods, Sage Viswamithra decides to take Rama on a journey to help him to defeat evil. King Dasaratha agrees to allow the sage to take Rama on this trip. (p. 8 par. 4) By setting Rama on this goal, Viswamithra is helping the purpose of Vishnu’s incarnation be achieved. This mission and journey to defeat evil is a very dangerous one because Rama and Viswamithra must approach many powerful creatures, such as demons, who are looking to destroy all good, which puts them in danger because they are journeying for a good cause. Dasaratha has an incredible love for Rama and spent a year doing many prayers and austerities so that he could get this son. To lose his son in a battle against Ravana would be a terrible thing for Dasaratha because, not only will he lose the beloved son that he spent so long working for, but he would also not have a successor to take his place on the throne. The only person that Dasaratha will allow to be responsible for his precious son in a very dangerous situation would be a sage, such as Viswamithra, because of the amount of reverence, prestige, and trust that sages are given.
Demons also play a large part in The Ramayana. Demons are against all good and want to destroy all that is good or holy. A good example of this is when a group of asuras (a demon class) assemble above a holy yagna. (p. 16 par. 2) Yagnas are very holy ceremonies where holy spiritual blessings are given to the sacrificers. The evil demons assembled above the yagna with all sorts of deadly weapons in their hands. They flung boiling water and garbage at the yagna in an effort to disrupt the ceremony. They uttered all kinds of curses and menaces in the middle of the sacred ceremony. They flung boulders at the sacrificial fire and cried out desecrations. The demons’ purpose was to destroy all that is good and holy; the purpose of this ceremony is to gain holy spiritual blessings from the gods who are the holiest of beings and are the most important and powerful of the good beings. By disrupting the yagna ceremony, they are disrupting one of the most sacred and holy ceremonies because it is a ceremony where holy blessings of good are given to the people. They have also stopped a person from receiving holy blessings which is yet another step towards their purpose. This was all in an effort of disturbing this ceremony, solely because of it’s holiness. By doing all this, they have achieved their purpose by disturbing a holy ritual.
Demons can receive merit; they can gain supernatural powers and knowledge by doing austerities towards the gods. A good example of this is right before Ravana is going into battle with Rama. Rama and Ravana are preparing to fight to prove which force, good or evil, is the stronger and conquering force. However, a battle such as this cannot be won by pure strength, but by supernatural powers and by the holy blessings that one has. Before going out to battle, Ravana prays to the god Shiva to gain benediction for his battle. (p. 152 par. 1) Because of the expectation that gods must give merit and spiritual blessings to whoever prays or sacrifices in their name, Ravana is able to pray to Shiva and can expect to gain spiritual blessings for the battle. Shiva does give benediction to Ravana and therefore Ravana gains more spiritual power and blessings for the battle. This incident shows that even the leader and the most evil of demons, Ravana, can recieve merit and blessings from the gods even though they are getting them from the opposing force of good.
Gods, their helpers, sages, and demons all play significant roles in The Ramayana. The good beings, such as gods, their helpers, and sages, all join together in an ongoing war to defeat the evil demons. Gods, having the utmost insight into universal consciousness, can take many supernatural actions against the demons in the battle between good and evil. The sages and godly helpers, with their divine powers, do all in their power to help the gods in their mission against evil. The demons have gained supernatural powers through prayers and austerities, which they use in their goal to take over the universe. This ongoing battle between the forces of good and evil is concluded when Rama eliminates the evil Ravana with a magic weapon made by the great god Brahma.
[1] Supernatural weapons that are wielded by praying and worshiping.
[2] A ceremony that involves a fire which is done to gain spiritual power and boons from the gods. Items
and prayers are sacrificed to the Fire God Agni, who acts as an intermediary and brings the sacrifices up to the other gods.