Problem
1. What is rasa? What are the ram known as shringara, vim, and karuna? Be able to define them and describe them in the context of works we've read for this class.
2. What are the "four aims of life" in Hinduism? Be able to explain this idea and how the four aims (especially the first three) comes up in the works we've read for this class.
3. What is kavya? Be able to define it and recognize the characteristics of it in the works we've read for the class.
4. What kinds or classes of women that are presented in the poems in Therigatha? What insights can we get about their lives? Be able to comment on a poem or two given on the exam and be able to' write generally about the themes in the poems. '
5. How is Buddhocarita both a work of kavya and an important work in the Buddhist tradition? Be able to explain some verses given on the exam and speak generally about (basic) ideas in Buddhism as revealed in course readings and as discussed in class.
6. Explain the cultural significance and basic plot of the Ramayana, especially its ending, as relayed in course readings and as discussed in class. How does Bhavabihiuti take the well-known conclusion of the Ramayan and turn it into an "ornamented" play full of beautiful language and creative innovations?
7. What ethics and social norms are conveyed in The Life of Harischondra (the reading assign-ed for class)? How is the story "updated" and made commercially viable for a modern audience in the ?lm Harashchandra Taramati watched in class?