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Paley's modern American retelling shows the weaknesses in the older translations like this one. Griffith's poetic language makes Rama's suspicion of Sita sound like noble duty. While in Paley's, she uses humor and cartoons to reveal it as unfair patriarchal treatment. Comparing both versions one as an old Victorian mindset and the other as a feminist perspective, shows that the mindsets of the era shapes the stories ideas about gender and hero's.

Works Cited Paley, Nina, director. Sita Sings the Blues. 2008. www.sitasingstheblues.com/watch.html. Accessed 3 May 2026.

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The 1870-1874 Griffith's verse translation constructs the hero Rama through a patriarchal lens. The dharma he defines is by martial prowess, devoted protector role and an endurance of suffering. In Canto XXVII, Sita pleads, "I am thy wife protect me." This frames her as a dependent object than an equal. This linguistic elevation shows the male mindset and female submission mirrors the Victorian mindset of the translator. It's an archaic mindset that reinforces patriarchal values and presents Rama's rejection of Sita as a noble duty rather than cruel suspicion. The 1870 translation reflects the politics of its time and keeps patriarchal control. On the other end of the perspective, in Nina Paley's version of *Sita Sings the Blues* flips the story by focusing on Sita's pain and strength.

Works Cited Valmiki. The Ramayan of Válmíki. Translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith, 1870–1874. Sacred Texts, www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rama/index.htm. Accessed 3 May 2026.

It makes me wonder what it would be like if this story took place in another part of the world. When his mother says "Enkidu, eat bread, it is the staff of life; drink the wine, it is the custom of the land." Imagine if this story took place in Asia for example. His mother might have told him to eat some kind of noodles and perhaps sake, the rice wine. It really shows how geography can shape a story.