Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Reading Notes: The Monkey King, Part B

I continued my readings today with the Monkey King Unit. I think that the second half of the unit presents a lot of more intense conflict and resolution. I was really excited to dive into the stories and find out what becomes of the Monkey King and his people.


  • As I suspected Sun Wu Kung was called to the heavens
  • It seems that Sun is letting his guard down too much
  • He assumes that he is indestructible and not bound to the rules of life
  • Sun definitely proved himself to be an equal to the heavens
  • I did not suspect Sun to better the warriors of the heavens, but it did not surprise me
  • Sun becomes very ignorant and complacent once he has achieved heavenly status
  • He does not take into account the effects his actions have on others
  • I think this is a very important character flaw
  • Sun's inability to see what is best for others constantly causes issues
  • Sun Wu Kung loses control of his desires and emotions
  • Sun wages war on the heavens and does not seem to have a reason for doing so
  • It seems that Sun's only amusement in life is besting others
  • Sun constantly searches for a new challenge and is never satisfied with what he has
  • This is another character flaw that is vital to the development of the story
  • I really like the fact that Sun constantly causes conflict
  • Sun's inability to law low is what makes the stories engaging
  • It really seemed that Sun's defeat was of his own ignorance
  • He became tame once Buddha arrived and humbled him
  • I think Sun could have achieved so much if he had just realized his impolite manner
Overall, I really enjoyed reading about Sun and his adventures. I think I will probably retell one of his adventures or great battles. There was a lot that took place in this unit, so I definitely have a lot of options with this week's story.

(A cool photo of an ice sculpture of the Monkey King. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography: "The Ape Sun Wu Kung" from The Chinese Fairy Book by R. Wilhelm and translation by Frederick H. Martens. Source: UnTextbook

No comments:

Post a Comment