MonkeyKing

Raythan Pillai English Period 2 September 23, 2008 Journey to the West Gene Yang states that "The Monkey King is probably the most beloved fictional character in the Eastern world." The story of the Monkey King comes from a sixteenth century Chinese folk novel, __Journey to the West__, by Wu Ch'engen. The Monkey King's story starts with the Monkey King's birth from a rock. The Monkey King becomes a very strong and intelligent being that has embarrassed the heavenly army many times with his might. He was then invited to become a god, but he soon realizes that the gods were just ridiculing him. So, he fights the heavenly army and goes back to Earth, only to be captured by the celestial emperor and, with Buddha's help, is trapped beneath Wu Zhi Shan (The Mount of Five Fingers). Five hundred years later, the Monkey King is released from his prison to accompany the Tang Monk, Xuan Zang, in his quest to find the Buddhist Sutras of the West. The story of the Monkey King and where the story began can all be found on __www.wku.edu/~yuanh/China__. The other characters in the Monkey King's story are: Hsuan-tsang (Tang Monk), Pigsy, Friar Sand, and of course, the Monkey King, stated by Gene Yang in __ www.humblecomics.com/monkey/mkwho.html. __ A current retelling of the story of the Monkey King is the opera called //Monkey’s// //Journey to the West.// I think that an extremely important message that comes from the story of the Monkey King is that you should never be biased or jaundiced about someone because they are different than you, or they have different beliefs or opinions. This message is clearly shown when the Monkey King was a subject of ridicule when the gods "invited" him to become a god. The gods did not believe he is fit enough to be a god merely because he is a monkey. The Monkey King is a great tale that has a lot of history, has influenced many things, and teaches those who listen to this story moral values. Works Cited Page // Yuan, Haiwang. “The Story of the Monkey King.” __Welcome to China.__ 20 // // March 2004. 18 September 2008 . // // Yang, Gene. __Humble Comics Presents Monkey Kingdom: A Tribute to Sun__ // //__ Wukong, the Monkey King __////. 2001. 18 September 2008 . // // Kane, Karen. “About a Little Monkey: The Origins of Journey to the West.” // //__ Monkey’s World __////. 2008. 16 September 2008 . //