American Born Chinese:The Monkey KingInvestigating the True Meaning of the Monkey King

Your Monkey King Story

Take a minute to think about these questions. Be prepared to discuss your answers with the class.

When did you first hear the story of the Monkey King?

What is the story about?Who told you this story?Why do you think they told you?

American Born Chinese Version:

Characters

The Monkey KingThe GodsThe New

Monkey KingTze-You-TzuhWong-Lai-TsaoThe Emissaries

American Born Chinese Version:

Plot (a summary of the story)

The Monkey King became King.He wanted to go to the dinner party,

but he was not aloud to because he was a monkey.He beat up all of the Gods because he was angry.The Monkey King made all of the monkeys wear shoes

so they would be more like the other Gods.Then he became more powerful than the other Gods.He found the Gods and bullied them with his new powers.Next, he went to the Creator of the Universe and insulted him.So the creator punished the Monkey King by trapping

him under a pile of rocks for 500 years.

American Born Chinese Version:

Plot (a summary of the story)

Of the four legendary monks, Wong Lai-Tsao was the leastimpressive, but had the greatest heart.

The Emissaries selected him to journey to the West withthree packages, but first he had to find the a monkey.To free the Monkey King from his prison, he said to

become his true self and he would escape.Escaping just in time, the Monkey King helped the old man

defeat the monsters that chased him.The Monkey was now in debt to the old man, so he helped

the man on his journey to the West.

American Born Chinese Version:Themes

Assimilation Vengeance

Power

American Born Chinese Version:Themes

Rejection

Self-Discovery

Prejudice

Compare / Contrast

How does your story of the Monkey King compare to the story written in ABC?What are the similarities?What are the differences?

Did the purpose of the story change between the two stories or is it the same?If it did, how did it change?

Have you ever felt like the Monkey King?

One important part of understanding a story is to be able to make connections between what you are reading and what you already know.

In this way, you are to write a short essay that addresses this prompt:

Describe a situation where you have felt like the Monkey King. How did it make you feel? How did you respond to that situation? What would you tell someone else who feels

that way?