There once was a young monkey named Sun Wu who woke
up surrounded by thick lush grass and he didn’t remember how he got there. The
last thing he remembered was popping out of a stone egg to a very bright light.
The light almost blinded him causing him to close his eyes. The next thing Sun
Wu knew he was waking up lying in the grass. Sun Wu wondered how much time had
past since he last remembered, maybe a week or two. Sun Wu wasn’t sure what
happened to him or how he got there. He looked around and didn’t see anyone or
anything except tall green trees and the bright blue sky.
As he wondered what happened to him, Sun Wu began
to walk towards the biggest tree in the jungle. He started to look around for
anyone or anything, but there wasn’t a sound for miles. Then all of a sudden
Sun Wu heard a loud “squawk!” A large beautiful red, blue, and green bird came
swooping down and perched himself right in front of Sun Wu.
“What are you doing here all alone? Where is your
mother or father?”, the bird asked.
Sun Wu stumbled back and told the bird he didn’t
know if he had a mother or father. He just woke up in the grass over there and
doesn’t remember what happened to him. The bird was concerned for Sun Wu.
“A small monkey cannot be in the jungle along with
no friends or parents. Come fly with me to my house so you can rest and eat and
we will try to figure out how you ended up in the jungle alone,” said the bird.
Sun Wu was apprehensive. He didn’t know this bird
at all, but then again he didn’t know anyone and he was very hungry.
So, Sun Wu hopped on the bird’s back and they began
to fly over
the jungle. Sun Wu was amazed at how beautiful it
was from up high. In the distance, Sun Wu could see something very bright and
shiny. They got closer and closer to the gold mystery when the bird finally
said, “O.K., now we are home.”
Sun Wu was amazed when he saw where the bird lived.
It was a huge glamorous mansion made of gold and white diamonds. There was
water flowing from the rooftops and the gold and diamonds were reflecting in
the water creating the most beautiful sight. They flew through the waterfall.
Sun Wu was amazed. He had never seen anything so beautiful before. Sun Wu
asked, “You live here?” The bird responded and said, “Yes, my wife and I live
here all alone. I am King Bird of this land and have no one to take over once I
die.”
Sun Wu couldn’t imagine living in a place this
beautiful. They flew through the gold doors and into the kitchen where the
bird’s wife was cooking dinner. The bird informed his wife that Sun Wu was lost
and unaware of how he ended up here and needed a place to eat and sleep. The
Bird’s wife was excited to have company around.
The next few days the bird and Sun Wu searched the
jungle for anyone who might know what happened to Sun Wu. They had no luck.
They couldn’t find anyone who knew Sun Wu. The bird turned to Sun Wu and told
him not to worry.
“You can stay with my wife and me in our castle. We
have plenty of room and get very lonely,” said the bird. Sun Wu was grateful
for the offer and accepted. The bird and his wife grew a very fond bond for Sun
Wu and after dinner one night told him one day he will take over the castle and
become King Sun Wu. The bird said to Sun
Wu, “We may never find out how you got here or where you came from but what
matters now is where you are going.”
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| Monkey King Sun Wu Kung on the waterfall. Source: Untextbook. |
Author’s Note: I based this story on The Monkey King Sun Wu Kung in the
Asian unit, but my story is very different than the original. In the original
story, King Sun Wu Kung is born in a miraculous way from a stone. He was born
with powers and trained to be a powerful warrior with amazing strength.
Eventually, Sun Wu becomes monkey king by crossing over rushing water on a
bridge. The other monkeys said if anyone was ever clever enough to do that they
would make him monkey king. While I really did enjoy the original story and
its many levels, I wanted to tell a simpler story using a few of the original
stories elements. The story is about a monkey who eventually will become a king
but he gets there in a very different way. I did this because when I saw the
picture that I used in my post I envisioned a very different type of monkey
with a very different story. I used the original story’s elements of a monkey,
stone egg, and a waterfall. Other than that, the story is completely different.
Maybe in the future I can add more on and explain that this story is what would
have happened if Sun Wu would have done something different.
Bibliography:
Hi Averey,
ReplyDeleteYour story was entertaining to read. It kept me interested the whole time. For a short while I thought that the bird was going to be the villain of the story, so it was a pleasant turnout that the bird ended up adopting the monkey. I was really rooting for the monkey to find its mom, but I’m glad that you ended it when you did. It left me wanting more to read.
Hey Averey!
ReplyDeleteI read this story at the beginning of the semester and I was super interested in it as well. I love that you made a story to show how the monkey became king and more of his childhood. I think this adds a lot of the character development. Your story was entertaining and really kept my attention the whole time. I wish I could read even more now! The transitions really flowed and I also loved the creative placement of your picture. I would love to see even more dialogue and maybe more about the bird’s life, too! But great job and I can’t wait to read more.
Hi Averey!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, that was a great take on retelling the story. I never would have imagined that someone would actually write about the monkey king's childhood. At first, I was a little confused as to why he had a mother since the legend was that he was "born from stone," but I enjoyed how giving him a mother or mother-figure helped us relate to him more. One thing I would like to point out is the beginning of the sentence "Monkey made he at home" because I felt like it didn't make sense... Or I just might be reading it wrong. All in all though, great job!
I liked how you took the story and extended it. It was cool that you recreated part of the story instead of an entire one; this lets you be as specific as you want about that part. I did feel like you could have added more pronouns, this made some of the sentences not flow together as well. I think you did a great job though.
ReplyDeleteYou're extended version of the original was very interesting. It never really alluded to the ending throughout the body of the story which made the ending that much better. I also enjoyed the imagery that you used when describing where the bird lived. There needs to be a little improvement on sentence structure and flow of the sentences, but all in all it was a good read. It would also be beneficial to proofread it a few more times in order to ensure there are fewer grammatical errors. I would have liked to have had a little more background on the bird or even the monkey in terms of their previous life. I feel like that would have given the story a little more depth. It left me wanting to read more though, so all in all it was a good read.
ReplyDeleteHey Averey!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your story. You had really good visual language and I was really able to visualize the story in my head as I was reading it! I think you really did an awesome job of taking the story and making it your own! I love it when someone takes the story and keeps the basic moral behind it but then changes it and makes it something completely new to make it fit their style and I think that you did a very good job of it. There were a few spelling and grammatical errors but nothing too major and can easily be fixed. I enjoyed the picture that you picked but I think you could find a better one of a monkey in a crown or something cool like that! Again I really liked your story and I can’t wait to see where you take your portfolio next!
Hi Averey! Wow! You did a great job with this story! It is nice to see that you were able to write your own original tale that is easy for the reader to follow along with. I like how you were able to keep the language simplistic enough for anyone to read, yet detailed in the respect that you can visualize what Sun Wu was seeing in the King Bird's land. I find it very interesting how you were able to get your own idea and run with it just from one illustration. Overall. I think you did a great job with your storytelling!
ReplyDeleteHi Averey.
ReplyDeleteIll start off by saying that i love the monkey king. I really love the first part of your story when the monkey wakes up. I like the way you tell it better than the original because from your telling we get to see more of the monkeys feelings and emotions. this is just a small thing but i also liked that you changed his name to Sun Wu. It just makes it a little easier to read because lets be honest I dont need to read three names every time lol. anyways I think you did a very good job telling a new story but keeping the old elements present. It was very obvious where this story came from but the changes that you made really helped to make it your own ( that is a good thing :)) I like the picture that you included because it helps connect the original story to your new story. over all good job and keep up the good work!
Hey Averey!
ReplyDeleteYour story was a great read! It was very descriptive and you did an awesome job on your word choice. The descriptive details and adjectives really made the story come to life more. I could imagine seeing everything in the way you wrote it. think your writing is in great shape as well! I also really liked the plot. There is definitely a lasting mystery to how Sun Wu ended up where he was in the beginning but it ties in to the very last quote from the bird. It would be interesting to know what had happened to Sun Wu which could be a separate story within itself!
One thing I noticed was that in the first paragraph, I think you could take out the part in the first sentence that says “he didn’t remember how he got there,” since you mention that in the second to last sentence of the same paragraph. Or vice versa!
Again, awesome job!
Oh, the monkey king! I looove East Asian tales and I'm so glad to see another Monkey King story! I really loved that last line, "We may never find out how you got here or where you came from but what matters now is where you are going.” It just really sticks with me, you know? Kind of like I could apply it to my life and it gives me a little hope. Fantastic!
ReplyDelete