Storytelling Week Seven: The Monkey King

Keep Calm
Image taken from: keep calm-o-matic

Under the bright lights, with a booming bass, mirror reflections all around, a tint of chalk floating around the room, and an aroma of the sweat of hard work a show down was beginning in the gym.   The New Year had just begun and everyone was gearing up to one up one another’s gains.  After all, fitness is clearly something that you see instantaneous change in, results simply pour in. (Lie)

Paleo dieters squared off against those who merely clean ate.  Their plates transforming at every turn to see who’s diet was more bearable.  The comparison of do not eat lists was brutal.  Individuals tried to bend the rules and change their diets piece by piece in order to seem like they had found the key to tummy tuck success.

Cardio versus cross fit versus weight lifting, cross training, class takers, personal training, circuit doers, running programs.  All different kinds of workout styles were attempted as our gym goers searched for the perfect means for change. 

All of these programs worked to serve one goal.  To morph the body into the next best weapon, to get ready for that upcoming progress picture.  Flex Friday was more than an instagram hashtag, this was war, a battle of the best, an essential war of the workouts. 

Author’s Note:  This week I read The MonkeyKing.  My favorite chapter in this story was called Yang Oerlang. In this chapter the Monkey King is fighting Yang Oerlang to see who is the better fighter and shifter.  As they fight all they are doing is manipulating their form as they try to one up another to pick the most effective form for battle.  For example, when one turns into a bird the other will become a hawk, then one will turn to a fish and the other turns into a fish-hawk, then a water snake and so on and so forth.  I thought this somewhat related to the ways people will change their workout routines in an effort to out do someone else.  The concept of changing one’s workout for mere gains is rather dangerous and it should be emphasized that I by no means promote the implementation of extreme training shifts or extreme dieting.  I advocate for a clean eating lifestyle and routine physical training.  However, it is important to find a workout that your body enjoys and to stick with it.  Find your form, find what makes you fight best, and stick with it.        

Bibliography:

Story- The Ape Sun Wu Kung

Book- The Chinese Fairy Book

Author- R Wilhem

Year- 1921

Reading Diary B: The Monkey King

Today I finished reading the second part of The Monkey King story unit.  This unit turned out to be a very surprising read, although I am glad I got the opportunity to read it. 

In the second half of the unit Sun Wu Kung, the monkey king, spends a good deal of time in the Heavens.  He originally is brought to the Heavens because he was being too boastful and it was determined by higher powers that he be appointed a charge.  Sun Wu Kung was delegated the task of tending the stables, a job at which he excelled.  However, when he realized he had been given a lowly task he became angry and departed for Earth. 

The story then continues as Sun Wu Kung starts to cause a disturbance in the Heavens.  He imposes upon a peach banquet for the Queen-Mother which is the catalyst for a great commotion.  Sun Wu Kung ends up in an epic battle of shifting with Yang Oerlang  Yang Oerlang is a celestial warrior recommended for the battle by Guan Yin.  Essentially all the heavenly inhabitants are trying to figure out how to defeat and stop Sun Wu Kung and put him in his proper place.  The battle between Sun Wu Kung and Yang Oerlang is incredibly interesting to read as they are battling in multiple shapes and continue shifting throughout the fight sequence. 

The story ends with a culmination of Sun Wu Kung being defeated and trapped beneath the Heavens for many years while he repents on his disturbance.  At the end of his penance he comes to join the ways of Buddhism and is celebrated as a victorious individual. 

Quote from Buddha
Image taken from Quotespick.com

Reading Diary A: The Monkey King

This week for my story unit I have decided to read The Monkey King story unit from the Asia section of stories.  I decided to read this story because of the title of the unit.  I decided to select this week’s unit based on title alone so I didn’t know what the story would be about when I selected it.

As it turns out the Monkey King is a very popular story in Chinese culture.  Sun Wu Kung is the name of the monkey king and his story is well known across all of China.  The story is set up as somewhat of a story of enlightenment and to my knowledge it will evolve into a lesson in Buddhism. 

The first half of this story is very interesting to me because of the real life applications you can draw from the content.  The characters are animals and they are clearly living in a fantasy setting but the lessons and metaphors can be considered in a scope of reality without a doubt.  I think that stories that can incorporate elements of fantasy and reality simultaneously are some of the most successful stories written.  These kind of stories provide entertaining tales for children, but when the children grown up and re-read these tales they can see the lessons they were being taught at a young age.  It takes a legitimate kind of creativity and writing talent to accomplish a story that can have this kind of affect.    

The Monkey King by Yoshitoshi
Image taken from the UnTextBook