It was long ago, when the world was still young and I was but a small stone. I found myself at the top of this wonderful mountain that we are standing on. I have always felt blessed to be surrounded by such beautiful flowers and fragrant fruits, but what I am most thankful for is the proximity to the heavens while also being in contact with the earth. I have had access to all the worldly and supernatural powers because of this closeness (these are what gave me the power to speak, you see). So, I knew I had abilities that my peers did not, but I didn't know that I could give rise to new beings. One day, I was surprised when I felt a low rumbling in my core, then suddenly, I burst open and a perfectly smooth, round stone came out. At first, I thought this was just an effect of erosion, but as the days passed, I came to realize that it was an egg. As I scrutinized the stone over the next few days, it shuddered periodically for a while, and finally, a stone monkey hatched from it.
I watched this monkey grow up through the years. Oh, nostalgia--I can still remember when he was just starting to learn to run and jump as a young chimp, such a far cry from his extensive abilities today. He grew to be the strongest and most agile being I had ever seen (a feat of which I was very jealous for a while, as all I can do is sit here and watch). He spent his days in rambunctious contentment and the world was his playground. His curiosity was endlessly insatiable, and he would constantly get in trouble--but no one could ever stay mad at him for long because he was so clever and charming.
I remember one exciting day in particular. The young monkey and his friends had been playing near a waterfall, but they had gotten too close and realized that they could get seriously injured if they weren't careful. They reconvened on the side of the mountain where I sat and discussed what they would do. "We are due for a king," they said. "Whoever can pass under the waterfall without getting hurt should be our new leader." Immediately, our stone hero volunteered. So the monkeys headed towards the waterfall again.
When they came back, they were buzzing with excitement about their adventure. As they discussed what had just happened, I learned that the stone monkey had indeed crossed through the waterfall (I was not at all surprised), and he had discovered an ancient chamber with stone treasures. The other apes, awed, now had to keep their promise and made him their ruler, calling him Handsome King of the Apes.
So he remained for three peaceful centuries, ruling firmly but justly, our wise leader.
The Monkey King at the waterfall. Source: China on Site.
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Author's note: This week, I read the story of Sun Wu Kong, the Monkey King. I felt like the introduction to this unit provided a good explanation of the king's unusual origins and personality. I retold the story from the point of view of the stone from which the monkey sprung because, although unorthodox, it would offer some unique insight into the thoughts of an outsider who was still involved in the situation. It was at first difficult to continue the story when the monkeys went back to the waterfall because, from the point of view of the boulder, who could not move, he could not see the adventures firsthand and could only know what happened through the monkeys. However, I tried to summarize the events as best as I could.
I wanted to take a tone of reverence throughout the rock's account. Sun Wu Kong (a name which he gets later on in his adventures), although boisterous and prideful, sometimes to the point of being conceited, is shown as a respectable ruler. Because of this, I wanted to convey an air of being a "proud parent" from the point of view of the boulder.
Bibliography:
"The Ape Sun Wu Kong" from the Chinese Fairy Book.
Edited by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).
Source: Project Gutenberg.
This was a very unique idea! I read this unit as well and it is definitely odd the way the main character gets introduced to the story. I really like what you did here and you did not limit yourself to just one of the stories in the unit. You also did a good job to keep the voice of the storyteller to a tone and demeanor that you would expect of an old rock. Good job!
ReplyDeleteChelsea, I absolutely LOVE the idea of using the boulder's perspective, and you did it so creatively!! The tone of the boulder and the story made it so enjoyable to read and follow along. I also really liked the theme behind this story and its characters, as well as how much you could tell the boulder admired the stone monkey. Overall, I think you did great on this and I can't wait to read more of your work!
ReplyDeleteThis was a wonderful retelling! I love it when stories are told in a first person point of view, and I think telling it through the perspective of the rock was very creative! You mentioned that it was difficult to end the story because the rock could not see what was happening, but I think you made a great ending. You summed up the ending well and I definitely could see the pride the rock had for the Monkey King; like a proud father! I think you incorporated that fatherly aspect nicely, especially with the part where the boulder is reflecting on his time watching the monkey grow. It was a wonderful story!
ReplyDeleteI don't know about everyone else, but I definitely would have soiled myself if a rock started talking to me. No pun intended. I laughed when the rock gave birth to a stone egg which produced a stone monkey! I thought it was hilarious. I liked the voice you kept through the story, it was very pleasant to me! The only thing that I can be nit picky about is when you write, "... learning to run and jump as a young chimp.". I understand what you are saying here, but monkeys and chimps are actually different. Chimps and apes are classifies the same, but monkeys have tails where chimps and apes do not. Other than that I loved your story and I felt that the picture fit perfectly with it! Great job!
ReplyDeleteChelsea, I read about the Monkey King too! I thought the stories were really enjoyable to read, because Sun Wu Kung is always doing something new and incredible. I really like this story about how he was born. I think telling it from the rock's perspective is really unique, and we get to see Sun Wu Kung from the eyes of a proud parent. He definitely does grow up to do some unbelievable things, but, in my opinion, all of his achievements make him extremely arrogant. What do you think? I didn't like him very much haha. Your story was great though!
ReplyDeleteHi Chelsea! I thought your story was very interesting and unique. I would have never thought to tell the story from the perspective of the boulder, but you did it very well. The way the boulder described the stone monkey was a mix of pride and reverence that worked very well for the background of the story. Also, I thought you did well with talking about the events that the boulder couldn't be there for by having others tell the stone about it. The story was very well written as well. Great job so far with your portfolio!
ReplyDeleteHey Chelsea,
ReplyDeleteI thought your story was excellent and it made me want to check out the same story in this week's reading. I think that one of my favorite parts about your story is how it can tie in to a lot of Hanuman's adventures from the Ramayana. I feel like the stone money and Hanuman would be great companions on many adventures. I thought your use of the rock as a narrator was pretty clever, especially considering how stationary of a participant he would have been during all of these events. I thought the introduction from the rock was funny because of how confident he was in speaking to a human despite being a normally inanimate object. I wouldn't have been scared of a talking rock as much as I would probably ignore it for my own well-being and sanity.
I am impressed with your portfolio as a whole, too. You have done a grreat job of diversifying it with different types of stories from different source stories, which is kind of the opposite that I did out of necessity. I think readers will appreciate the diversity in perspective in all of your stories.