Huynh 1

Datricky Huynh
Aaron Malchow
Reading 54
22, November 2013
Categorization #5
The Monkey King, from American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, uses reflection
from Ethics education: developing habits of mind through the use of pedagogical content
knowledge by Gail M. Jensen, Bruce Greenfield, the most. In the article Ethics Education,
reflection is defined by review, reconstruct and reenact. On page twenty, after the party where the
Monkey King wasn't allowed to enter, he thrashed the party and went home, and reflected on
what he can improve himself. He stayed awake for the rest of the night thinking of ways to get
rid of it. (20). In this part the Monkey King ponders in his Royal Chamber to change himself
from a monkey to something more. On page eighty the Monkey King encountered his creator
Tze-Yo-Tzuh where he said he created the Monkey King to be a simple monkey, but the Monkey
King didn't comply with Tze-Yo-Tzuh word, so the Monkey King was punished. Tze-Yo-Tzuh
buried the Monkey King under a mountain of rock and set a seal over him to prevent him from
exercising kung-fu, the Monkey King stayed there for five hundred years. (84). In this part the
Monkey King has to reflect under the mountain for five hundred years on why he shouldn't be
exercising kung-fu, because he didn't want to agree on what Tze-Yo-Tzuh said. On page 145
after being lectured by monk Lai-Tsao saying if he release his kung-fu he would be freed the
Monkey King did not say anything afterward, but was reviewing what Lai-Tsao was saying.
Master let me help you to your feet. (158). Here we have the Monkey King reflected on what

Huynh 2
the monk Lai-Tsao said to him , and the moment when he was skewered by the demons he
decided to release his martial art, and saved the monk.