Brief six : Major Project

A Quest story

Myths and legends telling of journeys and quests are among the world's oldest stories. Two of the world’s most famous quest stories are Monkey (China, 1584) and The Wizard of Oz (US, 1900). Many say that from the safety of a fictitious storyline, Wu Cheng’en boldly criticized the religious, social and political institutions of the Middle Ming dynasty, and Frank L. Baum criticized US political policies of that time.

In quests, several obstacles are usually met. In this story, some of these include:

External obstacles (mountains, rivers, etc.)
Demons (represent an unsteady mind: steady the mind and the demons disappear)
Carelessness (complacent characters)
Group unity is repeatedly upset and discord is created.
Monkey stories provide an excellent springboard to explore the connection between ancient and modern quest stories. Students can make comparisons between the fictional journeys and the challenges facing people in the real world. They can learn from the experiences of others while keeping alive a sense of adventure and wonder.