I chose to create a meme summarizing parts of the Monkey King's journey. The template I chose is often used to illustrate the ways that teenagers and young adults think they are being innovative and/or doing well, when really, they are recycling ideas and/or executing a task poorly. The meme itself is an ironic representation of enlightenment, which is where I would start the lesson. I would go on to explain that, like the meme, the Monkey King has been used to simplify complex ideas and promote misinformation, and that his story was also used to mock popular social perspectives in the 1980s (The Journey to the West, A Platform for Learning About China's Past and Present).
Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, faces many challenges and obstacles on his journey in the Chinese classic novel "Journey to the West." These obstacles are often dangerous and challenging, requiring Sun Wukong to use his intelligence and combat skills to defeat his enemies. I chose to create a meme that featured a seemingly impossible math problem with the caption, "trying to find the truth in a sea of misinformation." This relates to the Monkey King because Wukong had to control his pride and work with his companions to overcome the many demons and monsters that were trying to mislead and harm him. Much like a challenging math equation, difficult tasks often require us to swallow our pride and seek the help of others.