The Journey to the West: Volume I

The Journey to the West is often hailed as an excellent example of syncretism, the combining of different systems of belief. The Journey to the West contains elements of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, reflecting the syncretic makeup of Chinese culture. Are these elements on an equal footing in the story, or does the text seem to favor one of the systems of thought over the others?

• Which elements of the story reflect Buddhist ideals?
• Which elements of the story reflect Taoist ideals? (If you need more information on Taoism, read this introduction.)
• Which elements of the story reflect Confucian ideals? (If you need more information on Confucianism, read this introduction.)
• Do these elements seem to support or conflict with one another? Are there significantly more examples in one category or do the three seem balanced? Do plot and characterization seem to favor one of the three sets of ideals or are plot and characterization neutral?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt asks students to address a critical question regarding The Journey to the West. It is a complex question, and you may wish to offer students guidelines about the depth of coverage you expect. If limited time is available but you want to increase depth of coverage, you might create groups and assign each group one of the three philosophies to research within the text. Then, you can reconvene the class and ask them to pool their findings before discussing or writing about the final bullet point in the list.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students whose reading fluency is limited may find it challenging to gather enough evidence to respond effectively to the prompt. These students, especially, may benefit from gathering evidence in groups and taking responsibility for only one of the three philosophies. Students who struggle with attention or organization may benefit from filling out a graphic organizer that allows them to visualize the balance and relationships among the examples they gather. If your students are responding in writing, a visual organizer like this, perhaps with added annotations, might be accepted in lieu of complete written responses for those who struggle with written expression.