Thanks so much for your help! Also, do I need to include a title?
Prompt: Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
From the first time I watched Sesame Street and Barney, I was captivated by all kinds of television programs. Cartoons, mysteries, comedies, reality, cooking and talk shows have entertained me throughout my life. Even making the transition from watching Arthur on PBS to watching Chinese programs while we lived in Shanghai wasn't difficult. In particular, I found one specific new character with whom I was fascinated.
He can cloud-travel, shape shift, transform objects, and somersault great distances. His story is the stuff of legends and Sun Wukong (also known as the Monkey King) is perhaps one of the most well-known and loved characters in Chinese culture. He is equal parts cunning, playful and mischievous, yet also strong, powerful and immortal. I admired Sun Wukong so much that I frequently donned a mask representing him and pretended to know martial arts, much to the amusement of my parents and nanny. At the same time, this character influenced my life more than I thought a fictional character ever could.
During my pre-teen years in middle school, I had two very close friends. I actively participated in only a few extracurricular clubs that keenly interested me (like math and science), took violin and piano lessons outside of school (but didn't join any music ensembles), and enrolled in dance classes with other students from regional public schools. I'll admit I easily grew jealous when my best friends spent more time with other people. One girl participated on the school's track team and became friends with plenty of classmates, while the other was a prodigy of sorts at playing the violin and knew many young, talented musicians like herself from the Rochester Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. It was immature and selfish of me, yes, but at the time I felt insecure and out of my comfort zone; I didn't feel as though I could act like myself around others.
However, things have changed a lot over the past four years, and my confidence level reflects this. One of Sun Wukong's powers was cloning himself, though I'm certainly not claiming to have mastered the ability of plucking a hair, blowing on it and instantly seeing a doppelganger appear. But I have branched out in terms of groups and club activities. With that, I certainly have found more friends and people who share the same interests as me. In middle school, I felt uncomfortable acting differently around different people, but in high school I have found that I can be myself more often. It's similar to cloning because while each copy shows a different side of me and my personality, I am still the same person with the same ideas and values. I can hang out with my friends from stage crew during performances, joke with classmates who share similar schedules, and have fun with family friends who I've known since birth.
Since watching the Monkey King on T.V., I reevaluated the social aspect of my life. I am not as reserved as I used to be, but more outgoing and friendly. Creating copies of himself was an asset in fighting his enemies, so why couldn't it be one of my attributes? Though my rivals are not as fierce as large armies or powerful deities, he learned his talents as a disciple while I learned from Sun Wukong's own actions. My biggest challenger was my self-esteem and as a confident college applicant, I believe I've won this battle.
