I hope I was able to explain the next writing assignment clearly. This is one step closer to a purely independent project. In this case, you have a goal which I have decided (to analyze a story in by using the ideas from the essay "The Hero's Journey," but you are able to choose a story that you enjoy, hopefully one that you love, and write a couple of pages concerning it.
I'll post a copy of "The Hero's Journey" below for those of you who might have been out of class or in case you lose yours. Read it, consider the examples (I'm sure most of you have seen Star Wars, Lion King, or Lord of the Rings--if not we'll try to find examples that you may be more familiar with. Also, we'll analyze "The Window" and see how closely it fits to the pattern described in "The Hero's Journey."
And now, the homework!
In Grammar Dimensions, please do (and write on a piece of paper that you can turn in) Exercise 6 on page 171. You can use the words that the text provides, or you can use your own examples. You can describe food, clothing, tools, religious articles, weapons, etc. from your culture.
For example: In Japanese restaurants, customers are handed an oshibori, which is a steamed, rolled towel, to wipe their hands with before a meal.
What is typical in your countries that you'd like to explain to Americans? Or, if you prefer, you can write about little-known instruments or tools that you have used.
Also, please do Exercise 7 on pages 172-3 to practice adding comments. Exercise 7 should also be written and handed in.
For example, John gave us a long article entitled "The Hero's Journey," which was exasperating!
And read the fun little story entitled "The Window," which I handed to you at the end of class.
How does it relate to the idea of "The Hero's Journey?" We'll discuss that tomorrow.
THE HERO’S JOURNEY
Joseph Campbell,
an American psychologist and mythological researcher, wrote a famous book
entitled The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
In his lifelong research Campbell discovered many common patterns running
through hero myths and stories from around the world. Years of research lead
Campbell to discover several basic stages that almost every hero-quest goes
through (no matter what culture the myth is a part of). He calls this common
structure “the monomyth.”
George Lucas, the
creator of Star Wars, claims that Campbell’s monomyth was the inspiration for
his groundbreaking films. Lucas also believes that Star Wars is such a popular
saga because it taps into a timeless story-structure which has existed for
thousands of years. Many followers of Campbell have defined the stages of his
monomyth in various ways, sometimes supplying different names for certain
stages. For this reason there are many different versions of the Hero’s Journey
that retain the same basic elements.
THE ORDINARY WORLD
Heroes exist
in a world is considered ordinary or uneventful by those who live there. Often
the heroes are considered odd by those in the ordinary world and possess some
ability or characteristic that makes them feel out-of-place.
·
The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz: Dorothy in Kansas
·
The Hobbit:
Bilbo Baggins in Hobbiton
·
Star Wars:
Luke Skywalker on Tatooine
·
The Lion
King: Simba at Pride Rock
THE CALL TO ADVENTURE
For heroes to
begin their journeys, they must be called away from the ordinary world. Fantastic quests don’t happen in everyday
life. Heroes must be removed from their typical environment. Most heroes show a
reluctance to leave their home, their friends, and their life to journey on a
quest. But in the end they accept their destiny.
Usually there is
a discovery, some event, or some danger that starts them on the heroic path.
Heroes find a mystic object or discover their world is in danger. In some cases,
heroes happen upon their quest by accident. Campbell puts it like this, “A
blunder—the merest chance—reveals an unsuspected world.”
The new world the
hero is forced into is much different than the old one. Campbell describes this
new world as a “fateful region of both treasure and danger…a distant land, a
forest, a kingdom underground, beneath the waves, or above the sky, a secret
island, lofty mountaintop, or profound dream state…a place of strangely fluid
and polymorphous beings, unimaginable torments, superhuman deeds, and
impossible delight”. This description may seem pretty vague, but think of all
the various fantasy realms characters have entered throughout the years:
Middle-Earth, Oz, Narnia, Wonderland. It could even be outer space, a haunted house,
or the Matrix. Regardless of the details, the new world is sure to be filled
with adventure.
·
The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The tornado
·
The
Hobbit: Gandalf the wizard arrives
·
Star Wars:
R2D2’s cryptic message
REFUSAL OF THE QUEST
During the Call
to Adventure heroes are given a task or quest which only they can complete. They are faced with a choice: accept
the quest or deny it. Their choice might seem like a no-brainer. If they don’t
accept the quest, there won’t be much of a story—or will there? Actually there are stories where heroes don’t
accept their destinies. When this happens, the stage is set for disaster.
There’s a reason why the powers-that-be have chosen a particular hero. A
refusal of the quest only brings trouble.
King Minos, the
monarch of Crete who antagonizes the Greek hero Theseus, does not do what the
gods ask of him. Poseidon, Lord of the Seas, sends him a beautiful white bull.
The god’s only order is that Minos must sacrifice the creature back to him.
After seeing the magnificent beast, Minos decides he just can’t bring himself
to do what the god asks and keeps the bull as a
personal trophy.
Enraged, Poseidon
vows revenge and causes Minos’ wife to burn with lust for her husband’s prized
beast. The rest of this story is strictly NC-17. It results in the birth of the
Minotaur, a creature half-bull, half-human, a curse to his father King Minos.
Campbell notes
that heroes who refuse their quest often become characters in need of rescuing or in
Minos’ case, the villain of another hero’s journey.
·
Star Wars:
Luke refuses the quest until he learns his aunt and uncle are dead
·
The Lion
King: Simba refuses to return to Pride Rock and accept his destiny
·
Groundhog
Day: Example of the negative cycle caused by refusing the call
ACCEPTING THE CALL
Once the adventure is accepted, the heroes
advance into the next stage of their journey.
ENTERING THE UNKNOWN
As they embark on
their journey, the heroes enter a world they have never experienced before.
Very often it is filled with supernatural creatures, breathtaking sights, and
the constant threat of death. Unlike the heroes’ home, this outside world has
its own rules, and they quickly learns to respect these rules as their
endurance, strength, and mettle are tested time and time again. After all, it
is not the end of the journey which teaches, but the journey itself.
·
The Wizard
of Oz: Dorothy must learn the rules of Oz
·
The
Matrix: Neo must come to grips with the realities and unrealities of the
Matrix
SUPERNATURAL AID
Supernatural
doesn’t have to mean magical. There are plenty of hero stories that don’t have
wizards or witches per say. Supernatural simply means “above the laws of
nature.”Heroes are almost always started on their journey by a character who
has mastered the laws of the outside world and come back to bestow this wisdom
upon them. This supernatural character often gives them the means to complete
the quest. Some of the time the gift is simply wisdom. Other times it is an
object with magical powers. In every instance it is something the hero needs to
succeed. As Campbell says, “One has only to know and trust, and the ageless guardians will
appear.” The job of the supernatural assistor is to give the heroes what they
need to finish the quest—not finish it for them.
·
The Hobbit:
Gandalf
·
Star Wars:
Obi-Wan Kenobi
·
Cinderella:
Fairy Godmother
TALISMAN
A Special (and
often magical) items that assist the heroes on their quest.
·
The Wizard
of Oz: Ruby Slippers
·
The
Hobbit: The Ring
·
Star Wars:
Lightsaber
ALLIES/HELPERS
Every hero needs
a helper, much like every superhero needs a sidekick. Without the assistance of
their companions and helpers along the way, most heroes would fail miserably. For example, in the Greek hero story of
Theseus, Minos’ daughter Ariadne, after falling hopelessly in love, helps
Theseus navigate the Labyrinth. She does this by holding one end of a golden
thread while Theseus works his way inward to slay the Minotaur. Without her
help, Theseus would never have fulfilled his quest or found his way out of the
maze once he did so.
·
Lord of
the Rings: Samwise Gamgee
·
The Wizard
of Oz: The Tin Woodsman, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion
TESTS & THE SUPREME ORDEAL
The heroes
progress through a series of tests, a set of obstacles that make them stronger,
preparing them for their final showdown. At long last they reach the Supreme
Ordeal, the obstacle they have journeyed so far to overcome.
All the heroes’
training and toil comes into play now. The journey has hardened them, and it’s
time for them to show their prowess. Once this obstacle is overcome, the
tension will be relieved. The worst is passed, and the quest, while not
officially over, has succeeded.
·
Star Wars:
Blowing up the Death Star
·
Lord of
the Rings: Mount Doom
·
The Wizard
of Oz: Defeating the Wicked Witch
REWARD AND THE
JOURNEY HOME
Typically, there is a reward given to heroes for passing
the Supreme Ordeal. It could be a kingdom. It could be the hand of a beautiful
princess. It could be the Holy Grail. Whatever it is, it is a reward for the
heroes’ endurance and strength.
After the heroes complete the Supreme Ordeal and have the
reward firmly in hand, all that is left is for them to return home. Just
because the majority of the adventure has passed doesn’t mean that the return
journey will be smooth sailing. There are still lesser homebound obstacles to
overcome.
·
The
Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies
·
The Lord
of the Rings: Return to Hobbiton
MASTER OF TWO
WORLDS/ RESTORING THE WORLD
Success on the heroes’ quest is life-changing, for them and
often for many others. By achieving victory, they have changed or preserved
their original world. Often they return with “the elixer,” an object or
personal ability that allows them to save their world.
The heroes have also grown in spirit and strength. They
have proved themselves worthy for marriage, kingship, or queenship. Their
mastery of the outside world qualifies them to be giants in their own.
·
Lord of
the Rings: Frodo saves the Shire
·
The Wizard
of Oz: Dorothy rids Oz of the Wicked Witch
THE MONOMYTH: NOT
JUST FOR MYTHOLOGY
While Joseph Campbell’s monomyth works best with the
traditional form of the quest—folk and fairy tales, myths, legends, and other
fantasies—it can be applied to many different genres or types of stories. A
quest does not have to include swords and monsters. It can just as easily occur
in the real world. The monomyth, ageless and universal, exists anywhere and
everywhere.
ARCHETYPES APPEARING
IN THE HERO’S JOURNEY
Joseph Campbell was heavily influenced by the Swiss
Psychiatrist Carl Jung whose theory of the collective unconscious involved
archetypes—recurring images, patterns, and ideas from dreams and myths across
various cultures. Below are several archetypes often found in myths.
·
HEROES:
Central figures in stories. Everyone is the hero of his or her own myth.
·
SHADOWS:
Villains, enemies, or perhaps the enemy within. This could be the
·
repressed possibilities of the hero, his or her
potential for evil.
·
MENTORS:
The hero’s guide or guiding principles.
·
HERALD:
The one who brings the Call to Adventure. This could be a person or an event.
·
THRESHOLD
GUARDIANS: The forces that stand in the way at important turning points,
including jealous enemies, professional gatekeepers, or even the hero’s own
fears and doubts.
·
SHAPESHIFTERS:
In stories, creatures like vampires or werewolves who change shape. In life,
the shapeshifter represents change.
·
TRICKSTERS:
Clowns and mischief-makers.
·
ALLIES:
Characters who help the hero throughout the quest.
· WOMAN AS
TEMPTRESS: Sometimes a female character offers danger to the hero (a femme
fatale)
Essay: The Hero's Journey
By Tuesday, please read the article "The Hero's Journey," which is based on the ideas of the scholar Joseph Campbell, who believed that almost all myths and legends have the same generic schema. Perhaps it's based on some supernatural reality...? Read about the different stages of this journey and the archetypal characters whom we can find in such stories.
Then choose a book, movie, or old story that you have enjoyed and try to analyze it in terms of "The Hero's Journey." When you write about the stages or characters, try to use non-defining relative clauses.
For example, "In Harry Potter, Dumbledore is the mentor, which is a guide to the hero."
Your essay should be at least two type-written pages (Times Roman, 12 point font, reasonable margins!)
You can print it out and give it to me on Tuesday or send it to my email address at jfzkaplan13@yahoo.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment