Movie Night
Philosophy 100
The Power of Myth (1988)
Spring 2013
Danielson
Here are questions you might keep in mind while watching the film. These can be used for discussion the night
of the film, or to answer for those who watch on their own. If you are writing answers because you did not
attend the film, or because you are writing for more extra credit, please answer one or more of the questions
(but no more than 3) with a two-page response. You have until the date of the next film to submit your
responses.
Here’s a link to an online version of the film. http://vimeo.com/11991616 (This site has three of the 6 interviews.
They are all well worth watching.)
1.
Humans are storytellers. We tell ourselves stories as a way of making sense of our lives and the world.
How does the story of the Hero’s journey apply to your life? (Is there value in framing “how you see your
life” as a story? Can you recognize the way that you see yourself and your life as the story of a ‘hero’ or
‘heroine’?)
2.
In the modern world we no longer have explicit initiation rituals which demarcate the change from
childhood to adulthood. What are the consequences for young people and for the society as a whole?
Why are these rituals important? Do you think the substitutes for the ritual, e.g. graduating high school,
or reaching the age of 18 or 21, work as well as a more elaborate cultural ritual?
3.
How can the idea that ‘each of us is already a hero as the result of being born’ play a role in how we frame
the story of our lives?
4.
How might the myth of ‘finding the father’ help act as a guide to find our life work? (If we frame the task
of finding what our life work is as a mythological quest, does that make it easier to find our life’s work?
How so? Why not?)
5.
How do the mythological stories created by past generations help us in the living of our lives? (Use Plato’s
“Myth of the Cave” as an example.)
6.
What, if any, is the value in reframing the stories of major religious figures from stories which we think
assert literal truth to thinking of them as mythological stories? What are the dangers of making this shift?
What keeps people from making this shift in their understanding of the stories?
7.
Do you think the ideas of the religious pioneers are misunderstood by the people who follow those
pioneers? (Comment on the way that Campbell claims that the religious leaders act as lighthouses,
pointing out the dangers rather than giving literal answers.)
8.
Do you agree with Campbell when he talks of how the ego acts as a barrier to transcendence? Why? Why
not? (If our egos have been creating stories which it tells us about ourselves, is it possible to consciously
remake those stories in order to make our lives happier?)
9.
Why are mythical themes in movies, like the old wise man as advisor in Star Wars, so deep in our psyche?
If we know about these themes, does it detract from the power and meaning of the film? Why? Why not?
10. How can we use myths to see the individual trials that we face as part of a larger story of which we are
playing a part? What is the value of framing our life in mythological terms?
11. Which is more important to our overall health, the “heart” or the mind? Why? Does following the heart
mean a renunciation of rational thought?
12. What are some strategies for recognizing and resisting the power of the larger dominant culture’s
influence upon us? How would myths, like the hero’s journey, aid us in that effort?
13. How can the mythological idea of “Dragons” be used by us as a strategy to help recognize the hold that
our egos have upon us? Since no one today believes in the existence of literal dragons, what are the
modern equivalents of these mythological “Dragons”?
14. Comment on the strengths and weaknesses of Campbell’s claim that we ought to “Follow our bliss.”
15. Do we have an obligation to go on our own hero’s journey not only to save ourselves but to save the
world? Why or why not? How might ‘saving ourselves’ save the world?
16. Why do so many people think that paradise, heaven, nirvana etc. are locations, or destinations we need
to go and find? What keeps us from understanding these ‘places’ as being literally here and now in our
lives? How would our lives be different if such places were understood as states of consciousness rather
than literal places?
17. The Buddha says in the Dhammapada “all that we are is the result of what we have thought.” How does
such an idea point a way for us travel on our own hero journey?
18. If Campbell is correct that certain places, like Cathedrals, can act as sacred spaces to realign us with the
spiritual dimension of life, do we have to go and experience these places physically, or can knowing that
this idea is true allow us to see every space as sacred? How so? Why not?
19. How do the physical structures we build in our society reveal what the society thinks is important? How
are they physical, external parallels to the mythological structure in our stories we tell ourselves as a
culture? If so, what do these buildings say about our society?
20. Given the comments at the end of the interview regarding the state of the planet, do you believe that
new myths may help us find a way to address present concerns about global issues, e.g. over population?
How would these myths help us make changes to ensure our survival? (i.e. Do you think that the solution
to modern problems can be adequately addressed by having better stories we tell ourselves?)
21. Ultimately, is the shift from “Mythos to Logos” which we talked about in class, merely replacing one story
with another? How so? Does this diminish the value of the shift? How so?