ANCIENTS AND ARCHETYPES
JOSEPH CAMPBELL’S HERO CYCLE
WRITING WORKOUT:
It was the same old story.
• Write ¾ of a page minimum.
• Write in any mode or genre.
• Try to convey VOICE through detail, imagery, diction, syntax, and
point of view.
• SYNTAX Challenge: Incorporate sentence types 3, 4, and 5 (see syntax packet
for samples sentences).
ANCIENTS AND ARCHETYPES
JOSEPH CAMPBELL’S HERO CYCLE
JOSEPH CAMPBELL’S JOURNEY OF A HERO
Based on The Hero with a Thousand Faces: a Theory for All the Ages.
Gilgamesh
=
=
=
Odysseus
Aeneus
=
Buddha
Moses
Joseph Campbell, a historian/writer/linguist/mythologist, studied ancient texts and
traveled the world to understand myths from both eastern and western cultures.
He noticed uncanny connections among the heroes of the ancient world.
THE MONOMYTH
“It will always be the one, shape-shifting yet marvelously
constant story that we find, together with a
challengingly persistent suggestion of more remaining
to be experienced than will ever be known or told.”
(Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, 1949.)
Campbell found connections and patterns among characters, which are called
ARCHETYPES. Writers should not be frozen by the fear of repeating the same old
story, because every hero brings new details or circumstances that will interest
the reader. The Hero Cycle is not a formula…it’s a naturally occurring
phenomenon that humans have been repeating as long as stories have been told!
ARCHETYPES
arch = first, orginal and type = model
Around the same time that Joseph Campbell was writing about the
hero’s journey, Carl Jung theorized that different character types are a
part of our psyche – we’re all telling the same story based on our
“collective unconscious.”
Archetypes:
The hero
The explorer
The trickster
The innocent
The shadow
The child
The caregiver
The anima/animus
The maiden
Modern-day writers and filmmakers often study Campbell’s work to create characters
who represent archetypes like: the hero, the mentor, the villain, the trickster, etc.d
You’ve already experienced
the hero cycle if you’ve seen
or read:
• The Matrix
• Star Wars
• Excalibur
• Superhero movies like
Superman, Batman, etc.
• Pinocchio
• The Odyssey
• The Legend of King Arthur
• Indiana Jones movies
• Several biblical parables
• Aladdin (and most other
Disney movies)
Star Wars is often used as an
example of the hero cycle because
George Lucas stumbled across a copy
of Hero with a Thousand Faces and
then consulted with Joseph Campbell
as he developed his master blueprint
for the films.
OVERVIEW OF THE HERO CYCLE
• Each chapter within the book Hero with a Thousand Faces can be interpreted
as a substep of the hero cycle (there are 17 substeps).
• Some writers/mythologists have condensed the steps or they may call them
by different names. The gist the hero’s tale is always the same!
• The steps of the hero cycle do not have to unfold in a specific order, but they
do typically follow these three major steps: separation, initiation, and return.
Here’s a condensed version of
the hero cycle that displays
the most important steps!
Here’s a really, really, really
condensed graphic image of
the hero cycle!
HOW ARE YOU LIKE HARRY POTTER, FRODO BAGGINS,
AND KATNISS EVERDEEN?
Link to TED Ed Lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-a-hero-matthew-winkler#watch
CALL TO ADVENTURE
• There are 4 major types of calls:
1) Something has been taken: the quest is to
find it
2) Something is “missing” in life: the quest is
to find what is lacking
3) Honor has been sullied: someone’s good
name or reputation must be restored
4) Something is not permitted: the quest is
to right the wrongs of the world
CALL TO ADVENTURE
• Some heroes are willing to go on the
adventure (like Harry Potter or
Ender); others are reluctant or
unwilling, at least at first (like Bilbo
Baggins).
Transformative crisis:
Prim’s name is called
at the Reaping.
• “transformative crisis” v. gradual call
• heralds (often a stranger or an
animal) may deliver the call
Harry’s call to
adventure is
announced via
an animal (owls),
then a stranger
(Hagrid).
MONDAY, 10/5 AND TUESDAY, 10/6
Grab your RAW books and handouts from the front black cabinet.
DO NOW:
Imagine that you want to go somewhere that your
parents do NOT want you to go. What strategies do you use to get
your way? Don’t write them down in the RAW Book yet, but be
ready to discuss. 
MONDAY, 10/5 AND TUESDAY, 10/6
Today’s Agenda:
1) Dissection Day: “Justice Will Be Done” (non-fiction)
2) Mini-lesson: Titles for Academic Papers
3) Hero Cycle Notes, continued
Homework:
• Proofread and polish all Idea Book entries (due next time!)
• Read the 4th chapter of your hero cycle book.
• Root Words Quiz #3 is coming up: Friday/Tuesday
ANALYZING LITERATURE (USE LOS SUPERSEVEN!)
• Diction
• Imagery
• Details
• Syntax
• Point of view
• Tone
• Theme
ANALYZING LANGUAGE
The tools of rhetoric:
Logical appeal:
statistics/data, common
sense, reasoning
Credibility:
Experiences of
the speaker,
associations with
credible
sources
Emotional appeal:
Ex. Sympathy,
nostalgia, humor,
guilt, passion, etc.
“D” ON THE GRID: DISSECTION DAY
“Justice Will
Be Done”
QUICK REVIEW
www.kahoot.it
“D” ON THE GRID: DISSECTION DAY
“Justice Will
Be Done”
WRITING TITLES FOR ACADEMIC PAPERS
An effective title includes:
• A hook or catchy phrase to grab attention
• A hint towards the thesis
• Key words/details/“location” from the prompt
SAMPLE TITLES
• Good Bye Lenin!: Free Market Nostalgia for Socialist Consumerism
• The Artful Thunder as Dramatic Technique in Shakespeare’s The Tempest
• The Machine-Language of Muscles: Reading, Sport and the Self in Infinite Jest
• Steel, Land, and Famine: The Failure of the Great Leap Forward
• The Day the Earth Bled: The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius
BACK TO THE HERO CYCLE!
REFUSAL OF THE CALL
The hero may not be 100% on board right away!
• Look for an obvious negative reaction OR just a last moment of hesitancy
before the hero leaves the ordinary world
• based on fears of the unknown or societal/familial/cultural constraints
• may be manifested through a regret or desire for normalcy
• the call may be refused on behalf of the hero by someone else
• can only result in stagnation, disintegration, and death, so this always
leads up to an ACCEPTANCE OF THE CALL
"We are plain quiet folk and have
no use for adventures. Nasty
uncomfortable things! Make you
late for dinner! I can't see what
anybody sees in them...we don't
want any adventures here, thank
you! You might try over The Hill or
across The Water.“
~ Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit
WEDNESDAY, 10/7 & THURSDAY, 10/8
Today’s Agenda:
1) Calendar Distribution
2) Grammar Lesson: Clauses and Phrases
3) Hero Cycle Notes, continued
Homework:
• Prepare for Root Words Quiz #3 on Friday/Tuesday
• Bring flash cards from all three lists for bonus points!
GRAMMAR TIME: THE CLAUSE V. THE PHRASE
A CLAUSE:
A PHRASE:
…is a group of words that contains a
subject (noun or pronoun performing
an action) and a predicate (verb)
…is a group of words that might
contain a noun OR a verb, but it does
not contain both
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Independent Clause (a sentence!)
Dependent Clause
Adverbial Clause
Noun Clause
Prepositional phrase
Participial phrase
Gerund phrase
Infinitive phrase
CLAUSES
A GROUP OF WORDS THAT INCLUDES A SUBJECT AND A VERB
Kermit rode his bike to Hollywood.
Kermit rode his bike to Hollywood.
Subj + verb  complete thought = independent clause
S
V
Even though his legs were scrawny, Kermit rode his bike to Hollywood.
[Even though his legs were scrawny] = dependent clause
CLAUSES
A GROUP OF WORDS THAT INCLUDES A SUBJECT AND A VERB
I like books.
Noun clause: I like what I see.
I like what I see.
I smacked my alarm clock hourly.
Adverbial clause: I smacked my alarm clock until I broke it.
I smacked my alarm clock until I broke it.
PHRASES!
A PHRASE IS A GROUP OF RELATED WORDS THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE A SUBJECT OR
VERB. (IF IT DID CONTAIN A SUBJECT AND VERB, IT WOULD BE CALLED A CLAUSE!)
Prepositional phrases begin with a preposition and typically answer the
questions “when” or “where.”
Ernest Hemingway was fond of prepositional phrases:
The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white. On this side there was no
shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun. Close
against the side of the station there was the warm shadow of the building and a
curtain, made of strings of bamboo beads, hung across the open door into the bar, to
keep out flies. The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside
the building. It was very hot and the express from Barcelona would come in forty
minutes. It stopped at this junction for two minutes and went on to Madrid.
Prepositional phrases add detail to a sentence. Even though prep
phrases contain nouns, a prepositional phrase will NEVER contain the
subject of the sentence.
Neither of these cookbooks contains the recipe for Manhattan-style
squid eyeball stew.
Neither of these cookbooks contains the recipe for Manhattan-style
squid eyeball stew.
Tommy, along with the other students, breathed a sigh of relief when
Mrs. Higginbottom postposted the exam.
Tommy, along with the other students, breathed a sigh of relief when
Mrs. Higginbottom postposted the exam.
WHERE’S THE PREPOSITION AT?!?
You may have heard that ending a sentence with a preposition is a nono. That’s true. You should change “Who are you going with?” to “With
whom are you going?
However…when changing it results in something really awkward, don’t
do it! Like this famous quotation from Winston Churchill:
“That is nonsense up with
which I will not put.”
BACK TO THE HERO CYCLE!
SUPERNATURAL AID (MENTORS AND HELPERS)
Heroes get help along the way!
1) Mentors are protective figures who
counsel or teach the hero.
2) Helpers or sidekicks are sometimes called
the loyal companions.
3) Aid can arrive in the form of a magical
object called a talisman (sword, map,
helmet, ring, light saber, etc.)
MENTORS: Mentors don’t always wear pointy hats and long,
white beards. Can you identify these mentors?
SIDEKICKS: Can you name the sidekicks for these heroes?
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
Leaving the ordinary world…
• passage must be earned by overcoming some
kind of obstacle
• threshold is often blocked by an adversary or
guardian who requires the hero to rethink the
plan
• threshold = the territory between the known
and the unknown
The Star Wars cantina scene is a famous “crossing the threshold”
moment, because Luke encounters strange beings and must overcome
obstacles to leave his ordinary life behind.
Click on the image above or on this link to see a Lego rendition of the cantina scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ieXVs3AfCQ
BELLY OF THE WHALE/INTO THE ABYSS
Pause…a hero is born!
1) The final stage of leaving the ordinary and moving into the known world is
called the BELLY OF THE WHALE (if the hero is in an enclosed womb-like
space) or INTO THE ABYSS (if the hero is alone and wandering). It’s a time
of contemplation, and often includes imagery of death (of the old self) and
birth (of the hero, ready to face trials and challenges).
2) The “Belly of the Whale” step =
• a symbol of the womb
• a form of self-annihilation
• a near-death (or death of the old ways/the old self) and a resurrection
THE ROAD OF TRIALS
A series of obstacles/challenges/quests
1) Common types of TRIALS include: brother battle, dragon battle,
abduction/sea/night journeys, symbolic dismemberment or death.
2) Campbell noted that:
• tests may be physical or spiritual
• the trials become progressively more difficult
• the hero “discovers and assimilates his opposite either by swallowing it or by being
swallowed” (Cambell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces).
3) Another test for our hero is facing TEMPTATION (often represented by a
temptress character distracting the hero from the intended quest.)
THE ROAD OF TRIALS
The ultimate trial or challenge is called the Supreme Ordeal
“You mean you'll put down your rock, and I'll
put down my sword and we'll try and kill each
other like civilized people?”
-- Wesley, The Princess Bride
MEETING WITH THE GODDESS
Girl power! Campbell said the woman represents
“the totality of what can be known.”
1) Be on the lookout for a female character who offers
aid/nurturing/healing to the hero in a time of need.
2) Sometimes this character is a love interest, and the story incorporates
a mystical marriage.
3) Sometimes the goddess is more of a fairy godmother/nurturer.
4) A hero may find intuition; a heroin may rely more on logic.
THE TEMPTRESS
Seducing the hero away from his path
1) the meeting with a woman may be another obstacle to overcome
2) woman = a symbol of life, so recognizing
the woman as temptress = a revulsion
of the flesh or earthly self
TRANSFORMATION
The hero finds the power within
1) Ultimately, the hero must come to grips with the thing that held the
most power over him in life. For many, that’s the father figure. In the
ATONEMENT stage, the hero becomes “at one” with himself and his
new identity as a hero. He realizes (often after encouragement or
recognition) that he has replaced his father – he is in control of his
destiny.
2) APOTHEOSIS happens to some hero figures, when they reach a
moment of such triumph that they temporarily feel god-like, like they
can accomplish something that ordinary humans could not.
3) The ULTIMATE BOON is the realization of the quest, but it’s not always
what the hero was looking for (love, truth, justice, etc.).
TRANSFORMATION
Watch the following video and search for steps of
the hero cycle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_OMPrqhA_4
THE RETURN
The hero returns to the known world, but he’ll
never be the same…
1) REFUSAL OF THE RETURN: the hero may not feel ready to return to
ordinary life (Nobody gets me!!)
2) RESCUE FROM WITHOUT: an outside source (sometimes
supernatural) helps the hero return home safely
3) MAGIC FLIGHT: the journey home is often miraculously shorter
than the journey away from home (a blessing from the gods)
4) MASTER OF TWO WORLDS: the hero reconciles their experiences
on the journey and their existence in the everyday world
AND THE ADVENTURE NEVER ENDS…