QUICK WRITE
What is your definition of a hero? Be sure to explain
yourself and give at least two examples of heroes that
fit your definition.
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WHAT IS AN ARCHETYPE?
noun
1. the original pattern or model from which all things
of the same kind are copied or on which they are
based; a model or first form; prototype.
2. (in Jungian psychology) a collectively inherited
unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc.,
universally present in individual psyches.
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WHAT IS AN ARCHETYPE?
Think of an archetype as being the first model or
prototype of something. The Model T was the
first prototype of the modern automobile.
In literature, the same type of characters,
situations, and symbols have been modeled
for many years in many different types of
stories.
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CARL JUNG
•
•
Carl Jung sought to explain the
reason behind these patterns in
literature.
He discovered that humans have
that humans have a “preconscious
PSYCHIC disposition.” In other words,
humans all share certain
unconscious, INSTINCTUAL ideas,
dreams and notions. When these
ideas come out in images or in
literature, we call them
ARCHETYPES.
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CARL JUNG
• According to Jung, archetypes are
a result of a Universal
Unconsciousness, and because of
this, Universal Patterns begin to
surface in art.
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SO, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
• We all share a “collective unconscious” or a
subconscious mental record of all common
human experiences.
• Archetypes are universal themes that express
our “collective unconscious.”
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This shared collective
unconscious is why so
many stories, tales, epics
and parables share
SIMILAR characters,
symbols, themes and
stages of plot
development; even
literature written in
different parts of the
world, in different
CULTURES and at different
times in HISTORY!
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ARCHETYPE REDEFINED
It is a recurring pattern of
characters, situations, or symbols
existing universally and instinctively
in man’s unconscious.
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HERO/HEROINE
The hero/heroine is
the character who
must fulfill a
necessary task and
who will restore,
fertility, harmony,
and/or justice to a
community.
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http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-a-hero-matthew-winkler
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CHARACTERISTICS OF A HERO/HEROINE
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•
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Mysterious birth
Leaves family
Experiences a traumatic event
Loses favor
Wields a special weapon
Has supernatural help
Proves himself
Is often reborn in some way
Realizes that they “have the
power all along”
A hero does not need to have all of these
characteristics to be considered an
archetypical hero!!
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Wizard of Oz Hero's Journey
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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
The Ordinary World
Most stories take the
hero out of the
ordinary, mundane
world into a Special
World, new and
alien.
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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
The Call to Adventure
The hero is presented with a
problem, challenge, or
adventure to undertake.
Once presented with a call
to adventure, he/she can no
longer remain indefinitely in
the comfort of the ordinary
world.
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THE CALL TO ADVENTURE
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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
Refusal of the Call (The
Reluctant Hero)
This one is about fear.
The hero balks or
hesitates at the threshold
of adventure.
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REFUSAL OF THE CALL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJaxd1BQr9
g
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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
Mentor (Wise Old Man or
Woman)
The relationship between
the hero and Mentor is one
of the most common
themes in mythology. It
stands for the bond
between parent and child,
teacher and student, god
and man.
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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
Crossing the First
Threshold
The hero finally commits to
the adventure and fully
enters the Special World of
the story for the first time.
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CROSSING THE FIRST THRESHOLD
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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
Tests, Allies, and
Enemies
The hero naturally
encounters new
challenges and tests,
makes allies and
enemies, and begins to
learn the rules of the
Special World.
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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
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MEETING OF THE ENEMY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eFubQuK0
dg
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MEETING OF AN ALLY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2itQkiQUOE
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EXAMPLE OF A TEST
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG2keYgBi
Zc
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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
Approach to the Inmost
Cave
The hero comes at last to
the edge of a dangerous
place, sometimes deep
underground, where the
object of the quest is
hidden.
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APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SESI19h4wD
o
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APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtie6r27JeU
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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
The Supreme Ordeal
Here the fortunes of the
hero hit bottom in a
direct confrontation with
his greatest fear.
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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
Reward (Seizing the Sword)
The hero now takes possession
of the treasure (reward) he/she
has come seeking. Sometimes
the “sword” is knowledge that
leads to greater understanding or
reconciliation with hostile forces.
In many stories the loved one is the treasure the hero has come to
win or recuse.
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THE ORDEAL/THE REWARD
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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
The Road Back
This stage marks the
return into the Ordinary
World.
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THE ROAD BACK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky7DMCHQJZY
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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
Resurrection
Death and darkness get in
one last, desperate shot
before being finally
defeated. It’s the final exam
for the hero, who must be
tested once more to see if
he has really learned the
lessons of the Supreme
Ordeal.
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THE RESURRECTION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooMRGUTe2E
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STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
Return with the Elixir
The hero returns to the
Ordinary World, but the
journey is meaningless
unless he/she brings back
some Elixir, treasure, or
lesson from the Special
World.
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RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR
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In groups of 3, think of a book or movie that follows the hero’s
journey.
You must complete all 7 steps on the back on your notes.
Once your group is finished brainstorming, you must draw your
hero’s cycle and write your explanations on the chart paper
provided.
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WRITER’S NOTEBOOK REFLECTION
Think of an experience in your life that
following the hero’s journey. Explain
how the experience fit into the
seven basic stages of the Hero’s
Cycle.
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MENTORS
These individuals serve
as teachers and
counselors to the hero.
They can work as role
model or serve as a
father or mother figure.
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FATHER-SON CONFLICT
• Separation
• Disagreement between father and son
• Resentment of father by his son
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HUNTING GROUP COMPANIONS
• A group of hunting
companions will
become lost in the
woods and
unwillingly discover
adventure and
danger there.
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LOYAL RETAINERS
• Noble sidekicks to the hero
• Their duty is to protect the hero
• Stand beside the main character through
everything
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FRIENDLY BEAST
• Appears to be a
horrible monster,
but has a heart
of gold and helps
our hero.
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EVIL FIGURE
WITH A GOOD HEART
• Redeemable devil
figure (or servant to
the devil figure) is
saved by the hero’s
nobility or good
heart.
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OUTCAST
• Banished from a
society or social
group
• Usually destined to
become a wanderer
• Disagrees with
societal norms
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SCAPEGOAT
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Blamed for other’s
actions or wrongdoings
Death (often in a
public ceremony)
excuses some sin of
the community
Death makes him or
her a more powerful
force than when they
lived
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DEVIL FIGURE
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Represents evil
incarnate
May offer worldly
goods, fame, or
knowledge to the
protagonist in
exchange for the
protagonists soul
Main aim is to oppose
the hero
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CREATURE OF NIGHTMARE
• A monster that is
summoned from the
deepest, darkest
parts of the human
psyche
• Threatens the life of
the hero
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STAR-CROSSED LOVERS
• Two characters
engaged in a love
affair
• Fated to end tragically
for one for both due to
disapproval of society,
friends, family, or the
gods
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THE EARTH MOTHER
• Symbolic of
fulfillment,
abundance, and
fertility
• Offers spiritual and
emotional
nourishment
Mrs. Potts
Mother Earth
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THE TEMPTRESS
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Characterized by
sensuous beauty
Her physical attraction
may bring about the
hero’s downfall
Tempts our hero to
abandon his quest,
often with promises of
riches, beauty, love or
lust.
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THE PLATONIC IDEAL
• A physical and
spiritual ideal for
whom the hero has
an intellectual rather
than physical
attraction
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THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE
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Married to a man she
sees as dull or distant
Attracted to a more
handsome or interesting
man
Commits an act of
infidelity
Through her adultery, an
entire kingdom, quest,
or world may be
destroyed.
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THE DAMSEL IN DISTRESS
• Vulnerable woman
who must be rescued
by the hero
• May also be used by
the evil figure, as a
trap, to ensnare the
hero
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WARRIOR
• A relatively
modern
archetype where
a female warrior
battles evil with
brute force,
strength, and
cunning.
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QUEST
• The search for someone
or some talisman which,
when found and brought
back, will restore fertility
to a wasted land or bring
peace
• The desolate state of the
land is mirrored by a
leader's illness and
disability.
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TASK
• The hero must
perform some super
human deed to save
the kingdom, to win
the fair lady, or to
assume his rightful
position
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JOURNEY
• Sends hero in search of
some truth or information
which is necessary to
restore the kingdom
• The hero usually descends
into a real or psychological
hell and is forced to
discover many unpleasant
truths
• These unpleasant truths
can involve the hero’s own
faults
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INITIATION
An initiation symbolizes a
right of passage into
adulthood
• Very much connected with
growing up and maturity
• Generally initiates the hero
into adult life
• After an initiation, the
adolescent will come with
new awareness, maturity,
skills, and hope for the
community.
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THE RITUAL
• This is the actual
ceremony that will
mark the initiate’s
rite of passage into
another state of
being.
• The ritual marks a
right of passage
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THE FALL
• Describes a descent
from a higher to a lower
state of being.
• The experience involves
a loss of innocence and
bliss
• Often accompanied by
expulsion from a kind of
paradise as penalty for
disobedience
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DEATH AND REBIRTH
•
The hero goes through
some form of
metamorphosis
(usually physical,
psychological AND
spiritual) which, in
some way, symbolizes,
or is symbolized by,
his/ her death and
rebirth.
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NATURE VS. MECHANISTIC
WORLD
• Nature = good
• Technology &
Society = bad
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BATTLE BETWEEN
GOOD AND EVIL
• Mankind often shows
eternal optimism in
the continual
portrayal of good
triumphing over evil
in spite of great
odds.
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UNHEALABLE WOUND
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The wound is either
physical or
psychological damage
and cannot be fully
healed.
Indicates a loss of
innocence
These wounds often
ache and can drive the
sufferer to desperate
measures
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THE MAGIC WEAPON
•
A symbol of the hero’s
extraordinary quality
•
No other can wield the
weapon or use it to its
full potential
•
Traditionally given by a
mentor
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LIGHT AND DARKNESS
Light= enlightenment,
wisdom, good, hope,
renewal, intellectual
illumination
Darkness= the
unknown, ignorance,
evil
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WATER AND DESERT
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Water= birth, rebirth,
creation, purification,
growth
Desert= spiritual
aridity, death,
hopelessness, loss of
faith
Water may symbolize a
spiritual birth
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HEAVEN AND HELL
• Supreme beings and
mythological gods
live in the skies
• Evil forces, including
Satan, come from
the underworld
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INNATE WISDOM VS. EDUCATED
STUPIDITY
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•
Some characters exhibit
wisdom and understanding
of situations instinctively as
opposed to those supposedly
in charge. A hero often needs
the guidance of innate
wisdom.
Loyal retainers often exhibit
this wisdom as they
accompany the hero on the
journey.
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HAVEN VS. WILDERNESS
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Havens are places of
comfort and safety.
The wilderness is
portrayed as a place of
danger.
Heroes may seek
havens for time to
regain health and
resources
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THE SUN
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Sun= creative energy,
thinking,
enlightenment,
wisdom, spiritual vision
Rising Sun= birth,
creation, the beginning
of something
Setting Sun= death, the
end of something
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COLORS
Red: blood, sacrifice, passion, disorder, violence
Green: growth, hope, fertility, nature
Blue: tranquility, security, truth
White: light, purity, innocence (negative: nothingness, terror, death)
Yellow: enlightenment, wisdom
Black: evil, darkness, chaos, mystery, the unknown, death
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SERPENT/SNAKE/WORM
• Symbol of energy
and pure force
(libido), corruption,
sensuality,
destruction, evil
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NUMBERS
3= light, spiritual awareness, unity, the trinity
4= mankind (four limbs), four seasons, four
elements, life cycle
6= evil, sin, man
7= divinity (3) + mankind (4) = religious
component of unity, completion of a cycle,
perfect order
13= evil, unlucky
Note: Many things come in sets of 7
• Seven deadly sins
• Seven days of the week
• Seven colors of the rainbow
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GARDEN
• Paradise, innocence,
unspoiled beauty
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TREE
• Growth,
proliferation,
immortality, phallic
symbol, denotes
life of the cosmos
• Where we learn,
tree of life, tree of
knowledge
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SEASONS
• Spring= rebirth, genre= comedy
• Summer= life, genre= romance
• Fall= dying, descent, genre= tragedy
• Winter= death, nothingness, genre= irony
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