Monday, January 21, 2013

The Hero's Journey

  1. Read the explanation below about The Hero's Journey inspired by Joseph Campbell and then the short discussion on archetypes by Carl Jung. 
  2. Then choose one film, novel, short story, or epic poem and identify the similarities it shares with the stages of the hero's journey. YOU MAY NOT USE A WORK NOTED IN THE DISCUSSION BELOW--such as The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars etc. . . .
  3.  Finally, identify the type of hero within the work you chose based upon the archtypes defined by Carl Jung.
Your reponse should be 500 words. You have a "10 word window" of 5 words over 500 words and 5 words under 500 words. Create your response in a Word doc. Verify your word count and place this at the end of your response. Next copy/paste your repsonse with the word count into the blog post. 

Finally, respond to one classmate's posting and discuss to what extent you agree or disagree with their analysis.

First Posting Due: Monday, Jan. 28th.  (50 Points) 
Response to a Classmate Due: Friday, Feb 1st (20 Points)

THE HERO’S JOURNEY

Joseph Campbell, an American psychologist and mythological researcher, wrote a famous book entitledThe 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… distant land, a forest, a kingdom underground, beneath the waves, or above the sky, a secret island, lofty mountaintop, or profound dream state… 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 exilir," 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)

Mythology Teacher.Com.  Jan. 21, 2103.  Web
http://www.mythologyteacher.com/documents/TheHeroJourney.pdf

  1. Read the explanation above about The Hero's Journey inspired by Joseph Campbell and then the short discussion on archetypes by Carl Jung.
  2. Then choose one film, novel, short story, or epic poem and identify the similarities it shares with the stages of the hero's journey. YOU MAY NOT USE A WORK NOTED IN THE DISCUSSION ABOVE--such as The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars etc. . . .
  3.  Finally,  identify the type of hero within the work you chose based upon the archtypes defined by Carl Jung.
Your reponse should be 500 words.  You have a "10 word window" of 5 words over 500 words and 5 words under 500 words.  Create your response in a Word doc.  Verify your word count and place this at the end of your response.  Next copy/paste your repsonse with the word count into the blog post. 

Finally, respond to one classmate's posting and discuss to what extent you agree or disagree with their analysis.

First Posting Due: Monday, Jan. 28th. (50 Points)
Response to a Classmate Due: Friday, Feb 1st (20 Points)

103 comments:

  1. Dear Ms. Carlson,

    While many famous stories are based on a hero’s epic journey, I have chosen to analyze the Harry Potter series because it is one of my childhood favorites.

    Harry begins as a young orphan boy living in an ordinary world of “muggles” (non-magical humans) with his horrid Uncle and Aunty (the Dursleys). He had always been a peculiar child and was out casted and hidden in a small broom closet. Many magical letters are sent to Harry, but sadly, Mr. Dursley destroys them before Harry can ever see. Finally, on his eleventh birthday, Harry is aided by a half-giant named Hagrid who calls him to an adventure at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At first Harry is not sure if he belongs in the wizarding world, but he soon accepts the call to start a new life and leaves with Hagrid.

    Entering the unknown world of wizardry is intimidating for Harry, but he soon finds his best friends and allies Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Harry also never parts with his wand, a special talisman, which proves later to be the key to the defeat of his archenemy Voldemort.

    Throughout his years at Hogwats, Harry is faced with numerous tests of his strength in character as well as in his magical ability. During his first year Harry foils Voldemort’s attempt to come back from the dead using the sorcerers stone. On his second year Harry kills a Basilisk in the chamber of secrets to save his future wife Ginny Weasley. The third year Harry rescues his innocent uncle, Sirius Black, and a beautiful creature called a Hippogriff (named Buckbeak) from an unjust death. During the fourth year Harry wins the tri-wizard tournament while narrowly escaping death as Voldemort's powers begin to strengthen once more. Year five is when Harry joins the order of the Phoenix to put down the growing evil army causing chaos in the world or wizards and muggles alike. On year six Harry discovers and destroys one of Voldemort’s horcruxes (an evil talisman that contains part of ones soul after murdering someone or something) and learns of Voldemort’s plan to capture eternal life. Finally, on year seven, Harry destroys the remainder of Voldemort’s horcruxes. However, when he learns that he is the final accidental horcruxe made by Voldemort (the scar on his forehead is the proof), Harry willingly sacrifices himself in order to make Voldemort venerable to permanent death. In a grueling battle to the death, Harry faces his supreme ordeal and kills Voldemort, therefore saving the world from evil and destruction. After that he marries Ginny and lives out a peaceful life with three children (rewards of the journey).

    According to Carl Jung, I believe Harry Potter would be the honorable type of hero. One who is strongly guided by his morals and also by his allegiance to friends, family, and to justice. Even when Harry is ridiculously out of hope, his courage, bravery and pureness of heart always help him to save the day.

    Word Count: 500

    Sincerely,

    Maluhia Kinimaka
    Period 1

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    Replies
    1. Dear Maluhia,
      I have only seen the first harry potter, so reading your submission was very interesting and informative about the movie, I also see what Ms. means by "type of hero" after reading yours (sorry Ms.) Otherwise you were very descriptive and it was very enjoyable to read (:


      -shannon delaney
      pd 1

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  2. Dear Ms Carlson,
    I have chosen the film 'Finding Nemo' to compare the hero Marlins journey to the Stages of a Hero's Journey, by Joseph Campbell.

    The Ordinary World: Marling is taking his son, Nemo, to his first day of school. He's very over protective, and nervous that something will happen to Nemo while his there, but the teachers and Nemo reassure him everything will be fine.

    Call to Adventure: Nemo tries to prove his bravery by going to tap the boat, but gets captured by scuba divers, and there is now way to get him back. Marlin must travel to find and save his son.

    Refusal of the Quest: Marlin is skeptical to go after Nemo because of his fear of the open ocean, after previous dramatic experiences. He's afraid Nemo is gone forever.

    Accepting the Call: Marlin meets a funny fish named Dory who has physical memory loss. Marlin over comes his fear of the open ocean, and continues on the path of the boat that took Nemo.

    Entering the Unkown: Marlin comes across sharks, and must escape before they are eaten. This is when he discovers Dory can read. Also they swim into the dark and encounter a light bulb fish that tries to eat them. Soon after Marlin and Dory get swallowed by a whale, thats when Marlin has an epiphany of how much Dory means to him. On the other hand Nemo meets the other fish in the tank and comes across Dora, who harasses the members of the tank. The leader has a scar from trying to escape, and gives Nemo the thought of escaping. But after some failed attempts and close calls Nemo gives up.

    Supernatural Aid: The goggles that fell from the boat tell Marlin and Dory where the divers came from.

    Talisman: The address on the googles sets the course for the journey and marks the final destination.

    Allies/Helpers: They meet a sea turtle named Crush, he save them from jellyfish and shows them how to follow the current. Marlin also learns how to let go by watching Crush and his son. For Nemo the other fish (and a starfish) in the tank welcome him in to their tribe, and help him stay positive and escape. The sea gull is familiar with the tank Nemo is in, and helps Marlin and Nemo reconnect.

    Tests & the Supreme Ordeal: When Marlin finds Nemo he gets stuck in a fishing net and all the fish have to work together in order to free Nemo.

    Reward and the Journey Home: Marlin is reunited with his son at last.

    Master of Two World/ Restoring the World: Marlin ultimately learns how to parent Nemo with out being to overprotective.

    Sincerely,
    Whitney Beck

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    Replies
    1. Dear Whitney,

      I liked your analysis of Pixar's Finding Nemo in relation to Joseph Campbell's monomyth. Its cool to see that the Hero's Journey is ever-present in a children's story as well. I also liked how you incorporated the allies acquired along the way. Your analysis was very valid, this I can attest to since I watch Finding Nemo at least once a week thanks to my nephews. (:

      Respectfully,
      Aveilana Saldana
      Pd.2

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    2. *word count 497*

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    3. Dear Whitney,
      I also did my response on a disney movie, and I was fascinated that most of my favorite disney movies follow this Hero's Journey criteria. Your response was very thorough and accurate to the movie. I liked how you were able to incorporate most of the categories in the Hero's Journey because I found it difficult to do so with my movie.
      Sincerely,
      Lexy Stogner Pd 1

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    4. Dear Whitney,
      I really enjoyed reading your blog response becuase it was well organized, straight to the point, and the facts were so acurate it made me feel like I was watching the movie all over again. I liked how you didnt beat around the bush and make it too wordy, but you just went on to saying what Finding Nemo had to do with a hero story. I like your creativty for looking at Finding Nemo as a hero. I never thought of it that way until I read your response. Thank You for your comments!
      Aloha, Maile Tuttle Period 3

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  3. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    One of the movies I have shown to the children I babysit for displays the Heros Journey strategy under the sea, in the spongebob squarepants movie.

    In the Spongebob Squarepants movie, Spongebob lives in the "ordinary world" of bikini bottom. His usual days consists of blowing bubbles, hanging with patrick, jellyfishing,and working at his favorite place in the world as a cook, the Krusty Krab.

    When Spongebob is called to the adventure, plankton (the enemy who tries to steal the krusty krabs secret formula) pursuits a devious plan which he calls "plan Z". Planktons plan is to steal king Neptunes crown (king of the sea) and frames Mr. krabs for the stolen possession by leaving a note where his crown would sit, and also by calling Mr. Krabs answering machine pretending to be someone else and talks about the whereabouts of the kings crowns while the king is confronting him about the note. Neptune freezes Mr. Krabs and spongebob steps up to the plate and says he'll go get the crown within a short amount of time to save his boss and the krusty crab.

    Spongebob and his buddy patrick(allies/helper) head out and start to head towards shell city, where the crown is. They come across country-folk at a gas station, a biker gang bar, a trench full of scary monsters they befriend, A giant Cyclopes, and actual people upon land.

    The king could careless about these two dimwits entering the unknown and are highly unlikely to return, but his daughter(i think named mandy) does. In the beginning she gives the two boys tips and secretly follows them until a point in the movie where spongebob and patrick give up on there quest, so she decided to give them some hope and gives them both two pieces of seaweed(supernatural aid) as mustaches and makes them believe that they have become men and can finish there journey as if it were nothing.

    One they arrive at shell city they realize it isn't actually a city its a marine gift shop up on a beach. Once they go into the store to find the crown they found it , until the giant cyclopes which was actually and a person in an old school scuba suit put them under a heated lamp with the intentions of drying them out. Patrick an Spongebob say there final goodbyes and both cry out a tear, once they were dry and dead there tear dripped down to the electrical plug of the lamp causing it to spark out, causing a small puff of smoke that causes the fire detectors to spray out water and revives them.

    Once david Hassle Hoth helped patrick and spongebob return to bikini bottom, patrick and spongebob defeat planktons master plan and returns the kings crown. Once Mr. krabs is de-frosted he promotes spongebob to manager at the second krusty crab and takes squid wards manager title away.

    -spongebob is the hero
    shadow-plankton
    herald- the crown being stolen
    mentor-mandy
    threshold guardian-cyclopes
    shapeshifter- none
    trickster- also the hero
    allies- patrick, and mandy(neptunes daughter)
    woman as temptress-none

    word count: 499

    respectfully,
    shannon delaney
    pd 1

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    Replies
    1. Dear Shannon,

      I loved this movie when I was little, and I think it is a great example of the Hero’s Journey. It is interesting how underwater talking sea creatures are classified as *normal*, just a funny thought. It took me a moment to understand how this movie related to the Hero’s Journey, as I always saw it from a different storyline perspective as a kid, so I admire that you chose it for Campbell’s monomyth, as I had never seen it that way before.

      Respectfully,
      Griffin Madden, pd. 1

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    2. Dear Shannon,

      I absolutely adored Spongebob when I was young, and still do now! (I think that may be why I have, at some times, a short attention span, lol). But as Griffin mentioned above, I enjoyed how you related this childhood cartoon to Campbell's monomyth. I definitely see it with a new perspective, and it has a more adult-like reasoning to it.

      Also, it was very helpful that you re-summarized your thoughts at the bottom of the passage. It gave me the opportunity to briefly reflect on characters and symbols, which in turn, helped me to further understand the Hero's Journey in different examples of literature or film.

      Sincerely,

      Maluhia Kinimaka
      Period 1

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    3. Dear Shannon,
      I think its really creative that you chose this movie, I remember always watching it together and cracking up. I never thought of spongebob as a kind of hero, especially with Patrick as his sidekick, and after reading your posting I am completely convinced that Spongebob really is a hero!

      I also found it helpful that you listed every characters role in the movie, I wish I had done that on my posting! Hilarious that a silly movie really is a hero's journey.

      Respectfully,
      Amber Diaz

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  5. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    I chose to compare Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth to one of my new favorite films, Pitch Perfect. The film follows heroine, Becca Mitchell through her hilarious first year at college, as she tries to find where she fits in.
    The Call to Adventure: Becca receives the call to adventure when the Barden Bellas ask her to join their girl’s accapella group on campus.
    The Refusal of the Call: Becca doesn’t want to join the Bellas because she thinks they are lame and annoying.
    Crossing the First Threshold: After making friends with the second-in-command Bella, Chloe, Becca is encouraged to audition for the Bellas.
    Belly of the Whale: Becca is initiated as a Bella.
    Road of Trials & “Meeting With the Goddess”: Becca begins rigorous and ridiculous Bellas’ training for the accapella group competition, butting-heads with the lead Bella. All the while, Becca is unwittingly falling for Jesse, a member of their rival group, the Treble Makers.
    Temptation: Seeing that their musical numbers are not wowing the judges, Becca attempts to liven up their set, infuriating the head Bella, Aubrey.
    Apotheosis: Becca leaves the Bellas because Aubrey is mad and would’ve kicked her out anyway, she also feels like she let them down and they don’t want her. The Bellas end up losing during the semi-finals and the girls think that their season is over.
    Refusal of the Return: Becca is upset that she left the Bellas and doesn’t want to return to her lonely college life. She misses her friends in the group.
    Atonement With the Father: Becca has been mad at her father ever since her parents’ divorce, and him forcing her to attend college when she wanted to go to L.A. and pursue music did not improve their relationship. Her father had originally encouraged her to join the Bellas and so she went to him when everything went awry. They worked out their differences and he encouraged her to go apologize to the Bellas.
    The Crossing of the Returning Threshold: The team above the Bellas in the competition is disqualified, pushing the Bellas into the finals.
    Master of Two Worlds: Becca returns to the Bellas, to find them in chaos. Becca manages to get the girls to all cooperate, and is put in charge of the Bellas by Aubrey and Chloe. Becca must now re-create the Bellas so they have a shot at winning the national competition.
    Freedom to Live: After leading the Bellas to victory at the National ICCA’s, Aubrey and Chloe, seniors, hand down the Bellas to Becca for the years to come. Becca has found her place in college and has found the love of her life, Jesse. She is now free to live her life, creating mixes for her job at the radio station as well as musical numbers for the Bellas.
    The End.
    In my opinion, Becca is a heroine. She is the main character of the story and displays admirable qualities like responsibility, leadership, kindness, acceptance, and she is also very independent.
    Respectfully,
    Aveilana Saldana
    Pd. 2
    (499 words - not including greeting and salutation)

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    Replies
    1. Becca is an honorable heroine.*
      (500 words)

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    2. Dear Ave,
      I have to agree on your analaysis. I thought it was very well put together and by the end when I finished your analaysis I did too think that Becca was indeed the Heroine. It's pretty cool to see how much we can break down a movie and form a analysis with it!

      Sincerely,
      Ashlie Overmyer Pd.3

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    3. Dear Ave,

      I really liked that you did you analysis on Pitch Perfect. This would have been the last movie I thought of. After reading your response I realize heros are not only in fairytales and fantasy movies. Great job breaking down the movie as it is also one of my new favorites.

      Sincerely,
      Burgandi Williams Pd 2

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  6. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    Book one of the Percy Jackson series, The Lightning Thief, shows many characteristics of Joseph Campbell's 'The Hero's Journey.'
    In the beginning, Percy is a troubled boy who doesn't fit in at any of the schools he goes to (he gets expelled every year). With dyslexia and ADHD, Percy always gets terrible grades and has only one friend, a nerdy boy named Grover. Percy's mother is married to "smelly Gabe," an abusive man.
    Percy is called to adventure when he and his mom are attacked by the Minotaur. The only way to escape is to go to a place called Camp Half-blood. At first, Percy doesn't want to leave his mom, but he has to after she is abducted. Percy finds out that he is the son of Poseidon, and learning that the Greek gods and goddesses are real, his old life is shattered.
    Percy is needed to go on a quest to recover Zeus's master lightning bolt. If he fails, the gods, who suspect each other of the theft, will start a horrible war--World War III. The mission is almost impossible, and Percy receives a prophecy that says he is going to fail. Despite this, he accepts the quest. He, Grover, and a girl named Annabeth prepare to go back into New York, now knowing the monsters and other dangers it holds.
    As mentioned before, Percy gets a prophecy from the Oracle to aid him on his quest. Also, Chiron, a wise centaur gives him parting advice and a talisman: a pen that turns into a sword and can never be lost.
    Percy's allies on this quest are Annabeth and Grover. Together they destroy monsters and continue searching for the master lightning bolt.
    As the trio travels towards California, where they suspect the master bolt to be, they encounter monsters of every sort and even get stuck in a hotel that is outside of time. Their deadline only a day away, Percy is about to die in the Underworld when he realizes that the whole quest was a set up: Ares, the war god, wants a war! At this point, the prophecy comes true: Percy fails to save his mom from Hades. Soon after leaving the Underworld, he reaches his 'supreme ordeal,' a one-on-one battle with Ares, which he barely wins. Percy takes the recovered master bolt to Olympus in time to stop the impending war and wins the approval of his father, whom he had never met before. Percy's quest ends with a happy reunion with his mother, who has been safely retuned by Hades. Gabe, Percy's stepfather, is turned into stone, making Percy's mom much happier. The book ends with Percy deciding to not stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, but to live with his mom in the real world.
    I believe Percy is an admirable hero. Though he is not a genius and kind of hyper, he shows great loyalty to his friends and a strong dedication to his cause.
    Word count: 499
    Sincerely,
    Jessica Meek, Period 2

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    Replies
    1. Dear Jessica,

      Your flow throughtout your essay was very nice. Transitions to each stage of a heros journey was smooth and well put. I like your choice of Percy Jackson because of the many different obstacles he must face throughout his quest. I also agree with your opinion of the type of hero Percy is. He is very caring and not at all self conceded like some heroes can be. Overall you did very good!

      Sincerely,

      Taylor McGinnis

      Pd. 1

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    2. I think that as great. It really helped me with my pre-ap assignment.

      Delete
  7. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    I have choosen the movie ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to compare the hero Belle’s journey to the Stages of a Hero’s journey by Joseph Campbell.

    The ordinary World: Belle is a beautiful, young, women who lives with her father, Maurice an inventor. She works in a Bookstore and finds herself singing almost all the time more than she talks to anyone around town. All her father wants is to create something spectacular so they can start a new life in a new town and create a better future for his daughter.

    Call to Adventure: Maurice, Belles father finally creates something that he knows will bring in lots of money and without hesitation gets on his horse and rides off, a little way into their journey they find themselves lost in a place unknown. With his horse gone after being spooked by bats and wolves, Maurice is left running for his life from wolves chasing after him, with his luck he finds a gate and lets himself in yelling for help but little does he know he’s entered into a place he may never get out off. Later that day, Belle realizes that his father isn’t home yet, and decides to go and find him.

    Refusal of the Quest: Belle is skeptical of the dark path ahead but knows her father is in danger after she finds a piece of his sweater that was torn off while being chased by the wolves.

    Accepting the Call: Belle reaches the castle where her father is being held, she helps herself in and scatters the castle looking for her father, finally in a dark corner she finds her father weakened but okay in a dungeon.

    Entering the Unknown: Relieved that she finally found her father and about to get out of there, the beast enters and says this foreigner is not allowed to leave, as he was trespassing in my property, Belle sticks up for her father and offers the release of her father for the capture of her, the beast agrees and Maurice is sent back to the village as his daughter is left with the Beast, alone and scared.

    Allies/Helpers: With Belle captured, she finds relief in her friends Lumiere the candle, Cogswarth the clock, Mrs. Potts the teapot and her son Chip who all help and comfort her to make her feel at some sort of ease.

    Tests/The supreme Ordeal: Maurice, Belles father knowing he needs help to get his daughter back from the Beast, goes into town and asks for help but they dismiss him as just being a crazy fool, he then decides if no one is going to help him he’ll do it by himself. Back at the castle, the Beast tries to be nice to Belle but his temper gets in the way, Belle notices that he is trying and in a way to gain her trust and to show a way of gratitude the Beast gives her a magic mirror which when she tells it’s something it’ll show her whatever she wants. With that in mind, she thinks of her father and decides to check on him and what she sees horrifies her, as he lays on the ground, cold and sick, passed out. The next morning when Maurice awakes in his bed he sees Belle and tells him the Beast has changed his ways and that the reason he is the way he is, is because of a spell that was cursed upon him. That curse is later lifted and the Beast is changed back into a Prince and Maurice watches as he sees Prince Adam(The Beast) and Belle dance Happily.

    Reward the Journey: Belle is reunited with her father, and the Beast is released from his cursed and back into human form.

    Master of Two World/Restoring the World: Belle and Maurice learn that there relationship is closer than ever and nobody can take or destroy their family.

    Word Count: 656

    Sincerely,
    Ashlie Overmyer Pd.3

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Ms. Carlson,

    For me, The Hero's Journey brings to mind Dreamwork's Shrek. A close look at Shrek's journey reveals it as a perfect example of Campbell's monomyth and a representation of The Hero's Journey.

    Shrek begins in his ordinary world: the swamp. Isolated and alone, Shrek couldn't be happier. His makeshift house and the surrounding woods provide him everything he needs, and solitude is his basis for happiness.

    His Call to Adventure begins when Lord Farquaad, in order to more prefect his kingdom and rid what is perceived by him as the scum of Duloc, exiles all of the "storybook characters" in the kingdom of Duloc to Shrek's swamp. The storybook characters, with nowhere to go but away from the kingdom, occupy his front yard and are quickly threatened with eviction - this is Shrek's Refusal of the Call. When they do not leave, and eventually invade his home, Shrek grudgingly gives in to their demands and departs on his journey to Duloc.

    Shrek crosses the threshold with views of the magnificent castle, encounters and new events like the "Duloc is a Perfect Place" musical scene, the "Dragon Guy" that runs away from then at the entrance to the castle, and people's fright when Shrek enters the kingdom. Shrek crosses the first threshold when he defeats Farquaad's soldiers. Farquaad sees this as an opportunity to find a princess and sends Shrek to rescue her.

    Shrek runs into Donkey who assists him on his travel to rescue Fiona - thus becoming Shrek's Ally, admittedly a jokester one.

    After Fiona is rescued, Shrek faces his main test: love. Shrek falls in love with Fiona on the journey back to Duloc, forcing Shrek to face a self-consciousness that he never noticed before. Shrek combats with his perceived ugliness and thinks that there is no way Fiona could love him. After declaring himself incapable of love, Shrek returns Fiona to Farquaad and retreats in shame to his swamp.

    Donkey, however, wants Shrek to listen to his heart and return for Fiona. After much persuasion, Shrek gives in and enters Initiation.

    Shrek's main ordeal occurs when he crashes Fiona and Farquaad's wedding ceremony. Shrek's Supernatural Aid is the dragon, who assists him in rescuing Fiona and simultaneously falls in love with Donkey. When Fiona sees Shrek and realizes her feelings for him, she undergoes a transformation into an "ogress". Shrek realizes his reward is true love.

    The Hero's Return is a joyous one in which Farquaad is eaten by the dragon, much to the joy of the kingdom. Fiona returns to the swamp with Shrek, along with Donkey, the dragon, and many other fairy tale creatures, transforming his once dismal swamp into a place filled with friends - a "happily ever after" ending.

    Shrek is a unique hero in that, before his journey, he was not a hero at all. He was a mean ogre that terrorized villages and generally hated most creatures. After his journey, however, he has adapted many of the qualities of an honorable heroine.

    Sincerely,
    Ms. Carlson, pd. 1

    [Word Ct. 501]

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    Replies
    1. Dear Griffen,
      I like reading your response because i love the movie Shrek. I realized from reading your response that you stated the yes Shrek was an ogre. When people think of hero's they don't normally think of hero's such as monsters, or beast such as that they always think of it as a knight or a magical creature but i like how this movie is the complete opposite so i agree with your content of your response.
      With mic respect, Kelieann Nuesca Pd.1

      Delete
    2. Edit:

      away from them*

      Sincerely,
      Griffin Madden, pd. 1

      Delete
  9. Dear Ms. Carlson,

    The film I chose that possesses similar qualities to Joseph Campbell’s Stages of a Hero’s Journey is Clash of the Titans.
    The Ordinary World: The main character of the movie is a demigod named Perseus. Perseus does not know he is a demigod. As a baby he was abandoned and put it a box out to sea. He was found by a fisherman and his wife who took him as their own. Perseus was raised by them and became a fisherman also, creating an ordinary life for himself.

    The Call to Adventure: Perseus is unaware that he is a demigod until he witnesses Hades, god of the underworld, murder his family. Perseus is then sent to Argos, where he discovers that the people have upset the gods and they have taken revenge. Hades makes an appearance at Argos, and Perseus learns that he is the son of Zeus, and is imprisoned for it. Hades also threatens to unleash the Kraken unless Andromeda, the princess of Argos, is sacrificed. The call of adventure begins now, as Perseus is asked to lead the way to the Stygian Witches so they can find out how to kill the Kraken.

    Refusal to the Quest/ Accepting the Call: In the beginning, Perseus does not want to deal with the gods or protect the people because it is their fault the gods are upset. Finally, Perseus accepts the call because he realizes it is the only way he can get back at the gods for murdering his family.

    Entering the Unknown: As Perseus, and the warriors of Argon, embark on their journey they enter dangerous and unknown territory. They have to get through a number of things, such as giant scorpions, Medusa’s layer, and Stygian Witches.

    Supernatural Aid: Perseus’s supernatural aid is a woman names Io who was cursed with agelessness by Poseidon. She has watched over and protected Perseus his entire life.

    Talisman: Perseus’s has two talismans, gifted to him by Zeus to help protect him. The first one is an enchanted sword forged on Mt. Olympus and the second one is a winged horse names Pegasus.

    Allies/Helpers: Perseus has many allies on his quest. Some of them are Io, Zeus, Draco and the rest of the warriors from Argos.

    Tests and the Supreme Ordeal: The supreme ordeal is when Perseus defeats the Kraken. As the Kraken just begins to tear apart Argos, Perseus arrives just in time with Medusas head to defeat the Kraken, thus saving Argos.

    Reward and the Journey Home: Throughout the movie, Perseus falls in love with Io, and as he is leaving Medusas layer he watches her get murdered by Calibos, one of Hades creations. After he saves Argos, he refuses Zeus’ offer to take sanctuary at Olympus. Zeus accepts Perseus’s decision and decides to revive Io so Perseus can live a happy normal life.

    Perseus is a hero because he is a demigod who goes on an epic quest and saves his world from destruction.

    Sincerely,
    Burgandi Williams Pd 2
    Word Count :504

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  10. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    I have chosen the film “Hercules” to compare the hero of the story Hercules journey to Joseph Campbell’s Stages of a Heroes Journey. Keep in mind that this is the Disney version of Hercules that I have chosen to analyze.

    The Ordinary World: Hercules lives with his adoptive parents, but his life isn’t normal. He is super strong but extremely awkward and always breaks things. Nobody in town likes him and all of the boys his age call him “Jerkules.”

    The Call to Adventure: Hercules starts to question where he belongs, so his adoptive parents give him a medallion of the Gods and explains that it was around his neck when they found him as a baby. This leads Hercules to take a journey to the temple of Zeus to receive some guidance. When Hercules gets there, the statue comes to life and Hercules finds out his father is Zeus making him the son of a God. Hercules wants to regain his immortality but first he is informed that he must prove himself a true hero. Zeus sends him to Phil who is the trainer of heroes.

    Accepting the Call: Hercules, along with his old friend Pegasus (a flying horse) goes off to find Philoctetes (or Phil) to be trained as a hero.

    Entering the Unknown: First Hercules helps Meg, a beautiful girl in distress. Next he had to beat the monsters that Hades sent his way. Hercules defeats them all which frustrates Hades until he realizes that Hercules’ weakness is that he cares about Meg. Meg’s soul belongs to Hades. Hades makes a deal with Hercules to release Meg from a trap if he gave up his strength for a whole day. Hercules realizes it was a trap and he now had to save Olympus. Even though he has no strength he still tries to battle the Cyclops. He wins, but Meg is hurt, giving back Hercules’ strength. He saves Olympus, but is too late to save Meg and her soul goes into the Underworld.

    Supernatural Aid: Pegasus

    Talisman: Hercules Medallion of the God’s. It symbolizes Hercules’ status as a God.

    Allies/Helpers: Phil, who never gave up on Hercules. Meg refused to help Hades hurt Hercules, and Pegasus.

    Test and the Supreme Ordeal: Hercules’ must go to the Underworld and save Meg’s soul. He dives into the Underworld and grabs her soul. The souls take the life out of anyone who is living, and as Hercules goes deeper, the life gets sucked out of him. He finally grabs Meg and comes out as a God.

    Reward and the Journey Home: Hercules is now welcome to be a God and has become immortal.

    Master of Two Worlds/ Restoring the World: Hercules saved Meg and got his God status also successfully saving Olympus. But he chooses to stay mortal to be with Meg. Hercules realizes power and status aren’t the most important things in the world.

    Word Count: 496

    Sincerely, Maria Fish Pd: 2

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dear Ms.Carlson,

    I chose to compare the Stages of a Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell to the film 'The Karate Kid'.

    The Ordinary World: Dre and his mom move to China because of his mom's job. Dre is unhappy and has a hard time adjusting to China. He gets bullied countless of times by a group of Chinese boys.

    Call to Adventure: When Mr.Han, the maintenance guy, saves Dre from getting beat up by the group of Chinese boys, they go toward them to make peace but Cheng, the leader of the group, wants to fight. Mr.Han suggests a tournament fight so Dre will have time to train. This is the call to adventure because Dre is called to fight in the tournament.

    Refusal of the Call: Dre is scared when Mr.Han tells him the idea of the fight. Dre thinks he will just get beat up in the tournament because he doesn't know how to fight.

    Accepting the Call: Dre then realizes that the only was to earn respect by other people is to fight. He accepts to learn kung fu.

    Road of Trials: Dre trains constantly in order to be able to win the tournament.

    Meeting with the Goddess: Dre meets Mei Ying, a young, pretty violinist. She is the biggest supporter and motivator in Dre's quest.

    Temptation: When Dre first visits the Cobra Kai kung fu school he witnesses their lack of mercy. He is discouraged from his quest.

    Entering the Unknown: Mr.Han makes Dre go through different kinds of training that Dre isn't really sure of yet. One Dre understands the concept of the training, he really likes it and applies his training to his life.

    Supernatural Aid: Mr.Han becomes his guide in Dre's journey

    Tests: Training with Mr.Han

    Ordeal: In the semi final round Dre fights one of the kids in the group of Chinese boys. Their teacher tells him to hurt Dre. He accepts and kicks Dre in the leg over and over again until Dre can barely walk. He is badly hurt and he doesn't know if he can fight anymore.

    Reward: When Dre is in the locker room, he decides that he wants to finish the fight because he doesn't want to be scared anymore. He over comes his fears and becomes a better person within himself. Mr.Hon heals Dre's leg so he can fight in the final round.

    Return with Exilir: Dre wins the fight with a special backflip kick. He earns the respect he wanted to gain and the Chinese boys choose to bow to Dre and Mr.Hon. They become friends and everyone is happy. Dre learned how to deal with his inner feelings and most importantly to not be afraid anymore.

    Rescue from Without: Dre's mom is the person who brings him back to earth after his journey is completed.

    Crossing the Return Threshold: Dre now knows how to defend himself, but he also knows that he should never use his new skill to do anything but defend himself.

    Allies: Mr.Han, Dre's mom, and Dre's crush

    Enemies: The group of Chinese boys

    Word Count: 497

    Respectfully,
    Angelika Questin Pd.2

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dear Ms.Carlson,

I chose to compare the Stages of a Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell to the film Monte Carlo.

    The Ordinary World: Grace is a regular girl who has just finished her senior year in high school. She works at a diner in a small town to add to her savings to go to Paris with her friend Emma.

    Call to Adventure: The call to adventure is when Grace is mistaken as the British heiress, Cordelia Winthrop Scott when she is approached by the staff of the hotel to confirm a delivery of a 26 pound lobster.

    Refusal of the Call: Grace says that she will only rest in the royal suite until it stops raining.

    Accepting the Call: Grace is rushed into a limo that is headed to the airport. While Grace is in the limo she opens an envelope with a free ticket to Monte Carlo, and Grace accepts the invitation.

    Road of Trials:
    Grace must talk in a British accent to hide her American accent.
    Grace must play Polo with Theo although she doesn’t know how to ride the horse correctly.
    Grace must wear attend an auction for an expensive BULGARI necklace that will help raise money to build 20 schools in Romania.

    Meeting with the Goddess: Grace meets Theo who she falls for because he makes her feel like somebody. Theo is also the son of a father who donates and helps charities that help build schools for children.


    Temptation: Grace is tempted to tell Theo who she really is because Theo tells Grace that she makes him feel different.



    Tests: When Grace goes to the ball, and must fool Aunt Alicia that she ‘is Cordelia’.
    Grace sometimes forgets to use her British accent while talking to Theo.
    Grace must play a Polo game with Theo although she does not know how to play, and ride the horse correctly.
    Aunt Alicia dials Cordelia’s cellphone and is greeted by the original Cordelia.
    Aunt Alicia assumes that Grace is a hired imposter so that Cordelia can go around partying.
    Cordelia comes back to Monte Carlo and finds a newspaper article of Grace with the BULGARI necklace on.
    Cordelia calls the police to report a robbery of the necklace.
    Grace’s friends’ tie up Cordelia while Grace goes to assure the police that nobody as been robbed.




    Ordeal: Cordelia confronts Grace, and Grace realizes that Cordelia does not care about the charity.
    Grace realizes that the charity will provide up to 20 schools in Romania.
    Theo tells Grace about how Grace makes him feel different.

    Reward: Grace is not arrested for ‘robbery’ of the BULGARI necklace and the ‘kidnapping’ of Cordelia because of her desire to go on with the charity.

    Return with Exilir: Although Theo is mad that Grace lied, he chases after her when he see’s her outside of a school in Romania on her bike. They decide to introduce each other with a fresh start.

    Allies: Meg and Emma, Aunt Alicia

    Enemies: Cordelia Winthrop Scott

    Word Count: 502

    Sincerely,
    Jenny Paleracio Period 2

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    Replies
    1. Dear Jenny,
      I really enjoyed reading your response! Your approach to this film is well put! All your "tests" the hero went through is pretty much on point! It was an unexpected choice, I would have never thought of this movie to be a "Hero's Journey".

      Sincerely,
      Jimmelle Parong
      Period Two

      Delete
  13. Dear Ms. Carlson,

    In the explanation that Joseph Campbell described about the Hero’s Journey made me realize that mostly all movies, books, are basically all the same weather its being a hero, making an evil person find his true self in becoming a hero, or just an ordinary character finding his destiny to becoming a hero.
    The film that I have chosen to simply explain my version of a hero is the movie “Tangled.” I absolutely love this movie on a personal level basically because I have watched it a million times and I think its such a cute, new, fairytale movie. But point in fact is that in “Hero’s Journey,” Rapanzel was a hero within her own story, but in the beginning she didn’t really realize it because of the fact that she was born into a world as a miracle baby, having magical powers, from one magical sun flower. But Rapanzel wasn’t no ordinary baby she was a royal princess that was one day going to be the ruler of a large kingdom. After she was taken for her magical power this was a comparison to the Hero’s Journey because of the monomyth of a little girl growing up with magical hair, the can heal wounds, restore age, and resurrect life. Rapanzel was entering to a world unknown. She didn’t even touch the green, vibrant grass until the age 18. She was locked up in a tower for 6,570 days! Imagine that! The reason why I emphasized on that was because she was trying to go to a place where she only dreamt of while asleep. She didn’t know things that awaited for her out there. All she knew was the rumors her evil (fake) mother told her.
    Rapanzel had allies/helper to make this long quest possible for her but the catch was that this helper was a thief named Flynn Rider that stole her long awaited crown from the kingdom castle. They start this journey by passing the guards of the kingdom looking for this so called thief, the kingdom horse, the bandit brothers, and Rapanzel’s mother. She also had more helpers along the way such as her pet chameleon, the pirates, the horse, and Flynn.
    The test that she had to past was the curiosity that went through her mind about the floating lanterns that lit up on her birthday to remember the lost princess. (Rapanzel) That curiosity lead to the reward going to the kingdom and reuniting wither her real parents.
    The type of hero that is within my story is a threshold guardian, because there was jealous enemies that wanted her magical power such as the bandits, and her evil mother. I feel that Flynn Rider was more a hero for most of the movie, he was street smart, he knew how to go past something’s that others wouldn’t dare. Without him Rapanzel wouldn’t have completed her quest.

    * Rapanzel- Hero
    * Flynn-Allie that helps complete the quest
    * Horse-^^
    * Bandits-Threshold Guardians
    * Evil mother-^^

    Sincerely, Kelieann Nuesca Pd. 1

    WORD COUNT: 502

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    Replies
    1. Dear Kelieann

      I have to say that flynn was the real hero and rapanzel was the damsel in distress. So I disagree with you on that point. The story it self is a hero's journey and like all stories has a villian which i agree with you 100% when you call it a threshold gurdian.

      respectfully, shiloh begley pd.3

      Delete
  14. Dear Ms Carlson
    I chose to compare the phases of the hero’s journey by Joseph Campbell to the film “Immortals”
    The ordinary world: The Oracles had a Prediction that the infamous titans were going to be released. An Evil King (Hyperion) was going to grab a very powerful weapon (The Epirus Bow) to break the bond of the cell that was making the Titians stable and harmless. The gods saw this was happening. Zeus (King of the gods) was walking on the earth training a boy that one day was going to save the world. The name of him was Theseus.
    Call to Adventure: When the Hyperion’s Army invaded Theseus’s country, he killed all that was in his way, Men women and children. After Seeing the cold blooded slaughter fest, and Having Hyperion capturing Theseus’s mother, he decides to take action. He takes weapons and starts killing all soldiers that were killing innocent villagers, and tries to reach for his mother. He fails! And Hyperion slits his mother’s throat right in front of him. He’s captured and been taken to a place where he has met the oracles. Who only one of them can see the future and the rest are the body guards. And she see’s that he is the one, the one to stop Hyperion. So at the middle of the night they escape and she has told him Hyperion’s plan to find the Bow and release the titans.
    Refusal to Call: He doesn’t want to save the world. He feels that he is too weak because he fails to save his mother. But time took a different role.
    Accepting the cal: The oracle has a vision that Theseus and Hyperion are together over a dead body. Realizing that his mother dies, she tells him to put his mother to rest. When he puts his mom in the tomb, he finds a branch in the way. He tugs and the branch doesn’t move. Then he cracks the rocks round it, and finds that the branch is actually the Epirus Bow. He realized that if the story of the bow is true, Hyperion’s plan is also true.
    Roads of trials: once he has the Bow, he is a target. A Minotaur, half man half bull, came tried to kill him. And after Many blows to the head, stabbing each other with sharp objects and the victory goes to Theseus. After that battle they had to travel over hazardous terrain to meet and challenge Hyperion.
    Meeting with the goddess: Her name was Phaedra. A Virgin oracle that can see the future. She helps Theseus by being his navigator across the land.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Temptation: Numerous of times, our hero, wanted to ditch his party. He and his friend wanted to leave this whole “superstation” and travel north and drink and have fun. But he doesn’t leave.
    Entering the unknown: As the travel across the land, Theseus has to put faith in his new allies that they will look out for him. That they won’t lead him into danger.
    Supernatural Aid: When Theseus and his crew were cornered at an ambushed, one god (Ares) descended from mount Olympus. He fought off all the guards that were going to kill them. After Ares killed all of them, he told them to flee before Zeus came. Surely it was too late. Zeus came and saw what happened. Ares broke the Law, saying “no god can interfere unless the titans are unleashed”. So Zeus told the rest of them that Theseus is on his own. That he has to fight it alone without any supernatural help.
    Test: His test were to see how faithful he is to his allies and his skills in fighting
    Ordeal: The titans has been unleashed, Theseus feels that he has failed. That all hope was lost.
    Reward: It’s not over, as the titans been unleashed, another force has been unleashed. The gods can fight with Theseus. And that he can go after Hyperion and Kill him
    Return with Exile: Theseus had killed Hyperion. And the titans have been concaved into the mountain and died. With the reward of being a leader when all hope was lost and overcoming adversity, he was grated to live immortally with the gods.
    Crossing with Return: Theseus doesn’t return home, all that’s left of him is a statue of his adventure. That he learns that fighting isn’t what matters. It’s how you use what you learn and protect the people that you love.
    Allies: The gods, strangers
    Enemies: Hyperion, and his army
    Word count: 760
    Respectfully
    AJ Cummings Pd 3

    ReplyDelete
  16. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    For “a hero’s journey” I chose “The Patriot”, a film in the American Revolution, with the protagonist, , Ben Martin, who goes on a journey to save his life, his farm, and family, from the revolution
    Benjamin lives with his loving family and farm; till the war reaches their state, with patriots recruiting.
    First Ben refuses to fight with the patriots against Britain; he’s mentally scarred from the last war, and believes war would cost his family. His son Gabriel joins the patriots, only to return home in retreat from battle
    British troops (led by Colonel William Tavington) swarm Ben’s farm and burn it (for aiding patriots), and take Gabriel hostage, enraging his brother Thomas, who’s killed by William. Ben witnessing the capture of Gab and the death Thomas, decides to ambush the Brits that had taken Gabriel. In his rage Ben slaughters the redcoats and saves Gabriel, the slaves, and sends his remaining family to live with his deceased wife’s sister Charlotte, and join the patriots to war.
    Meeting with the regiment he learns from Colonel Harry Burwell that the patriot cause is threatened south for the British (under Cornwallis) are planning to subdue southern colonies and move north to finish Washington, the only way to stop Cornwallis is to set up militia and preoccupy the Brits till the French come, using guerilla warfare. Ben establishes a militia, with help of Major Jean Villeneuve, and campaign through S.C.
    It’s not really that unknown for Benjamin to fight a war, for he is quite famous for his antics in it, however no one spoke of what happened, Gab quite curious, learns from his father that he and his men (during the 7yw) attacked a French fort and send their heads on plates to the enemy, and he soon believed these sins have come to return the offer.
    Ben’s is continuously tested, for Cornwallis and Tavington continue to retaliate, capturing much of his militia in ambush, but later saved. Even his family is under attack when the Brits discover from a loyalist their location. Slowly the Brits thwart Ben, to the point where his son and his Wife are killed. Ben loses hope and later refuses to join with the patriot army for one more blow against Cornwallis, to mourn the loss of his son.
    Ben goes through Gab’s knapsack to discover a patriot flag his son sewn; Ben realizes to Avenge Gab, it would be to help win this war, so he joins the patriots for the final battle.
    At first the patriots are losing, militia against British regulars, they retreat and have the Brits surprised by yanks ambushing them. The battle continues, the patriots seem to retreat, till Ben snags a patriot flag and rallies the patriots to continue fighting till meeting Tavington to a final duel, Ben’s victorious, and the patriots win the war
    The Patriots won and Ben rebuilds his farm with his surviving family under a new nation.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Dear Ms. Carlson, the film I decided to compare to Joseph Campbell's article is "Mean Girls" I chose this film because it is one of my favorite films, funny yet very creative and well thought out.
    The ordinary world: This film starts out with a teenage girl who moved to Africa with her parents because of the main character's mom's job in this area. So she (Cady) is introduced to a whole new environment of people. Starting her first day off meeting some people who soon end up being her future friends, then the next day meeting some people who will introduce her into many new conflicts.
    Call to adventure: Cady realizes that one of the two new friends that she had met has a very strong grudge towards one of the three other girls that Cady met on her second day or school. Her friend, wanting her to pretend to be friends with these three girls, for the sake of laughter and cheap thrill. Cady of course going along with it because of the lack of knowledge she has going high school. Which brings Cady deeper into the new high school experience.
    Refusal of the quest: When Cady first started going along with what her new friend was wanting her to do, she was a bit timid and wasn't really wanting to get to involved while she already was. Not thinking that there was a reason to toy with these three popular girl's lives when they seemed nothing but nice.
    Accepting the call: But Cady goes along with pretending to be friends with these three girls, then getting very involved in their lives as well, being a forth member of the three "popular girls."
    Entering the unknown: Cady of course has no idea what she has stepped foot it, getting herself deeper and deeper into these popular girl's lifestyle and farther away from the main objective her first, day one friend, was planning somewhat innocently in the beginning.
    Allies/helpers: Cady had the support of her two first friends and from two of the girls who were a large part of the new issue to help her to work on her plan of ruining the main, top of the three popular girls (Regina George).
    Tests/supreme ordeal: The main test and ordeal Cady went through was not getting sucked up into the original scheme. Becoming who she is at a new high school instead of this plastic clone of the plastics (or popular girls) she met on day two. Finding her real friends and doing what she wants to go or enjoy instead of getting carried away with what all these people she doesn't know or doesn't even understand want her to do and get her in trouble.
    Reward the journey: Cady realizes what had happened to her, realized what she had become and snapped out of it.
    Master of two world/restoring the world:Cady goes back to being the girl from Africa, the girl she always was, but enjoying it without any one who isn't her telling her what to do. In "Mean Girls" there is a use of all Joseph Campbell had also used in his archetypes.
    Sincerely,
    Shianne Schorr Period 2

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    Replies
    1. Dear Shianne,
      Im so glad you did this movie, its also one of my favorites. At first you wouldn't even think to relate Mean Girls, or Cady to a heroes journey, but Its interesting to see how a comedy movie about teenagers somehow follows Joseph Campbells theory.
      Sincerely,
      Whitney Beck
      Pd. 2

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    2. Dear Shianne,
      I absolutely love this movie! and I admire how you chose to analyze it. It is a classic, and forever will be. Its the 'Pretty and Pink' of the 2000's. I defiantly understand how you were able to relate this to Joseph Campbell's theory, She began her journey invisible, and walked a path where she was sucked into a new world where she ultimately became the new Queen Bee. However, I do disagree on something: In the 'Master of The Two World/Restoring The World, you say that in the end she goes back to being the 'girl from Africa', but she doesn't; the world is restored not because every one goes back to how they were in the beginning, but because everyone is transformed into nicer, kinder people that get along.
      Sincerely,
      Podma Phillips
      Pd:3

      Delete
  18. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    For my response I have chosen to compare the Hero’s Journey to the story of Persona 3. The story tells the tale of the protagonist Minato Arisato, as he attempts to stop the end of all of humanity.
    The Call to Adventure: As Minato leaves the train into the city of Iwatodai, he notices a strange occurrence in the night, but shrugs it off and walks into an eerie green-lit night. As he enters his new dorm, he unwittingly signs a contract with a strange young boy. The contract awakens him to his potential as the wild card and begins his journey.
    Entering the Unknown: Minato learns that this “strange occurrence” is known as the “Dark Hour”, an hour of time hidden between one day and the next. The Dark Hour occurs every midnight, but only few have the potential to be conscious during the phenomenon. During the time, creatures known as Shadows occupy the world and prey on humans. During the full moon, an especially dangerous shadow appears to cause harm. It is on a full moon that Minato is attacked by one of these shadows.
    Supernatural Aid: Upon being attacked, Minato awakens to his Power known as a Persona, a manifestation of the users psyche used to face life’s hardships. With the help of his Persona, Thanatos, Minato is able to fight off the shadows. Minato’s Persona ability is represented by the Fool Arcana: Empty, but possesses infinite possibilities, and as such holds the unique ability to call forth multiple Personas.
    Talisman: For a Person to call forth their Persona, they use a device called an Evoker. Shaped like a gun, when put up to their head and fired, the subconscious fear evoked by the action summons a Persona.
    Allies: Minato is accompanied by a group of Persona users known as SEES with the intent on putting an end to the dark hour. Aside from them, the bonds he forms with the people of the town strengthen his Persona ability.
    Test & Supreme Ordeal: In an attempt to end the Dark Hour, SEES are tricked into summoning the bringer of death known as Nyx who, in a couple months, will bring about the unavoidable end of all humanity. SEES learns to accept that death is always inevitable and choose to embrace life and fight Nyx even knowing winning is impossible. However, though the bonds Minato formed with everyone, Minato gains the Universe Arcana and sacrifices his soul in order to seal Nyx away.
    Restoring the World: Minato is able to hold onto life for 3 more months in order to keep a promise to attend graduation day with his friends. The Journey that the group has undergone has brought a new personal resolve to each of their lives. With the dark hour gone and peace restored to the world, Minato falls into his final slumber.
    Minato Arisato is an exceptional hero. His personality is based on the actions made by the Player, as Persona 3 is in fact a game.
    Sincerely,
    Don Maddock Pd. 1
    Word count: 503 (not including greeting and salutation)

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    Replies
    1. Dear Don,

      "Persona"lly I thought this was a great game to take a "shot" at. This game not only "Persona"fies the heroes "Journey", but also it "Persona"fies the use of the story of the tarot cards that is similar to the heroes "journey". It "SEES' like you included my "Persona"l favorite part the forming bonds in the game. The "answer" that I'm trying to conclude is that is this was great story to base the heroes journey on.

      Sincerely,
      Kalani Murakami Period 1

      Delete
  19. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    In the tv series, Avatar the Last Airbender, the hero of the show is an airbender named Aang who is identified as the next Avatar.
    Stage one of the hero’s journey is “The Ordinary World”. In the tv series, Aang came from an peaceful air temple with many other airbenders and monks, who were these childrens’ mentors.
    Stage two is “the Call to Adventure”, Aang was the Avatar, which is a supernatural being who can command all of the elements, and is faced with the challenge of restoring peace to the world and stopping the fire nation from taking over all the other nations. Think of it as world war two, except in a cartoon form.
    Stage three is “Refusal of the Quest”, Aang at first is very apprehensive and doesn’t want to be the Avatar. The pressure of saving the world seemed like too much of a responsibility, although ultimately Aang does accept the challenge.
    Stage four is “Accepting the Call” this is where Aang realizes he is the only one who can save the world and he knows he must try.
    Stage five is “Entering the Unknown” since Aang actually lived over a hundred years ago, but was frozen under the ice, he is completely shocked to see what has happened to the world over the past century. To him it is something new to him and he essentially is entering the unknown world of fire, water, air, and earth bending as well.
    Stage six is “Supernatural Aid” which in Aang’s case is the spirit of Avatar Roku, the Avatar before him, he gives Aang advice and helps to guide him through the spiritual parts of being the Avatar.
    Stage seven is “Talisman” there wasn’t an actual physical token that Aang set out to retrieve, he was on a journey for knowledge and peace.
    Stage eight is “Allies/Helpers” which is pretty much like the characters friends. Aang does become allies with Takara and Sokka, they help Aang in his quest to master all of the elements so that he can save everyone.
    Stage nine is “Tests & the Supreme Ordeal” this is the obstacles that the hero must overcome. Aang must overcome being hunted by the fire nation, trying to master all the elements which isn’t easy, only having a certain amount of time to complete his quest before it is too late, and having the weight and future of the entire world on your shoulders.
    Stage ten is “Reward and Journey Home” this part of the journey is probably the best part since the hero finally completes his quest and is able to return home usually victorious. Aang’s reward was the safety of the people he loves and being able to fulfill his rightful destiny, after defeating Fire Lord Ozai.
    Stage Eleven is the final stage called “Restoring the World” and literally Aang did restore the world back to a time of peace and harmony among all the nations, which is life changing for everyone in the world. In the series the fire nation was made out to seem very bad so by defeating them Aang essentially was saving the world from evil.
    Aang, I believe, is the Hero archetype, he is the central character and he embarks on the journey.
    Respectfully,
    Amber Diaz

    Word count: 550

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  20. I have chosen the film “The Last Airbender” based on the Nickelodeon series, to compare Joseph Campbell’s article on “the Hero’s Journey.” The main character Aang is a boy with extraordinary “bending” powers who travels the exotic world of the four nations: water, earth, fire, and air. As he is destined to be the Avatar, he is the only one who can end the “age-old” conflict between the nations.

    In Aang’s life, he was raised by monks and was the only air bender left in their world, which made him destined to become the Avatar. He seeks out mentorship from the other three nations (fire, earth, and water) to master his “bending” powers. In seeking help to bend the element water, he finds two other kids his age that will accompany him throughout his quest. (Saka and Katara)

    The fire nation is the “evil” in the film, and its Aang’s duty to overcome this evil and free all the other nations from the fire king’s grasp. His journey included him to find wise mentors to help him master the elements and who wanted to end the age-old conflict between the four nations. His journey is very dangerous, since the fire nation sets out to find Aang and his group and destroy the world’s only chance of peace.

    Aang; being such a “young” boy when in reality he was thousands of years old, didn’t want to become the person who everyone was depending on to make world peace. He wanted to play and be a child, but his duties were to important which sent him angry. Accepting the fact that his destiny was to end the nations’ conflict, being that he had no real home besides the temples, he traveled the world in search of help to become this “Avatar” everyone was crazy about.

    Each day, Aang discovered new bending techniques and met new people that inspired him to want to bring peace to the four nations. His supernatural aid was the company of his giant buffalo looking animal named Apa and his flying monkey Momo. He always had a stick that opened up into a big fan that resembled wings to help Aang soar through the skies.

    With the help of his two best friends Saka and Katara, brother and sister from the water nation, they traveled the world searching for ways to fight the fire nation and allies to help them in great battle to finish the world-wide conflict over their nations.
    In the last minutes of the film the three need to protect the water tribe from attack over the fire nation, who tries to capture Aang to destroy the peoples’ hope of a new beginning. The “supreme ordeal” is the sacrifice of the ice princess and her death to set the world equal between water and fire.

    The four nations are not at peace yet, with Aang still on a long adventure to master his bending skills to battle the fire nation.

    Sincerely,
    Kendra Vega Pd. 3
    (500 words)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Dear Ms. Carlson,

    The film that I chose to compare with Joseph Campbell "A Hero's Journey", is Red Dawn. Typically an American war film, it thoroughly showed action, suspense, and not only that, it also had a bit of humor. The comparisons of the film to the article is given in the following :
    The ordinary world: It starts off as Jed Eckert, a U.S Marine, who visits home in Spokane, Washington. After meeting with his surprised father who didn't know he was coming down to visit, he is ignored by his outcasted brother, Matt Eckert. The two never got along ever since Jed left for the Marines right after their mother's death due to cancer.
    Call to adventure: Adventure begins when there is a what seemed like an earthquake but it was actually bombs being thrown to streets, houses, buildings, etc from America's enemy, North Korea, the bombs were being thrown from airborne. Jed races outside, along with Matt, and gets in a old Chevy truck. Jed, who is driving, accelerates really quickly, and dodges all the obstruction caused by the bombs. The Koreans enclosed part of the town and made the place theirs, the people in the enclosed area could live their life but in strict conditions. Jed, Matt and others who escaped the tragedy starts a group called the wolverines and intends to fight the Koreans.
    The refusal of the call: Matt tries to escape the wolverines because he felt like he wasn't needed after getting one of his friend killed for not obeying the plan that Jed made for the group to kill the Koreans. Instead he went and saved his girlfriend who was held as a prisoner. In the process of that, one of the member of the wolverine was shot to death, leaving his wife to grieve.
    Accepting the call: Jed finds Matt, who has been gone for a few days, and tells him to comeback. Matt still refuses and says that he doesn't take orders from him, and tells him that after he left when their mother died, he had no one to rely on besides his father who is always busy. He didn't have company to take care of him, to cure him from all the distress. After Jed hears this, he is taken aback and feels ashamed for himself and tells him that he's sorry, and leaves. Matt rethink things over and decides to rejoin the wolverines.
    Allies/helpers: The Wolverines encounter Marine Sergeant Major Andrew Tanner and two other marines, Smith and Hodges. They reveal that the Russian-backed North Koreans launched an electromagnetic pulse weapon that crippled the US electrical grid and military, followed by landings along the East and West Coasts.
    Test and the supreme ordeal: The marines reveal that Captain Cho (head korean) carries a suitcase containing an EMP-resistant radio telephone that would enable the US command to contact its remaining forces for a counter-offensive. The wolverines then plan to steal it which was secured in a local police station. Through hardship, cooperation, and teamwork, they succeeded.
    Reward and journey home: The wolverines grew popularity for their doing in saving their country. Their pack grew by a long-shot and they continue fighting for freedom from the North Koreans.
    I think that Jed is the hero in this film because without his marine skills, abilities, and techniques, the wolverines wouldn't have made it through.

    Sincerely,
    Jeric Manzano pd.3

    [w. count: 568]

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  22. Dear Ms. Carlson,

    Though many and most stories follow The Heros Journey, I have chosen to analyze my alltime favorite movie, Pretty woman(1990).

    The Ordinary World: A successful, wealthy lawyer, Edward Lewis, hires a beautiful and spirited prostitute, Vivian Ward , from Sunset Blvd to bring along to various business events. An attraction develops between the two, and Edward finds it harder and harder to let the infectious, kind-hearted Vivian go.

    Call to Adventure: In Vivian’s case, Edward asking her for directions, purchasing her services for the evening, and finally offering to hire her for the week.

    Refusal of the Quest: When Edward first offers her the job, she refuses and barges out of the hotel room in a fluster.

    Accepting the Call: Edward chases after her and in the lobby, begs her to stay, and finally, she obliges.

    Entering the Unknown: For Vivian, the foreign realm is the world of the wealthy. She is unaccustomed to the behaviors of the upper class, and its difficult for her to fit in. The dragons she has to defeat are the saleswomen in a prestigious shop on Rodeo Drive.

    Supernatural Aid: The dress she is wearing after her day of shopping. Its the first classy and elegant piece of clothing she has worn in the film. It acts as a magical object because it makes every one view her differently. It changes her appearance and attitude from trashy prostitute to elegant woman.

    Allies/Helpers: The guide who teaches her about this world is Bernard Thompson, the manager of the hotel where Edward is staying; he arranges assistance so she can be suitably attired and tutors her in basic dinner etiquette. And her best friend and roommate Kit, who is is ecstatic about edward because he has money, money that they can pay their rent with and money she can use to pay for her drug addiction.

    Tests/supreme ordeal: An elegant ball in which she wears a stunning bright red gown and a quarter million dollar diamond necklace, she is put to the test of appearing as a high class woman, and passes with flying colors. When they return from the magical evening, they engage in a romantic evening of lust and meaningful actions(NC-17) . Vivian kisses him while he is asleep, this means that she has developed feelings for him because her one rule is that she never kisses the clients.

    Reward and the Journey Home: Vivian refuses to continue being Edward’s mistress, insisting that she wants nothing less than to be the princess rescued by the prince. Edward eventually scales the “tower” (actually the fire escape of the apartment building where she lived) to enact this part of the fairy tale. Meeting her on the landing, he asks, “So what happens after he climbs up and rescues her?” Vivian replies, “She rescues him right back.” Spoken like a true hero.


    Master of the Two Worlds/Restoring the World: Vivian agrees to move back to his home with him, and they live happily ever after.

    Word Count: 502

    Respectfully,
    Podma Phillips
    Pd: 3

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    1. Dear Podma,
      I love this movie as well, and it was so interesting to read your analysis on it. I would have never though of vivian as a "hero" but how you explained it she definitely sounds like one!

      Sincerely,
      Sariah Beeby pd. 1

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  23. dear Ms.Carlson

    As soon as I began thinking about a hero's journey the first film that popped into my head was the story of Leonidas and the three hundred Spartans in the movie 300.

    Call of adventure & Acceptance of call : Leonidas was king of Sparta at the time when Persia was making a aggressive invasion into the Mediterranean region. The ruler of Persia, Xerxes, first sent an ambassador to Sparta to offer them a choice, to surrender and be spared but live under the rule of Persia, or to fight. Not given much favorable options the only one Leonidas could pick was to fight. From this point his call to adventure begins when he marches off to Thermopylae or "The hot gates".

    Supernatural aid: Leonidas consulted the oracle and prophets ( people or beings influenced by a higher power to advise the mortal kings and leaders of actions they should pick ) to predict the outcome of the battle and did something that most of his ancestors would never do, go against their judgement and fight. For the prophets foresaw that Leonidas and his men would meet certain doom and the only reasonable option to them was to surrender.

    Talisman: Although the item is not magical it did have a great meaning as it was the tooth of a wolf like creature that attacked Leonidas when he was on his test to prove he was a man in the wilderness. He made it a necklace and wore it into battle and eventually gave it to his wife via Herodotus (a trusted spartan that had lost an eye in battle ) since Leonidas sensed his death was near.

    Allies: Leonidas was accompanied by Sparta's finest, a total of 300 men followed Leonidas into battle and all shared a bond of brotherhood.

    Tests & Supreme ordeal : Leonidas was not only tested physically by the onslaught of the battle but he was offered many times to surrender in exchange for power in Persia. Although it was quite tempting , Leonidas turned down the riches and fame and remained true to Sparta and his brothers that fought with him side by side.

    At this point Leonidas and his men have made a large enough dent in the Persian invasion to halt them from making more of an impact into Greece, thou they still remained a threat.

    Journey Home: Leonidas did not return home sadly but instead sent Herodotus back along with his necklace to give to the queen. Herodotus would later play an important role in leading the Spartans and the Greeks to halt the Persians a second time in the future.


    MASTER OF TWO WORLDS & RESTORING THE WORLD : Leonidas and his men played a critical role in protecting Greece from Persian aggression and did it with only 300 men and a naval fleet to a ratio of 3:3000.

    The act of King Leonidas was a noble sacrifice and to all can be seen as a true hero. (499)

    Sincerely,
    Shiloh Begley Pd.3

    ReplyDelete
  24. Dear Mrs.Carlson,
    I chose to compare the animated movie “Tangled” to the article “A Hero’s Journey” by joseph campbell and the journey of Flynn Rider.

    In the beginning Flynn Rider starts off as a thief who steals the crown of the lost princess who was stolen by a witch shortly after being healed by the magic flower. He is the most wanted man in the kingdom and there's a reward for him.

    Flynn was called to adventure,while running from the kingdom authorities he stumble upon a tower and decided to climb up it. Rapunzel the girl living in the tower hits him over the head and hides his treasures. In order for flynn to get it back he has to take her to see the floating lanterns.

    At first Flynn refuses to take her but thinks that he needs the crown back and it wouldn’t be a big deal to take her.

    When Flynn accepts the call he gets Rapunzel out of the tower and heads on to the kingdom, but Rapunzel has a conflict within herself whether to go or not.

    As Flynn enters the unknown he encounter other thieves and murderers at a pub who want to hand him over to the kings authorities and one of the kings horses who is after Flynn. Then the two guys he traveled with before when he stole the crown find him and they get caved in and the dam breaks. they almost drown but Rapunzel uses her healing hair to get them free.
    Rapunzels hair heals Flynn's and gets them out from almost dying.

    At the ending she brings back Flynn from dying with her tears because her mother or the witch killed him.
    the murders in the pub and the horse help get flynn and Rapunzel out when the authorities burst in and get flyn out of jail when he gets caught.

    flynn gets caught and has to save Rapunzel from the witch that was pretending to be her mother but just used her because her hair gave the witch youth.

    Rapunzel gets reunited with her real parents the king and queen

    I believe that Flynn is a Master of Two worlds/Restoring the world, because he saved Rapunzel and decided not to be a thief he was welcomed by the king and queen for returning their daughter to them.

    Respectfully,
    Kristen Yam

    word count: 393
    pd.3

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  25. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    I chose Disney’s, “The Little Mermaid” to compare the hero Ariel’s journey to Joseph Campbells, Stages of a Heros journey.
    The Ordinary World: Ariel lives under the sea in a kingdom filled with fish, mermaids and other sea creatures. Ariel has one wish in her life, and that is to be apart of the human world.
    The Call to Adventure: Ariel falls in love with a human man named Eric, after meeting him by saving him from drowning. From the day she lays eyes on him, she’s deeply, madly in love. She desires nothing more than to be with him, and the only way she can do that is if she is human.
    Refusal of the Call: Ursala offers Ariel human legs in exchange for her voice, but Ariel denies the offer because she realizes that she doesn’t want to leave her friends and family behind under water.
    Accepting the Call: Ursala convinces Ariel to exchange her legs for her voice, and Ariel does just that because the only way she could be with Eric is if she was human. The kingdom she lives in forbids any human contact.
    Entering the Unknown: Ariel swims to land with the help of some friends, but when she reaches it, she realizes she does not know how to walk, or do human things that are necessities in the human world. She feels lost and uncertain about her wish, and goes through some difficult times on land.
    Allies: Ariel’s allies are her sea creature friends, Sebastian, Flounder, and Scutter. They help her along her journey through encouragement, words of wisdom, and some humor to cheer her up when times got rough.
    Supreme Ordeal: Ariel faces a big challenge when she has to kiss Eric on the third night of knowing each other, or else Ursala will marry him. Ariel first fails to kiss Eric by the third night and is turned back into a mermaid, forced to live as a servant under the evil Ursala. Bravely, her father demands to take Ariel’s place to save his daughter, and the witch accepts the offer. Prince Eric show up just in time to save everyone, and with some help, they successfully defeat Ursala.
    Reward and Journey Home: King Triton rewards Ariel by granting her her one and only wish, which is to be human. With her new legs and lost tail, she marries Prince Eric. Rather than going back to the sea, she decides to live happily ever after with her prince charming.
    The hero in this story is Ariel, The Little Mermaid. The shadow is Ursala, the evil witch. The mentors are both Triton, Ariel’s father, and Sebastian the friendly crab. The Herald is the event that involves Ariel going to see Ursala, and Ursala transforming her to human. The threshold guardian, in a way, is Ariel herself. She’s a shy, nervous girl and unsure of what this whole being human thing is about. The tricksters are Ursala’s evil servants, Flotsam and Jetsam. Ariel’s allies are Flounder, the blue and yellow fish whom is prone to stress and panic, Sebastian, the Jamaican crab who lives to serve Triton, and Scuttle, the friendly seagull who is very knowledgeable about humans

    Sincerely,
    Lexy Stogner Pd 1
    word count: 503

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    Replies
    1. Dear Lexy,

      The Little Mermaid has always been a favorite of mine ecspecially because when I was younger I used to pretend I was a mermaid. I think that Ariel completely fits the role of a true hero because she saved Prince Eric from drowning.

      Sincerely, Maria Fish Pd:2

      Delete
  26. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    

I chose to compare the Stages of a Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell to the Disney film Aladdin.

    The Ordinary World: Aladdin in a peasant with no parents. One day he unknowingly meets princess Jasmine in the market where she has run away too. They go back to her palace together and immediately begin to fall in love.

    Call to Adventure: Aladdin’s call to adventure is when he gets thrown in jail for “kidnapping” the princess. The sultan’s royal vizier, Jafar is convinced that Aladdin is a diamond in the rough, and the only way to the cave of treasure. So he disguises himself as a fellow prisoner and convinces Aladdin to help him get to the cave of treasure.

    Refusal of the Call: Aladdin tries to convince the fellow prisoner that searching for the cave is too dangerous.

    Accepting the Call: Aladdin begins his journey to the cave along with Abu, his monkey friend, and the magic carpet.

    Entering the Unknown: As Aladdin, Abu, and the carpet enter the cave of treasure. They become trapped when Abu touches a precious jewel. They become worried and lost as they search for a way out. Mean while Jafar waits impatiently for them to return and begins to think they took the treasure for themselves.

    Super Natural Aid: While in the treasure cave, Aladdin stumbles upon the genie lamp, and tricks the genie into getting them out.

    The Road of Trials: Once Aladdin is out of the cave; he receives 3 wishes from the genie. He promises the genie that his 3rd wish would be spent on wishing the genie out of the lamp he has been encaged in for hundreds of years. Aladdin’s fist wish is to become a prince, so he will be eligible to marry princess jasmine. Once he returns to the place as a prince. Jafar has his guards try to drown him in attempt to get him not to marry Jasmine. Jafar gets a hold of the genie lamp and banishes Aladdin and Abu to a snowstorm far away. Aladdin reaches the place to find everything has turned into a mess. Jafar tries to convince the genie to get jasmine to fall in love with him, he explains that this is not possible. Jasmine sees him trying to sneak back in and distracts Jafar. Jafar turns into a serpent to try and attack Aladdin but he escapes and curses Jafar into the genie lamp, freeing the genie.

    Meeting with the Goddess/ Freedom to Live : Aladdin meets Jasmine on the balcony and night and he reveals to her who he really is, the peasant boy from the market. She forgives him for lying, but only wishes the law for an arranged marriage did not exist. The genie says that Aladdin will always be a prince in his heart. The sultan agrees and changes the law. Aladdin and Jasmine are married and begin their new life together.

    Heroes: Aladdin
    Shadows: Jafar
    Mentors: Abu, The Magic Carpet
    Women as Temptress: Jasmine

    Word count: 505

    Sincerely,
    Sariah Beeby pd 1




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    Replies
    1. Dear Sariah,
      I love how you picked this film, I love Aladdin. You made a great comparison and analysis to the "heroes Journey." Your passage made me realize how many hero journey's there really are in "Aladdin," and there are probably many in multiple other films and stories as well. Good job!
      Sincerely,
      Shianne Schorr
      Period 2

      Delete
    2. Dear Sariah,
      Great job, nice comparison, you pointed out some good aspects of the movie. However, I would have liked to see more about how Aladdin freed the genie from the lamp. You see Aladdin was the genie's hero too. I understand this is more of the underlying hero story, as defeating Jafar was the main point, but it still seems important and I would have liked jut a little light shinned on it.

      Sincerely,
      Shania Weiss, Period 3

      Delete
  27. Dear Ms. Carlson,

    I chose the movie Hancock as my response to the comparison of The Hero’s journey. This movie shows a tale of a homeless hero known as “Hancock”, but is his own villain due to his destruction through towns and his actions of saving people.

    Ordinary world: Hancock is just an ordinary homeless guy that is known well in the city. He drinks a lot, and even though people seen him help the police chase bad guys and help put them into prison, people find his ways of justice very unsafe.

    The call to adventure: When Hancock sees the need to use his massive strength and flying ability, he causes destruction all over the city. He puts the bad guys into prison and helps police officers with their jobs, but he puts innocent people’s lives in danger. He is offered to spend time in jail for all the damage. By taking up that offer he has the chance to change his living, and better way into finding justice.

    Accepting the call: He takes the offer to spend time in prison with the help of one of his friends “Ray Embrey.” They expect that the people or the press will realize Hancock is needed in the city to fight crime.
    Entering the Unknown: As Hancock arrives to the prison, he realizes that all the inmates are the guys that he himself had taken in. He spends days and months, and yet nothing no one asks for his help, as frustrating as he gets Hancock wants to run away. Everyone knows he has any given chance to. But he doesn’t, he learns that in order to change he must go through discipline.

    Supernatural Aid: One day there was a bank robbery that was occurring, a lot of people were hold hostage and the police and swat teams couldn’t hold them out. So they call in the new and improved Hancock.
    Talisman: Hancock’s past hold him back from actually knowing who he is.

    Tests and the Supreme Ordeal: He finds out that Ray’s wife is one of him; she never ages and has the same abilities as who he is. But the problem is as close as they get the more human they become, they lose all their powers. They are tested when Hancock got caught in a store robbery and was shot, and for the first time he bleed. They took him to the hospital and didn’t know what to do. Some prisoners escaped, and wanted revenge towards Hancock. By doing so they tried to kill Hancock and Mary (his lost lover from his past life), just so there wouldn’t be any more superheroes.
    Reward and the Journey Home: Hancock ends up fighting his wounds and kills all the prisoners, and goes far away from Mary and Ray’s family to save her life from becoming a human.

    Master of Two Worlds/ Restoring the World: After Hancock has learned about him and Mary having a past life, he moves on and travels the world in search for justice. He stays far away from Mary and her family to keep them safe.

    Allies/Helpers: Ray Embrey, Mary Embrey , their son Aaron Embrey

    Thank you,
    Alexis Vicente Pd.2
    Word Count:535

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  28. Dear Ms.Carlson,
    The film I have chosen is the family friendly fairy tale, Tangled because I feel it truly captures the Hero’s Journey. Also Disney movies tend to have the same sort of plot throughout all movies, helping to be a good guideline to virtually any Disney production.

    The main character, Rapunzel, has indeed her own sort of ‘ordinary world’ which she lives in and feels out of place. Given the ability to make others look youthful with her hair and never ending growth this was Rapunzel’s talisman, a magical item that assisted her on her quest. Her so called stepmother (or evil witch) locks her in a tower forbidding her to leave and visit elsewhere.
    On Rapunzel’s ‘call to adventure’ she stumbles upon a man in distress near her forbidden tower. Rapunzel has always been curious to what the floating lanterns she watches her from her tower are. While holding this man, Flynn Rider, hostage together the journey away from the tower. Anything outside of the tower is completely new to Rapunzel and nothing that she is used to. Flynn Rider can be considered the supernatural aid to Rapunzel for he has experienced the unknown.
    Along the way Rapunzel becomes tested as she is unaware that her hostage Flynn Rider is a wanted man in the outside world. Unknowingly housing a fugitive she gets herself into many problems as Flynn has a reward out for his head. As well as people searching for Flynn, her stepmother is on an angry vengeance to find her magical youth filled hair of a daughter, Rapunzel. The supreme ordeal was when Rapunzel found out the truth about her life, how her stepmother was using her, she was a kidnapped princess, she loved Flynn Rider, and as a result lost the only thing that made her special and different. Her long flowing magical hair.
    As a reward Rapunzel is welcomed back to the city which she was kidnapped from. The King and Queen openly invite her back to the castle. Flynn is no longer wanted and she finally gets the chance to participate in the much anticipated lantern ceremony. Rapunzel has restored the world in which she originated from. She learned the lantern ceremony was an annual mourning that her town participated in to support the search for their lost princess (Rapunzel) in hopes she would follow the lanterns back to the city. With Rapunzel returned to her rightful place as princess the town has come to peace. Rapunzel has thus proved herself for queenship and marriage with Flynn Rider.

    I feel that Rapunzel can truly be considered the Heroine of this heart felt film, Tangled. Flynn Rider as well can surely be classified as the herald, who started the call to adventure, and mentor towards the heroine, Rapunzel. The evil witch of a stepmother was definitely the main shadow of this story as she was extremely conniving throughout the duration of the entire film.

    Respectfully,
    Kulia Blalock
    Period 1

    Word count:496

    ReplyDelete
  29. Dear Ms.Carlson,

    BEFORE READING THIS KNOW THAT THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR THE FILM, “DJANGO UNCHAINED” SO IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO SEE THIS GREAT FILM, PLEASE DON'T READ THIS.

    I have chosen the recently released film “Django Unchained” to compare the hero's journey to. It is an epic western set in the south, chronicling the tale of a slave named Django Freeman trying to save his wife from a vicious plantation owner, with the help of a bounty hunter named Doctor King Shultz.

    The Ordinary World that Django lives in is one of servitude. He lives as a slave in the south seperated from his wife, but with no other option than to obey his commanders. He marches along with the rest of the slaves until his world is changed forever in the...

    Call To Adventure! While Django is marching along the road on a cold night, a wagon appears from the darkness, with a man named Doctor King Shultz commandering it. Dr. King Shultz frees Django because he needs to know what the faces of the infamous Brittle Brothers looks like and only Django knows what their faces look like. King is a bounty hunter trying to kill the Brittle Brothers so King offers to help Django find his wife in return for the verification of the Brittle Brothers.

    Django doesn't exactly refuse the quest because he needs to find his wife, and he would like nothing more than to see the Brittle Brothers killed for torturing his wife. Django accepts the quest willingly.

    Django enters The Unknown World of the bounty hunting business with the aid of his ally Doctor King Shultz. At first it takes a while for Django to understand how bounty hunting works but eventually they take down the Brittle Brothers but then they have a bigger problem when they travel to a plantation known as Candieland owned by a vicious racist named Calvin Candie who has Django's wife, Broomhilda with him. Django goes through a series of tests from Calvin until finally a showdown occurs and in the long run Django is victorious. These tests include shootouts, torture and captivity. The talisman used to help Django in his Journey is most likely his revolvers because they protect him even in the most dire situations.

    In the end, Django finally gets his wife back and that is the ultimate reward for him. Django started out as a common slave who couldn't do a thing to help his wife but in the end, he became the best gunslinger in the south who could save his wife from the villian(s). Since Django is a free slave he can take his wife and live a good life with her away from the world of slavery.

    Django is definantly a hero who was opressed but rose up to stop terrible people. All he wanted was to get his wife back and in doing so, he became a stronger person through overcoming the journey.

    Sincerely,
    Kailer Scopacasa Period 1

    ReplyDelete
  30. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    The hero's journey, in my opinion, relates the most to one of my favorite films: The Dark Knight Rises, a film by Christopher Nolan.

    The Ordinary World: Gotham is in a state of peace and has been ever since the death of beloved idol Harvey Dent 8 years prior. A charity event is being held at Wayne Manor celebrating the life of Dent. Since Dent's death Batman has been missing.

    Call to Adventure: Through a series of events Bruce Wayne's fingerprints are stolen.

    Refusal of the Quest: An officer by the name of John Blake comes to visit Bruce. During his visit Blake asks him to take up the cowl again but Bruce is skeptical.

    Entering the Unknown: A terrorist by the name of Bane uses Wayne's fingerprints to bankrupt the billionaire and bring the Batman out from hiding. Bruce then decides, as he watches the events take place on the evening news, it may be time to pick up the cowl again and strike. He misses Bane the first time but enlists the help of the cat burglar who stole his prints, Selina Kyle, to track the terrorist down. Selina leads Batman into the light rail tunnels. As Batman steps onto a catwalk, a grate suddenly slams shut, and Selina reluctantly reveals that she had to keep Bane's men from killing her. Bane appears, and shocks Batman by revealing that he knows that its Bruce underneath the mask. A battle ensues, but in the end Bane breaks Batman's back and drags him away as Bruce slowly fades out into unconsciousness.

    Supernatural Aid: Bruce awakens in a jail cell with Bane sitting near him, telling him of his plans. As bane leaves he tells Bruce “There cannot be true despair without hope”. Bruce lays incapacitated with nothing but hope.

    Talisman: Bruce tries to recover to return to his falling city. Bruce learns through the stories about the prison he is within (an extremely deep pit with a dangerous climb for an exit). Bruce learns that his fear of death is non-existent and in order to reach the top he will have to find the fear once again. He needs to push himself for it.

    Allies: A kindly aged prisoner helps Bruce fix his back and tells him of Bane, inadvertently pushes Wayne to stop the terrorist. He tells Bruce that the climb to the top was only accomplished by one person, a young child. Bruce begins to build his body strength to prepare himself for the climb. While Bruce is in the pit back in Gotham Officer Blake assists Gordon to bring Bane down from within the city. They learn that Bane is equipped with a nuclear weapon and will use it if there is any interference from outside the city.

    Tests & The Supreme Ordeal: Wayne attempts to climb to the top with the rope attached to his waist but ultimately fails. The kindly prisoner tells Wayne that the only way out is the same way the child made it out, without the rope. Wayne is reluctant. Wayne continues to build himself and several attempts later he finally packs the little he has and bids the prisoner farewell. He walks up to the wall and begins his climb without the rope. He makes it halfway up and suddenly regains the fear. Bruce makes it to the top and makes his way back to Gotham. Wayne, now becoming Batman, tracks down Bane and the two fight vigorously. Batman pins Bane down trying locate the trigger for the bomb and finds out the bomb is to blow regardless. Batman then races to get the bomb as far away from the city as possible. He picks up the bomb with his flying vehicle. He says his goodbyes to everyone and flies it as far away as possible. The bomb explodes miles off from the city with Batman still holding it tight.

    Reward & The Journey Home: Though Batman lives as now nothing but an icon for peace the city is back into order and Gotham is once again a safe place.

    Restoring the World: Before Bruce died he left John Blake some tools and directions to the Manor. Blake finds a cave near the Manor and is given closure that Bruce Wayne was indeed the Batman. Without words Bruce told Blake to keep the peace and protect the citizens from injustice.
    (continued below)

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    Replies
    1. Dear Peter,
      "The Dark Knight Rises" (aka: The greatest film of all time in my opinion) is summarized beautifully by you here. You don't look at what's on the outside, you look for the internal details, like hope being a supernatural aid. Almost every film follows the hero's journey in some way but "The Dark Knight Rises" is a extremely great example because the entire message of the entire trilogy is that, yes Batman does have everything to be a hero, but the truth is that ANYONE can be a hero.
      Sincerely,
      Kailer Scopacasa

      Delete
    2. Dear Peter
      I enjoyed reading your summary of the Dark Knight Rises, however i feel like there's so much that could be added to your summary. I feel like there were more allies first off, i mean, i know Alfred at one point leaves Bruce, but deep down i think Alfred was definitely on Bruce's side, he just wanted the best for Bruce; AND WHAT ABOUT GORDON?! I'm sorry i just feel you left a few important allies out of your summary. Besides that i feel that there was more than just hope that was a supernatural aid, but fear. In order for Bruce to get that burst of adrenaline he needed to climb out of the godforsaken hole he would need to embrace the fear that lived within him; the fear of being trapped in a prison with no way out, the city he so valiantly fought for and the fact it faced near destruction, so much was on the line for him, so i feel it was his courage to embrace his fears and saddle up even though clearly the odds were against him, that's what i believe was another supernatural aid besides hope.
      Sincerely,
      Brandon Jenks
      P.S. I apologize for coming off as a troll and being critical, it's just Ms.C wanted replies to try and be argumentative, but besides that awesome summary!

      Delete
    3. Dear Peter,
      I also enjoyed the movie "The Dark Knight Rises" and think it is the best but I have to point out some flaws you have used in your summary. I don't believe that his fingerprints being stolen was in the big picture wasn't the call to the adventure, that maybe once Bruce's good friend Gordon was shot and there is a terror growing underneath the city he see's the calling for a hero to come back. Other than that you have it spot on.
      Sincerely,
      Cody Palmer

      Delete
  31. By all means Bruce Wayne, also known as the Batman, was an honorable Hero but in the writings of director Christopher Nolan Bruce is his own threshold guardian. Nolan represents this on a emotional level and even manifests these fears into the physical with the character of Bane. Batman is a symbol and therefore cannot be corrupted.

    Sincerely,
    Peter Sizelove Pd. 1
    Word Count: 906

    ReplyDelete
  32. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    I have chosen the movie ‘Up!’ to compare the hero Carl’s journey to the Stages of a Hero’s journey by Joseph Campbell.

    The ordinary World: Carl Frederickson is an old and grumpy man living in his neighborhood, making a living of selling balloons. As the city changes and grows around him he is an encouraged to move into a retiring home to make space for construction. He doesn’t want to move from the house that he shared with his wife Elle.

    Call to Adventure: The call to adventure starts before Carl got old with his wife Elle. Carl, as a kid, dreamed and admired to be an adventurer like his hero Muntz. Then while playing outside he heard Muntz famous line “Adventure is out there!” He then proceeds to go in the house to see this girl named Elle. They both like the adventurer Muntz and they both wanted to go to “Paradise Falls” in South America to live there. So they set their dreams on that and by doing so they end up falling in love with each other and getting married. So, they try to save up money to move there, but they’re forced to dig in their funds for Paradise falls for other obligations. They both end up getting too old and Elle ends up dying.

    Refusal of the Quest: Because Carl gets old and the fact the Elle died, Carl doesn’t want to go to Paradise Falls anymore.

    Accepting the Call: Carl ends up injuring someone an is sentence to a retirement home. He doesn’t want to go to the retirement home. Then Carl creates this plan to get to paradise falls and not go to the retirement home. He then attaches a bunch of balloons to his house and it flies out of the neighborhood.

    Entering the Unknown: Carl and Russell end up on the flying house. They end up in South America. A lot of the balloons have popped on the way, but just enough to keep it a few meters off the ground. In the end they have to lug the house around the unknown jungles of South America

    Allies/Helpers: Russell is one of the allies/helpers in the movie. He is a boy scout trying to collect all of the badges. In the movie he is trying to help Carl to get the badge. Kevin is this mysterious bird that Muntz was trying to find his life to prove the media wrong. The last ally is the dog, Dug.

    Talisman: The picture book with him and Elle with the words at the end “go find your adventure”.

    Tests/The supreme Ordeal: They end up being on the chase from Muntz who wants the bird, Kevin. Then Carl and Russell fight back to save Kevin.

    Reward the Journey: Kevin is saved. Russell gets his badge. Carl and Elle’s house is on Paradise peak.

    Master of Two Worlds/Restoring the World: Carl and Russell end up spending time together with the spirit of adventure.
    I believe that Carl is the Central figure hero of the story as he is the one who saves the day.

    Sincerely,
    Kalani Murakami Period 1

    Word Count 488 without the Salutations and Endings

    ReplyDelete
  33. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    I chose the film Lorax which is realtive to the campbell's stages of the heroes journey.
    The Ordinary World: A boy named Ted lives in a place called Thneedville and everything is perfect there, or so it seems, and everything is made of plastic. Because of this, they don't have good quality air (all apart of Mr. O'Hares scheme) and the towns-people buy it from him who is so rich and powerful that he is considered the King.
    The Call to Adventure: Ted is in love with a girl named Audrey, who is a couple years older than him, and she wanted a real tree. This was ted's chance to prove himself and to win over Audrey's heart. He asked his grammy Norma who told him about a man known as "The Oncelor", and he lived beyond the walls of Thneedville which no one has ever gone. Ted then set out to find him.
    Refusal of the Quest/Entering the Unknown: After crossing over the walls, Ted discovers that beyond the walls is a damaged environment (which he finds out was caused by The Oncelor) and getting through there was dangerous which made him doubt going any further, but his love for Audrey caused him to continue on with the mission.
    Accepting the Call: Ted continues on until he stumbles upon The Oncelor's house. There, The Oncelor reveals his story about his greed that destroys what was once a beautiful place. He recieves a seed of a tree (the last to exist) which he was to plant in Thneedsville.
    Tests and The Supreme Ordeal: Mr. O'Hare finds out about ted leaving Thneedsville and worries that Ted would find out everything he kept a secret and would destroy his mischevious scheme so he warns Ted and spies on him. He then discovers Ted has a tree seed and tries to rid of it before Ted could plant it.
    Allies/Helpers: Grammy Norma, Ted's Mom, and Audrey help ted protect the seed while being chased by Mr. O'hare and his helpers.
    Supernatural Aid: The Lorax
    Reward of the Journey Home: Ted and Audrey explain to the town that Mr. O'hare was scamming them and revealed the truth about the importance of trees and tore down the walls to get the people to see the devastation beyond what they thought as their "perfect life". The towns-people got rid of Mr. O'Hare and Ted planted the seed. He won Audrey's heart.
    Master of Two Worlds/Restoring the World: After the seed was planted, more trees began to rise and flourish, making living there a lot better. The animals started coming back and the Lorax forgave The Oncelor as he proved himself and thanks to Ted, helped fix his mistake.
    Ted is an admirable hero as he showed bravery and other heroic qualities. Although he first started to impress Audrey, he overall stood for what was right, and for the good of everyone and for the environment.

    Respectfully,
    Jalissa Rapozo-Carveiro

    ReplyDelete
  34. Dear Mrs. Carlson,

    What I chose for this blog assignment is the film Monte Carlo. I also chose Monte Carlo as the film to compare to the Stages of a Heroes’ Journey by Joseph Campbell.


    The Ordinary World: An ordinary girl named Grace just graduates from high school and is saving up money to go to Paris with her best friend Emma.

    Call to Adventure: Though her looks may be similar to Cordelia’s, Grace has a greater personality than Cordelia. One of the hotel staff thought that she was Cordelia Winthrop Scott, who’s a British heiress, because she looks exactly like her.

    Refusal to the call: Grace gets second thoughts whether or not pretending to be Cordelia would be a good idea or not. She ponders deeply about the consequences her actions might cause.

    Accepting the Call: She finally makes up her mind and pretended to be Cordelia, but only to help for a fundraiser.

    Road of Trials:
    Grace has to play Polo with Theo even if she doesn’t know how.
    Grace has to ride a horse even if she’s never ridden one before.
    She pretty much risks her life just pretending to be Cordelia.
    She must fake a British accent in order to sound like Cordelia.
    She has to act snobby cause that’s how Cordelia acted, if not others would get suspicious.

    Meeting with the Goddess: Grace meets a handsome young man named Theo and ends up falling for him unintentionally. Theo happens to be from a high class, and well-respected family, who are really close to Cordelia’s family.

    Temptation: As Grace falls deeper in love with Theo, she’s greatly tempted to just tell him the truth. To tell him that she isn’t Cordelia. Grace is afraid to hurt Theo’s feelings because he told Grace that she’s the only one who makes him feel different.

    Tests: Grace has to attend the charity ball and has to keep pretending to be Cordelia since she’s not there. She sometimes forgets that she’s pretending to be someone else, so a little bit of her personality shows instead of Cordelia’s. Cordelia’s aunt, who is Alicia, gets suspicious of Grace. She receives a phone call from the real Cordelia during the ball and confirms her suspicion. Seeing a picture of Grace wearing her expensive jewelry, Cordelia immediately calls the police and reports that she’s been robbed. Cordelia then goes to Monte Carlo and find Grace and Emma. Grace and Emma tie her up and held her hostage till they fixed everything.

    Ordeal: Cordelia and Grace talk and Grace discovers that Cordelia is heartless and that she doesn’t care about the charities. Cordelia wasn’t even fully devoted to all the charity works in the first place.

    Reward: Surprisingly, Grace doesn’t get into any trouble for pretending somebody she’s not.

    Return with Exilir: Theo and Grace started fresh. He might have been upset over the fact that she lied about who she really was, but he couldn’t live without her so he forgave her.

    Allies: Emma, Meg
    Enemies: Cordelia’s aunt Alicia and Cordelia herself

    Word Count: 514

    Respectfully,
    Precious Custodio
    Pd.2

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    Replies
    1. Dear Precious,

      Your choice of film caught my eye, It's quite conspicuous for the reason of the film not really being a hero film because Grace didn't save anyone, besides herself for not getting clipped by the cops for switching identities with Cordelia. I personally don't think Cordelia is an enemy or villain because she didn't do anything wrong but call the cops that her identity was taken and has been robbed. Besides, Cordelia was captured by grace and her friends and was tied up, doesn't that kinda make Grace the bad person? Yeah the charity was really important to Grace, but it's not her call, it's Cordelia's. That's just my opinion. I for one think the film is unoriginal and full of cliches, it reminds me of the films: The Parent Trap, The Lizzie Maguire Movie, and What a Girl wants.

      Sincerely,
      Jeric Manzano pd. 3

      Delete
  35. Dear Ms Carlson,

    I have chosen the film 'Iron Man' to compare the Stages of a Hero's Journey, by Joseph Campbell.
    The Ordinary World: Tony Stark, aka Robert Downey Jr., is the complete playboy who also happens to be an engineering genius. While he was in Afghanistan demonstrating a new missile, he was captured and wounded. the people who captured him wants him to assemble a missile for them, but instead he creates a armored suit and a means to prevent his death from the shrapnel left in his chest by the attack. He uses the armored suit to escape. Back in the U.S. he announces his company will cease making weapons and he begins work on an updated armored suit only to find that Obadiah Stane, his second in command at Stark industries has been selling Stark weapons to the insurgents. He uses his new suit to return to Afghanistan to destroy the arms and then to stop Stane from misusing his research.
    Call to Adventure: Tony believes he is creating these weapons for the betterment of the world and to help destroy the bad guys, but his perspective changes as he learns his company is secretly shipping these weapons without his permission to places and people Tony never imagined how would possess his technology. Tony's call to adventure comes on his way home from his demonstration when his convoy is suddenly attacked and he almost blown up by the weapons e created. then he's taken to a cave where his previously captured doctor puts a magnet powered by a car battery into his chest to keep shrapnel from entering his heart. this is where he decides he can either create his weapons for the terrorists or he can attempt to do something about it.

Refusal of the Quest: he almost fails to her the call while he is held captive and is ready to just give up and let the terrorists kill him instead of cooperating, so they will at least not have his weapons. then he gets advice from his mentor, Yensin, the doctor who previously forced to save his life. he points out that the great Tony Stark can sit in this cave and just die or he can make a last ditch effort and try to make a machine to help him get away. 

Accepting the Call: After escaping the cave and the terrorists, Tony really crosses the first threshold when he takes his finally completed, but yet to be tested, suit for a flight. his personal computer warns him against this and it tells him of the terabytes of calculations that is yet to be performed, but Tony is ready to test it himself first.
    
Entering the Unkown: at this point Tony realizes that his old ways and friends wouldn't be able to get him through this time in his life and he was going to have to try some new ideas. Instead of working and designing through his company and with Obadiah, he started work on his own secret project to design his suit with a little helper from Pepper
    
Supernatural Aid: his armored suit and a magnet powered by a car battery.

Allies/Helpers:
    -Colonel Rhodes: keeps tony informed of the air forces standings and offers help when tony needs it, and he's a liaison to Stark Industries.
    -Pepper Potts: his side kick and is his personal assistant for his business affairs

    Enemies:
    -the terrorists
    -Obadiah Stain: who was his longtime business partner
    
Tests & the Supreme Ordeal: tony had a chance to turn his cheek and not pay any attention as they deal the weapons on the black market, but after almost dying at the hands of his own design wasn't a option.

Reward and the Journey Home: Tony becomes Iron man and is being able to dedicate himself to the good of humanity by battling evil

Master of Two World/ Restoring the World:

Sincerely,
    thauris manzano
    period 1

    word count: 650 (not including the greetings and salutations.)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    I will use one of my favorite movies, "Despicable Me" to compare to Joseph Campbell's stages of a hero's journey.

    This story is about Gru, the main character who is an older super villain. In Gru's ordinary world, Being a villain is hard, especially when you're older and the newer villains have more energy and newer technology. Vector, one of the younger villains has stolen the Great Pyramid of Giza, which makes Gru very jealous. He decides that to outdo Vector, he will steal the moon, and take to a great call of adventure.

    To do this, Gru needs a shrink ray, and he gets one, until vector steals it from him. This is a big letdown for Gru and it seems like he won't be able to complete the task he wanted to do. One day, while scooping out Vector, Gru finds that three little girls who are selling cookies are able to easily get through Vector's booby traps to get into his property. Gru then decides to continue with his call to adventure by adopting the three girls in an effort to steal the shrink ray.

    Entering an unknown world, Gru has to learn how to take care of the three girls, and be a good caretaker for them. This proves very hard for him since he has absolutely no prior experience with children. Gru, using his three daughters gets the shrink ray back, has plans to return the girls to the orphanage since their part in Gru's plan is done. Gru successfully gets the moon to shrink and fit in his hand, and misses the girls' ballet recital. Gru then receives a letter from Vector saying that he kidnapped the girls and he will give them back in return for the moon. Gru goes to Vector's layer to make the trade, but Vector flies off with the girls and the moon, much to Gru's anger. MeanwhileGru finds out that the effects of the shrink ray are temporary; the bigger the object is, the faster it will regain its normal size. As the moon starts to expand in Vector's ship, Gru and his minions pull off a daring mid-air rescue of the girls, the supreme ordeal, just as the moon puts Vector's ship into hyperjump before the ship explodes, launching itself back into orbit with Vector stranded on its surface, much to his shock.

    After the whole ordeal, Gru readopts the girls, and really treats them as his own daughters. As Gru and the girls settle into their new lives, the world seems to go back to normal.

    To me, Gru seems like the anti hero. He is, in reality, a super villain, and wants to steal the moon. But in the end, he is still the hero and he becomes a good person in the end.

    It's very interesting to see that most stories and movies are loosely based off of the hero's journey, even children's stories like this one.

    Sincerely,
    Cassie Wilson Pd. 2
    Word Count: 501

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    Replies
    1. Dear Cassie,

      I love your choice of movie and the fact that you found a way to make this into a Hero's Journey because it was not a movie I would've connected to as one. I also like the way you showed how Gru changes in the end.

      Sincerely,
      Nikki Ramos
      Period 1

      Delete
    2. Dear Cassie,

      I really liked your last paragraph and how you point out that even children's stories use the hero's journey. Stories like "Despicable Me", "Up", and "The Lorax" are all children's movies that use the stages of a hero's journey. In your story Gru goes from wanting to be a world famous criminal to one of the best dads ever.

      Respectfully,
      Jonathan Paleka

      Delete
    3. Dear Cassie,

      Reading the first sentence in your response and seeing "Despicable Me" I did not see how it connected into A Hero's Journey because Gru was the main villan in this movie. I like how after reading your response it changed the way I see how Despicable Me as A Hero's Journey. I love the way that Gru starts off as a selfish criminal then in the end he becomes a dad to his three daughters.

      Respectfully,
      Angelika Questin
      Period 2

      Delete
  37. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Dear Ms. Carlson,

    I chose to compare the Stages of a “Hero's Journey” by Joseph Campbell to the film “Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief.”

    The Ordinary World: The main character of this film is Percy Jackson, with a best friend, a mother and the worst step-dad. He at first believes he is just a normal teen dealing with everyday problems and high school drama, but he does have a special gift of staying underwater for unnatural periods of times.

    The Call to Adventure: Percy learns that his birth father, who he thought just left his mother and him is Poseidon, god of the seas. He finds that Zeus thinks that he is the lightning thief. Zeus tells him that if he does not bring the bolt to him by the summer solstice there will be a war of the gods and earth is the battlefield.

    Refusal of the Quest: Percy doesn’t believe that he can do this, especially since he believes that he is nothing special, having “ADHD” and “dyslexia”. He also makes the excuse that it is not his problem.

    Accepting the Call: Soon after refusing the quest, his mother is abducted by a minotaur, who was sent by Hades. He soon wants nothing more than to get n his mother back.

    Entering the Unknown: Percy enters a magical gate that leads him to a camp of hundreds of demi-gods, where they train and get their powers intact. This camp is also a safe place for them.

    Supernatural Aid: He learns that his best friend Grover is not only his best friend but his protector as well. He also finds out that his friend is a satyr (half-man, half-goat).

    Talisman: Percy was given a pen by Mr. Brunner or Chiron, his principal, who is also a supernatural creature, a centaur. The pen was not just an ordinary pen, but also a magical sword.

    Allies/Helpers: He had his friend Grover and his newly found friend Annabeth. Also helped at the beginning by Mr. Brunner.

    Tests and the Supreme Ordeal: To get his mother back he was told by Luke, Hermes son, that he needed to find “Persephone’s Pearls,” because finding and getting into the Underworld was easy but getting out was hard. He was led to many different places that brought him through trials, like killing Medusa, fighting a hydra and getting out of the Lotus Eaters lair. He found all the pearls and got to the underworld and saved his mother. But not realizing that Luke was a traitor and the shield he gave Percy had the bolt in it.

    Reward and the Journey Home: All was right with the world once more and there was no war. Percy became a big hero on earth as well as to the gods and got to meet his father.

    Master of Two Worlds/Restoring the World: The characters learned much from their journey and have not only grown physically but mentally as well. Grover’s big horns began to grow.

    Sincerely,
    Nikki Ramos
    Period 1
    Word Count: 497

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    Replies
    1. Dear Nikki,
      It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between the book (which I chose to explain) and the movie of The Lightning Thief. However, what was Percy's supreme ordeal? In your response, the tests and supreme ordeal were combined and your readers were left wondering what happened to the bolt, how Percy stopped the war, and how he and his friends escaped the underworld. Besides this, though, your response easily identified all the other parts of a hero's journey.
      Sincerely,
      Jessica Meek, Period 2

      Delete
  39. Dear Ms. Carlson,

    Whenever I think of a Hero, I think of a superhero that has unrealistic powers or strengths. Recently the movie, The Avengers, came out and I have chosen that to compare Campbell’s Monomyth.

    The story begins when a Asgardian named Loki, brother of Thor- acts as a shadow, who is trying to retrieve the Tesseract in order to recieve a new army in order to conquer Earth. When Nick Fury, the directer of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D, he acts as the Herald, calling Dr. Bruce Banner- The Hulk, Tony Stark- Iron Man, Natasha Romanoff- The Black Widow, Steve Rogers- Captain America, and Thor to form a group nicknamed The Avengers.

    While The Black Widow, Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor are willing to accept the call, Dr. Banner, who doubles as a shapeshifter, refuses to join the heroes, but later realizes how much they need his help. These heroes then join together to locate the Tesseract, while aboard the Helicarrier.

    Each one of the heroes has their own tool that helps them fights, Iron man- his suit, Thor- his hammer, The Black Widow- Multiple guns, etc. Before they can find the Tesseract, the heroes must face one of their greatest obstacles- getting along with each other. When things get heated up it causes a big rampage when Dr. Banner transforms into The Hulk. The Helicarrier is in shambles and the team has to work together in order for the airship. However, in all the fuss, Loki escapes from the Hellicarrier- where Thor had captured him in the first place to keep him from getting the Tesseract. This was the major turning point in the story when each of the heroes are becoming less arrogant about themselves and they are really focused on saving the earth

    When one of the operative dies, Fury, the Herald, uses this in order to motivate the Avengers into working together. After Loki escapes, he launches his invasion in New York and the Avengers assemble to defeat him. In the end, the Avengers end up defeating Loki, and Thor takes him back to Asgard. Also, Fury reassures that the Avengers will come again if their help is needed.

    Personally, I think that Tony Stark/ Iron Man could be considered as the main character/ hero because the main storyline seems to focus on his own arrogance in which he must learn how to work with others. Also, in the end of the story when Loki is calling the Chitauri army they are located on Stark Towers. However this is my own personal view, and the movie is mainly towards the group it self but he could be considered the leader.

    The type of hero that Tony Star would be considered is an Anti-Hero. He displays many qualities such as arrogance and is very self centered- having a huge building in New York displaying STARK in huge letters. He would not be considered a typical hero that is a mighty warrior.

    Sincerely,
    Alanna Bauman Pd. 2
    Word Count: 504 words

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    1. Dear Alanna,
      I throughly enjoyed your reponse about The Avengers (one of my favorite movies). I like how you pointed out that the term "hero's journey" makes you immediately think of a literal super hero, when actually it is relevant to most stories that we read and see. I also like how you continued your response using a superhero movie.

      Sincerely,
      Cassie Wilson

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  40. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  41. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    The story I have chosen to examine is 11/22/63, a book I recently read by Stephen King. It fits surprisingly well into Joseph Campbell’s “A Hero’s Journey”, showing that it truly is a timeless framework for fiction.
    Ordinary World: Our protagonist is Jake Epping, an English teacher at a small-town high school in modern-day Maine. He is divorced, has a cat, and lives alone.
    Call to Adventure: In this story, Jake literally receives a phone call down to his favorite diner, where he is shown a portal that will transport him directly back to 1958. He is given the task to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, with the hopes that by saving him, the Vietnam War will be prevented.
    Refusal of Quest: The catch is that no matter how much time has passed in the 1958 world, you come back to the present at the same time that you left it. Also, every time you go back down the “rabbit hole”, it is a complete reset. So, Jake would have to spend five years in the past to achieve his task and could never go back. He initially refuses.
    Entering the unknown: Jake goes back to 1958 twice; the first time to reverse a traumatic experience of one of his former students, and the second time to saving JFK.
    Allies/Helpers: Jake decides to settle in the town of Jodie while waiting out the time until JFK’s Texas visit. During that time, he teaches English at the local high school and befriends other teachers and the principal. He even falls in love with one of them, Sadie. She ends up being a huge help in him fighting the tendency of the past to resist change.
    Tests & the Supreme Ordeal: A good chunk of this 700-page book is dedicated to talking about the preparation Jake puts in to planning on his supreme ordeal, which is to kill Harvey Oswald at the exact right moment so as to save JFK. Jake’s enemy throughout this book is the tendency of the past to not want to change. Random, unforeseeable acts occur to stop him from carrying out even minor changes. When the time comes, he is able to save JFK, though he loses Sadie in the process. Jake returns home to what he expects to be a better America. Instead, he finds that he has screwed up the past so greatly that America is a toxic wasteland. He knows that he needs to go back into the past once more and erase what he spent the last five years (and 500 pages) accomplishing.
    Reward: As a result of the reset, Sadie never dies. Jake comes back to the present and dances with her at her 83rd birthday party. America is safe.
    Jake is certainly the hero throughout the story, and Sadie can be classified as both an ally and disguised femme fatale, as she unconsciously tempts Jake to give up the whole quest and settle happily in the past with her.
    Sincerely,
    Casey Nakamura (PD1)
    (504 words excluding salutation and signature)

    ReplyDelete
  42. Dear Ms. Carlson,

    Though there are many great stories based on a hero’s epic journey, I’ve chosen to analyze Alice in Wonderland.

    The story begins at a garden party, where a young girl named Alice Kingsleigh is confronted with an unwanted marriage (Ordinary world). Unsure of what to do, she runs away, and follows after a rabbit, but while doing so, falls into the rabbit’s hole and into a world known as Underland (Entering the Unknown). Alice is then greeted by mystical creatures who argue over her identity as to whether or not she is “the right Alice” who was foretold to slay the Red Queens Jabberwocky (Call to Adventure). Alice and her mystical creature friends are then ambushed by a group of playing-card soldiers, however, Alice escapes. She then encounters the Cheshire Cat who takes her to the Mad Hatter (Allies/Helper). The Mad Hatter helps Alice avoid being capture by allowing himself to be seized instead. Alice is later found by the Bloodhound who wishes to take her to see the White Queen, however, Alice insists upon helping the Hatter instead (Refusal of the Quest). When Alice reaches the castle, the Red Queen is unaware of Alice’s true identity and therefore welcomes Alice as a guest. Alice learns that the Vorpal Sword, the only weapon capable of killing the Jabberwocky, is locked away in a case inside the Bandersnatch's den (Talisman). Alice is able to retrieve the sword, however, she gets caught by the queen’s knave who attempts to arrest her, but, was able to quickly escape on the back of the Bandersnacth and deliver the sword to the White Queen (Supernatural Aid). The Cheshire Cat then saves the Hatter from execution, and soon after, the Hatter calls for rebellion against the Red Queen. Alice remains unsure about the expectation for her to champion the White Queen, so she seeks aid through Absolem the Caterpillar who helps to give her the courage to fight the Jabberwocky and accomplish "What she must do" (Tests and the Supreme Ordeal). When the day of the battle arrives, both the Queens gather their armies and send forth their champions, (Alice and the Jabberwocky), to decide the fate of Underland. Alice is able to kill the Jabberwocky. The White Queen banishes the Red Queen to the outlands, and provides Alice with a vial of the Jabberwocky’s blood, which will take her home (Reward and the Journey Home/Restoring the World). When Alice returns home, she is able to stand up to her family and pledge to live life on her own terms.

    Based upon the archtypes defined by Carl Jung, I would identify Alice as the courageous type. Alice portrayed courage throughout the entire story by setting off on an adventure and taking on challenges that many people would greatly fear. Not only was Alice courageous, but she was very thoughtful. In the story Alice always put the well being of others before herself.

    Respectfully,
    Brooke Spencer, Pd.1

    *Word count-495

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  43. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    I have chosen the movie “Forever Strong” to compare Rick Penning’s life changing experiences to the stages of the hero’s journey.
    Rick Penning is a very talented high school rugby player, playing on his father’s team, but like some high school athletes Rick is troubled with problems, alcohol and partying problems.
    One night after a party, Rick is drinking and driving and gets into a car accident. With his father disgraced he then ends up getting is sent to a boy’s juvenile detention center in Salt Lake City. While he is staying in the detention center, he is asked to play on the notable Highland rugby team, coached by Larry Gelwix.
    At first Rick doesn’t want to have anything to do with the Highland team because he has played this team before, and there isn’t much good blood between the two. Rick rejects the invite to play rugby.
    While Rick is serving in the detention center, he see’s other inmates playing football. He ends up teach other inmates how to play rugby because he can’t stand the sight of American football. During this time he finally decides that he’ll play for this highland rugby team.
    His first few days of practice wasn’t a very great one, he didn’t really know anybody, the style of play was different, the things they did as a team (give service, help out at the hospital, and run every single morning) were very different from what he was used to.
    Rick has many allies and helpers, his coach, Coach Gelwix, his mom, his new best friend/teammate, Kurt, the rest of his teammates, his mom and his love interest Emily. All of these people helped him get through the very trying and troubled time of his life.
    One night they are out driving around and they see a mother whose tire has run flat. The lady needed help removing the tire, so Rick, Kurt and a couple other teammates help her take off the tire. As Kurt is taking off the tire, a drunk driver ends up hitting Kurt and he ends up dying. The whole team is in sorrow, especially Rick. Since Kurt was a captain of the team, the team needed to have a new one. To our surprise, Rick is called to be the new captain. Rick is released from the detention center and goes back home. He plans on still playing for the highland team but his dad forces him to play for his old Arizona team. To his good fortune his father lets him go play for highland but there is a bitter taste still between the two.
    Rick is now the new team captain and he must lead his team to the rugby national championships. He ends up playing his old team, his father’s team, in the national championship game. Rick scores the winning points to make his team the champions.
    After the match Rick realizes that his family is what is important and his relationships with other people have increased very tremendously.
    Word count: 503
    Sincerely,
    Jonathan Paleka

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    Replies
    1. Dear Jonathan,
      I agree with you that in the end, Rick was able to tremendously increase his relationship with other people, however I feel that the main rewardq Rick was able to receive from his journey was learning that no matter how bad things may be, with hard work and determination, you can accomplish anything.
      Respectfully,
      Brooke Spencer, pd. 1

      Delete
  44. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    I choose Disney’s Aladdin to compare to the hero Aladdin’s journey to Joseph Campbell’s Stages of a Hero’s Journey.
    The Call to Adventure: Aladdin a poor “street rat” dreams of being as rich as the sultan one day. When Aladdin gets caught by the police, an old man inside the jail offers him the chance to make some money by entering The Cave of Wonders and obtain a lamp. Later on this old man is revealed as Jafar who is determined on becoming Salton and marring Jasmine. Aladdin obtains the lamp and double crosses the old man when he realizes he is trying to kill Aladdin. At the bottom of the now empty Cave of Wonders, Aladdin rubs the lamp and a magical genie appears. Genie then offers Aladdin three wishes. Aladdin a very tricky young fellow jukes the Genie into rescuing Aladdin and Abu out of the cave. Aladdin then uses his first wish to be a prince. Aladdin then returns to Agrabah with the Genie and Abu under the name Prince Ali Abawa.
    Entering the Unknown: Aladdin must now act as a well-mannered prince known as Prince Ali Abwa to prove worthy of the Salton’s daughter Jasmine. Also he must defeat Jafar (although he does not know that Jafar is the old man that tried to kill him).
    Allies: Abu, his pet monkey who has been with him forever, helps Aladdin conquer Jafar. Genie helps Aladdin escape the Cave of Wonders, and supplies him riches to impress the Salton. Genie also rescues Aladdin from Jafar’s goons who captured him and tried to drown him in the ocean. The Magic Carpet also helps win Jasmine’s heart taking them on a romantic carpet ride and also aids Aladdin in defeating Jafar. Jasmine once discovering Aladdin survived and returned to Agrabah, pretends to fall in love with Jafar to distract him from stopping Aladdin from getting the lamp again to get Genie’s help.
    Tests and the Supreme Ordeal: Aladdin takes Jasmine on a romantic carpet ride revealing that he was the boy in the market but not coming clean, with who he truly is. Aladdin also gets captured by Jafar’s men when Jafar discovers Aladdin’s true identity. He is anchored down in the ocean and knocked out. When Jafar seazes the lamp and become Genie’s new master he banishes Aladdin deep into the desert. Aladdin then Finally the Supreme Ordeal is when Jafar becomes a Genie in control of everything and everyone and Aladdin returns from exile and traps Jafar in a lamp.
    Restoring the World: After defeating Jafar, Aladdin wins princess Jasmine’s love. Aladdin also become less self-intended and uses his third and final wish to free his friend, Genie.
    Basing off of Carl Yung’s archetypes I believe Aladdin is an admirable hero. I believe this because although he is obsessed with being rich and important, he cares for his friends by rescuing everyone and freeing the genie at the end of the movie.
    Word Count: 498
    Sincerely,
    Taylor McGinnis Pd. 1

    ReplyDelete
  45. Dear Ms. Carlson,

    For the application of the Hero's Journey to a story, I have chosen the epic Beowulf, as it is a great story and follows it quite nicely.

    To begin, Beowulf takes place in a world in which great beasts are an everyday thing. Whether this is because it adds to the feel of the world or because they are Norse is yet to be determined. Beowulf's adventure begins with the destruction of a great king Hroðgar's hall of festivities, Heorot, by the hands of the monstrous Grendel. Upon hearing of this at the funeral of the great king Scyld Shiefing by the hands of Grendel, Beowulf wishes to travel to Heorot to defeat Grendel, and though he does not decline his task, he accepts it with pride. Beowulf, after killing Grendel, is ambushed by Grendel's mother in the night. Upon her killing of one of the most renowned warriors, she retreats to her lake. Beowulf, not willing to let her off with killing on of his warriors, dives into the lake. Upon finding that she cannot harm him with his perhaps magical armor (his talisman), she drags him to the bottom, into a cavern where Grendel and her treasure lay. The fight continues to rage on, though Beowulf cannot be harmed through his armor. Beowulf is eventually forced to discard the sword Hrunting, given to him by Unferth, because it cannot pierce her flesh. He, after a time, retrieves one from her treasure, the magical sword of a giant, and beheads her. Beowulf continues into the cavern and beheads Grendel himself, though his caustic blood burns away at the sword, leaving nothing but the hilt. Beowulf returns to his people, presenting the sword hilt to Hroðgar as a sign of his triumph. Beowulf is rewarded with many gifts, including an heirloom sword, and after a period, kingship of his own people. Many years later, a great peril presents itself to Beowulf and his people. A dragon, after having some treasure stolen from it, rampages through the land, burning all it sees. Beowulf dismisses his men to take on the dragon on his own, to save them from harm, and they flee, fearing for their lives. One man, Wiglaf, however, remains to aid Beowulf in the slaying of the dragon, and together they manage to defeat it, but not without a cost. Beowulf himself dies. Beowulf's life was celebrated with great offerings for his funeral, and his greatness was displayed by these celebrations. The corpse of the dragon was sent out to sea, as a throwback to the funeral of Scyld Shiefing, and Beowulf was buried on a barrow near the sea that can be seen by incoming/passing ships.

    Hero: Beowulf, the Champion of the story.

    Villians: Grendel, Grendel's mother, the dragon.

    Herald: Hroðgar.

    Mentor: Beowulf held Scyld's values with high regard.

    Trickster: It is thought that Unferth gave Beowulf a sword he knew would not work so that Beowulf may fail where he once had.

    Ally: Wiglaf.

    Sincerely, Aidan M.

    (Word count 497, excluding pleasantries)

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  46. Dear Ms. Carlson

    A memoir called A Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah tells a story about his experiences when he is separated from his family and brainwashed into thinking that guns and drugs are all there is in life. He is a hero in the way that he has some admirable qualities but he is also flawed and he doesn’t do the hero think for a lot of the book. The fact that he does so many bad things does not make him an anti-hero or a tragic hero because at the core he is just a boy.
    Ishmael’s journey follows many of the classic stages of a “Hero’s Journey.” Ishmael is off to perform at a talent show and when he comes back to his village he finds that it has been terrorized by a band of terrorists and he has no choice but to answer the call to adventure. Ishmael goes on a quest to find his parents who are nowhere in sight, assuming that they went seaside he starts his journey to the shore where he crosses the first threshold.
    He is initiated into the rebel forces (RUF) through extreme drug use, killing, and Rambo movies. The apotheosis is when his best friend who he had been traveling with the entire way is killed along with his entire family only miles from his current location at the time.
    Rescue from without happens when UNISEF finds him and saves him from the horrible life full of killing and drug use that was all he knew how to do. The crossing of the return threshold happens when Ishmael is able to recover from his addictions and forget his haunting memories. He is tempted by the call back to kill many times, in particular there is a time when he is first put into rehabilitation and he gets in a fight with one of the other boys. He pulls a knife to his neck and is about to kill him when officers come in and save them.
    After going through all of this he goes to the U.N., along with 57 other people who were involved in the heart of the war, to talk about what had happened to him and many other children his age. After going back to Sierra Leone and realizing that he can never be there ever again because his former friends will kill him if he does ot join the rebel forces. He is then offered a chance at freedom in America where he is accepted by a college.
    This book shows many but not all of the stages of a mono-myth. Some of the stages are even switched around such as when he is tempted by the thoughts of war and killing, the final boon and the crossing of the return threshold, but this is not just a story. This is a true story of a boy soldier’s life. Still the hero’s journey is very prevalent in this story.

    Minh Hai C.

    Pd.2

    495 words

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  47. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    The story I have selected to compare with Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey” is ‘The Hunger Games’ by Suzanne Collins.

    The Ordinary World: In the “post-apocalypse” future, sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen lives in the coal mining “District 12” the most poverty-stricken sector. Her only dear friend of the district is Gale Hawthorne. Due to her dispirited mother, she predominantly takes care of her younger sister, Primrose. Katniss’ specialty in hunting (bow and arrow) and selling their goods are what they, as a family survive off of.

    The Call To Adventure: As the annual drawing of two children (one male, one female) from each district arrives, timid Primrose unfortunately gets chosen. In place, Katniss selflessly volunteers. Obviously uneasy, she attends to guards, and is accompanied by the second “tribute” Peeta Mellark.

    Accepting the Call: Following that, they travel by train and head to the Capitol. Along with their district escort Effie Trinket and mentor Haymitch Abernathy, they tend to their “stylists”.
    Entering The Unknown: Entering the Capitol, both Peeta and Katniss are unfamiliar with their fashions. The large and futuristic buildings/structures are a new point of view. While on a television broadcast, Peeta announces his “feelings” for Katniss. That, being a “strategy” for enduring the brutal games and gaining the very important sponsors. Soon after, they enter the actual arena. Facing their vicious competitors, and the savaging traps, set by the gamemakers.

    Talisman: Haymitch is definitely the chief in the couple’s actions. Every maneuver is thought out.

    Allies/Helpers: Besides Peeta, Katniss shares a special bond with a twelve year old contestant named Rue. She sees a little bit of Primrose in her, which brings her at peace.

    Tests And The Supreme Ordeal: Caught in the kickoff of the games, Katniss finds a tree to climb for a safe, birds eye view. She’s located by Peeta and “The Career’s”, they find it a good idea to block her off, until another deadly gesture is spotted by Rue. “Trackerjacker” wasps attack Katniss and she’s left unconscious. For two days, Rue takes care of her and finally she arises. Another encounter with Rue is while they devise a plan towards food supply. Rue becomes trapped in a net and Katniss sets her free; soon after, a fight is begun by another tribute, “Marvel”. A spear is strikes Rue, and Katniss is devastated. She decorates her body in flowers, and continues. In an effort to aid Peeta’s leg wound, Katniss goes behind his back and get’s his medication without his consent. Once again she encounters trouble. She is ambushed, but let go for Rue’s good. At last, “Cato” and District 12 are the three, final contestants.
    A pack of “Muttations” (wolf creatures) are released to attack. They scrabble to the Cornucopia to find a safe spot. Katniss wounds Cato and Peeta pushes him to the “mutts”. Assuming the rule of both winning the games, but not being announced winners; they are ready to consume the poison berries. At last, they’re quickly named the 74th winners of The Hunger Games.

    Journey Home: Peeta and Katniss go back to the Capitol. Katniss soon learns she’s not the Government’s/leader’s biggest fan.

    Carl Jung’s archetype, in this case is “Woman as Tempress”, Katniss is definitely a femme fatale.

    Word Count: 507 (Excluding salutation and last paragraph))

    Sincerely,
    Jimmelle Parong
    Period Two

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    Replies
    1. Dear Jimmelle,
      I Like how you choose this movie/book to be your exmple. Very clearly you speak of how Catanas and her ally (Peeta) were in uncharted waters. "Both Peeta and Katniss are unfamiliar with their fashions. The large and futuristic buildings/structures are a new point of view." But the cool thing, was how you manage to describe the backround and how unconfortable was it to be in thier shoes.

      Sincerely
      AJ Cummings
      Pd 3

      Delete
  48. Dear Ms. Carlson,

    I love fairytales and magical adventures of all kind. From Harry Potter to Twilight, from Little Mermaid to Aladdin, I love them all and truly long to exist in their world; for my world is so boring in comparison to those who travel along the hero’s path in such stories. Today I have chosen to compare Campbell’s Stages of a Hero’s Journey to the movie Tinker Bell.

    The Ordinary World: Tinker bell has always been a bit out of step with the rest of the fairies in her community. Though she always has the best of intentions, she often causes a ruckus and is seen as a bit of an outcast.
    The Call to Adventure: One day Fairy Mary asks Tinker Bell if she will do the honor of building the new fall scepter that shall restore the fairy dust tree for another year to come.
    Refusal of the Call: Tinker Bell understands what an important task this is and hesitates to accept. For she realizes she has a history of things going wrong and does not believe she can safely complete such a task..
    Accepting the Call: Eventually Tinker Bell comes to accept the challenge of building the fall scepter, as she desires to prove to everyone that she is capable of more than they know.
    Entering the unknown: Soon after acceptance of the call to adventure disaster strikes, the scepter brakes. This forces Tinker Bell to embark on a journey through the unknown forest far to the west, in hopes that she shall find the magic mirror to grant her the wich of repairing the scepter.
    Supernatural Aid: Deep within the forest Tinker Bell does indeed find the magic mirror, however instead of granting the wish she had initially intended, it rather reunites her with her best friend, Terence.
    Talisman: Tinker Bell’s best friend, Terence, brings along more fairy dust which gives them the strength and energy to continue on.
    Allies: Terence and Blaze.
    Tests and the Supreme Ordeal: In the end Tinker Bell is wish-less and idea-less, ready to accept failure. However, with the reuniting of her and her best friend, along with the new abundance of fairy dust, Tinker Bell is able to rebuild the scepter in an entirely new way, which turns out to be greater than ever before.
    Reward and the Journey Home: With the better than ever fall scepter built, Tinker Bell and Terence head back to their village to present the scepter to Fairy Marry and the Queen. The scepter restores the fairy dust tree with more fairy dust than ever and Tinker Bell finally wins the acceptance of her community.
    Restoring the world: With the replenishment of the fairy dust tree, all that fairies know to be true is able to carry on.

    Based upon Carl Jung’s archetypes I would claim Tinker Bell to be an admirable hero. She is one of very strong character with the desire to succeed. The way she goes to such great lengths to complete a task is truly a characteristic of an admirable hero in my eyes.

    Word count: 504

    Sincerely,
    Shania Weiss, Period 3

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  50. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    I have chosen the story of Mulan to compare to Joseph Campell’s stages of a heroes journey.
    Firstly, the call to action occurred in the movie when Mulan’s father was selected to enlist in the Chinese army . Her father, having fought in previous Chinese wars, was weak and incapable of surviving another war. Terrified of losing her father, Mulan impersonated a man and joined the army in place of him. However, when Mulan arrived at the preparation camp, she didn’t fit in at all. This event serves as a refusal of the quest. Mulan had a terrible time adjusting and was far weaker than the other soldiers, finding herself unfit to accomplish many of the tasks at hand. Despite these few obstacles, Mulan overcomes them by working as hard as she can and changing her attitude. Mulan’s first exposure to the unknown is when her troops come across an entire village burned down by the Huns with no signs of survivors. This awful sight witnessed by the soldiers had, in a way, ignited a new, powerful flame within them. The talisman accompanying Mulan on her quest is Mushu, a guardian dragon sent to her by her ancestors to protect her in her time of need. Mulan’s allies throughout the movie change quite suddenly. In the beginning of the story, her only allies included Mushu, a lucky cricket named Cri-Kee, and her horse, Khan. However, as her character develops and she becomes a stronger warrior, she gains fellow soldiers, Yao, Ling, and Chien Po, as allies. When her unit is ambushed by the Huns on a snowy mountain pass, Mulan is put to the test. Sustaining major injuries from the small battle, her true identity of a woman is exposed. In turn, she gets rejected by the other soldiers and left behind. At first she is defeated and adopts a self-pitying attitude, but once she learns her country is in further danger when she realizes the Huns have plans to infiltrate the city, she springs into action. Mulan goes straight to her fellow soldiers to inform them of the danger that lay waiting. However they ignore her, still angry that she had impersonated a man. Not long after, a small elite group of Huns had kidnapped the emperor during a parade and locked themselves in the palace where they planes on killing him. Their plans are ruined, then, when Mulan rises up to the challenge, fighting the Huns leader, Shan Yu, and defeating him. In return for her brave actions and dire contribution to the emperor’s safety, Mulan is presented with the sword of Shan Yu and the Crest of the Emperor to show her family, so they’d know what she had done for her country. In the end, Mulan brings her family honor, but also realizes that her family had loved and accepted her all along. The entirety of her war experience had shaped her into a much stronger individual.
    Based on Carl Jung’s archetypes, I believe Mulan is am independent hero given the fact that she took a stand against the Hun army, after having been abandoned by the other soldiers.
    Sincerely,
    Madisson Hinkel Pd. 2
    Word Count: 503

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    1. Dear Madisson,

      I love that you chose Mulan to trace a Hero's Journey as it is definitely one of my favorite movies! I totally agree that it fits into the framework of Campbell's structure. I believe that Mushu the dragon represents more supernatural aid than talisman. If anything, I think the cricket would be the talisman, as it is given her to a living grandmother and Mushu is "sent" to assist her by the ancestors.Either way, they are both immensely helpful to her on her journey. Also, the "endurance/strength tests" are actually literal in this case! Finally, the honor the hero receives when she comes home is truly the best way to end the story. Excellent response!

      Sincerely,
      Casey Nakamura, Period 1

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    2. Dear Madisson,
      I really liked how you chose Mulan! It was a great choice to see the comparisons with the hero's journey. Also, I agree with how Mulan is a independent hero. She displays many characteristics that a independent hero would have. Overall great response!
      Sincerely,
      Alanna Bauman pd.2

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  51. Dear, Ms. Carlson
    I have chosen the 1978 superhero film “Superman” to compare the hero's journey to.
    The ordinary world: Compared to the ordinary world superman is considered quite odd in the ordinary world due to the multiple powers he possesses. But first to start his life he was found near an American farming town named smallville, after crash landing there from Krypton. He was found by the Kents who took him in and named him Clark, then raised him as their own.
    Call to Adventure: At age 18, soon after the death of Jonathan, Clark hears a psychic "call", discovering a glowing green crystal in the ship. It compels him to travel to the Arctic, where the crystal builds the Fortress of Solitude, resembling the architecture of Krypton. Inside, a vision of Jor-El explains Clark's origins, educating him in powers and responsibilities.
    Refusal of the Call: Clark must keep his identity of superman a secret so he gets a job at the Dailey Planet as a reproter.
    Accepting the Call: He meets and develops a romantic attraction to coworker Lois Lane, but she sees him as awkward and unsophisticated.Lois becomes involved in a helicopter accident where conventional means of rescue are impossible, requiring Clark to use his powers in public for the first time to save her. The rescue of Air Force One and other good deeds make the mysterious "caped wonder" a celebrity.
    Entering the Unkown: Little does superman know the Lex Luther is developing a plan to buy large amounts of desert land and then diverting a nuclear missile flight test to the san andreas fault, thus sinking the state of california.
    Talisman: Trying to stop Luther superman is lured into an underground trap surrounded by kryptonite his only weakness. While superman is trapped Luther is free to move on with his plan.
    Allies/Helpers: When Luther decides to send another missile to hackensack, new jersey, his girlfriend eve teschmacher gets frantic because her mother lives in hackensack. With luther not caring what she says, she decides to help superman.
    Tests & the Supreme Ordeal: While Superman is busy saving others, Lois's car falls into the ground due to an aftershock. It quickly fills with dirt and debris and she suffocates to death. Angered at the fact that he could not save Lois, Superman ignores Jor-El's warning not to interfere with human history, preferring to remember Jonathan Kent's advice that he must be on Earth for "a reason". He travels back in time in order to save Lois, altering history so that her car is never caught in the aftershock. Superman then delivers Luthor and Otis to prison and flies into the sunrise for further adventures.
    Reward: Superman got the women he lovedand he also saved the day and put the bad guys in jail.
    Sincerely,
    Gavin Bryan Pd.2


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  52. Dear gavin,
    I would have to dis agree with your refual of the call. you say "Refusal of the Call: Clark must keep his identity of superman a secret so he gets a job at the Dailey Planet as a reproter." just because hes keeping his identity a secret doesnt mean hes not acceptant because he's still superman. otherwise I like the reset how you use the example of the vilins girlfriend teaming up with the good guys.

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  53. Dear Ms. Carlson,
    The Hero's Journey inspired by Joseph Campbell can be applied to many stories in film, novels, and poetry. I have chosen to analyze the film Shrek to show an example of the hero’s journey in a story that I enjoyed in my childhood.

    The ordinary world: As the story begins, Shrek is living in his swamp, wanting to be left alone, and generally disliked by all, but he’s gotten used to it. And then Donkey comes into his life.

    Call to Adventure:
    Lord Farquaad sends fairy tale creatures to Shrek's swamp, so he leaves the swamp to go to Lord Farquaad. To get his swamp back, he has to rescue the princess Fiona

    Refusal of the Call:
    He doesn't refuse.

    Meeting with the Mentor:
    Shrek meets Donkey, who is a trickster mentor. Donkey loves to talk. He teaches Shrek through humor.

    Crossing the First Threshold:
    When he first goes to Farquaad, the king orders his men to kill Shrek. Whoever kills him gets a chance to rescue the princess. Shrek kills all the men. Farquaad wants to marry the princess so he'll be king, so he tells Shrek if he can rescue the princess he'll get the swamp back.

    Tests, Allies, Enemies:
    Tests: the Donkey is a test because he drives Shrek crazy; fighting Farquaad's men is a test; Rescuing the princess from the dragon;
    his ugliness is a test because people make fun of him, like Fiona says "How could someone like someone so ugly? Pretty and ogre don't go together." Shrek thinks she's talking about him. Farquaad is an enemy because he only wants the princess.

    Approach:
    Shrek overhears Donkey and Fiona talking about the He goes to Lord Farquaad's place and tells him I have your princess. He says your Lord awaits you. Farquaad comes up on the horse.

    Ordeal:
    The biggest ordeal Shrek faces is hears Fiona talking about herself being ugly. He's gotten ready to tell her her love her, then he thinks she's saying he's ugly. He leaves her. When he finds out from Donkey, she wasn't talking about him, he goes to stop the wedding and tell her he loves her.

    Farquaad is about to marry Fiona and Shrek wants to apologize to her. By spending time with Fiona, Shrek has become a better person, with a heart and is able to apologize. Farquaad's men attack Shrek. All the people laugh at Shrek being ugly. Shrek doesn't care and still tells Fiona he loves her.

    Reward:
    When he says he loves her and kisses her, she transforms into an ogre.

    The Road Back:
    Farquaad says, "Arrest them both and now, that makes me king!" The dragon, sent by Donkey, swallows Farquaad coming in through the window.

    Resurrection:
    The two ogres go off together on the dragon.

    Return with Elixir:
    The elixir is the layers of the onion - that we are all more than the way we look. If Shrek can find true love, anyone can. Everyone celebrates at the wedding.

    Sincerely,
    Cody Palmer Pd. 2 (word count: 500 on the dot)

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  54. ear Mrs. Carlson,
    The film “The Sorcerer's Apprentice” to compare Dave Stutlers' journey to the stages of a Heros Journey by Joseph Campbell. I feel like this would be a good movie to write about with all this hero stuff because it has each and every concept and matches these categories perfectly.
    The Ordinary World: Dave is the hero in this story. He is more of the loner, awkward, nerdy type, but very very smart in physics and stuff like that. This movie takes place in New York City.
    Call to Adventure: Dave is called by Balthazar, who was Marlins (thee greatest sorcerer) apprentice, to help him defeat Horvath and Morgana from rising the souls of the evil dead sorcerers and destroying the world.
    Refusal of the Quest: Dave refuses to help Balthazar because he is still trying to process the whole magic stuff. He is confused and very freaked out when he sees what Balthazar, and even him, can do.
    Accepting the Call: Dave agrees to help Balthazar with this mission as long as he is left alone once the grimhold of Horvath and Morgana is found. Although, after they find it, Dave wants to learn more about magic and so he agrees to become Balthazars Apprentice.
    Entering the Unknown: As Dave gets deeper into the magic stuff he learns how it all works. He defeats Sun Lok, a creature. He learns more magic tricks and how to control it with or without his magic ring on. He sees Horvath come out of the grimhold, and even fights another “show-off” magician.
    Supernatural Aid: Daves supernatural aid is Balthazar because he is the one that comes to Dave, takes him under his wing, teaches him how to use his magic, and trains him for the big upcoming battle.
    Talisman: Dave has a ring that controls his powers and gives him the ability to do the things he can do.
    Allies: Daves Allie is his friend Becky, who he has been in love with since he was ten year old. In the end she ends of being the one who saves the world by breaking the bonds of the death spirits on top of a sky scraper.
    Tests and the Supreme Ordeal: Dave has a lot of training in his basement complex that is secret. He usually does all of his physics experiments here, but uses it to practice magic. Balthazar trains him long and very hard to prepare him for the big battle.
    Reward and the Journey Home: In the end, Dave has more than one reward. Not only does he save the world by destroying Morgana, but he also saves Balthazar. Then lastly, he gets the girl; Becky.
    Master of Two Worlds/ Restoring the World: Dave learns that he doesnt always have to have his ring on to use his powers. If he believes hard enough and focuses his energy, then he is able to do very powerful magic without his tailsman.
    Dave is a selfless hero who puts his life on the line, to save the world.
    Word Count: 505
    Sincerely, Maile Tuttle Period 3

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  55. Dear Ms.Carlson,


    A Hero's journey reminded me of the Book "The lucky One". This is one of my favorite books and Joseph Campbell's Hero's journey reflected on Logan's situation really well.


    The ordinary world: Logan, a soldier in the marine corps, was fulfilling his duty as he came up with a picture of a strangely attractive woman. Only after he left the marine corps, after surviving many tragic accidents, his best friend victor was convinced it was a good luck charm since it saved both there lives many times.


    Call to adventure: After a tragic boating accident, his best friend victor died. An once again he was left unharmed. The words from victor still haunting him about that girl was his good luck charm and he must go find her to at least thank her for saving him.


    Refusal of the quest: The journey would be risky he though. And it would be nearly impossible to find someone through a picture. He had no name, no address, no anything. He had to base everything off of an assumption.


    Accepting the call: Logan decided he needed to find her. He narrowed down the area's by why was in the picture and came up with a set goal. Hampton.

    Entering the unknown: Logan has set off to Hampton by foot with his German Shepard Zeus. It takes a long while to get there. As he finally reaches what he's looking for he meets the girl. He didn't know what to do. So he applied for a job at there dog kennel. The girl, Beth, was a little bit worried and creeped out on him walking all this way here and not having a logical reason why. In this small town of Hampton. But Beth's nana decides to hire him anyway. They need all the help they can get. He works more then enough hours and soon develops a life there with his own house. Soon they both begin to fall in love with each other. Beth still unaware on the real reason Logan had come.


    Supernatural Aid: Logan's and Beth's supernatural aid is nana. She's the one who got it all started and entered into both of there life's and changed it dramatically.


    Talisman: Logan's talisman was the picture of Beth he had found in the mist of battle.


    Allies/helpers: Logan's helper was Zeus. His protective dog and most of all his best friend that accompanied him on his long journey.


    Tests and the supreme ordeal: Logan and Beth went through many obstacles. Her ex husband was a big problem and soon when she found out about the photo she was disgusted. She thought he was a creepy stalker. She didn't give him a chance to explain himself.


    Reward and the journey home: Logan eventually made it up to her. He saved her son from near death. Beth knew it was destine to be together.


    Master of two worlds: He found his destiny and what victor was talking about. The girl of his dreams. The girl that saved him.
    Word count:505


    Sincerely,
    Carli Haddock
    Pd.2

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