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Impacts of stereotypes
Impacts of stereotypes
Impact of stereotyping on individuals and society
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Mythology has existed since the stone age, and with it came classical archetypal characters and mythological elements which have influenced and continue to influence the work of modern writers. Classical archetypes and mythological elements allow readers and watchers to relate their own personal experiences to the story by connecting to their primal thoughts and feelings. Classical archetypes are used in all writings and especially can be seen in James Cameron's hit film Avatar. Classical archetypes are basically a form of stereotyping, something that every person natural does, so by including classical archetypes into stories characters are more relatable. In order to save Jakes life Neytiri is forced to kill a wild animal that is trying …show more content…
Neytiri shows Jake a native secret and key to their religion, a tree that allows the natives of Pandora to feel and see the memories of their ancestors, “We call this utraya mokri -- the Tree of Voices. The voices of our ancestors, who live within Eywa” (Cameron). The natives of Pandora see the “Tree of Voices” as a direct connection to the deity that they worship Eywa, and so James Cameron made the tree glow, producing light even during the day. Following the mythological elements of Jungian Archetypes, and thousands of other archetypes that associate light with good. By making the tree produce bright light the audience is able to directly associate it with good becuase it is in the human's subconscious to do so. Light allows humans to see, while darkness blinds them making it bad, and light good. When Jake is getting use to the new interstellar military base on the planet of Pandora, he speaks with the military leader about the facility, “I pulled your record, Corporal. Venezuela -- that was some mean bush. Nothing like this here, though. You got heart kid, coming out here, I figured -- just another hellhole”
Virtually all literature contain instinctive trends in the human consciousness to represent certain themes or motifs, these are defined as archetypes. Archetypes can be thought as blueprints or as bundles of psychic energy that influence the manner in which we understand and react to life. There are two different categories of archetypes, the plot archetype and the character archetype. The orphan, martyr, wanderer, warrior, magician, villain, wise child, temptress, rebel, underdog, fool, saint, virgin, wise, old man or woman are all considered to be character archetypes. Call to adventure, isolation, quest and monster that turns against its creator are all considered to be plot archetypes. The novel, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, contains archetypes.
Pop culture’s mythology theory is used in many forms of media today, from The Legend of Zelda in video games to “Harry Potter in books. One example of usage of the mythology theory is the 1996 movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou? directed by Joel Coen. This movie is based off Homer’s epic poem, “The Odyssey.” There are many similarities between the two, yet at the same time, there are many differences.
An archetype, as defined by Literary Terms, is an idea, symbol, pattern, or character type that appears repeatedly in stories from cultures worldwide, symbolizing something universal in the human experience. There are three types of archetypes: symbolic, character, and situational. In her memoir, The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls employs each archetype to capture her difficult life growing up due to her father's alcoholism and inability to hold a job. These archetypes also play a crucial role in developing the novel's theme of perseverance. The central theme of the novel is perseverance, as Jeannette and her siblings worked hard and never gave up, managing to build a better life for themselves.
Harris, Stephen L., and Gloria Platzner. Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. 2nd ed. Mountain View: Mayfield, 1995
Archetypes can be enforced by using symbols, a pattern, a characteristic, a certain idea or theme, or an image of some kind. They can also be conveyed in dreams, literature, religion, folklore, fantasies, and myths. There are a total of six archetypal groups including: symbolic, character, situational, heroic, and characteristics of the hero’s journey. Within the epic poem, a lengthy poem that portrays a story of a certain hero’s tasks, of Beowulf, originally written by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet and translated by R.M Liuzza, effectively portrays many differing archetypal groups. Furthermore, the work of the anonymous poet who created the marvelous epic poem by the name of Beowulf illustrates broadened examples of
The Odyssey was also very popular in it’s time. It was set in ancient Greece where in its culture; mythology was the heart of everyday life. The Greek Culture turned to mythology to explain different phenomena for which they had no scientific explanation and this was prominent in the epic the Odyssey.
Neytiri, the love interest of Jake Sully is the daughter of Mo’at, the spiritual leader of her tribe. She believes that “a network of energy, flows through all living things. All energy is only borrowed and one day you have to give it back” (Cameron & Cameron, 2009). She is positioned to follow in her mother’s footsteps as the spiritual leader and interpret the will of Eywa. This view of life allows for no repercussions from a theistic God who will one day judge them for their immoral
The epic The Odyssey is about a hero named Odysseus that must go through many life threatening situations in order to return to his loving family. Odysseus undergoes many trials and obstacles in the form of mythological beasts that stand in the way of arriving home. All of the archetypes that show up in Ancient Greek culture are very similar to the ones that appear in modern times. The Odyssey takes place in the twelfth century B.C where its plot setting stretches from the Aegean and surrounding seas to his birthplace of Ithaca. This epic is an example in which its main story is covered by what writers base their characters off of today:archetypes. Homer wrote The Odyssey to get readers excited to learn about the archetypes that relate to the
... typical archetype. These characters are obviously supposed to mirror the archetypes that are common in fairy tales, but their flaws are contradictions to the archetypes that they are supposed to represent; through this Goldman mocks typical and standard fairy tales.
In literature, Archetypal Criticism is a critical approach where the reader interprets the meaning of a story by looking at the archetypal characters, events, and symbols that it contains. In general, an archetype is a universal, primordial representation of an event or character that is seen as a general blueprint for stories and myths, such as the Hero or Death and Rebirth (Meyer 1587). Archetypes can be very important in identifying and supporting a theme by giving us background and references for aspects throughout the story. Carol Joyce Oates uses a couple vital archetypes in her short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” a tale about Connie, a teenage girl, who goes through an innocence to experience situation, signifying a transition from childhood to adulthood.
An archetype in literature is defined as a typical example of a certain type of person. A character in a poem or play can be placed into many different archetype categories. Archetypes help a reader to gain a better understanding of who a character in the work is on the inside. This deeper insight into the character allows the reader to follow the flow of the story easier and more effectively. There are many different archetypes that can help advance the story.
Without archetypes, characters would be harder for the audience to relate to and understand. They help people from all over the world comprehend foreign characters. Through The Odyssey and The Alchemist, the audience is exposed to a diverse group of characters with a variety of traits that contribute to their personalities and the way they are perceived. The Bildungsroman, vengeful villain, damsel in distress, sage, and flawed hero then become recognizable in other pieces of literature and in films. Therefore expanding the audience’s experiences and ability to understand diverse compositions and apply what they know to real life
In the epics Thor, The Song of Roland and The Aeneid they have different main points but all have a main hero that individuals can relate to in everyday life. Epics are still relevant in movies and books because they give people a break from their lives and they get to relax. For those couple of minutes, they are reading that book or for those two hours they are watching that movie people are transported into their imagination where everything is the way they want it in their eyes.
One modernist author, Herman Broch, discusses his approach to mythology in his essay “The Style of the Mythical Age.” His focus is on understanding and using archetypes as a way of analyzing mythology. He says, “Myth is the archetype of every phenomenal cognition of which the human mind is capable,” (102). For Broch, Modernist literature is a return to the mythic; myth is the only way in which the world may be understo...
In conclusion, myths reflect show us the Greeks view on the world, religion, and nature. Their understanding of the world is both similar and different compared to modern society. Myths also reflect the importance of gods in the Greek society and how each god represented something different. In addition, we can see the role of monsters in myths, what they represent and how were they important. Myths also show us the role of women in society and whether they were as important as men or not.