What is your definition of a hero? When the word hero comes up people often think of superheros or even everyday heroes such as firefighters, police officers and so on. Honestly, believe it or not anyone can be a hero, even yourself. The late mythologist Joseph Campbell has developed a concept which he called Hero’s Journey. In his theory he believes we are all heros, you don't have to be fighting off bad guys or running into burning buildings saving people, simply we are all heros. In fact this makes me a hero myself. In this essay I will be comparing two significant events in my life to Campbell’s theory of the Hero’s Journey.
Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) wrote a book called The Hero with a Thousand Faces based on his concept the Hero’s
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Journey. Another name for that concept was monomyth. This concept shows how all stories either fiction or nonfiction follow a pattern. His pattern goes from departure to fulfillment to return. There are 12 steps in this concept, where the hero starts and how there life is at that point then skips to when the hero meets a mentor and some obstacles to stop the hero to get where he or she is going. The book argues that hero stories such as Krishna, Buddha, Apollonius of Tyana, and Jesus all share a similar mythological basis. Not only did it introduce the concept of the hero's journey to popular thinking, but it also began to popularize the very idea of comparative mythology itself—the study of the human impulse to create stories and images that, though they are clothed in the motifs of a particular time and place, draw nonetheless on universal, eternal themes. The end of the chart talks about the road back and having the value of whatever the hero gained.In an approach that contrasted with that of subsequent books, Campbell tied the meaning of myth to its plot and claimed to have deciphered the common plot of all hero myths. In Campbell’s theory he says the hero gets a “call to adventure”.
This “adventure” can be forced on to us or even our inner need for adventure. Each hero begins his journey with the call to action. This is the reason that he decides to leave the safety of his the safety of his home to search the globe for an object or cause which is valuable to him. For example, traveling the world not because you want to but because you want a change in your life. Or if this “adventure” is forced upon you an example would be your parents get a divorce or one of them unexpectedly passes away, you are forced to deal and go through that adventure. In my first adventure that I will be talking about is my adventure deciding to go to college. Furthering my education was my main motive after graduating high school but it's not so easy when you have a mother in the hospital and your father passed away 12 years. The last month of school my mother went into the hospital and went into a coma. School became harder and everything started to fall on me, like my life was crumbling right in front of my face. I was forced upon this adventure so my only choice was to deal with it. In this adventure I came across some obstacles which made my adventure harder. “But with the adventure comes obstacles” according to Julie Harris.(5)For example, when graduation came around the only person I wanted to be there could not. My mother was still in the coma during my graduation. I sat on staged and cried my eyes out wishing my mother was there. How can I want to college and leave my mom like this? At the very moment I wanted to stop myself and not go to college. There was no way I could leave my mother and be able to concentrate on my college education. Therefore I came in contact with a guide just like in Joseph Campbell listed in his “Hero’s Journey”.In “Hero’s Journey” he states “Meeting with the Mentor: hero is introduced to a person who prepares him to face future challenges”.(5) My guide was my step
father, well he really is not my stepfather but he’s my mothers boyfriend. He pushed and motivated me to go to college and worry about myself first. I can always visit my mom, but i refused. I told him I would wait to see if my mother got better and she did. So I thought about it again and I took my chance and went to college. I still go to visit my mother all the time and I know she is in good hands because now she lives with my sister. Im happy I came upon this adventure because it did show me how I would have to live without my mother and that's reality. One day I will have to live without her and this sort of gave me a wake up call. Another instance where I see how Campbell’s theory applies to my life is when my father passed away. Looking back I can see clearly how this was not only an adventure but it changed me completely. I came upon this adventure when I was 11 years old and in the sixth grade. Even when my father was alive him and my mother were not together. Most of my friends parents were together therefore I already felt left out. When my cousin told us he was in the hospital and was most likely to pass my mother and I went to visit him. I became concerned with how I would grow up, yes my father was not there but I would still want him at my high school graduation and my wedding. I became so sad when I thought about things like that but then it also brung me so much anger and I didnt know what to with it. But what broke my heart was going to see him and him not remembering me. He had no idea who I was, he was so sick to the point he did not remember. It already was so hard living without a father and being the odd ball in my friend group whose parents were not together. My mentor in this situation was a guy who went to my church and was very close to my father. He helped me through my father’s passing and taught me to look on the positive and etc. As you can see Joseph Campbell’s theory is real and I proved it here with two events that occured in my life. Again, Joseph Campbell has developed a concept which he called Hero’s Journey. In his concept there are 12 stages you go through on you journey. In his theory he believes we are all heros, you don't have to be fighting off bad guys or running into burning buildings saving people, simply we are all heros. In fact this makes me a hero myself. In this essay I compared two significant events in my life to Campbell’s theory of the Hero’s Journey.
Although not every hero shouts “Avengers Assemble” before a worthy deed, heroism is shown in all aspects of the everyday world. Webster Dictionary has exactly 5 definitions under the word hero and still no two people explain heroism the same. Superman and Captain America are a glimpse of the fictional characters society titles a hero. Firefighters and Military portray heroism each day in the lives of every civilian. As Sullivan and Venter stated “individuals are referred to as ‘heroes’ for seemingly different reasons” and even through endless studies the adjectives referring heroes is ever changing. Among the various ideas of what it means to be a hero, boldness and valiance capture the essence of heroism.
Joseph Campbell’s many stories are all different but have the same concept. They speak about journeys they go on and the hero of the story also has a problem they have to face before they can continue the journey. Ordinary World, Call to adventure, Supernatural aid, Crossing the first threshold, The belly of the whale, Road of trail’s,
Humanity has created this “universal story” of what a hero is, or at least the myth of it, time and again. Different tasks and encounters with a variety of villains all lead the hero to the prize, to a new life (Seger). This person deemed the hero is as ordinary as the next but what makes them different is the drastic test that they must face. Individuals admire this character because the hero stands for something, something bigger than themselves. Whether it be the compassionate act of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games or the death of the oldest brother in Brother Bear, as an outsider, an individual sees the human side of these heroes and relates. Connor Lassiter from Unwind by Neal Shusterman is an ideal example of the myth due to the
The word "hero" is so often used to describe people who overcome great difficulties and rise to the challenge that is set before them without even considering the overwhelming odds they are up against. In our culture, heroes are glorified in literature and in the media in various shapes and forms. However, I believe that many of the greatest heroes in our society never receive the credit that they deserve, much less fame or publicity. I believe that a hero is simply someone who stands up for what he/she believes in. A person does not have to rush into a burning building and save someone's life to be a hero. Someone who is a true friend can be a hero. A hero is someone who makes a difference in the lives of others simply by his/her presence. In Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, the true heroes stand out in my mind as those who were true friends and fought for what they believed in. These men and women faced the atrocities of war on a daily basis, as explained by critic David R. Jarraway's essay, "'Excremental Assault' in Tim O'Brien: Trauma and Recovery in Vietnam War Literature" and by Vietnam Veteran Jim Carter. Yet these characters became heroes not by going to drastic measures to do something that would draw attention to themselves, but by being true to their own beliefs and by making a difference to the people around them.
Who is your hero? Many of us can clearly picture our idea of our personal hero in our head, but is the person you consider to be a hero really a hero by definition? In Heroism: Why Heroes are Important, Scott LaBarge, a Classics and Philosophy Professor at Santa Clara University, awakens your thoughts on the word heroism and how it has changed since its origins in ancient Greece. Throughout his essay, he goes in depth into the term ‘hero’ and compares it to society’s take on heroes today. Although LaBarge uses examples to back up his stance that “Today, it is much harder to detach the concept of heroism from morality (LaBarge. 1),” his essay contains flaws and he contradicts his own words.
Watching a film, one can easily recognize plot, theme, characterization, etc., but not many realize what basic principle lies behind nearly every story conceived: the hero’s journey. This concept allows for a comprehensive, logical flow throughout a movie. Once the hero’s journey is thoroughly understood, anyone can pick out the elements in nearly every piece. The hero’s journey follows a simple outline. First the hero in question must have a disadvantaged childhood. Next the hero will find a mentor who wisely lays out his/her prophecy. Third the hero will go on a journey, either literal or figurative, to find him/herself. On this journey the hero will be discouraged and nearly quit his/her quest. Finally, the hero will fulfill the prophecy and find his/herself, realizing his/her full potential. This rubric may be easy to spot in epic action films, but if upon close inspection is found in a wide array of genres, some of which are fully surprising.
An Analysis of the Ten Stages of the Hero’s Journey in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces
Who is a hero? In contemporary times, usage of the term has become somewhat of a cliché. Over the years, the term “hero” has become representative of a wide variety of individuals, each possessing differing traits. Some of the answers put forth by my colleagues (during our in-class discussion on heroism) as to whom they consider heroes pointed to celebrities, athletes, teachers and family members. Although the occupations differed, each of their heroes bore qualities that my classmates perceived as extraordinary, whether morally or physically. Nonetheless, Webster’s defines “hero” as “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.” Thus, it is worth considering that individuals become heroes relative to the situation with which they’re faced.
The Hero’s Journey is an ancient archetype that we find throughout our modern life and also, in the world of literature.Whether metaphorical or real, the journey that a character goes on shows not only the incredible transformation of the hero but it also gives them their life meaning. It is the ultimate human experience and it reflects on every aspect of life. Take Logan, also known as Wolverine, from the X-Men movie as an example. His adventure starts with “The Call,” which is the first step of the Hero’s Journey. This step happens due to the realization of imbalance and injustice that the character has in their life. Logan steps into the first stage of the pattern but is hesitant to start his adventure because he does not know what and
Heroes are found everywhere in the world. They are seen in movies, on television, in books, and in reality. A hero can be anyone, from a friend to a fictional character. To be considered a hero, one must make selfless sacrifices, develop and learn, overcome challenges and temptations, and ultimately present their known world with a gift of any kind. Homer’s
“The journey of the hero is about the courage to seek the depths; the image of creative rebirth; the eternal cycle of change within us; the uncanny discovery that the seeker is the mystery which the seeker seeks to know. The hero journey is a symbol that binds, in the original sense of the word, two distant ideas, and the spiritual quest of the ancients with the modern search for identity always the one, shape-shifting yet marvelously constant story that we find.” (Phil Cousineau) The Hero's Journey has been engaged in stories for an immemorial amount of time. These stories target typical connections that help us relate to ourselves as well as the “real world”.
Long ago, in the desert of Egypt, Hebrew slaves known as Israelites escaped from the tyranny of the pharaoh. This story has a common theme that an unlikely hero leads people out of a wasteland and into a place of new life. The Israelites heroes' name was Moses. There are several attributes that his quest shares with Joseph Campbell's theme of the journey of the spiritual hero, found in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Departure, initiation, and return are all part of the journey. Moses' journey will take him away from his familiar surroundings, separating him from all that he knows, so that he can return to perform the tasks God commanded him to complete.
Joseph Campbell defines a hero as “someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (Moyers 1). The Hero’s Journey consists of three major parts: the separation, the initiation, and the return. Throughout a character’s journey, they must complete a physical or spiritual deed. A physical deed involves performing a daunting and courageous act that preserves the well-being of another person. A spiritual deed calls for action that improves another individual’s state of mind.
In this essay I will examine how Gilgamesh would be an example of Campbell’s hero. I will first introduce Joseph Campbell and his “hero”. By summarizing and analyzing the story, I came to the conclusion that Gilgamesh is a good example of a hero. I will point out in the text what lead me to that realization and explain the journey of the hero.
After Campbell studied a lot of the great myths and realized this pattern, he published his findings in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Ever since then, authors have used “The Hero’s Journey” as an outline to tell their stories. “It is important to note that not all of these individual steps are present in every hero’s tale, nor is it important that they be in this exact order” (Vogler 20). The Hero with a Thousand Faces gives a sense of significance as it looks into the inner mind and soul. The author, Joseph Campbell, performs two extraordinary accomplishments: compelling his readers that myth and dream, those are the most effective and everlasting forces in life and a unification of mythology and psychoanalysis with a gripping narrative.