The American author, teacher, and mythologist, Joseph John Campbell, is universally known for his work in comparative folklore and culture. His studies led him to discover the pattern, journey of the hero. The sequence consists of three stages and exists in many dealings with Greek mythology as well as current popular culture. A modern example of the occurring cycle is the 2001 production, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. In the film, an orphaned young boy named Harry Potter is invited to study at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In time, he is involved in a dangerous quest to save the wizarding community from the grasps of the Dark Lord. The film demonstrates aspects of a traditional journey of the hero because Harry departs from his cupboard under the stairs at Four Privet Drive, is initiated into the inexplicable world of magic, and returns home as the savior to the supernatural beings and the boy who lived again.
Harry is first introduced into the magical world when he crosses the threshold between London and the invisible passageways of Diagon’s Alley after receiving help from his supernatural guide, Rubeus Hagrid. The oafish half giant, Hagrid, informs Harry of his fame and wealth in the wizarding world, and invites him to study magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry accepts instantly and disappears into the storm, escaping his cruel and manipulative relatives (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone). Hagrid represents the monomyth’s supernatural aid by introducing Harry to his new life and explaining the real story of how his parents passed away. He also provides Harry with information essential to overcome obstacles later on in his adventure. Another element of the hero’s journey is see...
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A classic journey of the hero story is told in the film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone because it contains all three phases of the pattern and consists of multiple elements in each phase as proven above. This modern film represents a perfect model of a traditional hero’s journey sequence. Embedded into this movie is a major theme, humility. Unlike Lord Voldemort, Harry showcases extreme modesty which earns him popularity, and respect. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone emphasizes the importance of humility by making it the reason for Harry’s accomplishment. When he faces his foe, his humbleness is what allows him to obtain the treasured object. Lord Voldemort, on the contrary, caused his own fall when his malicious actions came with gruesome consequences. The movie shows that modesty can tell the difference between success and the downfall of ones empire.
Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, conveys, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”. In other words, Aristotle states that the gaining of self-knowledge provides an individual with the ability to know one’s personal gifts and accountabilities. To start one’s adult life a person must pursue the journey of self-discovery to learn in depth about their skills and weaknesses. Individuals must find themselves through the limitations and ordeals that they face during their voyage for self-awareness. For example, in Tim O’Brien’s short story, “On the Rainy River”, the narrator shares his story about self-discovery. O’Brien looks back into his past, to the time when he was called to serve in the Vietnam War. O’Brien’s initial
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.
To fully appreciate the significance of the plot one must fully understand the heroic journey. Joseph Campbell identified the stages of the heroic journey and explains how the movie adheres meticulously to these steps. For example, the first stage of the hero’s journey is the ordinary world (Campbell). At the beginning, the structure dictates that the author should portray the protagonist in their ordinary world, surrounded by ordinary things and doing ordinary tasks so that the author might introduce the reasons that the hero needs the journey in order to develop his or her character or improve his or her life (Vogler 35). The point of this portrayal is to show the audience what the protagonist’s life is currently like and to show what areas of his or her life are conflicted or incomplete. When the call to adventure occurs, the protagonist is swept away into another world, one that is full of adventure, danger, and opportunities to learn what needs to be learned. T...
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
There are many stories that follow Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, and tells the tale of a Heroic character. These fables introduces us to heroes that begin their journey in an ordinary place, then receive a call to enter an unknown world full of bizarre powers and peculiar events. These heroes often display great traits, such as bravery or intelligence, that defines their character. One of these heroic's tales is Haroun and the Sea of Stories, telling the adventures of a young man named Haroun. This essay will prove that Haroun from Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie is a hero, because he possess heroic qualities. Haroun shows his heroic qualities by overcoming obstacles, helping his friends, and having good intentions.
Many of the stories that have been told for centuries, or have recently been created, incorporate the story of a young innocent character who embarks on a journey and becomes a hero, known as The Hero’s Journey; a series of steps that all heroes follow. This journey not only shows the main character becoming a hero but also shows the hero move along a path similar to that of adolescence, the path between childhood and maturity. The Hero’s Journey was created by a man by the name of Joseph Campbell. He wrote a book called The Hero with One Thousand Faces, a novel containing a variety of stories that follow the steps of the Hero’s Journey. One famous creation that follows The Hero’s Journey is the science fiction film trilogy: Star Wars, created by George Lucas. Lucas depicts the struggles that take place along the path of adolescence through the story of a protagonist Luke Skywalker, who strives to become a Jedi Knight to show that Campbell’s Hero’s Journey reflects the struggles that youth go through whether they are depicted in a story or not.
What does it take for someone to be a hero? There is a set of rules that is known as the monomyth, or also referred to as the hero’s journey. The novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson follows the story of a young boy named Jim Hawkins who embarks on an adventure to find a buried treasure. Throughout the story he learns to become independent and survive on his own while on a ship filled with strangers. Some key aspects of the hero’s journey are that they involve a call to adventure, tests, elixirs and more. Treasure Island is a prime example of a story that follows the monomyth, as it contains all of the aspects that the monomyth portrays.
1. Harry Potter’s parents are killed, but the person who killed his parents doesn’t kill him.
They told him that his died in a car crash when he was a baby, but that was far from the real story . He sleeps in a small cupboard under the old stair case that leads to the second floor. His life there is miserable with his spoiled cousin and his small meals. On his 11th birthday, a tall giant named Hagrid came knocking on his doorstep to give him a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry . From there Hagrid told him the truth of his real life and the truth of his parents death. His parents were killed by an evil wizard named Voldemort. Harry goes with Hagrid to the wizarding world to get ready for his first year. On the train to the magic school, he meet 2 friends . Ron and Hermione . They all became very close friend as the year went on. Everywhere he went people would chant his name and tell him that they're sorry for his parents death. Harry Potter took a Muggle studies class(non magical people). His teacher was professor Quirrell. A rather odd person with a weird head wrap. Later in the year he finds out that a powerful stone called the sorcerer's stone was stolen from the school and no one know who took it. Harry finds out that the person that stole the stone was professor Quirrell so he went out in search for him. When the professor was confronted, he later found out that the person that killed his parents was disguised as the professor and took the stone .
Joseph Campbell was a well known mythology teacher who spent his whole life trying to understand the different types of stories that are told. To Campbell “all humans are involved in a struggle to accomplish the adventure of the hero in their own lives.” He made a list of stages that every hero goes through, and sums it up to three sections: separation (the departure), the initiation, and the return.
Withstanding the powers of Lord Voldemort, and, taking him back into the underworld in hiding. In the first book, Harry receives a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He’s eventually allowed to go, and spends the next six months there learning magic, getting into trouble, and trying to solve mysteries of his past, and the school. In the second book, Harry goes back to his second year at Hogwarts, and gets into more trouble, figures out many astonishing mysteries and learns loads more magic. His best friends in the two books consist of Ron and Hermione (two of his fellow wizard students) and Hagrid the gamekeeper who was expelled from Hogwarts but allowed a job as the gamekeeper.
In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire the protagonist Harry Potter experiences wonderful and dangerous things in the wizarding world. From watching the famous quidditch world cup, to meeting wizards from all over the world as well as fighting dangerous dragons, Harry’s experiences help to shape and prepare him as a wizard for things in the future. Harry Potter becomes more mature and confident in his abilities as well as his friends throughout the story’s progression.
In movies, novels, and life, people are named as heroes. The heroes we establish and the heroes we recognize, however, may not meet the criteria for a mythic hero. A mythic hero ventures forth on his journey, and comes forth from the hero’s path to greatness. Joseph Campbell, a mythologist who studied many of the great human myths and religious tales, realized, in studying these myths and tales, that there were certain steps that every hero went through. Campbell called this “The Hero’s Journey”; it is based on Carl Jung's idea that all human beings have an archetype. 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. One well-known example of “The Hero’s Journey” from popular culture is the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling. In the novel, Harry Potter, the main character, is the chosen one and “The Hero’s Journey” applies to his life from the moment he is attacked by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as a baby.
The authors of the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter each use the hero quest pattern as a scheduled backdrop of action. The two protagonists, Frodo Baggins and Harry Potter have very similar beginnings. They are introduced as normal boys who find out that they are going to undertake something very great. The two protagonists however, are not alone in their quests. They both have very similar mentors in Gandalf and Dumbledore respectively. Even greater guidance comes from their friends, who are there every step of the way. Each novel uses a reoccurring symbol to show the presence of evil. The two journeys are so epic due in part to the dark and powerful villains that each hero has to battle.
“A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair” (pg 46). The previous passage is a wonderful and tasteful description of the first introduction of Hagrid from J. K. Rowling’s novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. This book gives intimate detail and overwhelming amounts of vivid description into the characters, settings and conflicts that arise in the book. If there is are aspects to really note about Harry Potter it is the wonderful and imaginative language and the parallels of similarity between situations Harry is involved with in the book to true situations everyday people experience.