In the article “The Monomyth in Star Trek (2009): Kirk & Spock Together Again for the First Time” by Donald Palumbo, he shows how Kirk and Spock have the same monomyth. A monomyth is another word for a hero’s journey or the basic outline of a hero’s life. Palumbo goes into detail on the three basic parts of the hero’s journey. The first is the departure stage or separation stage where something happens to the hero that causes him or her to separate and go off into the unknown. The second stage is initiation where the hero faces tests or challenges that he must complete to begin his quest to becoming a hero. The last stage is return where the hero returns home and gets the recognition he or she deserves. Kirk and Spock throughout the Star Trek series have the same monomyth. …show more content…
Palumbo points out in his article that Kirk and Spock from Star Trek have the same monomyth.
He does this by going into detail about Kirk and Spock’s first call to action. “In 22588 both receive a more literal and explicit ‘call to adventure’ in the form of the distress call from Vulcan that musters Enterprise’s crew”(151). This call is what got them both in the position to be able to make important decisions that allow them to become heroes. Kirk and Spock also have a very similar initiation stage. They both failed challenges that tested them because they were “emotionally compromised.” Lastly, the return stage, this is where Spock and Kirk earned the right to freely roam across space. Thus giving strong evidence that “Spock and Kirk share the qualities of the hero so thoroughly as to be presented as a double characters”(148). The only thing that sets them apart is their starting points and
attitude. This article audience was narrowly aimed toward people who are interested in Star Trek. Palumbo takes a deep look into the television series, as well as the 2009 Star Trek movie. Making this article very limited to Star Trek fans because he uses words like “Vulcan academy” and “starfleet” that are very pacific to the show, making it hard to under stand for the non Star Trek fan. This article also is geared towards people who want to see an example of a monomyth using a show that they can relate with. Since Palumbo was showing how Kirk and Spock were alike, it makes sence that he used an informative tone. He also used an informative tone when quoting Joseph Campbell’s words about the hero’s journey which he applied Spock’s and Kirk’s monomyth. For instance, Campbell said “The hero receives a ‘call to adventure,’ which he might refuse to heed, in the form of a ‘blunder’ that ‘reveals an unsuspected world’ or the appearance of a ‘herald’ of or from that world”(Campbell 51). Then Palumbo explain that Kirk and Spock both got a call to distress and both refused at first. This consistent use of Campbell’s quotes and applying his ideas to Kirk and Spock continues throughout the whole article, making it informative. In conclusion, Palumbo used a superb method of displaying how Spock and Kirk have a extremely similar monomyth. He went into great detail pointing out each section of the monomyth and showing how it related with the characters. Even though he made this article for a very slim crowd, he still gives the readers a better understanding about Kirk and Spock’s past. Which helps them understand some of the deeper meanings in the show. Despite how complex his diction is, it was still understandable and pleasant to read. Overall it was a very informational article that can help people understand what a monomyth and how hero’s follow it.
Most myths have a common pattern between them. Today, this pattern is often seen in some of our most beloved motion pictures. Joseph Campbell-a respected 20th century American mythologist, lecturer, and writer- observed this and created a theory based off of the similarities he saw. He showed the world that almost every story with a hero follows the three stages in his theory he called “Monomyth” (Campbell). The monomyth, often times called “The Hero’s Journey” or “The hero with a thousand faces”, includes the departure, initiation, and return stages (Campbell). In these stages the hero leaves his normal life behind, fulfills him/herself in some activity, and returns as a hero (Campbell). These stages can be applied to a smash hit released in 2009, a science-fiction film titled Star Trek. James T. Kirk in Star Trek closely follows Campbell’s theory as he departs from his childhood home in Iowa, fights a rogue Romulan enemy, and returns to Earth as a Starfleet captain.
The first part in A Hero with a Thousand Faces that Campbell discusses of the Monomyth is the departure. Even though this deals with ancient myth, Allan in Tron is called to adventure just as Campbell describes in his text. Allan receives word that everyone who had level seven access is essentially being laid off work leading him to talk to Flynn starting the call to adventure. Campbell defines the call to adventure as, “A Blunder-Apparently the merest chance-reveals an unsuspected world, and the individual is drawn into a relationship with forces that are not rightly understood.” Next, Allan crosses into the threshold when he first enters ENCOM with Flynn and Lora when they enter the monumental, metal door beginning their mission. Crossing the threshold in the book can be seen as exiting ordinary life and entering into a supernatural world. Finally, Allan enters the belly of the whale as his doppelgänger Tron during t...
The monomyth, or Hero’s Journey, is an outline or pattern of events that a hero may follow in a story or movie. This so called pattern takes place in two locations: the ordinary world and the supernatural world. Joseph Campbell was the first person to notice this outline and actually research it. Osmosis Jones is just one example of a movie which follows the monomyth. This movie also serves as a great lesson of perseverance because even throughout the trials and tribulations, Jones never gives up and in the end is rewarded.
Stargirl was not like everyone else in Mica High. She was a unique individual with no restrictions to her own identity. But when Leo stressed the fact that she was so different, she undertook the task to change herself, for Leo’s sake. Even though Leo was euphoric with the new Susan Caraway, her shunning was not ebbed. The change did nothing for stargirl but cripple her jovial personality. Stargirl shouldn’t have changed herself for someone else’s motive, but should’ve kept herself the way she was, as your own happiness should be put before others, and there’s always someone that stays by your side no matter the notions made of you.
Since a child, Stargirl had always seemed a bit… off. Her parents seemed to adore her weirdness, they even seemed to encourage it at times. To demonstrate, her parents called her Pocketmouse. They used it to so much that even she started referring to herself as Pocketmouse instead of Susan. But did her parents ever do anything about it? Of course not. She kept the nickname, until she changed it to Mudpie. Then Hullygully. And then Stargirl. But at the time, I knew her as Mudpie.
... not a hero journey, lacking of foes and partners is an incomplete adventure. They provide the obstacles and support for the protagonist to complete the journey they are on. By having the hero journey cycle composed by Joseph Campbell, it demonstrates the complexity of how a hero's defined. It's about the growth of the character by separation from his comfort zone and venturing into the unknown. By successfully passing the stages, then one is called a hero.
The mold of the heroic template is evident throughout various types of media. Within movies, novels, and poems the hero’s journey is present. Of course, not every piece of literature or movie follows the cycle. However, the idea of the monomyth arose from Joseph Campbell. He wrote his own book, The Hero of a Thousand Faces, within his writing he describes that heroes’ follow the same basic procedure throughout their quest(s). This is where the idea of the hero monomyth arose. In Michael Lewis’s novel, The Blind Side, he portrays “The heroic monomyth.” The Blind Side consists of the basic characters and archetypes that accurately reflect the heroic template.
During the course of this World Literature class, several stories have been covered that accurately describe Joseph Campbell's mono-myth, or basic pattern found in narratives from every corner of the world. The Hero's Journey in it's entirety has seventeen stages or steps, but if boiled down can be described in three; the departure, the initiation, and the return (Monomyth Cycle). Each stage has several steps, but the cycle describes the hero starting in his initial state, encountering something to change him, and this his return as a changed person. To further explain this concept, there are a few stories covered in this class that can be used.
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
In every culture, there are stories that get past down from generation to generation (Campbell 1). Tales of knights who slay dragons and princesses who kissed frogs are a part of every culture. All over the world, stories share comment characteristic. Joseph Campbell introduces a theory based on this idea called the monomyth, the idea that stories all share the same narrative pattern, in the book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Overall, this theory shows the same narrative pattern in stories throughout the world, which symbolically reveals all humans must tackle difficulties and overcome them many times throughout life (5). Specifically, Campbell’s hero’s journey is comprised of six steps, which, collectively
The monomyth was created in 1949 by Joseph Campbell as an archetype for storytelling. The monomyth is a series of stages that a hero experiences through the majority of fictional novels and movies. The monomyth is also referred to as the hero’s journey. The Odyssey by Homer, is an accurate example of a story that follows the monomyth.
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. While fulfilling their journey, a hero must undergo a psychological change that involves experiencing a transformation from immaturity into independence and sophistication.Campbell states that these events are what ultimately guides a hero into completing
I went years without knowing that the hero 's journey is involved in most of my life. We read it in books, see it in movies and can even apply it in our own lives! Some examples of this journey would be a high school graduation, getting a indian name, or even Ariel 's journey to human land in The Little Mermaid. In these big events otherwise known as the hero 's journey we experience a,"process of separation, initiation,and return...each stage must be completed successfully if the initiate is to become a hero"(Harris and Thompson 50). This process has been around for years and will be around for years to come but have you noticed it? Mattie Ross a young girl from Arkansas goes on a hero
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.
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. Joseph Campbell calls the initial phase of a hero’s development the “Call to Adventure.” The call is the in... ...