The Hero With A Thousand Faces Movie Monomyth

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After finishing the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I sat on the floor of my dorm room and cried for at least two hours. The movie had an immediate and profound affect on my emotional state, and has continued to do so despite repeated viewings. I am not an incredibly sensitive person and was thus curious as to what emotional fount the filmmakers had tapped. Such a powerful reaction to a generic and nonspecific work is a rare, but memorable occurrence, and can create a cult following, as seen in the Twilight saga, Harry Potter series, and Star Wars trilogy. These books and films amassed massive fan bases filled with loyal fans willing to fork over money and time to support their favorite stories. Such dedication and widespread …show more content…

The monomyth begins with a call to action, usually with an easily relatable main character, or hero. This is followed by a series of obstacles, or the road of trials, that can only be conquered with outside help, after which the hero returns home with wisdom and spreads it to the people. This is the hero’s journey that has been told over and over again in various forms. It has stood the test of time and is proven to work across genres and mediums. Campbell claims that the reason for the widespread success of mythology, specifically the hero’s journey, is due to its inclusion of the various conflicting human emotions and the organization of human chaos into order. Beneath each story is an underlying message that teaches the individual how to act in accordance to society. Kony 2012 tapped into that basic and human desire to help reduce chaos and provide order, and therefore people were willing to …show more content…

Only in retrospect is that reaction recognized as an emotion. Fear is not registered until you are physically shaking from fear, at which point the mind catches up to the instincts. The James-Lange theory removes any cultural impact on emotion, arguing that it is a purely physical reaction, interpreted by the brain. Wine, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and other mood altering substances are cited as proof that emotions are the result of chemical reactions. If this is the case, how can emotions be elicited? Crying at the end of a movie, or experiencing a sense of euphoria from a song, are not instinctual incidences as we are aware that the situations are crafted and in no way

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