(Blog #2, Larry Shoyfer, Period 1, Date 6/10/20, Freshman 2020)
AIM: How can our examination of Joseph Campbell's "The Hero's Journey" expose
Odysseus as an archetypal hero?
Odysseus as an archetypal hero?
Today we (likely) started class with a discussion regarding the Do Now. The Do Now read: Interpret the following
quote and apply it to Odysseus.“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural
wonder. Fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won.”
― Joseph Campbell.” I wasn’t able to attend that day due to personal reasons so I couldn’t participate in the class
discussion and listen to other people’s interpretations of the quote; however, I did interpret it as the following: “This
quote is telling us that once completing their journey, heroes become legends. In Odysseus’ case, he regained his
old life and returned to Ithaca, becoming an icon in Greek mythology and culture. For example, this enables Greek
soldiers to take after Odysseus’ bravery and push their fighting capability.”
quote and apply it to Odysseus.“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural
wonder. Fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won.”
― Joseph Campbell.” I wasn’t able to attend that day due to personal reasons so I couldn’t participate in the class
discussion and listen to other people’s interpretations of the quote; however, I did interpret it as the following: “This
quote is telling us that once completing their journey, heroes become legends. In Odysseus’ case, he regained his
old life and returned to Ithaca, becoming an icon in Greek mythology and culture. For example, this enables Greek
soldiers to take after Odysseus’ bravery and push their fighting capability.”
After the discussion. I assume we went further on into the lesson to the next question. This question read: “Can
you think of any books you’ve read or movies you’ve seen that seem to follow the structure of the hero’s journey?.”
My response was “The Percy Jackson books follow the structure of a hero’s journey because they take after
Odysseus’ journey and incorporate many aspects of Greek mythology. Additionally, in each book Percy Jackson
and his friends are seen traveling across the globe to prevent a certain catastrophe from occurring or to find a
certain item. Afterwards, they usually encounter trouble returning home and eventually end their journey as heroes. This is very characteristic of a hero’s journey, as it has a call to adventure, threshold, revelation, return, etc...” Once the class discussed this question, I would assume Mrs. Peterson read out the next part of the lesson, which describes what an archetype is. According to the lesson, an archetype is an original model or pattern from which other later copies are made (and often include a symbol or theme). Once this explanation was finished, Mrs. Peterson likely moved on to the next portion, which connects the concept of an archetype to The Hero’s Journey, and relates to the aim. Moreover, this portion explains various concepts of The Hero’s Journey such as heroes, shadows, mentors, heralds, threshold guardians, tricksters, allies, and women/men as temptresses. After this, the lesson links to a video that I assume we watched and discussed, but I wasn’t here for this. The next part of the lesson appears to be the last, as it is group work questions. One of the diagrams attached to a question helped visualize the Hero’s Journey cycle, starting at the call to adventure to return. These questions generally asked about archetypes and their connections to The Odyssey and the hero’s journey.
LESSON REFLECTION:
Today the lesson was focused on archetypes and their connections to The Hero’s Journey and the Odyssey. In
general, I learned that an archetype is an original model or pattern in which later copies are made from. An
example of an archetype would be the hero’s journey cycle. This cycle details the hero’s journey, and many stories
have been made following it as an original “mold”. Additionally, since the Odyssey is a hero’s journey, you can
clearly see many parts of its story taken from the original archetype. For instance, Odysseus has a call to
adventure (in the form of the War or having to return home), supernatural aid from many gods, mentors (usually the
gods), threshold guardians (the gods, supernatural enemies, or his own men), a revelation / transformation /
atonement (which I believe is Odysseus regaining hope, strength, and understanding the mistakes he made along
the way), and return (return to Ithaca and normalcy). Moreover, due to this, Odysseus himself is considered a
“archetypal hero”, as he follows all of the archetypal norms.
HOME BLOG ADDITION:
Currently, Coronavirus is slowing down, although it is still a major issue. There are concerns over whether the
George Floyd protests will cause a surge in infections, and I personally believe it will. Government restrictions
and social distancing are still in place, but the world is thankfully slowly reopening.
you think of any books you’ve read or movies you’ve seen that seem to follow the structure of the hero’s journey?.”
My response was “The Percy Jackson books follow the structure of a hero’s journey because they take after
Odysseus’ journey and incorporate many aspects of Greek mythology. Additionally, in each book Percy Jackson
and his friends are seen traveling across the globe to prevent a certain catastrophe from occurring or to find a
certain item. Afterwards, they usually encounter trouble returning home and eventually end their journey as heroes. This is very characteristic of a hero’s journey, as it has a call to adventure, threshold, revelation, return, etc...” Once the class discussed this question, I would assume Mrs. Peterson read out the next part of the lesson, which describes what an archetype is. According to the lesson, an archetype is an original model or pattern from which other later copies are made (and often include a symbol or theme). Once this explanation was finished, Mrs. Peterson likely moved on to the next portion, which connects the concept of an archetype to The Hero’s Journey, and relates to the aim. Moreover, this portion explains various concepts of The Hero’s Journey such as heroes, shadows, mentors, heralds, threshold guardians, tricksters, allies, and women/men as temptresses. After this, the lesson links to a video that I assume we watched and discussed, but I wasn’t here for this. The next part of the lesson appears to be the last, as it is group work questions. One of the diagrams attached to a question helped visualize the Hero’s Journey cycle, starting at the call to adventure to return. These questions generally asked about archetypes and their connections to The Odyssey and the hero’s journey.
LESSON REFLECTION:
Today the lesson was focused on archetypes and their connections to The Hero’s Journey and the Odyssey. In
general, I learned that an archetype is an original model or pattern in which later copies are made from. An
example of an archetype would be the hero’s journey cycle. This cycle details the hero’s journey, and many stories
have been made following it as an original “mold”. Additionally, since the Odyssey is a hero’s journey, you can
clearly see many parts of its story taken from the original archetype. For instance, Odysseus has a call to
adventure (in the form of the War or having to return home), supernatural aid from many gods, mentors (usually the
gods), threshold guardians (the gods, supernatural enemies, or his own men), a revelation / transformation /
atonement (which I believe is Odysseus regaining hope, strength, and understanding the mistakes he made along
the way), and return (return to Ithaca and normalcy). Moreover, due to this, Odysseus himself is considered a
“archetypal hero”, as he follows all of the archetypal norms.
HOME BLOG ADDITION:
Currently, Coronavirus is slowing down, although it is still a major issue. There are concerns over whether the
George Floyd protests will cause a surge in infections, and I personally believe it will. Government restrictions
and social distancing are still in place, but the world is thankfully slowly reopening.
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