Eva Zheng
6/10/20
Period 1
Freshman Lit 2020
Blogger #30
Aim: How can our examination of Joseph Campbell's "The Hero's Journey" expose Odysseus as an archetypal hero?
Do Now: 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
Notes for the Day:
For the Do Now, our class interpreted this quote as a description of the hero's journey. The journey usually starts off with a man living a normal life, who then embarks on a quest and encounters challenges but is victorious. This is similar to Odysseus's story because he was called to fight in the Trojan War, faced many enemies/powers, and had to overcome them. Despite so many difficulties,, he persisted and was able to return home to his family safe and sound.
During class, we learned about Joseph Campbell, an American psychologist and mythological researcher that conducted life-long research on mythology and its significance to the human experience. He discovered many patterns in myths, including primary stages that many hero-quests went through, (which includes ones from different cultures). In 1949, he published "The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which expands on his theory of the mythological structure of the archetypal hero found in myths.
Then, we proceeded to learn about archetypes. The definition of an archetype is an original model/pattern from which copies are made of. An archetype in literature is known as a universal symbol and can be a character, theme, symbol, or even a setting. We identified some examples of these archetypes and justified our reasoning. My classmates came up with "The Damsel in Distress" (the hero rescues her), "The Evil Genius (seeks revenge and hates all), and the Bully (intimidates others). As a class, we agreed that we had seen these archetypes in many works that we have.
Next, my classmates read aloud descriptions of 12 distinct and common archetypes. Our class then applied this knowledge to identify archetypes present in the Odyssey. The first archetype that we saw in The Odyssey was the rebel, which is represented by Eurylochus. He takes leadership, but rebels against Odysseus to establish individuality. Then, we agreed that the sage archetype in The Odyssey is Athena because she assisted Odysseus on his journey and provided him with compassion and loyalty. Another type of archetype we identified was the magician, which is seen in Circe because she was brilliant and manipulative. She tricked Odysseus' men and held them hostage as mice.
We then watched "Netflix's Myths & Monsters: Joseph Campbell & The Hero's Journey ("Heroes & Villains," S1E1)". The video was captivating and talked about Joseph Campbell's theories surrounding myths, storytelling, and The Hero's Journey. The standard path of the hero's journey (also known as a monomyth) is the formula represented by rites of passage-separation-initiation-return. Ms. Peterson then asked us if we have seen books or movies that followed the hero's journey. I mentioned Percy Jackson because Percy is called to action when he is sent on a quest to retrieve Zeus's lightning bolt and is forced to face many different obstacles and monsters with the help of friends, mentors, and higher powers. Over the course of the journey, he becomes smarter and a better fighter. At the end of the book, he successfully returns home and retrieves Zeus's lightning bolt for him. Percy is honored by the gods and has a party thrown in celebration for him.
Reflection of the lesson:
Today, my class and I learned about the archetypes and the hero's journey, and why they were significant. We learned about Joseph Campell, who was the life-long researcher of hero myths and stories from all around the world. He discovered a standard structure of these hero myths, and called it "the monomyth." We observed the many stages of the hero's journey, which included the call to adventure, threshold (beginning of transformation), revelations, changes, and the return. We learned that archetypes are an ideal example or model, after which other things are patterned. In mythology, they are universal symbolic patterns, which include characters, settings, and symbols. We reflected on that and were able to connect them to other works since they are so prevalent. We learned about archetypes because they determine the type of connection to the audience/reader forms with the work. By identifying and learning about these different archetypes, we can connect to the characters, themes, and plots shown as we can know what to expect from them. We can also understand stories from different cultures and societies better because variations of these archetypes continue to be universal. Learning about the hero's journey is important because the book can help us identify the paths we can take to improve ourselves and make changes in our lives as we are growing up. To become better, people need to use adversity to their advantage and get challenged by life's darkest circumstances. These obstacles strengthen the hero and flesh out their character development. I can use the archetypes and monomyth in my writing to make it stronger. Writers want to create characters that seem realistic or ones that characters can relate to. I can use the hero's journey to structure my stories because it is a solid outline. I can also modify specific details of the structure, to make my story unique
What’s it like working from home?
As we approach the end of remote learning, I have to say that it has been a new experience. Instead of communicating with our teachers every day, and being reminded by our teachers about the work, we have to take responsibility for our learning. We also get flexibility for our schoolwork, as many teachers give us tasks ahead of time, and give us slides/worksheets instead of live classes. Although it can be tempting to procrastinate our work, I have been trying to do my work ahead of time. I have kept an online planner where I can label the type of work I have and get reminders so that my work isn't tardy. I have found that I have time to do other activities that I reserved for the weekend during school days. These include reading, writing, online courses, watching movies, and coding. However, I do miss seeing my teachers and classmates and the vibrant discussions we engaged in. I also miss my extracurricular clubs, and I hope that the DOE will implement them online.
What are the updates around the world/community regarding the virus?
As for the coronavirus, I feel that people forgot the dangers of it, as we have agitated in lockdown for so long. All 50 states in the USA have protested, following the murder of Geroge Floyd. After more than a week of George Floyd's protests, thousands of New Yorkers gathered on June 6th. Nearly 40% more movie theaters opened this week, and restaurants are easing back to normal. The streets were crowded with people, many who were not wearing masks and taking precautions to social distance. NYC DOE is also considering the option of opening school on some days, despite the many risks that would follow that action.
My personal feelings/thoughts about what is happening right now:
I am shocked by the many injustices in our world today, including those in the police system. The USA continues to have deep roots of racism, even in 2020. According to the ABC Owned Television Stations data team, in 19 states throughout the tri-state, black people were at least ten times more likely to be arrested by police. A 2020 study of federal cases found that federal prosecutors were more ~50 percent more likely to offer a plea bargain to white murder suspects than black suspects that allowed them to avoid the death penalty. In Chicago from 2011 to 2015, more than 97 percent of the 28,500 citizen complaints resulted in no officer being punished. However, I am still hopeful that change will happen, as many people are educating themselves about this issue. My peers are also having discussions about these issues, which is good as we are the rising generation and will become adults/voters in a few years.
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