Summary Of The Hero's Journey Or The Monomyth
analytical Essay
1403 words
The Hero’s Journey Or The Monomyth
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
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how 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 thousand faces.
- Analyzes how campbell calls the first step of the monomyth, the call of adventure, when the hero meets a herald who will bring changes to his life.
- Analyzes how campbell's hero receives supernatural aid from a figure who provides amulets against the dragon forces he is about to pass in the east african tribe story about kyazimba.
- Analyzes how the hero must cross the threshold after receiving supernatural aid. the threshold's guardian symbolizes the limits of his present sphere, or life horizon.
- Analyzes how campbell describes the belly of the whale as a place of rebirth, but sometimes is represented by the hero actually dying.
- Analyzes campbell's "difficult task" motif in the belly of the whale. psyche wanted to marry cupid, but his mother, venus, refused it.
- Explains campbell's example of an arapaho story of a girl who climbs the tree that seems to never end. when she reaches the heavens, the porcupine transforms into the boy from heaven.
- Narrates campbell's tale of gwion bach, the hero trapped in the belly of the whale. the guardian of that world tried to prevent his escape.
- Explains that not all heroes wish to return to the world they know, but, like the call to adventure, the return can be refused. the hindu warrior-king muchukunda, when he won a battle against demons, asked that the gods grant him unending sleep
- Explains campbell's story of gwion bach, where he received transcendental knowledge of the "all" of a single individual.
- Analyzes how campbell concludes that we as individuals have an obligation to our society to share the lessons of life we learned through overcoming developmental hurdles.
- Opines that everyone follows campbell's monomyth pattern and creates their own personal legends.
- Opines that sports allow everyday people to become legends, like michael phelps and campbell's heroes. athletes have their own strength fueled by their passion for the game and their dedication to succeed.
When the story begins, the hero meets a herald who will bring changes to the hero’s life. For example, Campbell uses the beginning of the Grimm brothers’ “The Frog Prince.” A young princess meets a frog who wants to help her by returning her missing golden ball. Campbell says that the frog “signified no more than the coming of adolescence” (Campbell 42). Sometimes the hero will reject the call and a herald must aid them in answering it. In the example Campbell gave, the princess originally rejected the frog, but determined to make sure the princess kept her promise, the frog followed her until the king made her. The next step of Campbell’s hero’s journey is receiving supernatural aid. This comes from a figure “who provides the adventure with amulets against the dragon forces he is about to pass” (57). This is done in the East African tribe story about Kyazimba. Kyazimba is a traveler who feels lost in his search for the land where the sun rises when he runs into a little woman who transports him to where he needs to go. Symbolically this shows that everyone needs help and someone to give strength to those who need it. Even heroes that are strong themselves still need this help, like all human beings in real life …show more content…
The hero must share their boon with the world but, like the call to adventure, the call to return canbe refused. One such example is in the story of the Hindu warrior-king Muchukunda. When he won a battle against demons, he asked that the gods grant him unending sleep. He went to a cave in the mountains that separated him from the normal world. Muchukunda later returned to the land only to find that he was an giant compared to the man that inhabited it (Campbell 167-169).
Once the hero has returned, he must learn how to live in normal world again and must teach what he learned on his journeys. To explain this part of the journey, Campbell finishes the tale of Gwion Bach. He explained that due to his time on his journey, he received transcendental knowledge. With this knowledge, the hero was just one of many incarnations of the same soul, including Merlin, who looked after King Arthur (206-209). This transcendental knowledge of the “all” of a single individual explains that he is a part of everything and everything is a part of him, the hero and world are connected
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- The Heros Journey And Monomyth As A Hero's Journeyanalytical essayAfter years of being told various stories in your lifetime you’ll start to see a pattern. Stories will repeat or be similar to others, known as archetypes. Joseph Campbell is the creator of monomyth also known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. The Hero’s Adventures by Campbell focuses on the monomyth or hero’s journey. In the hero’s journey, the hero needs to be an antagonistic to its ego then reconcile the problems through the psychological transformation. Campbell describes the monomyth as an idea of a cycle that consists of departure, initiation, and return. The cycle will lead to the death of one’s old self because one will go through the psychological transformation and leave their old life to become a “richer
In this essay, the author
- Describes campbell's monomyth as an idea of a cycle that consists of departure, initiation, and return.
- Explains that the drop is just the beginning of a roller coaster ride. the epic poems such as the epic of gilgamesh, the iliad, and the odyssey do parallel with joseph campbell’s theory of the monomyth.
- Analyzes how the epic poems follow campbell's monomyth because all heroic journeys begin with departure when the hero receives a call to adventure.
- Analyzes how the heroes gilgamesh, achilles, and odysseus undergo the initiation process of campbell's monomyth because they are tested and gain allies and enemies.
- Analyzes campbell's monomyth of the return where the hero leaves the unknown world and enters back to the known world.
- Argues that the epic poem, the odyssey, does not parallel with joseph campbell's theory of the monomyth because the hero, odysseus, never refuses to go home.
- Concludes that the epic poems follow campbell's monomyth and go through a psychological transformation.
1868 wordsRead More - The Heros Journey: A Hero's Journeyanalytical essayJoseph 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
In this essay, the author
- Explains that joseph campbell defines a hero as someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. the hero's journey consists of three major parts: the separation, the initiation and the return.
- Analyzes how lindo jong embarks on her journey when a flood destroys her family's home. she endures harsh treatment from her new family to stay true to the promise she made to her parents.
- Analyzes how lindo's previous experiences in china play a major role in how she raises her daughter waverly.
- Analyzes how waverly jong fails to complete the hero's journey.
- Analyzes how lindo and waverly jong experience extraordinary journeys which involve many aspects of the hero's journey.
1131 wordsRead More - Gilgamesh: A Mythical Heroanalytical essayFrom the beginning of time, mythology has appeared to be one key method of understanding life’s confusions and battles. Within these myths lies a hero. From myth to myth and story to story, heroes experience what may be called a struggle or a journey, which lays down their plot line. Bearing tremendous strength, talent, and significant admiration, a hero holds what is precious to their audience, heroism. Over time however, no matter the hero, the hero’s role remains indistinguishable and identical to the position of every other hero.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that mythology has appeared to be one key method of understanding life's confusions and battles. heroes experience what may be called a struggle or journey, which lays down their plot line.
- Analyzes how gilgamesh the king is a myth beholding various heroic traits shared in multiple other stories and myths for that fact.
- Analyzes how the fairytale of cinderella is a fantasy carrying multiple heroic traits.
- Explains that heroism is a term indentified by various characteristics and literary devices. in myths, heroes may not possess any of those traits.
855 wordsRead More - Harry Potter and The Hero's Journeyanalytical essayIn 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.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how joseph campbell, a mythologist who studied many of the great human myths and religious tales, realized that there were certain steps that every hero went through.
- Analyzes how campbell's theory begins with the letter from hogwarts, which is the first sign of the call to adventure. the herald, who helps the hero regardless of force, is hagrid.
- Analyzes campbell's "refusal of the call", where the hero is cautious about embarking on the adventure, and is overcome by the "terror of unknown" and believes they do not possess the skills for the quest.
- Explains that the hero is apprehensive and hesitant to take action and the mentor has stepped in to train him for the quest.
- Explains that the first threshold is the transition from the hero's normal life into the magical world of the adventure. the threshold guardian stands at the entrance to the zone of magnified power.
- Explains that henderson, mary, star wars: the magic of myth, 1st ed. new york: bantam books, 1997.
1096 wordsRead More - Essay On Hero's Journeyexplanatory essayWhen things are at their best prepare for the worst. That’s something I always told myself since I was young boy. Joseph Campbell was no stranger to this concept which he described as the hero’s journey. This journey had three stages: leaving the everyday world, overcoming trials and tribulations, and finally going back to the everyday world with newfound knowledge that you can share with people. I traveled through all three of these stages myself. This is my hero’s journey.
In this essay, the author
- Narrates how they were shocked by the sudden arrival of a new doctor, who questioned them about their nonexistent symptoms.
- Describes how they were discharged and sent home with positive thoughts, medication, and peace of mind, but the next day something just didn't feel right.
- Explains that they've returned to their everyday world with the gift of wisdom and comfort for those going through their very own journey. the experience basically instilled in them that no matter how good things are going it could change in an instant.
- Describes how joseph campbell described the hero's journey as leaving the everyday world, overcoming trials and tribulations, and finally going back to the daily world with newfound knowledge.
962 wordsRead More - The Theme Of Monomyth In Osmosisanalytical essaya common journey that most heroes in most stories across the world endure. The hero's journey
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the hero's journey is a common journey that most heroes in most stories endure.
- Analyzes how the call shows how he is determined, even if it means starting small.
- Analyzes how the movie osmosis jones does not fall short on being an example of the hero's journey.
- Analyzes how osmosis's journey begins with what is the norm for him and develops perseverance. then, he is assigned to a mission in the throat.
- Analyzes how assistance is important to developing the theme of perseverance. in the monomyth, heroes always have some type of assistance, such as a physical partner.
- Analyzes how the hero's ability to endure trials develops the theme of perseverance. osmosis' approach is crucial as his trials.
- Analyzes how osmosis's perseverance has developed to its full capacity. he recovered the dna strand that could not only save him, but the entire city.
- Analyzes how osmosis was taken out of his element, but persevered and accomplished what he set out to do. these stages develop the theme because it is seen that even through a rough patch,
- Analyzes how the final stages show how osmosis's life has changed since the beginning of the journey, and how his perseverance got him to the point he is at.
- Concludes that all the stages of the monomyth develop the theme of perseverance by giving the audience a set journey to see how the hero, osmosis, changes from the first to last stage.
969 wordsRead More - The Classical Mythologyanalytical essay...cal mythology, and modern fictional heroes stories. They encounter unexpected supernatural and unusual events, but they fight until the end. A good example is Theseus fighting with the Minotaur. According to Campbell, the heroes receive help from unexpected sources or rather divine sources when they are about to give up. When they return back home, no one recognizes them. For instance, Odysseus could not be recognized on his return home even by his own wife Penelope.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the hero's quest is recurrent in both classical mythological and modern fictional stories. odysseus is an example of a contemporary fictional character that is relevant to present times.
- Explains morford mark, lenardon robert, and sham michael. classical mythology, international edition.
- Cites campbell, joseph, mythic worlds, modern words (edmund l. epstein), novato, california. campbell foundation - new world library.
- Analyzes how homer's two epic poems, the iliad and the odyssey, present a major part of ancient history as modern fictional heroic stories.
- Analyzes how achilles fought the trojan war as a true hero who was unbeatable until the gods decided that it was time for his death.
1184 wordsRead More - Explaining the Three Stages in "The Hero's Journey"analytical essayDuring 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.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how beowulf travels to heorot to help king hrothgar with a problem involving the monster named "grendel".
- Analyzes how beowulf's victory over grendel should be considered as "crossing of the first threshold".
- Analyzes how beowulf's final act of servitude is that he wishes for the dragon’s treasure to be buried with him as opposed to being distributed among the people.
- Explains the "beowulf study guide : summary and analysis of lines 1-193 | gradesaver."
- Analyzes the 'double curse' of the pagan hoard in beowulf. explicator, spring 2008, vol.
- Explains joseph campbell's mono-myth, or basic pattern found in narratives from every corner of the world. beowulf is an epic poem telling the story of a legendary geatish hero.
- Compares the story of ahmed ibn fadlan, a court poet to the caliph of baghdad, in the thirteen warrior.
- Analyzes how ahmed resembles the traditional journey outlined by its creator. he witnesses buliwyf's royal funeral, and decides to return to his homeland.
1745 wordsRead More - A Heroic Monomythanalytical essayA Monomyth, also known as a Hero’s journey, describes the many common stages that a Hero goes through during their journey. Joseph Campbell is the man who first described the Monomyth (wiseGEEK, 2003). He explained all three stages, as well as the steps within each stage. Stage one, the departure, includes the call to adventure, the refusal of the call, the supernatural aid, crossing the first threshold, and the belly of the whale. The second stage involves the road of trials, meeting with the goddess, woman as the temptress/ temptation, atonement with the father, apostasies, the ultimate boom and the refusal to fight. Last but not least, the third stage, the return entails the magic flight, the rescue from without, crossing the return threshold, the master of two worlds, and freedom to live (Steibel, 2010). These steps of the Heroic journey are found in many stories from Greek Mythology as well as more modern stories of today. The stories of Theseus and Perseus are prime examples of Monomyths from Greek mythology that tell about their heroic journeys and the battles they go through in order to earn the title of a “Hero.” The story of Finding Nemo, a movie directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich in 2003, is a prime example of a modern day Monomyth that shows the journey of a father searching the entire ocean to find his son.
In this essay, the author
- Explains the three stages of a hero's journey, including the departure, the road of trials, atonement with the father, and the return.
- Analyzes how theseus' mother, aethra, and his father, king of athens, decided that if he was a boy, she must bring him up. ariadne helps him to escape the monstrous minotaur.
- Explains that the labors represent the sixth stage, the road of trials, where the hero must undergo a series of tests to begin their transformation.
- Narrates how aegeus' wife, medea, noticed that theseus was a rival to medus in becoming the next king.
- Narrates how minos mounted an expedition against athens as revenge for his son being killed. theseus volunteered to go to crete to prove he was the son of poseidon by finding a ring.
- Analyzes how aegeus kills himself and makes theseus the new king of athens. the stage of temptation occurs when theseus meets one of the amazon warriors, hyppolytus, and she falls in love with her.
- Explains the tenth stage of apostasis, where theseus lost popularity, was exiled from athens, and was killed by king lycomedes. the final stage, freedom to live, occurs after he becomes king.
- Explains that perseus was another significant hero that had a similar journey to that of theseus.
- Explains how perseus begins his journey into the world of the gods and creatures. the sixth stage, the road of trials, is when he sets off to find the gorgons.
- Describes how perseus completes stage seven, meeting with the goddess, when he is in ethiopia after beheading medusa. he kills the monster, married andromeda, and had a son named perses.
- Analyzes how perseus' apostasies take place when he accidentally kills his grandfather during the athletic games. he refuses to return to argos and conquers the kingdom by turning everyone to stone.
- Analyzes how finding nemo is a modern type of monomyth. it's about the clown fish who gets taken by divers across the ocean and has to live with other fish that he has never met.
- Explains that marlin the clown fish is an over protective father to nemo and tries to keep him from getting himself into any type of danger.
- Analyzes how marlin's super natural aid, stage three, is dory, a blue fish who helps him on his voyage to find his son.
- Analyzes how dory and marlin have to escape from the sharks and avoid being eaten. they lose the goggles that have the address of the divers that took nemo.
- Narrates how marlin and dory find themselves on the east australian current with sea turtles who helped them out. they are stuck in the whale's mouth and are convinced that he is going to die.
- Describes how marlin and dory's magic flight occurs when they come across a group of seagulls that want to eat them. nigel, one of them, knows who nemo is and where he is, and offers to help them get in his mouth.
- Analyzes how nigel brings marlin and dory to the dentist's office where nemo is perceived to be dead, even though he is just pretending.
- Analyzes how marlin hesitantly lets nemo go into the fishing net to save dory, but he trusts him, and when the ultimate boon happens, they all return home together.
- Analyzes how the stage, the master of the two worlds, involves marlin being known by the entire ocean as a hero for going on the challenging journey and successfully finding his son.
- Opines that morford, mark p.o, lenardon, robert j., and sham, michael. classical mythology, 9th edition.
- Cites steibel, rob, "kirby, lucas, and campell part 2". jack kirby museum, december 19, 2010.
2850 wordsRead More - The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kiddanalytical essay"Joseph Campbell and the Hero's Journey." "HeroQuest" Adventures; spiritual quests to renew purpose, create vision, success.. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2014.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the quest pattern theory states that during adolescence an individual is looking for their identity. the first step is determined by fate, destiney provides troubling situation before the individual can embark on their journey.
- Analyzes how lily, the antagonist in sue monk kidd's the secret life of bees, comes of age elegantly. she has to face harsh situations, acquire knowledge about her past and present, and find a reward during this journey.
- Explains that lily has to overcome t-ray's verbal and physical abuse, as well as the racist towns' people, in order to prosper.
- Analyzes how t-ray is lily's negligent father who shows "kindness... only for snout, his bird dog..." and gets angry when she asks about her mother.
- Analyzes how t-ray is physically abusive and verbally abusive to lily and rosaleen. they are kicked out of the church by the white pastor, and a policeman threatens to shoot her.
- Explains that acquiring knowledge is both a challenge and an adventure. it comes through lessons, harsh truth and the revelation of reality. lily gains knowledge from the past and present to continue on her expedition.
- Analyzes how lily struggles with the details of her mother's leaving and passing, and learns from august boatwright.
- Narrates how deborah didn't even look like herself when they picked her up at the bus station. she was depressed, falling apart, and went back to sylvan to get her.
- Analyzes how august taught lily that her mother left because she was ill and couldn't care for her, but she returned because deborah loved her.
- Analyzes how lily accepts that in order to move on her life, she needs to forgive her mother, her father, and herself.
- Analyzes how the reward is one of the greatest things lily discovers within her adolescence. it is not material, but it is self-satisfying.
- Analyzes how the boatwright sisters, along with neil, and rosaleen, are the people lily thinks of as family. they help her along her expedition and shape her into the young lady that she becomes.
- Analyzes how lily learns to be comfortable with her personality, past and present, and finds comfort in her love for the colored male she fell in love with, zach.
- Analyzes how lily learns to make the best of what she has, and go for her wants, by following the path that the quest pattern theory provides.
1118 wordsRead More