Summary
This section of Vogler's text focuses on the first two stages of the hero's journey. Vogler talks explicitly aout the characteristics and the commonalities of the Ordinary World and the Call to Adventure. Generally, the ordinary world is the reference that enables the reader to appreciate the difference from the following parts of the advnture. It provides the reader with that sense of contrast that will occur once the hero starts his/her adventure. And the call to adventure, is generally the purpose of the journey or the section where the character receives the "invitation" to start his/her journey. It is generally represented by the start ofa mission in which the character wil ty to achieve something or fix a problem.
Reaction
I think both sections represented an interesting overview of the important aspects of both stages. They covered their generalities and their applications to real examples. Also, it was interesting to see how these different sections contribute to the formation of the shape of the stories.
Reflection
When I read both sections, I thought about the application of both stages to films or books I know. And I think is very obvious how every story must have an introductory part that sets the mood for the upcoming events that will take place. It is a very important section, in my point of view, since it represents the starting point of the journey. And the second stage, the call to adventure, is thebirth of the actual journey. Generally provides the motivation for the hero to set a goal for himself and start working towards that goal.
Questions
What could be the different variations of both of the sections?
How can different authors interpret the stages differently according to different styles and themes?
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Revising
2 Strengths:
-I think my ordinary world description was pretty good. I tried to describe the context of the journey and provide a small introduction to the setting that the story was going to take place at.
- I also liked the section where I described the setting once the hero conquered the unknown and once the goal was reached. I think it was well described and the hero's feelings were described profoundly.
2 Weaknesses:
- I need to work on the transitions in general throughout the paper, making better connections in between ideas and paragraphs.
- Some of my sections need some more development and elaboration.
-I think my ordinary world description was pretty good. I tried to describe the context of the journey and provide a small introduction to the setting that the story was going to take place at.
- I also liked the section where I described the setting once the hero conquered the unknown and once the goal was reached. I think it was well described and the hero's feelings were described profoundly.
2 Weaknesses:
- I need to work on the transitions in general throughout the paper, making better connections in between ideas and paragraphs.
- Some of my sections need some more development and elaboration.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Vogler # 3
Summary
This section of Vogler's text reviews some other archetypes that conform the hero's sequence. Its starts with the Threshold Guardian, representing that obstacle that heroes generally confront when they are approaching the climax of their adventure. Then it talks about the heralds, their role as messengers or informants and their importance in the protocol procedures. They generally provide heroes with certain needed information or the motivation to go along with their enterprises. Then Vogler adresses the Shapeshifter, which he describes as a person that somehow has an influence on the character's perceptions and thoughts. Usually their nature represents contrasts with the character and this may be important on the character's discovery of new things. Then he discusses the archetype of the Shadow, which represents all of the hidden parts of a character's personality or any obscure parts of the story. And finally, he talks briefly about the allies, or the characters who go along in the journey with the character. Generally, they are key to the hero's consecution of his/her goals, since they provide the hero with the guidance of help he/she needs.
Reaction
I think this was a very interesting section. It provided a very complete and detailed analysis of most of the characteristics of each of the archetypes discussed. It is an important tool that Vogler provides the reader in order to identify the different components of the journey's sequence. It was interesting to see the characteristics of these archetypes and prove its theoretical validity by comparing them with actual stories. Especially, the guarding threshold, the shapeshifter and the ally, whose presence is remarkably important is most of the heroes' stories.
Reaction
I tried to connect the different archetypes to commonly known stories, in order to analyze their roles in the respective stories. I thought of Aladdin and how the monkey represents his ally throughout his adventure. Also, in Mulan the little dragon plays the same role. Continuing with Mulan, the leader of the army could be considered the shapeshifter. He has a very important influence on Mulan's characteristics and shapes her personality and character for her heroic interventions of the future. On the side of the Herald, I instantly thought of A Knight's Tale. A herald forms part of the main character's squad and he is in charge of introducing his knight before every challenge. He is very well spoken, fluent on his speeches and represents the motivation for the crowd to cheer for his knight. Finally, the shadows, I believe are a pretty evident resource of the authors in most stories. It represents sometimes the internal conflicts that the hero must face or sometimes it may represent affects the character negatively for some reason. Following the example of "A Knights Tale," his shadow was the fact that he didn't have any nobility titles, therefore, he couldn't be a knight. Mulan's shadow was the fact that she was a woman and women were not allowed in the army.
Questions
1. Can the shadows be represented by external features or characters, or is it just an internal matter of the hero himself?
2. In what cases may the herals represent a threat for the hero?
3. Can a character's shadow be sufficiently important to represent at the same time, the story's antagonic force?
This section of Vogler's text reviews some other archetypes that conform the hero's sequence. Its starts with the Threshold Guardian, representing that obstacle that heroes generally confront when they are approaching the climax of their adventure. Then it talks about the heralds, their role as messengers or informants and their importance in the protocol procedures. They generally provide heroes with certain needed information or the motivation to go along with their enterprises. Then Vogler adresses the Shapeshifter, which he describes as a person that somehow has an influence on the character's perceptions and thoughts. Usually their nature represents contrasts with the character and this may be important on the character's discovery of new things. Then he discusses the archetype of the Shadow, which represents all of the hidden parts of a character's personality or any obscure parts of the story. And finally, he talks briefly about the allies, or the characters who go along in the journey with the character. Generally, they are key to the hero's consecution of his/her goals, since they provide the hero with the guidance of help he/she needs.
Reaction
I think this was a very interesting section. It provided a very complete and detailed analysis of most of the characteristics of each of the archetypes discussed. It is an important tool that Vogler provides the reader in order to identify the different components of the journey's sequence. It was interesting to see the characteristics of these archetypes and prove its theoretical validity by comparing them with actual stories. Especially, the guarding threshold, the shapeshifter and the ally, whose presence is remarkably important is most of the heroes' stories.
Reaction
I tried to connect the different archetypes to commonly known stories, in order to analyze their roles in the respective stories. I thought of Aladdin and how the monkey represents his ally throughout his adventure. Also, in Mulan the little dragon plays the same role. Continuing with Mulan, the leader of the army could be considered the shapeshifter. He has a very important influence on Mulan's characteristics and shapes her personality and character for her heroic interventions of the future. On the side of the Herald, I instantly thought of A Knight's Tale. A herald forms part of the main character's squad and he is in charge of introducing his knight before every challenge. He is very well spoken, fluent on his speeches and represents the motivation for the crowd to cheer for his knight. Finally, the shadows, I believe are a pretty evident resource of the authors in most stories. It represents sometimes the internal conflicts that the hero must face or sometimes it may represent affects the character negatively for some reason. Following the example of "A Knights Tale," his shadow was the fact that he didn't have any nobility titles, therefore, he couldn't be a knight. Mulan's shadow was the fact that she was a woman and women were not allowed in the army.
Questions
1. Can the shadows be represented by external features or characters, or is it just an internal matter of the hero himself?
2. In what cases may the herals represent a threat for the hero?
3. Can a character's shadow be sufficiently important to represent at the same time, the story's antagonic force?
Monday, February 9, 2009
The Writer's Journey Assignment # 2
Summary
In this section Vogler studies and analyzes some of the concepts introduced earlier in his Hero's sequence. In the first section of the reading he gave us an introduction of the Archetype concept, but now he provided us with a more detailed and specific context of what he meant. Later in the reading, he focuses on the role of the hero in different kinds of situations and how can a character may acquire that heroism through certain special features. Also, he mentions the importance of certain characters in terms of the development of the trama. The next section deals explicitly with another important part of his sequence: the mentors. The mentors are introduced by him as a key part of the Hero's journey, since they provide the guidance to the hero when uncertainty shows up. He analyzes the different forms of mentors commonly used and how they contribute to the development of the sequence. He refers to mythology to set an example for this subject, more specifically the goddess Athena who guided Telemachus in his journey in The Odyssey. Another interesting part was when discussed the inner mentors and how the archetype of the mentor is involved in the character's reasonings. And the possibility of multiple mentors and how usually they contribute to the hero in an specific aspect.
Reaction
I think it was a very interesting passage, since he presents some of the subjects introduced before, in a more profound manner. I thought it was really interesting the connections I could make about stories, novels or films with the different characteristics that he presents. His theories have an enormous validity and it is amazing how he can put together in such a general form, things that can vary so much from a story to the other. And everything has relevance regardless of the kind of reading or film you are analyzing. The adentration made in the Archetype subject was extremely interesting, considering how historically the different stereotypes have been created and people still follows them. And although there is an extremely wide variety of heroes and hero stories, they all share this common structure.
Reflection
I thought the exercise that involved sequencing a personal experience into the different steps of the Hero's journey was very interesting. It showed me how this subject is so well analyzed by Joseph Campbell that even our personal "adventures" could, most of the time, follow the sequence he created. After analyzing this second passage of Vogler's text, I think I've acquired a better sense of the complexity of the subject. It is amazing how such a diverse subject can be put into such a easy going structure, considering how complex stories can get. But this has definitely given me a background for performing better analysis of the different situations of literary material and experiences of my every day life.
Questions
1. What do you think is the main heroistic feature that attracts people's attention or that makes people be identified with the hero?
2. Generally, how important is the contribution of outsiders to the Hero's personal characteristics?
3. Is there necessarily an experience of growth in every heroic journey?
In this section Vogler studies and analyzes some of the concepts introduced earlier in his Hero's sequence. In the first section of the reading he gave us an introduction of the Archetype concept, but now he provided us with a more detailed and specific context of what he meant. Later in the reading, he focuses on the role of the hero in different kinds of situations and how can a character may acquire that heroism through certain special features. Also, he mentions the importance of certain characters in terms of the development of the trama. The next section deals explicitly with another important part of his sequence: the mentors. The mentors are introduced by him as a key part of the Hero's journey, since they provide the guidance to the hero when uncertainty shows up. He analyzes the different forms of mentors commonly used and how they contribute to the development of the sequence. He refers to mythology to set an example for this subject, more specifically the goddess Athena who guided Telemachus in his journey in The Odyssey. Another interesting part was when discussed the inner mentors and how the archetype of the mentor is involved in the character's reasonings. And the possibility of multiple mentors and how usually they contribute to the hero in an specific aspect.
Reaction
I think it was a very interesting passage, since he presents some of the subjects introduced before, in a more profound manner. I thought it was really interesting the connections I could make about stories, novels or films with the different characteristics that he presents. His theories have an enormous validity and it is amazing how he can put together in such a general form, things that can vary so much from a story to the other. And everything has relevance regardless of the kind of reading or film you are analyzing. The adentration made in the Archetype subject was extremely interesting, considering how historically the different stereotypes have been created and people still follows them. And although there is an extremely wide variety of heroes and hero stories, they all share this common structure.
Reflection
I thought the exercise that involved sequencing a personal experience into the different steps of the Hero's journey was very interesting. It showed me how this subject is so well analyzed by Joseph Campbell that even our personal "adventures" could, most of the time, follow the sequence he created. After analyzing this second passage of Vogler's text, I think I've acquired a better sense of the complexity of the subject. It is amazing how such a diverse subject can be put into such a easy going structure, considering how complex stories can get. But this has definitely given me a background for performing better analysis of the different situations of literary material and experiences of my every day life.
Questions
1. What do you think is the main heroistic feature that attracts people's attention or that makes people be identified with the hero?
2. Generally, how important is the contribution of outsiders to the Hero's personal characteristics?
3. Is there necessarily an experience of growth in every heroic journey?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Superhero
When I was a little kid, one of my favorite Disney movies was Peter Pan. I used to watch that movie all the time and I was really identified with this hero. I remember I admired his different powers and the way he used them to help other people. Now that I have this new knowledge about the structure of heroic stories, I can analyze this story from a different perspective. I was reflecting about this movie after I read Vogler's article and it is amazing how the sequence applies perfectly. I remember how I used to get really excited when Peter Pan finally defeated Captain Hook (antagonic character) and how he went through the different thresholds. It was fascinating for me to consider that someone could have such impressive powers and used them in such a heroic way.
A Practical Guide
Summary
In this section of "The Writer's Journey," Christopher Vogler introduces the work of Joseph Campbel. Campbell through his text, "The Hero with a Thousand Faces," describes the journey of a typical hero and describes how there is a common historic structure on most of the epic stories. He remarks the similarities between heroes of different parts of the world and different time periods and how their stories have a similar structure. Vogler recreates Campbell's sequence in a way that is more applicable to modern films and heroic stories. At the same time, he provides very valid examples for each of the steps of the sequence that he introduces. In general, he intends to provide a better framework that will help modern readers analyze this type of stories in a more efficient manner.
Reaction
I was not familiarized by Joseph Campbell's work before reading this text and it is really fascinating the way how he structures this kind of stories. When I was going through the different parts of the sequence, I though of a million examples that suited the structure that he presented. It is really interesting, as well, to have in mind this narrative structure for future readings. This may represent a better understanding of the key points and may contribute to the analysis of the reading's different segments. I also liked the part when he analyzed how appealing was this structure for everyone. The sequence provides the reader with everything he/she wants from an epic story.
Reflection
Since the moment I started reading the article, I thought of one of my favorite epic stories, The Odyssey. And I went through the different steps of the sequence analyzing them based on this literary classic. This made everything much more interesting, and it is really fascinating to discover how clear the sequence is, when you relate it to a story that you really like. In Western Heritage during my freshmen year, when we were studying the Odyssey, I had to prepare a timeline and expose it to the class. It is a very dense text and it took me a while to complete it, but it gave a better understanding of each step of Odysseus' journey. Now I realize how similar is its structure to Vogler's sequence.
In this section of "The Writer's Journey," Christopher Vogler introduces the work of Joseph Campbel. Campbell through his text, "The Hero with a Thousand Faces," describes the journey of a typical hero and describes how there is a common historic structure on most of the epic stories. He remarks the similarities between heroes of different parts of the world and different time periods and how their stories have a similar structure. Vogler recreates Campbell's sequence in a way that is more applicable to modern films and heroic stories. At the same time, he provides very valid examples for each of the steps of the sequence that he introduces. In general, he intends to provide a better framework that will help modern readers analyze this type of stories in a more efficient manner.
Reaction
I was not familiarized by Joseph Campbell's work before reading this text and it is really fascinating the way how he structures this kind of stories. When I was going through the different parts of the sequence, I though of a million examples that suited the structure that he presented. It is really interesting, as well, to have in mind this narrative structure for future readings. This may represent a better understanding of the key points and may contribute to the analysis of the reading's different segments. I also liked the part when he analyzed how appealing was this structure for everyone. The sequence provides the reader with everything he/she wants from an epic story.
Reflection
Since the moment I started reading the article, I thought of one of my favorite epic stories, The Odyssey. And I went through the different steps of the sequence analyzing them based on this literary classic. This made everything much more interesting, and it is really fascinating to discover how clear the sequence is, when you relate it to a story that you really like. In Western Heritage during my freshmen year, when we were studying the Odyssey, I had to prepare a timeline and expose it to the class. It is a very dense text and it took me a while to complete it, but it gave a better understanding of each step of Odysseus' journey. Now I realize how similar is its structure to Vogler's sequence.
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