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stmargarets English assignment
Never one to refuse a challenge, I've taken stmargarets outline of the Hero's Journey and tried to fill it in. Please be nice with the grading - I only read the book yesterday! Actually, I'd be interested to see if this is how you imagined it breaking down, and which bits I've overlooked.
The Call to Adventure
The call to adventure is the point in a person's life when they are first given notice that everything is going to change, whether they know it or not.
Did this happen at the end of book 6?
Refusal of the Call
Often when the call is given, the future hero refuses to heed it. This may be from a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, a sense of inadequacy, or any of a range of reasons that work to hold the person in his or her current circumstances.
Sitting around being cross about Dumbledore?
Supernatural Aid
Once the hero has committed to the quest, consciously or unconsciously, his or her guide and magical helper appears, or becomes known.
This is Ron and Hermione, right? Or the sliver of the mirror? Hmm. To be fair, there were quite a lot of magical helpers! Oh, I know, Dumbledore's legacy? *beams proudly for thinking of that*
The Crossing of the First Threshold
This is the point where the person actually crosses into the field of adventure, leaving the known limits of his or her world and venturing into an unknown and dangerous realm where the rules and limits are not known.
Ah. I know this one: Disapparating from the wedding.
The Belly of the Whale
The belly of the whale represents the final separation from the hero's known world and self. It is sometimes described as the person's lowest point, but it is actually the point when the person is between or transitioning between worlds and selves. The separation has been made, or is being made, or being fully recognized between the old world and old self and the potential for a new world/self. The experiences that will shape the new world and self will begin shortly, or may be beginning with this experience which is often symbolized by something dark, unknown and frightening. By entering this stage, the person shows their willingness to undergo a metamorphosis, to die to him or herself.
Well now, this could be the time at 12, Grimmauld Place? Or the camping trip? Probably the camping trip.
The Road of Trials
The road of trials is a series of tests, tasks, or ordeals that the person must undergo to begin the transformation. Often the person fails one or more of these tests, which often occur in threes.
So this must be the search for the horcruxes: the Ministry, Godric's Hollow, the Forest of Dean, Malfoy Manor, Gringotts.
The Meeting with the Goddess
The meeting with the goddess represents the point in the adventure when the person experiences a love that has the power and significance of the all-powerful, all encompassing, unconditional love that a fortunate infant may experience with his or her mother. It is also known as the "hieros gamos", or sacred marriage, the union of opposites, and may take place entirely within the person. In other words, the person begins to see him or herself in a non-dualistic way. This is a very important step in the process and is often represented by the person finding the other person that he or she loves most completely. Although Campbell symbolizes this step as a meeting with a goddess, unconditional love and /or self unification does not have to be represented by a woman.
Umm? The birthday present? Or something more subtle? Maybe the obelisk/gravestone? Or Voldemort's memories of killing his parents?
Woman as the Temptress
At one level, this step is about those temptations that may lead the hero to abandon or stray from his or her quest, which as with the Meeting with the Goddess does not necessarily have to be represented by a woman. For Campbell, however, this step is about the revulsion that the usually male hero may feel about his own fleshy/earthy nature, and the subsequent attachment or projection of that revulsion to women. Woman is a metaphor for the physical or material temptations of life, since the hero-knight was often tempted by lust from his spiritual journey.
??? When did Harry want to abandon the Quest? Ah! Is this the Aberforth and Dumbledore bit?
Atonement with the Father
In this step the person must confront and be initiated by whatever holds the ultimate power in his or her life. In many myths and stories this is the father, or a father figure who has life and death power. This is the center point of the journey. All the previous steps have been moving in to this place, all that follow will move out from it. Although this step is most frequently symbolized by an encounter with a male entity, it does not have to be a male; just someone or thing with incredible power. For the transformation to take place, the person as he or she has been must be "killed" so that the new self can come into being. Sometime this killing is literal, and the earthly journey for that character is either over or moves into a different realm.
Okay, I think this one is fairly clear, isn't it? The person is killed and confronts a father figure with life and death power. The Forest Again.
Apotheosis
To apotheosize is to deify. When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. This is a god-like state; the person is in heaven and beyond all strife. A more mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfillment before the hero begins the return.
And again, not hard. King's Cross.
The Ultimate Boon
The ultimate boon is the achievement of the goal of the quest. It is what the person went on the journey to get. All the previous steps serve to prepare and purify the person for this step, since in many myths the boon is something transcendent like the elixir of life itself, or a plant that supplies immortality, or the holy grail.
The Horcruxes are destroyed; Harry gets the Deathly Hallows and kills Voldemort.
Refusal of the Return
So why, when all has been achieved, the ambrosia has been drunk, and we have conversed with the gods, why come back to normal life with all its cares and woes?
Is this when he's in the Great Hall?
The Magic Flight
Sometimes the hero must escape with the boon, if it is something that the gods have been jealously guarding. It can be just as adventurous and dangerous returning from the journey as it was to go on it.
And when he disappears up to the Headmaster's Office?
Rescue from Without
Just as the hero may need guides and assistants to set out on the quest, often times he or she must have powerful guides and rescuers to bring them back to everyday life, especially if the person has been wounded or weakened by the experience. Or perhaps the person doesn't realize that it is time to return, that they can return, or that others need their boon.
Ah. Ron and Hermione.
The Crossing of the Return Threshold
The trick in returning is to retain the wisdom gained on the quest, to integrate that wisdom into a human life, and then maybe figure out how to share the wisdom with the rest of the world. This is usually extremely difficult.
I don't know?
Master of the Two Worlds
In myth, this step is usually represented by a transcendental hero like Jesus or Buddha. For a human hero, it may mean achieving a balance between the material and spiritual. The person has become comfortable and competent in both the inner and outer worlds.
??
Freedom to Live
Mastery leads to freedom from the fear of death, which in turn is the freedom to live. This is sometimes referred to as living in the moment, neither anticipating the future nor regretting the past.
That epilogue.
And, because I'm a nerd in work-avoidance mode, here's an actual worksheet.
stmargarets outline of the Hero's Journey and tried to fill it in. Please be nice with the grading - I only read the book yesterday! Actually, I'd be interested to see if this is how you imagined it breaking down, and which bits I've overlooked.The Call to Adventure
The call to adventure is the point in a person's life when they are first given notice that everything is going to change, whether they know it or not.
Did this happen at the end of book 6?
Refusal of the Call
Often when the call is given, the future hero refuses to heed it. This may be from a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, a sense of inadequacy, or any of a range of reasons that work to hold the person in his or her current circumstances.
Sitting around being cross about Dumbledore?
Supernatural Aid
Once the hero has committed to the quest, consciously or unconsciously, his or her guide and magical helper appears, or becomes known.
This is Ron and Hermione, right? Or the sliver of the mirror? Hmm. To be fair, there were quite a lot of magical helpers! Oh, I know, Dumbledore's legacy? *beams proudly for thinking of that*
The Crossing of the First Threshold
This is the point where the person actually crosses into the field of adventure, leaving the known limits of his or her world and venturing into an unknown and dangerous realm where the rules and limits are not known.
Ah. I know this one: Disapparating from the wedding.
The Belly of the Whale
The belly of the whale represents the final separation from the hero's known world and self. It is sometimes described as the person's lowest point, but it is actually the point when the person is between or transitioning between worlds and selves. The separation has been made, or is being made, or being fully recognized between the old world and old self and the potential for a new world/self. The experiences that will shape the new world and self will begin shortly, or may be beginning with this experience which is often symbolized by something dark, unknown and frightening. By entering this stage, the person shows their willingness to undergo a metamorphosis, to die to him or herself.
Well now, this could be the time at 12, Grimmauld Place? Or the camping trip? Probably the camping trip.
The Road of Trials
The road of trials is a series of tests, tasks, or ordeals that the person must undergo to begin the transformation. Often the person fails one or more of these tests, which often occur in threes.
So this must be the search for the horcruxes: the Ministry, Godric's Hollow, the Forest of Dean, Malfoy Manor, Gringotts.
The Meeting with the Goddess
The meeting with the goddess represents the point in the adventure when the person experiences a love that has the power and significance of the all-powerful, all encompassing, unconditional love that a fortunate infant may experience with his or her mother. It is also known as the "hieros gamos", or sacred marriage, the union of opposites, and may take place entirely within the person. In other words, the person begins to see him or herself in a non-dualistic way. This is a very important step in the process and is often represented by the person finding the other person that he or she loves most completely. Although Campbell symbolizes this step as a meeting with a goddess, unconditional love and /or self unification does not have to be represented by a woman.
Umm? The birthday present? Or something more subtle? Maybe the obelisk/gravestone? Or Voldemort's memories of killing his parents?
Woman as the Temptress
At one level, this step is about those temptations that may lead the hero to abandon or stray from his or her quest, which as with the Meeting with the Goddess does not necessarily have to be represented by a woman. For Campbell, however, this step is about the revulsion that the usually male hero may feel about his own fleshy/earthy nature, and the subsequent attachment or projection of that revulsion to women. Woman is a metaphor for the physical or material temptations of life, since the hero-knight was often tempted by lust from his spiritual journey.
??? When did Harry want to abandon the Quest? Ah! Is this the Aberforth and Dumbledore bit?
Atonement with the Father
In this step the person must confront and be initiated by whatever holds the ultimate power in his or her life. In many myths and stories this is the father, or a father figure who has life and death power. This is the center point of the journey. All the previous steps have been moving in to this place, all that follow will move out from it. Although this step is most frequently symbolized by an encounter with a male entity, it does not have to be a male; just someone or thing with incredible power. For the transformation to take place, the person as he or she has been must be "killed" so that the new self can come into being. Sometime this killing is literal, and the earthly journey for that character is either over or moves into a different realm.
Okay, I think this one is fairly clear, isn't it? The person is killed and confronts a father figure with life and death power. The Forest Again.
Apotheosis
To apotheosize is to deify. When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. This is a god-like state; the person is in heaven and beyond all strife. A more mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfillment before the hero begins the return.
And again, not hard. King's Cross.
The Ultimate Boon
The ultimate boon is the achievement of the goal of the quest. It is what the person went on the journey to get. All the previous steps serve to prepare and purify the person for this step, since in many myths the boon is something transcendent like the elixir of life itself, or a plant that supplies immortality, or the holy grail.
The Horcruxes are destroyed; Harry gets the Deathly Hallows and kills Voldemort.
Refusal of the Return
So why, when all has been achieved, the ambrosia has been drunk, and we have conversed with the gods, why come back to normal life with all its cares and woes?
Is this when he's in the Great Hall?
The Magic Flight
Sometimes the hero must escape with the boon, if it is something that the gods have been jealously guarding. It can be just as adventurous and dangerous returning from the journey as it was to go on it.
And when he disappears up to the Headmaster's Office?
Rescue from Without
Just as the hero may need guides and assistants to set out on the quest, often times he or she must have powerful guides and rescuers to bring them back to everyday life, especially if the person has been wounded or weakened by the experience. Or perhaps the person doesn't realize that it is time to return, that they can return, or that others need their boon.
Ah. Ron and Hermione.
The Crossing of the Return Threshold
The trick in returning is to retain the wisdom gained on the quest, to integrate that wisdom into a human life, and then maybe figure out how to share the wisdom with the rest of the world. This is usually extremely difficult.
I don't know?
Master of the Two Worlds
In myth, this step is usually represented by a transcendental hero like Jesus or Buddha. For a human hero, it may mean achieving a balance between the material and spiritual. The person has become comfortable and competent in both the inner and outer worlds.
??
Freedom to Live
Mastery leads to freedom from the fear of death, which in turn is the freedom to live. This is sometimes referred to as living in the moment, neither anticipating the future nor regretting the past.
That epilogue.
And, because I'm a nerd in work-avoidance mode, here's an actual worksheet.
no subject
The Call to Adventure - I wonder if this isn't Harry reading the newspaper accounts of Dumbledore and seeing the blue eye. He doesn't know how important Dumbledore is going to be. Then there is the Order showing up.
Refusal of the Call- Harry doesn't want to believe Rita Skeeter. And Harry doesn't want the Order members to Polyjuice themselves as seven Harry's
Supernatural Aid- Yeah, I think the will is it.
First Threshold - That makes sense - the wedding Disapparation.
The Belly of the Whale - Yes, the camping trip is my thought right now.
The Road of Trials - the search for the horcruxes: the Ministry, Godric's Hollow, the Forest of Dean, Malfoy Manor, Gringotts, etc . . .
The Meeting with the Goddess - I would go with the birthday present
Woman as the Temptress - he didn't want to abandon it, you're right. But the Horcruxes/Hallows argument he had with himself seems to fit here as well as all his thoughts of Ginny.
Atonement with the Father - right. The forest with Voldemort.
Apotheosis - yes, King's Cross.
The Ultimate Boon - I wonder if Harry himself is the boon at this point. He brings himself back ready to strike - otherwise it would be the end when he finally kills Voldemort.
Refusal of the Return - Harry thinks about not coming back when he's in King's Cross - that might qualify.
The Magic Flight - this could be when Voldy thinks he's dead and he has to play dead until he could make his move.
Rescue from Without - yes, Ron and Hermione, but all the people who
The Crossing of the Return Threshold - I think it's Harry repairing his own wand and deciding what to do with the Hallows.
Master of the Two Worlds - once he's decided to give away the power of the Hallows and to live a normal life, then he's at peace.
Freedom to live - That Epilogue - oh yes!
You did very well, Miss Swot! For extra credit, you can look at Harry's journey across all seven books. :)
no subject
With the refusal of the call - there's a lot about him not wanting others to risk themselves - the Order, Ron and Hermione, and so on, but I don't remember much about him not wanting to take it on. Unless I've forgotten. Not believing Rita Skeeter makes more sense to me, especially if you've defined the call in terms of Dumbledore.
Ah yes - the Hallows/Horcruxes debate. That's where he was really tempted and had to make that 'choice not to act' to go and get the wand.
Crossing of the return - yes, of course. Deciding not to use the wand or the stone but to go back to normal - with the cloak, obviously!
I also wondered about the final two lines with the scar not hurting as a 'Master of the Two Worlds' point?
You know, I sort of want to do that across-the-seven-books thing too. This was much more fun than when I was made to do this sort of thing at school, you know. There's a lot to be said for the 'education is wasted on the young' school of thought.
mutters *Must get on with real work for actual credit.*
no subject