The Hero With A Thousand Faces - 2252 Words

When I look at mythology during the past and present I can find a lot of similarities in the base components of these stories. Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecture. I am instructed by a lot of his thoughts when thinking about myth stories. As Dr. Joseph Campbell pointed out in his theory of the monomyth, all the myths that have withstood the test of time for thousands of years are based on a similar foundation. This foundation is explored in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces where he describes the theory in this quote â€Å"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: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.† With the theory of a monomyth summarized in these lines I will apply its idea in my comparison and contrast the stories of Greek mythological hero Heracles to the modern day super hero Superman. This paper will then talks about whether both characters have influenced societal norms on the perception of heroes and the many attributes they possess. At the end I conclude that they have influenced our modern day ideal of heroism and what people usually expect a hero to be like. Before analyzing the background stories of our two characters we must explain what exactly we believe a hero is. A hero is a person, typically a man, who is admiredShow MoreRelatedThe Hero With A Thousand Faces1540 Words   |  7 PagesCampbell â€Å"The Hero With A Thousand Faces† and The Movie â€Å"Alien† A hero is â€Å"a man (or occasionally a woman) of superhuman strength, courage, or ability, favored by the gods.† Based on this quote, found on â€Å"The Oxford English Dictionary Online,† one can assume that the hero would be a man based on the terms that are used. People often associate a man as being the almighty power in a situation. They are referred to as the hero. One does not often find a movie about superheroes with the hero being a womanRead MoreThe Hero With A Thousand Faces796 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1949, Joseph Campbell published his book â€Å"The Hero with a Thousand Faces.† It details his theory of the â€Å"monomyth,† a theory that illustrates how many heroic mythological stories have similar outlines and archetypes. During his discussion of the second chapter of the monomyth, Campbell says that the monomyth can â€Å"serve as a general pattern for men and women† in their everyday lives (121). In many circumstances, comparisons can be made between normal situations throughout life and the monomythRead MoreHero With A Thousand Faces1555 Words   |  7 PagesAnyone can be a hero, no matter where they come from, they could be your neighbor or be in the next town over, in another state or even in another country. Luis Gonzalez, born and raised in a small farm in Jalisco Mexico was eighteen years old when his own personal hero journey began. A â€Å"Heroes Journey† is a seventeen stage itinerary divided into three segments listed in order; Departure, Initiation and Return. These stages consist of what the hero in the story will do in their journey accordingRead MoreThe Hero With A Thousand Faces1284 Words   |  6 Pages Analysis of Beowulf In his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, first published in 1949, esteemed American mythologist Joseph Campbell outlines the fundamental structure every archetypal hero follows during his or her journey in the world of mythologies. Campbell coined the term â€Å"monomyth to describe the stories that follow this structure. The monomythic cycle, commonly referred to as The Hero s Journey, is divided into three primary sections known as the Departure, Fulfillment, and ReturnRead MoreThe Hero With A Thousand Faces1524 Words   |  7 PagesRevised Draft A hero is â€Å"a man (or occasionally a woman) of superhuman strength, courage, or ability, favored by the gods.† Based on this quote, found on â€Å"The Oxford English Dictionary Online,† one can assume that the hero would be a man based on the terms that are used. People often associate a man as being the almighty power in a situation. They are referred to as the hero. One does not often find a movie about superheroes with the hero being a woman. Gender should not define who is the betterRead MoreThe Hero With A Thousand Faces1328 Words   |  6 PagesCooper Clarke English 4 – Period 2 Mr. McQueary 8/22/14 The Hero with a Thousand Faces Prologue – The Monomyth Myth and Dream Myths are universal and transcendent through time; many ancient myths are seen recreated in modern times. The author uses Oedipus as a way of comparing myth to psychology. Dreams have also played a major role in civilization; the people who could interpret dreams can understand and create myths. â€Å"Dream is the personalized myth† (19). Tragedy and Comedy People have alwaysRead MoreThe Hero with One Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell1447 Words   |  6 Pagesyoung innocent character who embarks on a journey and becomes a hero, known as The Hero’s Journey; a series of steps that all heroes follow. This journey not only shows the main character becoming a hero but also shows the hero move along a path similar to that of adolescence, the path between childhood and maturity. The Hero’s Journey was created by a man by the name of Joseph Campbell. He wrote a book called The Hero with One Thousand Faces, a novel containing a variety of stories that follow the stepsRead MoreThe Cultural Values And The Archetypal Patterns Of The Novel Hero With A Thousand Faces 1331 Words   |  6 Pageson a pedestal, unlike their deception during the Late Middle Ages after the advent of chivalry and courtly love. On that note, Sir Gawain and Beowulf both reflect the cultural values and the archetypal patterns found in Joseph Campbell’ s Hero with a Thousand Faces which are expressed throughout their communities. Even though some of the values such as valor and loyalty carried over from one time period to another, the two cultures experienced a paradigm shift from the way fighting was conducted allRead MoreTo What Extent Did the Book Hero with a Thousand Faces Influence the Sci-Fi Fantasy Film Genre, Specifically George Lucas’s Star Wars Trilogy?4143 Words   |  17 PagesIntroduction A hero goes forth from his familiar life into a world of the supernatural; difficulties are encountered which the hero conquers; and he returns home to celebrate with his friends. You may think you know what sci-fi/fantasy movie I’m talking about. But what I was actually describing is the book Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. Because when it comes down to it, almost all sci-fi and fantasy movies follow the same basic pattern, the â€Å"Monomyth† described in Campbell’s bookRead MoreThe Hobbit, Or There And Back Again Essay1423 Words   |  6 Pagesor final battle followed by their return. Amongst the greatest and most authoritative pieces of literature written in the 20th century is Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Both the ideals and concepts within The Hero with a Thousand Faces are being used, and have been used, in the art of storytelling for thousands of years. The specific concepts Joseph Campbell lays out within the text is a dissection of the many common themes which the vast majority of stories, the heroic tale