The Hero’s Journey in Hollywood

How should development and support of ideas be assessed in student

writing?

Brainstorm

• Think of as many movies as you can that present a journey.

Your Task

In a well-developed essay, explain how your selected movie represents the idea of the Hero’s Journey. You should be able to a) briefly define Campbell’s idea of the monomyth and b) discuss in detail the elements of the monomyth that are present in the movie of your choice. Be sure to refer directly to Joseph Campbell’s stages of the hero’s journey. Use quotations and citations appropriately.

Preparation: On Your Own

Watch movie, answer questions, write down

at least 3 quotes, & create MLA citation for movie.

Title of Movie. Dir. Name of Director. Name of Distributor, Release Year. Medium of Publication.

Ed Wood. Dir. Tim Burton. Touchstone, 1994. DVD.

Preparation: Notes from Practical Guide

• 3 quotes

• 3 paraphrased sentences

• 3 summaries

• Write MLA citation

Author. “Title of Page.” Name of Website. Publisher, Date. Web. Date Accessed.

Citation for Article:

Preparation: Conventions

• Review appositive phrases, “to be” verbs, and prepositional phrases

• Discuss unified paragraphs (p. 81)

• Apply skills to perseverance story

• Self & peer edit story

Final Draft of Perseverance Story

• 1 page long• Topic sentence of each paragraph highlighted &

labeled• 3 appositive phrases highlighted & labeled• 3 prepositional phrases highlighted & labeled• 3 participial phrases highlighted & labeled• NO MORE THAN 3 “to be” verbs• Free of errors

Preparation: Parenthetical Citations

Work(s) Cited page (p. 356)• What’s the purpose?• How is it set up?

Information in parentheses. (p. 350 – 355)• What’s the purpose?• What’s the relationship between parentheses and

Works Cited?

How to – p. 340 (copy that info)

Practice

Practice

Use the information to write parenthetical citations.

1. An article called “Supplements and the Healthfood-Store Customer,” in Nutrition Forum, July/Aug. 1997, p. 25

1. An article by Lewis H. Lapham called “Full Fathom Five,” in Harper’s, April 1999, p. 12

1. A book by George Gould called Hotel America: Scenes in the Lobby of the Fin-de-Siecle, London: Verso, 1995, p. 53.

Using Quotes

• MUST lead in (see handout)

• Practice– Complete Activity at bottom of handout

ORIGINAL QUOTE: “What he discovered in his study of world myth is that THEY ARE ALL BASICALLY THE SAME STORY – retold endlessly in infinite variation” (Vogler 1).

USING JUST A PHRASE FROM THE QUOTE: Vogler explained that Campbell believed all stories are the same basic structure, just “retold endlessly in infinite variation” (1).

USING THE WHOLE QUOTE: Vogler sums up Campbell’s theory this way, “What he discovered in his study of world myth is that THEY ARE ALL BASICALLY THE SAME STORY – retold endlessly in infinite variation” (1).

CUTTING OUT THE MIDDLE OF THE SENTENCE: According to Vogler, “What he discovered…is that THEY ARE ALL BASICALLY THE SAME STORY” (1).

USING A QUOTE THAT IS MORE THAN 4 LINES LONG:Vogler explains:

What he discovered in his study of world myth is that THEY ARE ALL BASICALLY THE SAME STORY – retold endlessly in infinite variation. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. (1)

Preparation: Model Essay & Outline

5. Look at model expository essay• Make outline based on essay• What makes this good?

6. Thesis

7. Hooks:

http://www.thewritertoday.com/2009/07/10-writing-hooks.html

Paragraph Options

• MUST start with introduction

• MUST end with conclusion

• You choose # of body paragraphs– 12: 1 per stage– 3: beginning, middle, & end of journey– 2: how it fits the monomyth vs. how it deviates– 2: stages & characters

OutlineI. Intro

A. Hook: (use question, bold statement, or image)**transition

A. Topic: define monomyth/discuss Campbell’s theoryB. Thesis: Name of Movie follows the pattern of the Hero’s

Journey.

II. Body 1:A. ?B. ?C. ?

III. Body 2:IV. Body 3?V. Conclusion

A. Restate thesisB. SummarizeC. Final thought

Outline: Intro

I. IntroA. Hook: The little orange and white fish swims

hurriedly towards an unidentifiable object at the top of the water. His friends encourage him with shouts of “Touch the butt! Touch the butt” while his father pleads for him to return.

**transition = scene from FN; about a journey. Campbell studied journey stories

B. Topic: define monomyth/discuss Campbell’s theory

C. Thesis: Finding Nemo follows the pattern of the Hero’s Journey.

with 12 body paragraphs…

II. Body 1: Ordinary WorldA. define

B. = reef

III. Body 2: CallA. Define

B. = Nemo kidnapped

ETC……

with 3 body paragraphs…II. Body 1: Beginning of Journey

A. Ordinary = reefB. Call = kidnappedC. Refusal = D. Mentor =

III. Body 2: Middle of JourneyA. Threshold = B. Tests = C. Approach = D. Ordeal = E. Sword =

IV. Body 3: End of JourneyA. Road Back =B. Resurrection =C. Elixir =

with 2 body paragraphs…

II. Body 1: ways it fitsA. Stages – has 1,3,4,5….

B. Characters – hero, villain…

III. Body 2: deviatesA. Stages – missing 2, 12…

B. Characters1. No damsel

2. Mentor is invisible

with 2 body paragraphs…

II. Body 1: stagesA. Ordinary =

B. Call =

C. Reluctant =

D. ETC….III. Body 2: characters

A. Hero =

B. Villain =

C. Damsel =

Outline: Conclusion

V. ConclusionA. Restate thesis

B. Summarize

C. Final thought

Revise

• Check topic sentences: Does every sentence in the paragraph relate to your topic sentence?

• Check parenthetical references: Must start with a lead-in (Vogler says, “…)

• Works Cited page: should have entries for article & movie

• Check prepositional, participial, and appositive phrases

• Make sure you name the stages! Describe the event in the movie and then state with which stage it corresponds

Topic Sentences

• http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/partopic.html

Final Draft

• Highlight & Label the following:– 2 quotes from movie w/ accompanying parenthetical

citations – 2 quotes from article w/ accompanying parenthetical

citations – thesis statement – topic sentence of each paragraph– 2 appositive phrases– 2 prepositional phrases– 2 participial phrases