Sadie’s Comments (group member since Sep 05, 2011)

Sadie’s comments from the 2012 - Ms. Richardson L.A. group.

Like most heros in history, Odysseus begins his journey in a mundane world. Life for him at the start of book five was not necessarily bad. Some would say his life was rather high quality and unattainable for most mortal men. A luxurious home with delicious foods and drinks at his every beckoned call, handmaids to do his work, even an astonishing Goddess, Calypso, to keep him good company. Life for him was defiantly not bad at all, even the great Hermes stopped and stared at the grandeur Odysseus was living in. As life continued on, trapped in such a perfect world, Odysseus became slightly antsy to get out, knowing deep in his heart that there was more for him outside of this comfort zone made to trap him inside of himself. The mundane world for most heros isn’t always going to stand out in boring ways, but rather in perfect conditions like Odysseus shows. It is what the hero longs to do with his life that makes the world mundane or not.

Towards the end of book five, Hermes begins to sense Odysseus's discomfort in living with such perfect standards, and decides to order Calypso to send Odysseus on his way home. Against her will, she agrees, offering Odysseus the option to leave her perfect world for the treacherous one he had wanted from the beginning. Odysseus chooses to leave behind all the wealth Calypso had to offer, knowing of the trials he may face on his long journey home. This order that Hermes placed upon Calypso and Odysseus is considered the call to adventure, the second step in the thread of a hero's path. Although Odysseus chose to claim his call, some people may reject theirs, bringing them further into the mundane world they exist contently in, making it so they don't reach their full potential as a human being.

Knowing that he could not return to such a perfect life, Odysseus sets sail on a homemade raft that both Calypso and Hermes help him make. This first physical step onto the great waters could be considered the third step of a hero's path, crossing of the threshold. The crossing of the threshold can be done in both a physical and a mental way, most heros taking both sides of this step. The knowledge of not being able to return is considered the mental aspect of this step, whereas the step onto the ocean is the physical one. Once a hero takes this crucial step forward in their journey, the mundane world is put completely behind them, all thats left to do is overcome the trials everyone is required to face to make it to their final destination and make them a true hero.

Everything from the moment Odysseus leaves Calypso's island, to the moment he becomes a master of two worlds, falls into the the fourth step of trials. The trials a hero has to face are what build them up into stronger human beings to make their final destination worthwhile. The step of trials can be broken down into several subcategories which may include new friends, enemies, mentors, skills, knowledge, and challenges that they may come into contact with while attempting to reach their goal. Many of these categories may be met in order to complete the thread of a hero's path.

Odysseus gains many new enemies while on his pathway home, one good example being the first interaction with the mighty beast Cyclopes. After being thrown onto the shore of the Cyclopes inhabited island, Odysseus decides to meet these mysterious beasts, only to find both himself and his men in great danger. Due to his selfish choice to stay and fight with these ferocious animals, Odysseus finds himself leaving the island with less men for support, tension with the beasts themselves, and haunting images of his men being eaten alive. The skin on his back was saved after cunningly sneaking out and tricking the main Cyclopes, only to find a new enemy had been made in the process. The enemies Odysseus made while traveling home can relate back to real world situations, the Cyclopes being a good example for this. To Odysseus, this inhumane beast is just something larger than himself that stands in the way of a final destination. In a real world perspective though, this can symbolize any challenge larger than one's self. This challenge is required to be taken down in one way or another, wether you go down with it or not. The enemy within everybody’s self is something larger than any of us may be able to take on. But with the right support and mind set, this once ginormous use of evil can be brought down to a smaller scale, even completely taken under control.

Odysseus's main mentor throughout the story goes back to calypso who agreed with Hermes to let him go. Although she initially held him back in his mundane world, she finally came to her senses and helped him along with way, offering good advice and meaningful support throughout his whole journey. Calypso embodies this mentor figure in many ways, making for a perfect person to lead Odysseus through his path of trials, into something much greater than she thought he could ever become.

Many new skills were required to be obtained by Odysseus as he continued through his heroic path, many of them not necessarily being physically attainable ones. One of these skills he was forced to learn was his use of hubris, or great pride. This great problem he had to face was something that made life much harder in arriving safely to a final destination, but towards the end seemed to have harnessed it in a bit through watching men die and struggle because of it. Odysseus proves that some of lives most important skills to be obtained are the attitude related ones, things that seem to negatively influence our lives that one may not want to face.

Finally, the endless challenges that Odysseus had to face were what made his way home a lesson many can learn from. Although he had to face many trials, both physical and mental, on his long path home, the main one he had to face that encompasses all smaller ones was overcoming his hubris and overuse of pride. Many of the smaller fights Odysseus and his men faced could have been avoided if he would have known how to control his pride, something he overcame towards the end of the story.

At the end, Odysseus finally lands in the world he worked so hard to get to, making him a master of two worlds. The journey leading up to this final moment improved both his knowledge and skill level to make the mastery possible. There are many lessons to be learned from the great hero Odysseus, one of these being to not let your pride get out of hand. Many people in this world find their lives so much harder all because of the way their attitudes are set. Odysseus is a perfect example of what not to do in situations where one thinks they are above others, which can lead to great downfalls of loved ones, or even you. Along with lessons, though, come examples. Dedication and goal setting are only two of the good things that came from Odysseus's journey that the real world can relate to, and attempt to come as they fight their own battles and become heros of their own.

In many ways, this quote is applicable to the lives of every human being on this planet, many of the hidden meaning found only when read throughly. In a simple summary, this quote is a basic meaning to finding depth in your life through knowing that you are not the first or the only person to have gone through the trials that seem devious at the moment. Everybody placed on this earth must realize that problems will come their way, no matter what, and to know that the path has already been tread for each and every person on this planet to follow is quite a comfortable thought. The base of the quote is all in how we view life through a whole different perspective; one that makes life seem much less difficult if we can manage to see it through open eyes.

The first sentence of it states, “We have not to even risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us.” From even the first line, you can see the comfort Joseph Campbell wants one to see though knowing that the even the world's greatest warriors have had to go through difficulties similar to the ones many face in a modern world, and knowing that they made it through it is a very beautiful thought for such a difficult thing to overtake; life. Knowing that others have gone through similar problems is compared to not having to risk the adventure alone, as if we are being lead by the strongest people the universe has to offer.

From there, the quote goes on to say, “And where we have thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god.” Abomination meaning a person who is loathsome or disgusting whereas a god is someone superior with supernatural qualities. Through the eyes of Campbell, every person when in times of trouble has the capability to become something much greater just because of the process and how it gradually makes us stronger. One may not think that going through something terribly wrong could turn them into a powerful being, but through Campbell's eyes its all possible, and that is a very strong thought.

A favorite line of the whole quote, “And where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves” rings the most truth in my opinion for my personal life. Many people seem to be bringing down others around them through hurtful words, actions, or exclusion for the plain purpose of bringing themselves up. What this part of the quote points out is the fact that not only do the words bring the person purposely being hurt down, but they tear the owner of the words down also. What we think are insults personalized specifically for the person we would like to hurt, end up just being a weakness in disguise. Nothing is worse than an insecurity, and many people believe that the best way to solve that is through hurting another human being, and that is simply wrong.

The quote continues following the same theme, dissecting a human's mind to bring comfort and reassurance. Coming directly from the mouth of a wise man with much experience with myths, things about it should specifically relate to what a myth is. Mythology is very generalized, yet personalized for every being ever to lay foot on earth. Bringing a new perspective on how life works is how mythology works, which is exactly what this quote is doing. It has the ability to open your mind to a whole new side of life, allowing your mind to become much more opened to life as a whole.

The 18th century novel, A Tale of Two Cities, is very relevant to the modern world we live in today. From the very beginning sentence, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," (pg 1) you can tell that the whole of the story will be relatable to a modern society. Although this book was written several hundred years ago, it can easily explain the society we as a world face today in many ways, including greed, social classes, good and evil to extremes, and misusage of power. In a world with both polars of extremes, our world seems to find itself in many problems, relatable to the problems Dickens pointed out in this novel.

The Earth has slowly began to come to a downfall, yet at the same time is at a very high point in a couple places scattered around the globe. After watching a very life changing video about Indian starvation, I was very taken back by the number of starvation related deaths our world takes on every single day. This is just an example for how naïve some can be to the trouble some countries face. Where its the best of times one place, it could be the absolute worst for another. Its the times like these that Dicken's first line of A Tale of Two Cities can specifically relate, making an eyeopening experience possible for the people who care what happens to our future generations.

In A Tale of Two Cities, there is a very broad rang of wealth, just like our day in age. “It had its poor people to. All its people were poor, and many of them were sitting at their doors, shredding spare onions and the like for supper, while many were at the fountain, washing leaves, and grasses, and any such small yieldings of the earth that could be eaten” (pg 86). This is a very good example straight from the text of how low and unstable much of the population was back then, starvation and lack of wealth something that brought problems to their world. This is very relatable to the families in India who use their last resort to simply feed their families by hunting through garbage cans for a possible meal. For the people with nearly nothing, their lives seem to be crashing in on them, just like the people of our time. It could be considered the worst of times, in Dicken's words.

In comparison, though, there were also the best of times in the story of A Tale of Two cities. One example of this is in Monseigneur's life where his every move is watched and worshipped. This man's life seems to be adorned with every perfect detail, where things seem to be the best of times (pgs 79-85). Nothing seemed like it could go wrong in his life, and never did he take the time to pay attention to anything bad going on in the world around him. “ “ You dogs!” said the Marquis, but smoothly, and with an unchanged front, except as to the spots on his nose; “I would ride over any of you very willingly, and exterminate you from the earth”. Just like this man, many people of the world feel as if it is not our responsibility to look out for those who are in 'the worst of times', when in reality, its our job to make this world a functioning place, which is exactly what many of us are not doing.

The Tale of Two Cities is a very relatable book to the twenty first century, many of its problems and catastrophes reappearing in a world like ours today. Greed, misuse in power, and social classes bring our world as a whole down, polar opposites of good and easy making Dicken's famous anaphora “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” ring true for us all.

In the book, The Hunger Games, Rue embodies the female archetype in many ways, one of these being her loyalty towards a select character as she is fighting through the games. Being supportive and trusting, even when all hope seems lost, Rue is a fantastic example of what a loyal friend would be like, especially when the one she is putting all trust in doesn't seem to be trustable to others around her.

As the loyal friend, Rue decides to trust her ally, Katniss, right off the bat. Even before speaking a single word to the stubborn Katniss, Rue seemed to have an unbreakable bond that did nothing but grow as the book wore on. On page 184, Rue decides to point out the deadly tracker jackers to the naive Katniss, even though the accidental death of Katniss could've won Rue the whole game. Yet, her loyalty and friendliness seemed to get in the way, causing her to save her future ally from harm.

Rue is the perfect example of how the general female archetype works in the loyal aspect of it all. Although trusting Katniss could've lead to be a bad choice on Rue's part, she took the risk anyway, putting all her trust and loyalty into the girl, even if it was her life on the line. Rue's examples of being feminine follow the perfect guidelines to the female archetype.

In the popular book, The Hunger Games, the characters all hold certain archetypes close to their harts, the main character Katniss's happening to be the male. Showing that she is a protector and provider, it proves that her main state of mind has been devoted to one of a male's type. Ever since she was a small girl, her whole life had been set to protecting and providing for the small family of two, finding it both challenging and difficult, yet something that Katniss seemed to enjoy. As she goes out and hunts almost daily, it just proves that not only is she a provider, but she is fearless in a sense, almost as if she would do anything to bring back something to support the family. Although, at times, she proves to be a female, a majority of the time is backing up how much of a boy she truly is at heart.

The Hunger Games; one of the most popular books targeted at teens out there on the book shelves. Read for the main purpose of pleasure and thrill, I did not know how complex the characters truly were until asked to pinpoint what archetypes they did and didn't accept, and why. It was a truly eye opening experience, being able to see how much the characters really do relate to us in ways we hardly ever knew.
When asked to analyze text, you need to realize there are many ways it can be done. One of these many ways is through archetype. In order to fully grasp the concept of finding archetype, like we did through our reading of The Hunger Games, you have to know the backround behind it. Over time, people have come to accept the fact that we has human beings have been categorized into vague groups, such as gender. And what comes with being 'stereotyped' is also being judged by what a main majority of the others in your group do. So as time as weathered on, we have archetype what it means to be a female, male, villain, and hero, even if it doesn't necessarily apply to you specifically. And as I made my way through the Hunger Games, I realized that the main character Katniss Everdeen is one who pushes on her gender type much more than others do.
As I first was introduced to the now popular character Katniss, I realized right off the bat of how 'tomboy' she was, even in the first paragraph of the book. "Prim's face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named." With a male outlook on how even her mother and sister looked, and a very masculine way of life, I realized that, although she was a girl, that she could easily pass for a boy any day. Hunting, being the head of the family, and trying hard not to show any vulnerability, Katniss was an easy male archetype in my mind. Which seemed a little awkward for me, considering I knew that there had to be some love involved. But as she pushed on the stereotypical emotional, soft female, I began to notice this pattern in many more characters that surrounded her - such as he love interest Peeta. Even he was a little too pushy on the male archetype for me, which made him seem much more relatable to some people. I found it quite interesting, how Collins played with the idea of gender archetypes to make her fictional characters much more likable - or unlikeable even.
So as i made my way through the fast paced read, I noticed that most of the characters really did play with their archetypes, for better or worse, which made the book much better to read - and easier to apply.

In the short story "The Most Dangerous Game," the first character we meet is named Rainsford, in which we later find out is the protagonist of the story. Within the first couple of sentences, we find that him and a friend are on their way to an island for a hunting trip, which both the men are equally excited about; except Rainsford seems to be the one who could careless about the animals. Overall, he was the less likable of the two. Well, as the story journeys on, Rainsford finds himself in a tough situation with Captain Zaroff who inhabits an island on which Rainsford had crashed upon towards the beginning. Captain Zaroff releases his secret about the island to Rainsford, which he takes a huge surprise to; for who humane man hunts humans? After almost being hunted down in the Captains evil minded game, the story seems to end in a strange way; a way where I was unsure what to think about it. Did Rainsford learn from the dreadful experience to shelter the poor, feelingful animals? Or did he just grow even more hungry for thrill? As I contemplated the story and how much change evolved in the mind of Rainsford through it all, I realized he had to have changed, but in my mind it was for worse. I feel that after all the turmoil ceased that he just continued on Captain Zaroffs sick game, leading helpless sailors to complete doom, just for the sake of thrill. His protagonist character was built up too well to end up in any way but evil and take after the man qho almost took his own life in the inhumane way.

The Scarlet Ibis sympblizes doodle in many ways, one being in that they both have their own strageness, or uniqueness, in what helps them become an exoctic price of their environment. When the family heard the strange, unheard of, noise from the yard, then placed their eyes upon the abnormally weird bird, the first thing that came to their minds was how much this bird did not belong in the place that it had forced to become apart of. Doodle had that same experience in that when he entered this cruel world in his strange, nearly unheard of, form, everyone could only focus on how different he would be from the rest of his surrounding peers. In both cases,they were under estimated and doubted upon, yet showed their beauty in their unique ways, then shortly after died their deaths in which the environments forced upon them.