Ellie’s Comments (group member since Sep 13, 2011)

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

Joseph Campell’s five steps of the hero’s path are extremely relatable to the classic story The Odyssey, by Homer, and mainly to it’s main focus, the character Odysseus. The first step of the hero’s path is the mundane world, which is the hero’s home before his or her journey. The mundane world usually consists of boredom or a place the hero does not fit in or is itching to get out of. Odysseus’s mundane is where he is kept captive by Calpyso, a gorgeous goddess, on her wondrous island. Odysseus has all a mortal man would ever dream of having. Fair maidens do his bidding, while breath taking beauty and the goddess herself surround him. He spends the night with Calypso and the days sulking by the sea. Even Hermes, a god, was stopped in his tracks and taken by the vast beauty of the island. Calypso represents comfort or paradise. Most people get caught up in the paradise and take it for granted. Odysseus, as a hero must, is willing to give up his comfort to over come challenges.

The second step of Campell’s journey is the calling to the adventure. This step is either chosen by the hero or put upon them. Whether they accept this calling is the deciding factor if they will start their hero journey or if they will not venture out of their comfort zone. Odysseus receives his calling to adventure once Hermes delivers news to Calypso from Zeus, king of the gods, that she is ordered to release Odysseus. Calypso tries to persuade Odysseus to stay but he knows he must take this call to adventure and escape his mundane world.

The crossing of the first threshold is the third of the five steps. The crossing of the first threshold is when the hero takes his first couple steps out of his ordinary world. Odysseus ventures out to sea leaving his mundane world behind and creating his crossing of the first threshold. The sea represents fear and anguish in a person. When someone first faces his or her fear, it can look huge and never ending, but if you just kept sailing eventually you will reach land and conquer your fear.

The fourth step is known as the path of trials, which are the challenges, tasks and problems the hero must face, and over come. Odysseus, having the pride and hubris he possesses, faces many trails that require invigorating strength, drive and mental abilities to beat the trials before him. Odysseus, once trapped in a cavern, must out smart or defeat a Cyclops. The Cyclops represents a part of a person that thinks it is bigger or better then everyone or everything else, but you are practically fighting yourself, so in the end you will be hurt. It was never necessary for Odysseus and his men to fight the Cyclops, but Odysseus was swallowed up by his hubris and pride. Since Odysseus brought this situation upon himself when it was not naturally going to happen, he is practically fighting himself and his pride.

The fifth and final step of the hero path is the master of two worlds. Once a hero completes the previous four steps, and he returns home or realizes it has been finished, the hero will never be the same. After witnessing the trials and learning things within themselves, it is impossible to live the same way as they once did before the call was given to them. Odysseus becomes the master of the two worlds once he is retuned home to Ithaca. With all the new knowledge, skills, friends and enemies, his life is now forever changed. However, Odysseus completed the path and will live on as a Hero

“We have not to even risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god. And where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves. And where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with the world.”-Joseph Campbell.

This quote, mythology, and the myths from our past are hidden within everyone. Deep thoughts and fear lurk among us, as did the heroes before our time. The power of myth is what drives us either towards or away from our biggest fear in life, but eventually everyone will face their fear, making us all heroes in the end.

Though often times you feel alone, lost in a labyrinth of uncanny twists and turns, you're not the first traveler of this path. No one is the first to travel a certain path; heroes have been through the struggle and faced the fear in us all.

Joseph Campbell’s quote is a symbol of the unknown path we are all set upon to eventually conquer our fear. Someone has walked this road before, which creates and almost comforting feeling to know you are not alone on this journey and people before you have faced the same difficulties you will.

The study of mythology is pretty much stories of heroes, villains, creatures and monsters that can be related to things and/or situations around us or within us. This quote digs deep into to everyone’s hopes and fears in life just as mythology does for the past and present. Mythology is rich in telling heroic stories, and as the quote states, “For the heroes of all time have gone before us,” we all will eventually be heroes to those who will walk this path in the future.

Mythology is based on fear and how people over come it. Sometimes to over come your fear, you must think deeply and overcome the monster in yourself. Yes, this concept is highly believed in because if you already knew how to overcome fear it would not exist. It takes myths, heroes and mythology to motivate and to bring the hero out in all of us.

In a Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens from cover to cover fills the pages with modern relevance, especially the first and most famous quote “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” This quote alone, written 150 years ago, relates to our world in many ways. Many people in our world today enjoy three meals a day, meanwhile 25,000 people die of starvation everyday according to reference.com
All around the world today and in a Tale of Two Cities, people are definitely divided into classes, and the classes are greatly shown. In America, youths and teens spend their days with their eyes glued to the bright electronic screens and overeating junk and fast foods. Reality shows now fill the American child’s life with shows about random people getting paid millions of dollars for practically nothing.
Other places around the globe, people’s ribs are protruding and food is scarce. This is what a messed up world we live in, Characters such as Snooki, Star of Jersey Shore, is paid 1.6 million dollars a year, according to tv.yahoo.com, to be filmed partying and getting drunk. That 1.6 million dollars to could save many innocent and starving humans all across the globe.
When I looked deeper into the text and connected to the characters I realized more and more how it related to today’s society. Towards the beginning of the story the Marquis in horse and carriage makes his way through a small French town. Poor or lower people in society fill the square as one small boy is tragically run over by the carriage. As the citizens watch the Marquis reaction they realize he is not sympathetic and seems to show no emotion towards taking the little boys life. The Marquis then tosses a coin to the crowd in order to make them quiet. This definitely relates to today’s world. Rich people, not all, but some seem to have no sympathy towards the lower people in society, just like the Marquis. Most rich people always use their money to get out of things, similar to the Marquis who tried to pay people to stop talking to him. I believe that our society today is controlled by those with lots of money and those who don’t have loads of cash are looked down upon.
Dickens connects everything to today, which is amazing due to the fact that this story was written 150 years ago. His clever and amazing writing is very relatable to our world today, though most the connections are nothing to be proud off.

The cultural male archetype embodies the characteristic “protector” as does Katniss “The Hunger Games”, by Suzanne Collins. Katniss embraces the male archetype by protecting her family and loved ones.“I protect Prim every way I can” -Katniss Everdeen, p. 15. Katniss protects her sister, Prim Rose, as the male archetype would, by volunteering herself in Prim’s place in the reaping.

"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins has so many different examples of archetypes. All the characters have characteristics from more then one archetype but one stood out to me in particular, Cato. Cato is a participant in the 74th Hunger games as a tribute from District 2 and is the villain archetype the entire time. From training to kill, to killing with no problem. Taking a life is diffidently a villain. Some villains display a heroic actions but Cato never seemed to have those moments. Once Glimmer, Marvel, Clove, Cato, the District 3 boy, the District 4 Female, and Peeta form an alliance, Cato ends up stabbing Peeta in the leg. Peeta is missing after the stab, but Cato does not care and says, "I keep telling you, forget about him. I know where I cut him. It's a miracle he hasn't bled to death yet. At any rate, he's in no shape to raid us." This quote as many examples of the villain archetype. First, only a villain would stab someone. Second, If someone was missing, hurt and at the risk of dying of loss of blood, no person besides a witness would not do anything to help him. Cato forms alliances, but does not care if one is hurt or dies. He almost seems at ease about Peeta being hurt and missing. Many other quotes similar to this appear a lot throughout the book. Cato is diffidently a villain archetype and never the hero. Ever.

I really loved this short story. Ransford was the protagonist and changed many times throughout the story. He started the story out by being a courageous hunter acting like the animals have no feelings. After being thrown over the ship into the icy water, I believe just that made him a little bit softer. After meeting the general he learns about the hunted men. He considers this murder, as do I, and next thing he knows he is one of the men being hunted. As he set out to hide while the hunter prepared another small change happened. Fear took over him and next thing he knows he is being chased. Right here is the biggest change of all. He is in the position and felt the fear that animals feel everyday. He takes this to heart in my opinion and kills the general to protect men and animals from being hunted. After he leaves the island he does not hint anymore

The scarlet ibis repersents doodle in so many ways. First off, they are both "rare" and born into enviroments that weren't exactly meant for them. Exotic is the main work I would use to describe both. Second, in the story the ibis travels a long way and ends up dying. This relates to doodle because after he beats the odds and traveled on this long journey and accomplished a lot, he ends up dying in the end too. They have both gone through emotional and physical pain from my inference. They both died under "bleeding trees". They both went above and beyond and beat the odds by miles. Both ended sadly after an inspiring journey.