approach/ordeal

SUMMARY
This section of the text dealt with the hero's journey through the approach to the innermost cave and the ordeal. The approach deals with the final preparations such as reorganizing the group or having fun before facing an ultimate test. As the hero approachs the innermost cave, the individual has obstacles that he or she may have to deal with such as illusions, threshold guardians, among other events. One may have to appeal to the guardian, pass a test that seems unattainable, as well as trying to get into the villain's mind in order to break them down, either by fooling/ confusing them or showing emotion (crying). Once inside, the hero must face the ordeal, which is the central point of the story. Here a hero usually dies, literally or figuratively, however sometimes he or she only appears to die just to be resurrected later as an enlightened person. Heroes usually witness death or cause the death of something or someone along their quest. During the ordeal, a figure is stood up to, whether it be a Shadow, villain, fears, or even an authority figure such as parents.

RESPONSE
I feel that these sections summarize the events in a story. Usually before heroes goes trudging in to fight an enemy, they think through with a plan. They know these might be the last few moments of their lives, so they want to make the most of their time before the confrontation. Once they have met their nemasis, they try to use its weakness to break it down. In the text, it describes that heroes cheat death or that people live for the thrill of cheating death (roller coasters). I also agree with this. There have been many times when I have watched a movie and was worried about whether the character would make it or not, even if I have already seen it.

REFLECTION
While reading this section of the text, I kept in mind the musical "Wicked." I feel that as G(a)linda and Elphaba make their way to the Emerald City, this can be considered the approach to
the innermost cave. They are on a quest to try to get the Wizard to help the Animals throughout
Oz and once they meet him, Elphaba is given a test (threshold guardian) to see if she can read a levitation spell out the Grimmerie, which she passes when the monkeys are given wings. However, things go awry when Elphaba discovers that the Wizard was behind the silencing of the animals. Also, at the end of the musical, an ordeal takes place when the audience and G(a)linda see what appears to be the the Witch melting, however once everyone leaves the castle, the audience sees the scarecrow (Fiyero) open a trap door that she has been hiding in. Elphaba cheated death.

3 Questions
1. How have you approached one of your innermost caves in life?
2. What has been one of your Shadows during an Ordeal and have you ever tried to pass off this problem on another person or thing?
3. Give an example of when you felt that you have experienced apotheosis

vogler threshold/tests

SUMMARY

This section discusses the crossing of the first threshold and the meeting of tests, allies, and enemies. A hero normally does not embark on an adventure, but rather receives a call to action. Crossing the threshold or meeting a threshold guardian can be that call. A hero may need to pass the threshold guardian’s tests or possibly just acknowledge them as they are illusions. During this phase, the hero must take a leap of faith which may be a moment or last over an extended period of time. The text describes a Disney metaphor in which a story is like an “airplane flight.” The hero encounters tests, allies, and enemies on his or her quest. The tests increase in difficulty over time in order for the hero to be prepared for the final “battle.” Tests can originate in making allies- to see if the hero has good judgment, romance- going out on a first date, or even entering the special world and having to learn new rules.

REACTION

I felt that there was some information in this section that was similar with that of previous sections or out of place. It did not seem like there was any new information about sidekicks in this section of reading. Also, when the text discussed the contrast between the special world and ordinary world, I did not think the information fit the category. It has been interesting, however, that the author compares some characters to Tarot Cards such as when the Hero takes a leap of faith, he looks like the “Fool.” The connections to The Wizard of Oz at the end of the chapters help to tie everything together. Originally I did not feel that the movie was all that good, but I am realizing it has more to offer than I thought.

REFLECTION
When the text discussed the leap of faith or the stage between “Act 1” and “Act 2,” I thought of theatre as the climax of the story is at the end of act 1. We are faced with tests every day, however I did not realize how often we come into contact with them. They could take the form of driving, relationship issues (fights, avoiding gossip, etc), or debating whether to study or hang out with people. Many stories deal with the issues presented in this section. For example, in The Little Mermaid, Ariel has to take a leap of faith to “abandon” her family in order to be a human and meet her “prince.” She has tests such as standing up to her father and Sebastian, trying to win Eric back from Vanessa/ Ursula, and then fighting a battle. She has Flounder and Scuttle as allies (and technically Sebastian as well), and Ursula, Flotsam, and Jetsam as enemies.

QUESTIONS

1. What are some examples in which a character has crashed into his or her special world- literally? Figuratively?

2. In the tests, allies, enemies section, it describes how a hero is a “freshman all over again” when starting a new adventure. Can you think of examples in your life where this is true?

3. When have you experienced tests that built upon one another?

vogler refusal/mentor

Summary

In this section, the reading discusses the refusal to the call to adventure and the meeting with the mentor. The refusal to the call talks about how the call is an adventure and that heroes tend to hesitate due to fear. By taking a moment to think things through allows the hero to choose his or her own path and shows the dangers that will accompany the adventure. The hero may refuse the call because of past experiences that he or she does not wish to be a part of again or because of conflicting calls. Also, the text describes that a hero may disobey the Mentor’s requests and at times refusing the call is a good call as with the “Three Little Pigs.” The meeting with the mentor allows the hero to receive some kind of gift, whether it is materialistic or emotionally/mentally (wisdom). The test describes that not all mentors are “good” and that some may turn against the hero and become a villain; some may not be trustable. In times where the story is “stuck” the writer may incorporate a mentor into the story, and thus the mentor may show up once or at every stage of the journey.

Reaction

The information on the refusal of the call seemed to make a lot of sense and compared to works that I have seen. There was one part in which I did not agree with, however. I do not think that a call has to be dangerous and adventurous. Parts of the section on meeting the mentor seemed a bit redundant to previous sections in the text. It was interesting, however, to see the writer compare the hero’s journey and mentor to a deck of tarot cards. Also, I did not realize how many types of mentors there were. It was a bit confusing at first on how a mentor would turn villainous or against the hero, but I suppose the mentor must teach a lesson, and thus that may be the only way.

Reflection

As with the other sections, I related this area of the text to real life events. There have been several events in my life that have related to these points of a story. As stated above, I do not believe all calls include dangerous and exciting events. For example, I drive to Florida every year to attend school (call to adventure), however, I do not think of it as exciting or dangerous (at least not more dangerous than a regular car ride to the grocery store). There have been times in which I refused a call if I was afraid of the consequences. I have had several mentors throughout my life, but they have changed at different stages of my development, whether they be family members, friends, or teachers.

3 Questions

1). Can you think of an adventure where it wasn’t risky? Did you have difficulties accepting the call?

2). Why do you think Propp calls willing heroes “seekers,” but other heroes “victimized” heroes?

3). How would you create a non-cliché mentor?