Characteristics of a hero: Brave High values Strong leader Honest Courageous Trustworthy Good communicator Motivated Extraordinary Talent Inspirational Confident Strength Hopeful Adventurous Responsible to others Positive Intelligent Good Role Model

Who are your heroes? Defining a personal hero is a bit like allowing our diaries to be published. Through our choice of heroes, we spell volumes about ourselves. We reveal our individual values and comment on those we perceive to be lacking in the world around us. Our heroes represent the best of ourselves, yet being human and therefore flawed, they also allow us to accept our limitations.

Who are your heroes? Martin Luther King Jr. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it. Martin Luther King Jr.

Who are your heroes? Mother Teresa "Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin." Mother Teresa

Who are your heroes? Neil Armstrong, Upon landing on the Moon, Houston, Tranquility Base here. The eagle has landed. That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind. Neil Armstrong, Upon landing on the Moon, July 20, 1969

Who are your heroes? Superman Written by: Joe Shuster & Jerry Siegel I'm here to fight for truth, and justice, and the American way.  Superman Written by: Joe Shuster & Jerry Siegel

Who are your heroes? Edward Croker Source: Chief, FDNY 1899-1911 "Firemen are going to get killed. When they join the department they face that fact. When a man becomes a fireman his greatest act of bravery has been accomplished. What he does after that is all in the line of duty. They were not thinking of getting killed when they went where death lurked. They went there to put the fire out, and got killed. Firefighters do not regard themselves as heroes because they do what the business requires." Edward Croker Source: Chief, FDNY 1899-1911

Who are your heroes? Uncle Father Mother Grandparents Aunt Friends

Who are your heroes? Michael Jordan I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot . . . and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why . . . I succeed. Michael Jordan

Who are your heroes? I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear. Rosa Parks

Who are your heroes? Terry Fox Even if I don't finish, we need others to continue. It's got to keep going without me. Terry Fox

In Literature, what is a hero? 1. A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life.

2. In mythology and legend, a hero is a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favoured by the gods.

3. The principal male character in a novel, poem, or dramatic presentation.

Heroines A woman noted for courage and daring action. A woman noted for special achievement in a particular field. The principal female character in a novel, poem, or dramatic presentation. Many writers now consider hero, long restricted to men in the sense "a person noted for courageous action," to be a gender-neutral term. It is used to refer to admired women as well as men in respected publications.

The Hero Archetype What is an archetype? An original model or type after which other similar things are patterned; a prototype. Archetypes are the basic building blocks of literary structure. Where did the hero archetype come from? Joseph Campbell, in his The Hero with a Thousand Faces, sees in the ancient hero-myths the eternal human struggle for identity. He calls the hero-quest archetype monomyth.

Monomyth Cyclical Pattern The monomyth cycle is the general pattern of adventures that  mythological heroes encounter during their quests.  It's a cyclical pattern inspired in part by the ancient ouroborus symbol (a snake eating its own tail) representing the cyclical pattern of nature, as well as the necessity of life living off other life. 

Birth/Home Elixir Call to Adventure Helpers/Amulet Return Crossing the Threshold Tests Helpers Flight Climax/Final Battle

Birth Fabulous circumstances surrounding conception, Birth/Home Call to Adventure Helpers/Amulet Crossing the Threshold Tests Helpers Climax/Final Battle Flight Return Elixir Birth Fabulous circumstances surrounding conception, birth and childhood establish the hero’s pedigree.

Call to Adventure The hero is called to adventure by some external Birth/Home Call to Adventure Helpers/Amulet Crossing the Threshold Tests Helpers Climax/Final Battle Flight Return Elixir Call to Adventure The hero is called to adventure by some external event or messenger. The hero may accept the call willing or reluctantly.

Helpers/ Amulet During the early stages of the journey, the hero Birth/Home Call to Adventure Helpers/Amulet Crossing the Threshold Tests Helpers Climax/Final Battle Flight Return Elixir During the early stages of the journey, the hero will often receive aid from a protective figure. The supernatural helper can take a wide variety of forms, such as a wizard, an old man, a dwarf, a crone, or a fairy godmother. The helper commonly gives the hero a protective amulet (charm worn against evil) or weapon for the journey.

Crossing the Threshold Birth/Home Call to Adventure Helpers/Amulet Crossing the Threshold Tests Helpers Climax/Final Battle Flight Return Elixir Upon reaching the threshold of adventure, the hero must undergo some sort of ordeal in order to pass from the everyday world into the world of adventure. This trial may be as painless as entering a dark cave or as violent as being swallowed by a whale. The important feature is the contrast between the familiar world of light & dark and the unknown world of adventure.

Tests Helpers & The hero travels through the dream-like Birth/Home Call to Adventure Helpers/Amulet Crossing the Threshold Tests Helpers Climax/Final Battle Flight Return Elixir The hero travels through the dream-like world of adventure where he must undergo a series of tests. These trials are often violent encounters with monsters, sorcerers, warriors,or forces of nature. Each successful test further proves the hero’s ability and advances the journey towards its climax.

Climax This is the critical moment in the hero’s journey in Birth/Home Call to Adventure Helpers/Amulet Crossing the Threshold Tests Helpers Climax/Final Battle Flight Return Elixir Climax This is the critical moment in the hero’s journey in which there is often a final battle with a monster, wizard or warrior which facilitates the particular resolution of the adventure.

Flight After accomplishing the mission, the hero must return Birth/Home Call to Adventure Helpers/Amulet Crossing the Threshold Tests Helpers Climax/Final Battle Flight Return Elixir Flight After accomplishing the mission, the hero must return to the threshold of adventure and prepare for a return to the everyday world. If the hero has angered the opposing forces by stealing the elixir (remedy for ills) or killing a powerful monster, the return may take the form of a hasty flight. If the hero has been given the elixir freely, the flight may be a benign (mild/fortunate) stage of the journey.

Return The hero again crosses the threshold of adventure Birth/Home Call to Adventure Helpers/Amulet Crossing the Threshold Tests Helpers Climax/Final Battle Flight Return Elixir Return The hero again crosses the threshold of adventure and returns to the everyday world of daylight. The return usually takes the form of an awakening, rebirth, resurrection, or a simple emergence from a cave or forest. Sometimes the hero is pulled out of an adventure world by a force from the daylight world.

Elixir The object, knowledge or blessing that the hero Birth/Home Call to Adventure Helpers/Amulet Crossing the Threshold Tests Helpers Climax/Final Battle Flight Return Elixir Elixir The object, knowledge or blessing that the hero acquired during the adventure is now put to use in the everyday world. Often it has a restorative or healing function, but it also serves to define the hero’s role in society.

Home A hero ventures forth from a world of common Birth/Home Call to Adventure Helpers/Amulet Crossing the Threshold Tests Helpers Climax/Final Battle Flight Return Elixir Home A hero ventures forth from a world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from his mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boon (blessing/advantage) on his fellow man.

Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth Cycle Birth/Home Elixir Call to Adventure Helpers/Amulet Return Crossing the Threshold Tests Helpers Flight Climax/Final Battle

Who used the monomyth pattern? The series of Harry Potter books written by J.K. Rowling provide tremendous examples of the the hero's journey.   The Star Wars series written by George Lucas implement the monomyth pattern. This blueprint gave Lucas the focus he needed to draw his sprawling imaginary universe into a single story. Note that the Wachowski Brothers' wonderful film The Matrix is carefully built on the same archetype.

Why study the hero’s journey? Why learn a pattern that dates before recorded history? The answer is simple: we should study it because it's the pattern of human experience, of our experience. We live it now, and we will live it for the rest of our lives. In a sense, every challenge or change we face in life is a journey. Every love found, every love lost, every birth and every death carries the potential of transformation to a new level of understanding. Every move to a new school, job, or city opens the chance to stop being what we were and to start being what we can become. Every situation which confronts us with something new or which forces us to re-evaluate our thinking, behavior or perspective presents us with possibilities for insight and growth.

The journey is a process of self-discovery and self- integration, of maintaining balance and harmony in our lives. As with any process of growth and change, a journey can be confusing and painful, but it brings opportunities to develop confidence, perspective and a new way of being in our world. Understanding the Journey pattern can help us understand the literature we read, the movies we see, and the experiences which shape our life. By recognizing the Journey's stages and how they function, we will develop a sense of the flow of our own experience and be better able to make decisions and solve problems. More importantly, we will begin to recognize our own points of passage and respect the significance they have for us.

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