Knowledge Nugget

1)This teaches the need for descriptive writing within a paper to give a sense of reality.

The book, The way of the Peaceful Warrior is a book in which i read a year ago which looks at how a person can overcome their mental problems within which stop them from for filling their potential. The story is about a gymnast who needs to overcome his own mental strains, which are his own mind.

2)The book teaches the reader that their is not always a fairytale ending to a dream.

The movie, Coach Carter showed that their is not always a fairytale ending to a story, in the movie they lose in a game and therefore they do not win the state championship, even after all the things they had been through with there Coach. It was the lessons they learned along the journey which was the most important aspect. Not the final ending.


3)This book also shows how graphical reality can affect the way the reader feels about a situation.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/18187/how_the_movie_crash_illustrates_race.html

Above is a website which looks at how the movie, Crash shows the viewer a graphical image of reality, the issue of Race and Ethnicity.

Annotated Bibliography 143-173

Summary;
Due to the extent of my engagement in the book I was unaware that I included the first section; The Approach to the Inmost Cave, of this weeks reading in my Bibliography last week. Therefore I am going to focus this week’s bibliography on the second section of the assigned reading. This section looks at The Ordeal. Although this section is not the climax to the story it is often the heart of one and is the first time we see our hero face their biggest test yet. This is usually around two thirds of the way through the story and is best described as the crisis not the climax.
Reaction;
In reaction to this section I was extremely intrigued by the death and rebirth section. The secret of the section is that the hero must die so that they can be reborn. This creates a dramatic movement that draws the viewer to both the suspense of the situation and the phenomena of the rebirth. The thing that interested me the most about this section was that it was compared to how we as humans feel our greatest understanding of life when performing near death experiences and we often pay for these. Some of these experiences would include sky diving or bungee jumping, during a story the death and rebirth provides a similar response of emotions and gives the viewer a similar thrill. Further more this experience of death helps the viewer identify with the hero.
Another section that I also found interesting was that villains are heroes of there own stories and the fact that they don’t perceive themselves as what they are doing is wrong means that they are seen by people with the same view point as heroes. This is well defined in the book by the heroes darkness is brightness for the shadow, the arcs of their stories are mirror images.
Overall, this chapter has provided me with some interesting concepts to think about within my own writing and clearly explains one if the most important points of a story.

Questions;
1. Do you agree with increased understanding of life associated with extreme sports, and actions?
2. Can you think of any villains that you have viewed as heroes?
3. Are we as humans draw closer to a character by a near death experience?

Second Sex

The second sex is a book which primarily looks at gender and racial equality. The author takes a very strong stance for the feminine side, she believes that women have been known as the “other” and been unfairly treated by society.

As the book is written with a very feminist stance by the author, it may have come across harsh to the male race but in my opinion if males had been treated as unequal for as long as women had then there would be a sour sense to the book also if a male had wrote it. I believe that men and women should be equal due to the fact that its scientifically proven that both men and women have strengths and weaknesses which are great foils for each of the race.

I did agree with what the author and book were saying, but it is still plain to see that women are unfairly treated in many ways in western culture. Men still tend to have higher paid jobs, etc which could cause concern to the female population who stand up to this problem. It will be interesting to see in 10 years whether men still on average have the higher paid jobs in the USA.

1. What is everyone stories of dying in dreams?
2. How many times have people felt as though they have come back from brink regarding school work?
3. What was everyone's ordeal during the I-search?

Annotated Bibliography Pg 127 – 141

Annotated Bibliography

Summary:

Our reading this week continues through the stages of a story and we take an in depth look at stages crossing the first threshold, Tests; allies and enemies and approaching the inner most cave. The crossing of the first threshold is a very important step for the hero, this is the point were we witness our hero usually commit whole heartedly. This may consist of stepping into an unknown world in which the hero has no choice but to full commit in order to have any chance of success.

Now comes the test; Allies and Enemies. This is the point within a story that we notice the initial contrast in worlds for the hero. The most important part of adapting to this new, special world is the recognition of both enemies’s and allies. Both will be present and it is crucial that the hero is aware of these characters. Once these characters have been recognized the hero is ready to approach the final stage in our reading, the approach to the inner most caves. As the hero approaches the inner most cave they will experience new threshold guardians, agendas and tests. This is essentially the journey to the heart of the story. It is a time where the hero needs all of his/ her skills and is often confronted by supreme terror and wonder therefore it is crucial that the hero keeps his/her wits about them.

Reaction:

Through out the reading we have witnessed what is present and necessary in order for the hero to succeed in the special world. This week’s reading has been all about the adoptions to this special world. I found it interesting when thinking about the initial crossing of the threshold and the changes that occur from entering the special world. I thought about films that I had seen in which I have witnessed this crossing over, and it made me realize that we as the viewer are by now fully committed to the hero’s cause and really feel the sense of journey as we watch the hero travel through a world that is as strange to him/her as it is to us. This sense of unknowing by the hero is met and challenged with a confidence and self assurance that has finally sunk into the hero, this is why they will eventually succeed.

Questions;

How important is the role of the sidekick?

What differences do we notice with the hero when in the special world as opposed to the normal world?

Within your own story, do you see a clear difference between entering the special world and reaching the heart of the crisis?

Annotated Bibliography - Pages 83-105

Annotated Bibliography - Pages 83-105

Summary

After establishing the archetypes, we can now progress into a full understanding of each section of the hero’s journey. As we are already aware the journey begins with stage one: the ordinary world, and then stage two: the call to adventure. These are the two sections that we learn about in this week’s assigned reading. Firstly, “the call to adventure”, we have already developed a basic understanding of the sections however, we are now taken deeper into the section and discuss things such as the opening image, raising the dramatic question and the hero’s inner and outer problems.

The second stage: the call to adventure, which is the section that really paves the way for the story to develop because of this new found energy by the hero. It teaches us, the importance of getting the story rolling; this can be done in many ways; using synchronicity or temptation for example. We are also led to think about the fact that a lot of stories have more than one call, and that there is often a call waiting, so to speak.

Reaction

I found this weeks reading rather monotonous and although every point in both sections is a valid one, I felt as though some were relatively obvious, and would possibly be incorporated unconsciously. This led me to think about the fact that if I would unconsciously know to include a specific section then, I am more aware of the hero’s journey than I may be aware. I was particularly interested in the section, Backstory and Expansion; it was interesting to think about how story’s and films include the backstory in interesting and unimaginative ways. For example, sin city is constantly introducing new hero’s and because of this has to be very creative in order to provide the viewer with enough information to actually take to the hero.

Questions:

1. What is the call to adventure in your story and do you see the transition from the normal world?

2. Think of a film or story that has an interesting backstory, and explain how it works?

3. Can you think of any examples where stage two: the call to adventure comes before stage one: the ordinary world?

Revising Draft

Strengths
1. I thought that the journey had physical and mental issues which I thought was good because it showed to differing journeys.
2. I thought I made it readable for people who are not familiar with soccer in the US, making changes to words and paragraphs so its easier to read.

Weaknesses
1. I thought I could improve the detail in the important sections of the journey, so the reader could get more of a feel for the environment and my feelings. I will do this by unpacking my thoughts more.
2. I need to improve the development of my journey during the "recovery" stage, so the reader can understand the journey, i will do this by being more descriptive sections.

Annotated Bibliography Pg 49-80

Summary

This part of the book looked at the Threshold Guardian, who tests the figure to see if they can pass the threshold to success. Heralds act to bring a challenge or turning point to the hero during their journey. The Shapeshifter looks to make change in the journey bring tension to the story, helping change the picture of the journey to make it look like something else. Shadows are the challenges we face and try and get rid of, they can be within our minds or physical. The Trickster Archetype can be a sidekick or someone who is in the background but makes a significant contribution to the journey.

Reaction

After reading about the different Archetypes, I now realize that there are many different factors that contribute to the journey of just one person, and how the actions of different characters can shape a persons path in any way. While writing my first draft I realized, like the reading that their were many people who were involved in my journey and after reading this section and having the types named and explained I can put them into positions in my own story.

Reflection

As I said above, I found that the Archetypes had a good parallel to my own journey and our first project, I especially liked the Archetype of the Shadow, this in my mind represented a great closeness to my own mental story within my journey and I enjoyed reading about this part of the archetype.

Questions

Which Archetype best suited your journey in project one?

How does the different Archetypes affect your thinking about movies and how you look at different characters roles?

Do you have any Shadow Archetypes in your Story, if so, what?