Comments from Peer Review

I learned a lot from what my peer editor gave me for advice.  It is hard to edit your own papers in certain areas of the rubric because I personally know the whole story, I know what I want the reader to get so when I read my own paper I have a bias because I think oh I learned this from my experience because of this event.  I might understand but my peer editor showed me that sometimes it is hard for a total outsider to understand what the theme or point of the story is.  I also know that I need to work more on my transitions between paragraphs to make the story flow better, leaving no room for the reader to have to make leaps to comprehend my story.  I also benefited from my editors comment that I should use a better choice of words, to open up my vocabulary to let the reader feel more emotion by using certain words, also to make the story more interesting and exciting to read, you never know you might teach someone a new word.  All together I really like the peer review process and I think it really helped me develop my paper better.  

Vogler, Annoted 4

Summary:
In the Volger reading he went through and explained the meaning and importance of the ordinary world.  He also explained each section in a story, and its purpose.  Some stories have a prologue which is a section in the beginning of the story that gives the audience background information about the hero’s ordinary world, life before he/she is called to adventure.  Not all stories have a prologue, some stories the title or the opening image tells the audience all they need to know about the story, and the hero’s background.  Volger also talks about the importance of the contrast between the ordinary world and the special world.  The example given is about the Wizard of Oz, how the Dorothy’s ordinary world is in black and white where the special world is in bright vibrant colors.  Vogler also states that it is important for the hero to have an inner and outer problem, the purpose of the problems are to give the character some way to relate to the audience, that the audience has been in the characters same position. If there is only an outer problem it makes it harder for the audience to connect with the hero.  Vogler states that every character no matter what role they play in the story must have an exciting entrance, one that speaks to the characters personality.  Once the audience has connected with the hero either through the opening scene and identification then the story gets started.  The hero is usually called to adventure when he loses something important in his life such as a family member or some type of subtraction from his/ her family.  This is called the hero’s lack.  Another way in which Volger says that the audience can connect with the hero is by wounding the hero.  To humanize the hero or any character give him or her a wound, a visible, physical, injury or a deep emotional wound.  The wound allows the audience to understand the pain the hero is going through and shows the audience that heroes can get hurt and not everything is perfect for them.  Another important development in a story is establishing what is at stake for the hero if he succeeds, or fails in his mission and what his success or failure means to himself and the hero’s society.  Vogler also talked about the use of the herald in the story and how they are responsible for getting the story rolling. 

 

Reflection:
I am having a hard time determining what is the ordinary world and what is the special world in the story A Good Man is Hard to Find.  I think that the special world is while the family is driving in the car and meet the convicts.  I also feel as though the videos we watch in class on Fridays are like a special world, with the way the society and women were treated and what was expected of them compared to today’s world as the ordinary.  The way the women didn’t have to work, and how life almost seemed like a dating show, where everyday men were looking to court women into marriage, and the women looked pretty and were educated.  It is obviously that in the story The Offshore Pirate, that the ordinary world was New York, and the special world was on the boat. However insisde the special world I felt that there was almost an ordinary world, which was on the boat with Ardita’s uncle and the second special world was when Ardita was on the boat with Carlyle. 

Reaction:
I understand the ordinary and special world but I also feel like these worlds are not only seen in movies, fairy tales, novels, and myths but also in real life.  I think that in every movies, novel, myth, and fairy tale there is a special and ordinary world, I think what if such a work had an absence of the special world then the audience would have nothing to compare the ordinary world to.  The special world and the ordinary world are what show the audience that the hero is going through a change.  One can tell this by comparing the way the hero is portrayed in the ordinary world before he enters the special world and then comparing the way the hero is portrayed after he enters the special world and returns to the ordinary.  I personally think that the prologue makes sense and I understand why it is in a book, or movie but as a reader I personally hate reading them.  I am so interested in the story that I want to just read the story, and I am no one for reading so having to read the extra prologue, aggravates me sometimes, but it does help me understand what is going on while I am reading a book or watching a movie.  I feel like the title is the hook, of the story of the movie before one has read or watched the work.  If the title is good one is going to be interested and intrigued and want to watch or read the work. 

 

Questions:
1. Why does a hero need to have an inner and outer problem in order for the audience to connect well with them? 
2. What other problems can initiate the hero’s call to adventure other then the death or kidnapping of a family member?
3. What is the difference between an action question and a dramatic question?

 

Vogler, Annoted 4

Summary:
In the Volger reading he went through and explained the meaning and importance of the ordinary world.  He also explained each section in a story, and its purpose.  Some stories have a prologue which is a section in the beginning of the story that gives the audience background information about the hero’s ordinary world, life before he/she is called to adventure.  Not all stories have a prologue, some stories the title or the opening image tells the audience all they need to know about the story, and the hero’s background.  Volger also talks about the importance of the contrast between the ordinary world and the special world.  The example given is about the Wizard of Oz, how the Dorothy’s ordinary world is in black and white where the special world is in bright vibrant colors.  Vogler also states that it is important for the hero to have an inner and outer problem, the purpose of the problems are to give the character some way to relate to the audience, that the audience has been in the characters same position. If there is only an outer problem it makes it harder for the audience to connect with the hero.  Vogler states that every character no matter what role they play in the story must have an exciting entrance, one that speaks to the characters personality.  Once the audience has connected with the hero either through the opening scene and identification then the story gets started.  The hero is usually called to adventure when he loses something important in his life such as a family member or some type of subtraction from his/ her family.  This is called the hero’s lack.  Another way in which Volger says that the audience can connect with the hero is by wounding the hero.  To humanize the hero or any character give him or her a wound, a visible, physical, injury or a deep emotional wound.  The wound allows the audience to understand the pain the hero is going through and shows the audience that heroes can get hurt and not everything is perfect for them.  Another important development in a story is establishing what is at stake for the hero if he succeeds, or fails in his mission and what his success or failure means to himself and the hero’s society.  Vogler also talked about the use of the herald in the story and how they are responsible for getting the story rolling. 

 

Reflection:
I am having a hard time determining what is the ordinary world and what is the special world in the story A Good Man is Hard to Find.  I think that the special world is while the family is driving in the car and meet the convicts.  I also feel as though the videos we watch in class on Fridays are like a special world, with the way the society and women were treated and what was expected of them compared to today’s world as the ordinary.  The way the women didn’t have to work, and how life almost seemed like a dating show, where everyday men were looking to court women into marriage, and the women looked pretty and were educated.  It is obviously that in the story The Offshore Pirate, that the ordinary world was New York, and the special world was on the boat. However insisde the special world I felt that there was almost an ordinary world, which was on the boat with Ardita’s uncle and the second special world was when Ardita was on the boat with Carlyle. 

Reaction:
I understand the ordinary and special world but I also feel like these worlds are not only seen in movies, fairy tales, novels, and myths but also in real life.  I think that in every movies, novel, myth, and fairy tale there is a special and ordinary world, I think what if such a work had an absence of the special world then the audience would have nothing to compare the ordinary world to.  The special world and the ordinary world are what show the audience that the hero is going through a change.  One can tell this by comparing the way the hero is portrayed in the ordinary world before he enters the special world and then comparing the way the hero is portrayed after he enters the special world and returns to the ordinary.  I personally think that the prologue makes sense and I understand why it is in a book, or movie but as a reader I personally hate reading them.  I am so interested in the story that I want to just read the story, and I am no one for reading so having to read the extra prologue, aggravates me sometimes, but it does help me understand what is going on while I am reading a book or watching a movie.  I feel like the title is the hook, of the story of the movie before one has read or watched the work.  If the title is good one is going to be interested and intrigued and want to watch or read the work. 

 

Questions:
1. Why does a hero need to have an inner and outer problem in order for the audience to connect well with them? 
2. What other problems can initiate the hero’s call to adventure other then the death or kidnapping of a family member?
3. What is the difference between an action question and a dramatic question?

 

Strengths and improvement

Strengths:
1. I think that my first paragraph is a strong paragraph because it is telling my reader who I am and what I am going to tell them in my personal memoir.
Improvements:
1. I think though that I need to have a better first few sentences to have a better opening to my personal memoir.
Strengths:
2. That I have all my ideas laid out for the reader, but I need to improve my vocabulary to make my ideas come across in a stronger way, but the ideas and information I have is good.
Improvements:
2. I need to make sure my reader doesn't have to make leaps and jumps to understand what I am trying to say, my reader shouldn't have to work to connect my story. I need to transition better to help them see my point of my memoir.

Annoted 3

Summary:  The reading for this week, explained each other archetype in detail, and how each archetype is useful in creating a story and what each archetype brings to a story and how they are important to stories.  The threshold guardian’s dramatic function and purpose in a story is to test the hero in the story.  The hero must pass by the threshold guardian by overcoming the obstacle put in place by the guardian in order to finish the mission the hero set out on. Next Vogler talked about the Herald. The herald is known as the spark that sets off the war, they issue a challenge to the hero and also notify the audience that a change and adventure is about to occur.  The herald gets the story rolling and motivates the hero.  Another, archetype is the shapshifter, the shapeshifter is an unstable character, usually of the opposite sex of the hero or a hero romantic interest, that changes constantly from the hero’s point of view.  Usually in stories the shapshifter is also called the femme fatale, the woman as temptress or destroyer.  Another archetype is the shadow.  The shadow’s purpose is to destroy or defeat and sometimes kill the hero.  The shadow is usually seen in the hero’s enemies, or appears in the villain in the story.  One other archetype is the Ally.  The ally can serve a variety of necessary functions such as companion, sparring partner, conscience, or comic relief.  The ally’s true purpose in stories is to humanize the hero.  Lastly, there is the trickster.  The trickster’s function in the story is to cut the big egos down to size and bring the hero and audience down to earth.  The trickster can either help the hero or villain or even be the hero, such as in the turtle and the hare. 

 

Reaction: The reading really explained how each archetype is important to a story and why it is necessary to know what each characters function is, which allows, me the audience to understand the story and also me the author to help my audience understand the message it want to send to my audience.   This reading pieced everything together and really explained some stories, I would never have thought of certain characters like the turtle mentioned in the trickster section as a hero, with out the description from the book I would never had thought about that simply children’s story in that way.  Vogler made it so that each archetype he talked about fit together and helped explain why stories make sense, if these archetypes were not talked about and analyzed it would much harder for myself to sit and write a story.  Vogler showed me what elements a story needs to make the audience understand and enjoy to story. 

 

Reflection: When I look back on the Indian Camp story I think about what archetype fits with each character, and I had a hard time placing an archetype with the unborn child’s father.  Also, I believe that if the uncle was the father he is the villain, but I also seeing god being the villain for causing the woman to have such a long and hard labor.  As for the little boy I think he fits with the archetype of the ally, I think that the threshold guardian and herald was the woman giving birth, the birth was the obstacle and the spark that set off the war.  I really feel that a character identifies with a different archetypes sometimes depending on whom the audience is and who the narrator is.  If a little boy was narrating the story of Indian Camp almost like he was telling his friends what he saw and how he helped his dad to the friend he little boy would look like the hero. 

Question:

1. What is the difference between the threshold guardian and the herald?

2. These are not all of the archetypes, the author decides which to use does he have to use all of these in order for the story to flow smoothly or can he use completely different archetypes?

3. Not every reader or audience member is familiar with these archetypes, I wasn't before, does that make if harder for the author to get his message across and harder for me as an audience member to follow the story?

Hero's Journey Chart

The Hero’s Journey Chart
Separation
Ordinary World- Describe the character’s world before the adventure begins.			Played soccer for 12 years without sustaining any serious injury. Started every varsity game since freshmen year Never had trouble or was held back from trying new skills or executing drills Never felt defeated or like you couldn’t reach my dream
Call to Adventure: How does the character receive the call to adventure? This is usually presented in a problem, challenge or adventure			I received my call to adventure when the other goalkeeper took me out. Had to learn how to get around on my crutches and perform normal everyday tasks such as going to the bathroom with help, bathing with help getting dressed with help, making myself something to eat, carrying things and concentrating on getting healthy.  Also not being about to wear normal clothes because my leg brace prohibited the clothing I could wear.  Also always being exhausted, sore and achy.   Loosing my scholarship to UNC Chapel Hill.
Refusal of the Call: Does the character accept the call immediately? Does the character express reluctance?			I didn’t accept the call immediately I was depressed and thought my dreams and hopes had been shattered.  I didn’t have the motivation to try or want to try or want to succeed I just thought everything was over and that I would never have the same life again. Never be able to play sports or exercise the same way.  I had totally given up.
Answering the Call: What motivates the character to accept the call?			When I realized that I only had one year left to play soccer at a competitive level I couldn’t give up the opportunity and let someone else take my place on the field.  Seeing other people recover and play again motivated me that I could do the rehab and be ready to play in the fall.
Guide/Mentor: Is there a specific character that helps the hero understand the life situation or provides the hero with special training?			My doctors, rehabilitation therapists, my team, my family, and friends all guided me to get healthy.  My mental mentor telling me that I can play the same again was my mom.  I couldn’t disappoint her; she wanted to watch me play just as badly as I wanted to play.  I couldn’t let her down by not trying to get healthy and not giving it my all.
Crossing the Threshold: At what point in the story does the hero leave the familiar world and move into a new, unfamiliar circumstance?			When I was part way through my recover, when I tried to touch the ball again It took me months to actually get to a low level of play.  I entered the unfamiliar world when I moved to a team of girls who were five years younger than me in order to practice my skills without feeling nervous of not competing at the same level I used to.
SEPERATION
Road of Trials: What specific challenges does the hero face? Tests, allies, and enemies?	The tests that I had to go though were if my muscles could function the same way and if my muscles were fully stretched and attached and that my body accepted them.  My allies would be there other teenagers who were suffering form the same injury I was and how we helped each other and showed each other our progress, everyone looked up to someone else and was determined to meet the standards that they set and to reach the position that they were at in their recovery.  My enemies would be my doctors, because they would not clear me to play at the beginning of my season since I wasn’t healed all the way.  With a litter persuasion I was able to get them to sign my consent form.  My other enemies are also the ugly disfiguring scars that I have on my knees, and learned to cope with the way they looked.
Meeting with the Goddess: Does the hero meet with a character with special beauty and power?			I think my goddess would be my physical therapist since she had the magic touch to always making my pain go away and for giving me the information, tools and her devoted time to helping me get better.
Ordeal- Meeting with the goddess, woman as temptress, atonement with the father
Atonement (“at one with”) with or Recognition by the Father: Is the hero reunited with his or her father or a father figure in some way? Does the hero reconcile his or her beliefs or values with another’s beliefs or values?			My dad lives in North Carolina and I live in New Hampshire.  A month after my surgery I went to visit him for thanksgiving he was so surprised and proud of me that I was able to travel alone and handle everything that I needed to handle to come and see him for the holidays.  My dad had hip surgery because he was in a car accident when he was little and also suffered from Leg Perthes disease when he was little so he opened me up to his thoughts and values of how to handle the life long scars and memories.  He showed me that it was okay to feel a little down but that no matter what it took you have to pick yourself back up and move on with your life, no matter how drastically different it may or may not be.
Ultimate Boon / Magic Elixir: Does the hero find some special solution to the problem he or she is attempting to resolve? This might be a magic potion or a key to something.			I think the magic that helped me find a solution was when I played in my first game back, against the same team that I was playing when I tore my acl and being able to still play against the goalkeeper and not being terrified.  Also wearing a six-pound brace solved the problem that my muscles were still not strong enough to play at my full potential.  It did restrict some of my movement and how fast I was able to run but the fact that I could run and keep up with the play was like magic to me.
RETURN
Refusal of the Return: Does the hero initially refuse to return to the homeland or the place that he or she   began the journey?			I didn’t want to play again because I was afraid of embarrassing myself by not being able to play as well as I had before.  I was also petrified that I would re-tear my alc or reinjure myself by trying to play when my knee wasn’t strong enough.  I also had no self confidence that I would be able to play at the same level prior to my injury.
Magic Flight / Pursuit: Is there some point (generally toward the end) where the hero is being chased or is otherwise trying to escape something?	I was trying to escape the pains that I felt every time I ran or played.  It took me a long time to get used to the pain and how to handle it.  I couldn’t escape playing the game because I couldn’t let my family and team down so I had to escape the fear and pain that was holding me back.
Rescue from Without: Is there some point when all seems hopeless, when it looks like the hero is going to die, then suddenly he or she is rescued unexpectedly?			When my doctor refused to sign my consent form to let me start playing again.  When I was well over the amount of recovery time needed and I still couldn’t complete basic tasks.  When my therapist told me that she would do everything she could to get my doctor to sign my release form including her coming to my house and just kicking the ball around with me or running with me at the gym so that I could get ready to play, just out of the goodness of her heart, she didn’t ask to be paid or for anything in return she just wanted to me get healthy and play again.
Crossing the Return Threshold: Is there some point where the hero clearly returns “home”?			When I started and played almost the whole time of my first game back.  Also as the season went on that I played the whole game and almost at the point where I used to play before my injury.
Master of Two Worlds: Does it appear that the hero has conquered life in both the familiar and unfamiliar worlds?			Yes I was able to eventually take care of my self, and perform everyday tasks like using the bathroom alone, bathing alone, getting dressed alone, making myself something to eat and carrying my own backpack and not having to leave early from every class to take the time to get to the next one.  Not being 3 months behind in school in order to take the time I needed to get healthy.
Freedom to Live: Since the hero typically begins the journey to resolve a problem, does it appear the problem is at last resolved so that all can live freely?			Yes I was able to play soccer again my mom could watch me play and I had regained most of my self-confidence.  I think I finally resolved my problem and finished my journey when I was able to wear   skirts or shorts that revealed my scars.  Also being able to wear normal clothes not having to wear sweatpants or wind pants because my jeans wouldn’t fit over my leg brace.

Vogler Reading and Annotation #2

Summary:  The passage that was assigned focused on the archetypes of characters in fairy tales, myths, and stories in general.  There are eight archetypes that occur most frequently in stories.  Those eight archetypes are a hero, mentor, threshold guardian, herald, shapeshifter, shadow, ally, and trickster.  The hero has a psychological function which Freud called the ego.  The hero also goes through dramatic functions such as audience identification, allowing the audience to identify with the hero.  The hero is considered a hero because he undergoes growth, either between a hero and a mentor, a hero and a lover, or even between a hero and a villain.  A hero should be fully active, and in control of his own fate.  He hero is responsible for performing the decisive action of the story, the action that requires taking the most risks.  A hero cannot be a hero if he is not willing to sacrifice his own well-being for the well-being of others.  Every hero has to come close to death and in some cases actually die.  The hero’s flaws are a starting point of imperfection or incompleteness from which a character can grow.  Heroes can be unwilling or willing.  Also you can have an anti-hero, which is a special kind of hero, one who can be an outlaw or villain from the point of view of society, but with whom the audience is basically in sympathy.  There are also loner and group heroes.  The former who is alone to start with then who travels into a group’s normal turf then he returns to isolation.  The latter starts within a group, who then travels out to be alone and who sometimes returns to their starting place.  The reading also talks about what role a mentor plays throughout the story.  A mentor can be an old mad or an old woman. The mentor gives the hero tools and powers he needs to succeed throughout his journey.  The mentor also motivates the hero, and there are dark mentors who block the hero’s path of continuing their journey.

 

Reaction-While I was reading this section I found many things to be interesting.  I was a little confused as to how a mentor can be a dark mentor.  I always think of a mentor as a person who guides, motivates and helps a hero.  I also found it interesting that the word mentor comes from The Odyssey.  As for heroes I thought that a catalyst hero is more like a mentor, at least in the case of Beverly Hills Cop.  I think that if a person doesn’t understand and undergo change in their selves that they are more of mentors then heroes.  I think that if a character has no flaws then they have nothing to change, which eliminates two of the keys elements in being a hero.  Also the fact that a hero can be unwilling confuses me.  If a hero is unwilling then they don’t have the passion or desire to complete the journey.  I think at first a hero might be unwilling but as time progresses and they change they become more willing. 

 

Reflection- Looking back on movies and stories a have seen or read I understand that even the littlest points of a story make the story.  If you were to change who the mentor or hero was as a person or how the identified with the audience the whole story could turn out differently.  Every element of a story has to be fulfilled in order to allow the story to flow smoothly and entertain the audience.  The fact that the reading for Wednesday’s class didn’t have many of the elements made that story just as interesting.  The story needs to have either all the elements of none of the elements any story in between just wouldn’t be complete.  Every character needs to take on many different archetypes, which allow the character to relate to the audience.  Not just the hero needs to relate to the audience, if only the hero relates to the audience the audience will not be able to identify with the story as a whole. 

 

Questions-

1.Can a group-oriented hero ever remain or turn into a loner hero if they don’t return to their home?

2. Does the type of hero determine the type or mentor and vice versa?

3. If a hero is supposed to possess multiple archetypes, can he ever turn evil and not complete his takes and in fact make the world worse?

Vogler Chapter 1 Annoted

Danielle Grant

February 2, 2009

Vogler Pages 1-20

 

 

Summary- Chapter one is focused around the journey of a hero.  Also, chapter one mentions Joseph Campbell’s contributions to the writer’s tool kit, and how he used these tools to write and tell stories.  His ideas were spread to movie producers, and editors.  In addition, Campbell’s tools were used to draw ideas from past stories or myths to form new and fresh stories.  The way to captivate an audience with one’s story is to clearly depict the hero’s journey from despair to hope, weakness to strength, folly to wisdom, or love to hate.  A hero’s journey is mad up of 12 stages including: ordinary world, call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting with the mentor, crossing the first threshold, test, allies, enemies, approach to the inmost cave, ordeal, reward, the road back, resurrection and return with the elixir which the hero goes though in 3 acts. 

 

 

Reaction- I found it interesting that Vogler references the hero as a “her” rather than as a “he”.  When most people think of a super hero they think of a man because they are assumed to be stronger and accompanied with a safe place.  I learned a lot of little tips such as when showing a fish out of his customary element an author first must show the fish in that ordinary world.  I know it sounds weird but I never exactly thought that all stories and movies have the same outline.  Every movie or story has each of the twelve elements needed to form a smooth transitional book. I was surprised to read that every hero has a fear, when I think of a hero I think of a fearless person risking everything they have only to help others in need and better the world.

 

 

Reflection-I feel as if I haven’t been reading book efficiently enough because I never caught on to the fact that all books, movies and myths have the same outline.  When I look back on the books mentioned in Vogler such as Star Wars, An Officer and a Gentlemen and The Wizard of Oz I wonder why I never saw the connection between the three books.   I also thought it was really strange that non fiction and fiction also follow the same outline.   I also think that Carl Jung’s theory makes a lot of sense, in which humans relate to characters.  By the character having traits that most people can relate to allows the audience to be able to connect with the movie on a personal level.  This connection makes the story seem more realistic and meaningful to the audience. 

 

 

 

1.     Can you think of a story that does not follow the 12 elements of a Hero’s journey?

2.     Can you think of a story where a hero was halted at the fifth element of crossing the first threshold?

3.     Can a story be complete if it doesn’t meet the twelve elements of a story?

Character Exploration Super Hero-Wonder Woman

Danielle Grant

February 2, 2009

Character Exploration

 

 

 

            I chose Wonder Woman as the super hero that I identify best with.  I feel I identify with Wonder Woman because like Wonder Woman I am a little nosy and like to search for the truth.  Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth is what she would used to force people to tell her the truth.  Also, Wonder Woman wore bulletproof bracelets to protect her and one of my favorite accessories is a bracelet.  In addition, I identify with Wonder Woman because she is a feminine super hero; she is tough, strong minded and an enthusiastic fighter.  I am a girly girl but I have a tomboy side, I participated in Tae Kwon Do for 2 years and I enjoyed learning about the different types of self-defense techniques and martial arts.  In conclusion, her costume is patriotic which I am as well.  Wonder Woman supported the army during World War II, I can now identify with her support of our troops because of the War in Iraq.  Wonder Woman I believe is a good character to look up to because she is all about seeking the truth and understanding of the world.