Level(s): Grades 11 - 12
Overview
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The place of the hero in our modern lives is a site of struggle. On the one hand, the hero's quest can have meanings for individuals who seek to understand their own journey through life. On the other hand, the hero can be seen as a repository of those values esteemed by the society. The study of the hero as social icon offers the student an opportunity to reflect on and critique the dominant reading of the hero, as well as to consider oppositional readings.
In this lesson, students will be introduced to the work of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell and will have the opportunity to apply these theories to the examination of heroes.
(Note: Teachers should replace any movies and heroic figures who no longer seem relevant with more recent examples.)
Objectives
To enable students to:
- differentiate between a classical hero, modern hero and a celebrity.
- identify the stages of the heroic quest.
- identify the dominant ideology of the culture as exemplified by a hero, and to negotiate an oppositional reading.
- see the application of the quest motif to their own lives.
- understand the role of the villain as the dark side of the hero, and the repository or reflection of the fears and concerns of society.
- appreciate variations of the heroic journey in different film genres.
- predict future manifestations of the heroic archetype.
- analyze critically the impact of technology both on our notions of the hero or the heroic, and on the values of our society.
Preparation and Materials
Photocopy the following student handouts:
The Lessons
Day One: Introduction
Group Discussion:
- With students, brainstorm a list of heroes. Ask them to identify the qualities that a hero should possess.
- Invite students to define the difference between a hero and a celebrity. Provide students with the Hero or Celebrity? handout and a list of public figures. Have them identify which figures are heroes, and which are celebrities.
Small Group Activities for Studying Celebrity
Create a collage incorporating at least ten celebrity images. Based on your selection, write a definition of a celebrity.
Choose one member of your group to be "School Celebrity for a Day." Come up with five marketing strategies to promote your "celebrity." (This is also an opportunity for your class to discuss the nature of hype and image creation.)
(Note: These activities may take more than one class.)
Days Two - Five: Elements of the Heroic Journey
Guided Discussion:
Both Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell argue that there is a pattern to the heroic journey that can be traced through most myths. While there may be minor variations in their descriptions, the basic pattern of the journey or quest is quite similar. It can be outlined as follows:
Birth: the hero is usually of humble origin or comes from a disadvantaged situation. The hero is not "ready made" for great adventure.
Discovery of destiny and/or initiation to quest: the hero either discovers that he has a special calling or that something has occurred that necessitates his leaving on the quest. (Note: While there are some female heroes, they are few and far between. It's worth discussing why that is so.)
The quest: the hero sets out on a journey that is both a physical movement from one place to another and an interior journey in which the hero usually grows in wisdom, maturity or insight. On this journey, the hero will meet with temptation, have obstacles to overcome and foes to vanquish. Often, the hero finds a "wise man" who helps him to achieve his goal.
Romance: on the journey, the hero will meet his romantic counterpart, his "ideal" partner, either along the way or as the goal of the quest.
The goal and the journey home: the hero achieves his goal and in that process comes to a better understanding of himself. The hero then returns home where his exploits and courage are celebrated.
Have students tell the story of the origin of a well known hero (e.g., Superman, Spiderman, Batman) or, if they are familiar with myth and have access to myth texts, they might try to trace the journey of a mythic hero such as Hercules or Perseus. Ask the following questions:
- What similarities do you see among the stories?
- What differences do you see?
- Do you see a pattern? If so, can you describe its features? (At this point, it would be useful either to trace the pattern of a heroic journey on the board, or to provide them with The Heroic Journey student handout.)
- Some people who study myth and psychology see similarities between the hero's journey and our own individual lives/journeys. Do you agree or disagree? Why? (Optional activity: have students complete The Hero in You student handout)
At this point, it might be useful to show a film that deals with mythical characters, and to invite students to see if they can find the quest patterns. (Examples might include films such as: Clash of the Titans or Excalibur or television programs like The Adventures of Sinbad or Xena the Warrior Princess). The viewing and follow-up activities will probably take two or three periods. If you are dealing with students capable of sophisticated analysis, it would be interesting to see if they can identify archetypes usually associated with the quest (e.g., the wise old man, the trickster, the goddess, the witch, the damsel). Handout four, Independent Film Viewing will assist students in a careful analysis of the film.
Day Six: Villains
Class Discussion:
- In most films, whom do you find more interesting, the hero or the villain? Why?
- List all the great villains that you can remember. What made them so memorable?
Small Group Activity
Guided Discussion: Some people see the villain as representing the dark side of the hero. According to psychologist Carl Jung, each of us has a dark side or shadow to our personality. With this idea in mind, examine the journey and characteristics of a hero such as Batman. (Batman was selected since most students are familiar with either the comic book or the movie; an option would be to show excerpts from the film.)
While some people see villains as representing the dark side of the hero, others see him as representing the fears of those watching the film. For example, in the 1970s Dirty Harry movies, the villains were those who, while extremely violent and dangerous, managed to slip through the justice system. Dirty Harry was society's avenger. This theme continues today in movies like Terminator, Robocop and Lethal Weapon.
Consider what it was like to be a teenager in your parents' era.
- What do you think their biggest fears were for their society?
- Are theirs any different than yours?
- Explain the similarities and differences.
Writing Task: In one to two pages, describe a truly frightening villain for today. Consider the following in your description:
- What has he or she done to make him/her so villainous?
- What personality characteristics does he/she exhibit that the audience would find so repellent?
- Provide a brief history of the villain's life.
- Describe the villain's physical characteristics. (You might even want to draw the villain; you need not be an artist.) Be attentive to the type of clothes the villain wears.
- Would he/she have an accent? a physical deformity? be from a particular country?
- How does this villain represent what we, as a society, fear?
Days Seven and Eight: Heroes of Our Time
Independent Film Viewing
Using the Independent Film Viewing handout as a guide, have students select and watch a film on their own. Ideally, the films chosen should reflect a variety of genres. The students' task is twofold:
- Map the heroic journey.
- Explain what it is the hero is struggling to overcome. (If it is a specific villain, what are the villain's qualities that might reflect the fears of the audience and/or the dark side of the hero?)
Group Work
- Have students gather in genre groups -- for example, westerns, vigilante films -- to compare findings. Ask them to complete Jigsaw Activity: Expert Group Questions.
- Next, jigsaw the groups so that a new group is formed, consisting of one person who watched a western, another a vigilante film, another a science fiction movie, etc. in order to compare findings. Ask them to complete their Jigsaw Activity: Cross-Genre Worksheet. (A list of films by genre is included in the student handout, Film Genres).
Days Nine to Twelve: Future Directions for the Hero
Ask students:
Are films such as Robocop or Terminator in the tradition of the hero? How can they be said to be heroes?
Do they indicate a new development in the tradition?
After obtaining permission, show either of these films in class. The following questions might spark an interesting discussion after the film:
- What are the qualities that make a Robocop or Terminator heroic?
- Can a machine be said to be heroic?
- If machines are our heroes, are human heroes "seconds," and no longer important?
- Does this suggest anything about a trend in our society's values?
- What are the enemies against whom they do battle?
- What fears do you think they represent for most people?
- Why is a Robocop or Terminator better able to deal with them than your average human hero?
Creative Writing Assignment: complete student handout The Hero of the Twenty-First Century or script and videotape your version of the heroic quest.
Evaluation
Group work: celebrity activity, jigsaw 30%
Independent work: film worksheet, film
viewing assignment 20%
Writing: "Villain of the 90's" response paper,
hero essay, script for journey 35%
Peer evaluation 15%
Bibliography
Biallis, Leonard. Myths, Gods, Heroes and Saviours. Mystic, Conn.: Twenty Third Publications, 1986.
Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton University Press, 1949.
Campbell, Joseph with Bill Moyers. The Power of Myth. Toronto: Doubleday, 1988.
Corliss, Richard. "Half a Terrific Terminator". Time. July 8, 1991, pp.45 46.
Hall, Calvin S. and Vernon J. Nordby. A Primer of Jungian Psychology. New York: New American Library, 1973.
Jung, Carl G. Man and His Symbols. New York: Dell Publishing, 1964.
McConnell, Frank. Storytelling and Mythmaking. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979.
Schickel, Richard. Intimate Strangers. New York: Fromm Publishing Corp., 1985.
