1. HEROES

2. Hero:
n. a person who is admired for brave or noble actions

3. Discuss one of the following terms with a partner in relation to a hero:
Choices
Intentions
Identify
Serve
Character
Honesty
Imitate
Involvement
Justice
Morality
Obligation
Responsibility
Standard
Wisdom

4. Theme and the Oral Tradition pp. 1030-1031 Prentice Hall

5. Consider the following literary forms that arose out of the oral tradition:
Myth
Folk Tale
Legend
Epic

6. Who was reading back then?
Given the amount of people who were illiterate in ancient times, place the oral tradition in its historical context. When we are not reading, what is the purpose of all the stories we consume through other media? How do we experience these stories? You are watching something. What are you watching? What does it say about you?

7. Hero’s Quest:
A clever or brave person undergoes a series of tests or trials while on a search for something of great importance.

8. Archetype:
an element that recurs throughout the literature of different cultures
Examples –
Trickster: a clever person or animal who can fool others but often gets into trouble through curiosity
Monster: a nonhuman or semi-human figure that menaces society and must be destroyed by the hero

9. What makes a hero?

10. Hero’s Journey Formula
12:00 Status Quo 1:00 Call to Adventure 2:00 Assistance 3:00 Departure 4:00 Trials 5:00 Approach 6:00 Crisis
7:00 Treasure 8:00 Result 9:00 Return 10:00 New Life 11:00 Resolution 12:00 Status Quo (but upgraded)

11. Hero’s Journey and Hero’s Quest
Ordinary World
Hero’s Quest
Special World
Status Quo
Call to Adventure
Assistance
Departure (Part-time)
Hero’s Quest
Return (Part -time)
New life
Resolution
Departure (Enter Special World)
Trials
Approach
Crisis
Treasure
Result
Return (Depart Special World)

12. What’s so special about the journey?
Regardless of the time or place, every hero starts from where they are. Think of the hero before and after the quest. How has the hero changed? What is the connection to your own life?

13. “Pecos Bill: The Cyclone” by Harold W. Felton
A tall tale is a type of folk tale that contains some or all of the following features:
a larger-than-life central hero
far-fetched situations and amazing feats
humor
hyperbole, or exaggeration
In general, tall tales tell how humans make things happen.

14. “Perseus” by Edith Hamilton
A myth is an anonymous story that explains:
the actions of gods or human heroes
the reason for certain traditions
causes of natural features
Every culture has its own mythology, or collection of myths. Originally religious in nature, myths often express the central values of the people who created them.
Mythic heroes often share three characteristics:
they have at least one divine parent
they gain special knowledge or weapons
they face seemingly impossible tasks
In general, myths tell how gods shape human life.

15. Tall Tale and Myth Differences
Humor
Ridiculous situations
Traditional story
Heroes with divine parent
Doings of gods
Religious origin

16. Tall Tale and Myth Common Features
Exaggerated events
Larger-than-life heroes
Oral tradition

17. Why is “Pecos Bill” a tall tale?
It is a tall tale because of the larger-than-life central hero and exaggeration, which makes the story humorous.

18. Why is “Perseus” a myth?
It is a myth because it explains the actions of gods, and Perseus is a mythic hero.

19. Hero/Patriarch/Culture
Hero n. a person who is admired for brave or noble actions Patriarch a man who rules a family, clan, or tribe Culture the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time (learned, practiced, and shared)

20. Where do we learn culture?
Family
Friends
Religion
School
Media
Professions
Geography
Food, Music, and Clothing
What is your culture?

21. “The Wizard King” (from France)
A fairy tale is a type of folk tale that contains some or all of the following features:
follows a simple formula
Deals with heroics, adventure, magic, or romance
Frequently contains animal characters with human traits

22. Group Assignment #1
Identify as many of the stages of the hero’s journey as possible in “The Wizard King”. Refer to your notes. In your groups, have one writer record your discoveries on a separate sheet of paper. Don’t forget to write down the names of every group member on the paper.

23. Group Assignment #2
Identify as many of the stages of the hero’s journey as possible in “Perseus”. Refer to your notes. In your groups, have one writer record your discoveries on a separate sheet of paper. Don’t forget to write down the names of every group member on the paper.

24. Group Assignment #3
In the spirit of the oral tradition, construct a living essay in which each group member will verbally present (from memory) a portion of the essay. For example, one person will speak the introduction, another will speak the body paragraph, and another will speak the conclusion. Each group member will need to orally present a portion of the essay. Therefore, if there are four group members, that presentation will include an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Your prompt is the following: Please describe a few stages of the hero’s journey from the stories of “Perseus” and “The Wizard King”. Make sure to use textual evidence to support your answer.