Annotation #2

Key points:

The word hero, by definition means “to protect and to serve.” Someone who is willing to sacrifice his or her own needs on behalf of others. The hero’s archetype represents the ego’s search for identity and wholeness. Storytellers instill their characters with widespread qualities so all audiences can identify with them. The hero tends to be the most active person in the script. “Sacrifice is the true mark of a hero.” Heroes show us how to handle death. To be a well-rounded character, they should display a little bit of every archetype to have a complete disposition. Out of the ordinary flaws help the audience relate with the character. Anti anti-hero is usually characterized as an outsider by society although the audience enjoys a character they can sympathize with because everyone feels like an outsider at one point in their life. We also read about loner heroes and how these heroes live in a natural state of solitude. Catalyst heroes generally do not undergo change themselves; their job is to bring about change to other characters. Catalyst Heroes are useful in TV shows and sequels.

            A mentor is usually the wise old man or the wise old woman who develops relationship with the hero of the story. The key function of a mentor is to teach and train the character; a main role of a mentor is to teach and train the hero as they help them overcome obstacles presented. Mentors tend to “plant information” into the character that will help the hero to the climax of the story. “Mentors provide heroes with motivation, inspiration, guidance, training, and gifts for the journey. “ 

 Reflection:

I feel like I understand where a writer is coming from when trying to form a storyline. I understand the reasons for the different archetypes, the reasons for including universal qualities, giving the characters interesting flaws, and the importance of the well-rounded personalities of the different kinds of heroes. It love when I am reading a book or watching a movie and can relate with the quirky flaws that the characters tend to have. I enjoy watching a character grow and overcoming obstacles of love and death. Vogler’s mentions a few times about how we want stories about “real people.” Everyone wants to read about people they can relate to. Everyone can also relate to the idea of mentors. Teachers, parents, friends, and others all “plant” advice and information in us throughout our lives journey but we do not resort to this information until the absolute climax of the situation being encountered. Every hero is guided by someone or something. No one would succeed without the motivation of goals, consequences, or failure. Mentors are the source of motivation for many heroes helping them along the way.

 

Reaction:

A Good Man is Hard to Find brings in many different archetypes. The archetypes O’Conner uses throughout the text make it possible for the readers to relate to the characters. Everyone can relate to the crazy grandmother, and the stern father. We have really not touched on the topic of mentors in class yet.

 

Questions:

 

1. I feel as if Vogler was unclear about inner mentors?

2. What are threshold guardians, heralds, and shapeshifters?

3. I can’t understand how some Mentor’s are still on a hero’s journey of their own? Why would they be considered mentors?