Blog Post #8: The Refusal of the Call

What exactly does this stage of the archetypal journey look like?

The hero, hearing the call to the adventure, intially may hesitate, reluctant to leave the comfort and tasks of his/her everyday existence. Why? Perhaps he/she does not see the importance of the call because he/she is engrossed in his/her current life. Perhaps he/she has responsibilities or does not want to leave his/her family.


Ask yourself this: Why are certain steps in the archetypal journey, specifically refusal of the call, significant to contemporary narratives?

SOME POSSIBLE ANSWERS

(So consider if they apply to your novel)

* In your novel, if you have already experienced your hero's call to adventure, and his/her refusal to respond positively to that call, has this refusal frustrated you or the other characters, creating tension in the story?

* The inclusion of the hero's refusal may make him more human and make us further bond with him/her. The refusal may also illustrate the hero's initial frail state, before the transformation occurs in his/her journey.

* The refusal may be linked to an important part of the plot. There may have been some significant conflict (a tragedy or a disturbance) that has occurred. The hero is initially shocked by this, so he/she refuses the call while he/she bargains for some alternative (such as sending someone else).  

YOUR TASK:

Identify the event that represents the refusal of the call in your current novel. Considering the above ideas and reasons, attempt to explain the significance of the event you have identified.  

For your explanation, remember my advice for justifying the importance of an event or character:  simply stating that "if  ____________ would not have been in the story, _______________ would not have happened, or ______________ would not be like this."  This is weak logic and does not show insightful thinking. 

Justify the significance of an element by linking its existence to another element of text (characterization, suspense, reader engagement, plot development, theme etc.)  

Blog Post #7: The Ordinary World

The ordinary world is the place where he or she feels the most comfortable and safe. For example, in the movie Up, Carl's ordinary world, leading up to his journey, includes meeting and marrying his love Ellie, painting the house, working towards the adventure of Paradise Falls, losing a child, but then having to spend the money on other needs. 


 Using a book you are currently reading (or have just finished), describe the protagonist's ordinary world. 

Identify and describe the protagonist and then describe the key elements in his/her ordinary world, including people and objects.

Once you have described the protagonist's ordinary world, select an appropriate image to help convey the character's feelings for the people and objects in their ordinary world , and a direct quotation from the book to help your classmates see how the protagonist reacts to and functions within his or her ordinary world.

Consider how you might answer the following prompts before you select and provide an explanation for the image and quotation:

What pressures exist for the character in his/her ordinary world?
Who creates conflict or peace here?
Which elements create the most or least comfort?
Why is the character reluctant or excited to leave this world behind? etc.....

_________________________________

Make sure that you use the proper citations for this borrowed material (author, title page) for a direct quotation and MLA style bibliography for the image from the Internet (see link for: Easybib).

The MLA style Bibliographic entry for the the house image selected for this page is:"Up! House Image" KSL Radio. KSL.com, 29 Nov. 2011. Web. 01 May 2012.

The proper MLA bibliographic format for citing websites is:

Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access.

Blog Post #6: The Hero

"I am holding out for a Hero..." 

? What Greek myth is mentioned in the first verse of this song? 

? What 90's movie is this originally from? 

____________________________________

____________________________________

During our study of the hero thus far, we 

have looked at the classic definition of the 

hero and applied this to an ancient story, that of a Greek hero.  

This week, talk about the hero of one of your novels - or an emerging hero. What qualities do you see in your protagonist that you might consider to be (or will become) heroic in nature?

Expand your view of what it means to be a hero from our archetypal study; what other qualities do you see in your novel's characters that are heroic?

In an organized paragraph, respond to the prompts above, and include an excerpt from the novel to help you support your claims. Be sure to also include a proper citation. 

A Student Example...

     I see Danny's mother, Catherine as the hero in my book, The Second Trial. She is very strong and independent because she was able to leave and report her abusive husband to the authorities, which can be a difficult thing to do, especially when you have children with that person. She has moved past all that, and even though her son Danny is extremely angry with her for making them move, she continues to fight for a good life.   During a tense argument with her son, readers can see the determination of this mother:  "Catherine closed her eyes and bowed her head.  She looked up at him and half-whispered, 'Please, I don't want to do all this and have to fight you too' " (Boll 102).

     To me, a hero is someone who perseveres through certain struggles and makes a difference, in both his/her life, and in the lives of others.  Her strength, perseverance, and courage are what make her a hero.