SOMETIMES THE JOURNEY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE DESTINATION

So, there was this dude named Joseph Campbel. He was a psychologist who studied mainly comparative religion and how mythology (not just Greek mythology) plays into the regular, everyday human experience. In short, he read a lot of different books: social studies, science, literature, plays, religious texts like the bible, the Torah, or the Quran, thought about them, then wrote his own books about these books.

In 1949, he wrote a book called The Hero With A Thousand Faces where he identifies a common pattern in the narrative of traditional stories:

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

There are stories in Greek mythology that serve as his foundation for his critique, but his ideas can be applied to stories throughout our history, including Star Wars, Disney's Hercules, Kung Fu Panda, The Karate Kid, and The Hobbit.

We will be applying Campbell's pattern to The Lightning Thief over the next few weeks, and the Scholars will become well-versed in the stages of The Hero's Journey as they are experienced by Percy (Perseus) Jackson.

The first aspect we will consider and discuss in class is What is a Hero? If you get the chance to discuss this question with your Kellar Scholar, it might be interesting to learn what he or she considers characteristics of a Hero...

Have a wonderful Thursday night!

-Mr. Ridges