The Odyssey as a Hero Journey Essays -- Odyssey Hero Heroes Essays

tot bothy of us take up similar experiences. We sh atomic number 18 in the life journey ofgrowth, development, and transformation. We live the selfsame(prenominal) storiesthetrappings capacity be different, the twists and turns that createsuspense might be different from culture to culture, the particularcharacters may take different forms, but underneath it all(a), its thesame story, drawn from the same experiences(Linda Seger, CreatingMyth, 1).All people bet trials and tribulations throughout their life. Thus,what defines one from ones fellow human beings is not the trialsthemselves, but how one overcomes the challenges along the journey, aswell as the mental and physical littleons one learns from theactions engaged. poor boyes, as depicted in literature, often face thesame trials the commonality man must face, and learn the same lessons, buttheir actions, reactions, and events argon magnified to mythicproportions. Thus, the common man and the mythic hero both follow whatJ oseph Campbell calls The Heros Journey, which is used as a tool todescribe the framework for numerous of the most famous myths of all time.While the story of the Journey first manifested itself in the ancientmyths and legends, it is still relevant to contemporary society, thebasis for almost all of the books and plays we read. For example,J.R.R. Tolkiens, The Hobbit, an epic fantasy risk in which BilboBaggins, the connection for the reader to the fantastical world thebook takes place in, is called to action and set in motion on his HeroJourney by Gandalf, a wizard. Another example of a famous mythfollowing this archetypal framework is The Odyssey. Homers epicstory, The Odyssey, of the hero Odysseus and his son Telemakhosfollows closely the cycle of Joseph Campbells Hero Journey, assummarized by Linda Seger, both as a physical and psychologicalundertaking.The hero journey begins with a catalyst get into the heros life, thatcalls him to adventure. The hero must be summoned on his j ourney bysome force, either external (the will of another person) or internal,(the need for self-growth). The call is followed by the heros refusalto leave a off the hook(predicate) place, such as his home. He must be convinced that theundertaking is worthwhile, and must then, and only then, after he hasagree to take the journey, embark on it.Odysseus journey begins twenty years prior to... ...hysical prowess,but learns the psychological lessons of survival. Using these lessonshe can climb above the rest, a more mature and undefendable man, able touse all of his abilities together to lift himself and those around himcloser to impressiveness. Thus is Odysseus truly a hero, as are all thosewho would strive for greatness in themselves and peace and justice fortheir homeland and family. The cosmogonic cycle is now to be carriedforward not by the gods, who have become invisible, but by the heroes,more or less human in character, through whom the world destiny isrealized. The archetyp al heroes become less and less fabulous, untilat last, in the concluding stages of the various local traditions, legendopens into the common daylight of recorded time(Joseph Campbell).Works CitedCampbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. second ed. Princeton Bollingen, 1968.Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles Intro. Bernard Knox. New York Penguin Books, 1996.Seger, Linda. Creating the Myth. Signs of Life in the U.S.A. Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 4th ed. Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston Bedford/St. Martins, 2003. 316-325. The Odyssey as a Hero Journey Essays -- Odyssey Hero Heroes EssaysAll of us have similar experiences. We share in the life journey ofgrowth, development, and transformation. We live the same storiesthetrappings might be different, the twists and turns that createsuspense might be different from culture to culture, the particularcharacters may take different forms, but underneath it all, its thesame story, drawn from the same experiences(Linda Seger, CreatingMyth, 1).All people face trials and tribulations throughout their life. Thus,what defines one from ones fellow human beings is not the trialsthemselves, but how one overcomes the challenges along the journey, aswell as the psychological and physical lessons one learns from theactions engaged. Heroes, as depicted in literature, often face thesame trials the common man must face, and learn the same lessons, buttheir actions, reactions, and events are magnified to mythicproportions. Thus, the common man and the mythic hero both follow whatJoseph Campbell calls The Heros Journey, which is used as a tool todescribe the framework for many of the most famous myths of all time.While the story of the Journey first manifested itself in the ancientmyths and legends, it is still relevant to contemporary society, thebasis for almost all of the books and plays we read. For example,J.R.R. Tolkiens, The Hobbit, an epic fantasy adventure in which BilboBaggins, the connection for the reader to the fantastical world thebook takes place in, is called to action and set in motion on his HeroJourney by Gandalf, a wizard. Another example of a famous mythfollowing this archetypal framework is The Odyssey. Homers epicstory, The Odyssey, of the hero Odysseus and his son Telemakhosfollows closely the cycle of Joseph Campbells Hero Journey, assummarized by Linda Seger, both as a physical and psychologicalundertaking.The hero journey begins with a catalyst entering the heros life, thatcalls him to adventure. The hero must be summoned on his journey bysome force, either external (the will of another person) or internal,(the need for self-growth). The call is followed by the heros refusalto leave a safe place, such as his home. He must be convinced that theundertaking is worthwhile, and must then, and only then, after he hasagreed to take the journey, embark on it.Odysseus journey begins twenty years prior to... ...hysical prowess,but lea rns the psychological lessons of survival. Using these lessonshe can climb above the rest, a more mature and capable man, able touse all of his abilities together to lift himself and those around himcloser to greatness. Thus is Odysseus truly a hero, as are all thosewho would strive for greatness in themselves and peace and justice fortheir homeland and family. The cosmogonic cycle is now to be carriedforward not by the gods, who have become invisible, but by the heroes,more or less human in character, through whom the world destiny isrealized. The archetypal heroes become less and less fabulous, untilat last, in the final stages of the various local traditions, legendopens into the common daylight of recorded time(Joseph Campbell).Works CitedCampbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. 2nd ed. Princeton Bollingen, 1968.Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles Intro. Bernard Knox. New York Penguin Books, 1996.Seger, Linda. Creating the Myth. Signs of Life in the U.S.A. Read ings on Popular Culture for Writers. 4th ed. Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston Bedford/St. Martins, 2003. 316-325.