Excerpts from the Teacher's Guide
From time to time, I will post excerpts from the The Hero's Journey:
A Guide to Literature and Life. These excerpts will give you an idea
of the depth and
scope of the material in the guide and provide some
insights into the journey process.
Excerpt 1:
Ritual and
the Construction of Meaning
The construction of new meaning is at the heart of personal
transformation and the hero's journey. Rituals (what we now call
ceremonies) play an important role is helping us build new meanings
at significant transformational points in our lives.
Excerpt 2:
Lesson Plan: The
Call Refused
This excerpt is the introductory section to unit on The Call
Refused. It introduces the call refused with discussion and prepares
students for the two "texts" which deal with the call refused: "Minos
and the Minotaur" and Groundhog Day.
 |
| How
much easier is self-sacrifice than self-realization. ~Eric Hoffer ~ |
Excerpt 3:
Threshold Guardians
This short introduction to Threshold Guardians
in "The
Hero's Journey" unit explores the resistance we face when
accepting our calls.
In myth, the resistance is typically a mythical creature or
or other physical challenge; in real life, the guardian is more
often our own
fears―fear of rejection, of the loss of security,
of looking foolish or incompetent.
Excerpt 4:
Introduction to the
2007 edition
The hero's journey archetype can be used on many levels: as a
framework for studying myth, as a schema for comprehending and
analyzing literature and film, or as a foundation for understanding
the challenges we face in our own lives. This introductory article
explores the journey's potentials and how it can be used in the
classroom.