Warm-up: copy binder sections down

Binder Set-Up:I. Class notes and assignmentsII. Warm-UpsIII. VocabularyIV. Graduation Project

The Hero’s JourneyQuickwrite: What makes a hero to you?

Epic Hero• An epic hero is figure from a history

or legend, usually favored by or even partially descended from deities.

• The hero participates in a cyclical journey or quest, faces adversaries that try to defeat him in his journey, gathers allies along his journey, and returns home significantly transformed by his journey.

• The epic hero illustrates traits, performs deeds, and exemplifies certain morals that are valued by the society.

• The ideal human.

The Hero’s Journey

• Monomyth, also referred to as the hero's journey, refers to a basic pattern found in many narratives from around the world.

• This pattern was described by Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949).

Heroic Steps• Birth—hero usually has fabulous circumstances

around his birth that establishes his pedigree.• Call to adventure—hero is summoned to a

quest by an external event or influence.• Helpers/amulet—hero receives help in the

beginning of his quest. The helper usually gives the hero a protective amulet or weapon.

• Crossing over—the hero must leave the natural world and embark on his journey. A common setting is entering a forest.

• Tests-the hero undergoes a series of tests that assess and proves his ability.

• Flight—the hero must flee to safety after battling the opponent.

• Return—the hero must enter the natural world again. This is marked by: an awakening, rebirth, resurrection, or a simple

• emergence from a cave or forest.• Home—the hero arrives home with the power

to bestow boons (favors) on his countrymen.

Small Groups

• Brainstorm a hero from literature or fiction (comics, movies, cartoons…) and list out the following deeds for each of these traits:

I. BraveryII. HonorableIII. Noble (privileged) birthIV. Inherently good

Epic Heroes

Epic

• An epic is a long narrative poem that celebrates a hero’s deeds.

• Earliest known epics were passed down orally and performed by scopes or bards (oral poets).

• Repetition of certain words, phrases, or even lines.

Repeated Elements in Epics

• Stock epithets—adjectives that identify special traits of people or things. Example: “swift-footed” used to describe Achilles in the Iliad.

• Kennings—poetic synonyms found in Germanic poems, such as Beowulf. It is a descriptive phrase or compound word that substitutes for a noun. Example: “the Almighty enemy” and “sin-stained demon” are used to replace Grendel’s name.

Epic Conventions

• Setting—vast in scope.• Plot—involves supernatural beings and a

dangerous journey.• Dialogue—long formal speeches delivered by

major characters.• Theme—Reflects timeless values (honor,

courage…) and universal ideas (good, evil…)• Style—formal diction (writer’s choice of words

and sentence structure) and a serious tone.

Literary Terms

Alliteration: repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

So mankind’s enemy continued his crimes.

Caesura: a pause dividing each line, with each part having two accented syllables to help maintain the rhythm of the lines.He took what he wanted, // all the treasures

The Epic

• Read pages 38-39 in textbook.• As you read complete “The Epic” handout and

the “Literary Analysis” handout.• If you do NOT FINISH—this becomes your

homework over the weekend. You may work with a partner.

• The PPT will be uploaded to the documents and resources page by 6pm tonight.

Hero’s Journey: