The Three Elements Of Joseph Campbell's Hero Journey

A hero is somebody who commits an act of remarkably bravery or who has shown an admirable quality such as great courage or strength of character. (Encarta, 2009) Joseph Campbell has come up with eight of his own characteristics of a hero. Joseph Campbell is known as a scholar of mythology. There are several people in our times that are considered a hero. Whether, these heroes are fictional or nonfiction, they all portray some kind of heroic abilities.

The Stages of the Hero’s Journey is a trend that Joseph Campbell saw in most hero stories. Christopher Vogler, in his work, “A Practical Guide to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” shares that “the theme of the hero myth is universal, occurring in every culture, in every time; it is as infinitely varied as the human race itself; and yet its basic form remains the same, an incredibly tenacious set of elements that spring in endless repetition from the deepest reaches of the mind of man.” Vogler also outlines Campbell’s work and shares the stages of a hero’s journey. The story of Katniss Everdeen, from the Hunger Games, qualifies in all the categories in Vogler’s guide to Campbell’s work. Stage 1: The Ordinary World

A hero is one who sets a goal in which takes bravery and dedication in order to achieve. The book The Odyssey written by Homer reveals a story of a true hero. The main character is a man named Odysseus who displays hero characteristics throughout the book. Odysseus is a hero because he returns home with a changed perspective which reflects his heroic abilities, such as his bravery and dedication to return home.

There are many steps of “The Hero’s Journey”. The first step of The Hero’s Journey is the ‘Ordinary World’. The ‘Ordinary World’ allow us to get to know the Hero and identify with him before the Journey begins. This step refers to the hero 's normal life at the start of the story.

     A hero is defined in classical mythology as a man, especially the son of a god and a mortal, who is famous for possessing some extraordinary gift. Beowulf, the title character of an epic poem and Superman, a more modern day hero are both prime examples. Beowulf and Superman exhibit several differences, but they also share some similar qualities.

Heroes is a being that is admired for courage. Most times people think heroes are people who save others and many times it is true but Theseus, Perseus, and Hercules are a bit different. These heroes have have been favored by gods. Also they have traits such as having confidence and some not very intelligent. Every hero is different and these heroes go through very different journeys.

All cultures have heroes and heroines who are present in a variety of myths and legends. But what exactly does it take to be a hero? A hero is a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his or her brave deeds and noble qualities. Thor and Hercules are both perfect examples of heroes. Both heroes are from completely different cultures. Thor is from Norse mythology and Hercules is from Greek mythology. Despite their different cultures, they share many similarities. Although Hercules is from Greek mythology and Thor is from Norse mythology, the two heroes have many legends about their lives that make them heroic, reveal their culture, and exhibit similar archetypal elements.

Some may believe a hero is a person who fights evil and saves people. In reality, it is more than than that. A hero is someone who fights for what they believe in, they are courageous, fight for the greater good, and above all, would sacrifice their life to save the lives of many. For example, in The Odyssey, a hotshot is shown in the life of Odysseus. While many believe Odysseus was a great figure and leader, he was far from that. He failed his crew, and for one reason only, he was not the chieftain his men needed.

Heroes can be classified into two categories in our society: superheroes of the fictional kind and those given the title of hero because they begin as a normal person and do something extraordinary. Superheroes are a much more Herculean concept as Hercules was destined to be able to perform the feats that he did during his “labours”. If he had not been Zeus’ son and had not been given the strength as a power, he might not even be a hero. His destiny was to be a hero, as fated by the gods to rule over Mycenae (Perseus (and Bellerophon), 123). Hercules does not match the ‘average’ criteria of a modern hero, nor do his motives behind his labours and adventures follow the values of an altruistic person.

Many think being a hero is having super powers, but on the contrary it's more than that. A hero is one who is distinguished for their courage and bravery, and looked upon for their great deeds. A hero like this is not just found in modern society today, but in mythology as well. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus earns the title of a true hero by conveying many qualities such as: determination, courage and leadership.

A hero is something that society has formed an idea about the characteristic it should posses from history. Through the stories told from the past a hero is developed through their qualities and characteristics they value. When one views a hero from a different culture they can form an opinion on what matters to that culture. One will notice that through all these different heroes that they all share common features. In ancient Hebrew culture Moses represents a hero and for ancient Greek culture Odysseus represents heroic figures.

Two books can seem completely different from each other when judged by characteristics such as genre, plot, and theme. However, if people were to look at the books together and as a whole, they might notice one striking similarity between the two. That striking similarity is known as the hero’s journey. First observed and documented by Joseph Campbell, the hero’s journey is a concept in which heroes, or people who commit actions for the greater good, follow a three-step cycle known as departure, fulfillment, and return. At the first stage of the hero’s journey, the hero receives a call to an adventure that takes him from the comforts of his home. Next, at the most important stage of the hero’s journey, the hero begins to experience life

Despite the multitude of factors that divide heroes’ traits, such as physical abilities, one unifying force justifies the similarities between one another. Joseph Campbell creates an argument in The Hero with a Thousand Faces describing the identical paths that each individual takes on the road to heroism. Each journey begins with separation, leading to an initiation, and ending with the hero’s return, essentially making each of the individuals the same.

In my eyes a hero is a person who shows courage, is humble, does not give up, and is someone everybody can relate to. The protagonist in “The Odyssey” by Homer, Odysseus is a hero because although he is emotional throughout the book and lets his emotions take over his actions, he displays immense courage and perseveres through his journey and hardships.

In 1949, Joseph Campbell published a book which he named 'The Hero with a Thousand Faces'. In the book, Campbell debated that time and time again, he notices a regularly reoccurring pattern that could be noticed within heroic fiction. Back when the eldest documented myths and legends; he referred to this as the monomyth (Campbell borrowed the word monomyth from James Joyce's 'Finnegan’s Wake' in 1939), suggesting a rotation of narrative structure that could be acknowledged in whole or parts in stories, old and new. There are many phases of this bizarre, yet complex cycle, a journey in which the hero confronts the hurdles he is put through. This is the Hero's Journey Cycle. Bilbo Baggins, a furry, non-adventurous hobbit is somehow chosen to go on an adventure with a wizard named Gandalf, 13 dwarves, and much more whom he didn’t even know existed. The most vital part of the Hero’s Journey is Stage 11; “Resurrection”, the end of the road, especially of this virtue is compelling and abundant of tension. This happened when Bilbo and company set sail toward home with the treasure, when Bilbo is not accepted by his adventurous side, and when 3 dwarves were wounded and passed away miserably.