THE JOURNEY OF A HEROMonday, September 24, 2012

WRITER’S NOTEBOOK

Think about a specific modern day hero. Describe that person/character. What are his/her positive attributes? Flaws? What does s/he look like? Heroes to consider: athletes, political figures, celebrities, comic book characters, men and women in service (military, fire fighters, nurses, etc)

WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF A HERO?

WORDS TO DEFINE: EPIC POEMEPIC HEROHUBRISEPIC CYCLE/ JOURNEY ARCHETYPESIN MEDIA RES

EPIC POEMSA long, narrative poem detailing the

adventure or journey of an epic heroEarly epics are the result of oral

tradition that have eventually been written down, thus the authors of early epics are often unknown

Originally meant to be sung or performed

Language is literary and elevatedIncludes an epic questionBegin “in media res,” meaning “in

the midst of things”

EPIC HERO 1. Unusual circumstances of birth

- born of royalty- born in danger

2. An event, sometimes traumatic, leads to adventure or quest

3. Hero has supernatural help4. The hero must prove himself many

times while on adventure/quest5. When the hero dies, he is rewarded

spiritually

HUBRIS

Excessive pride or self-confidence to a fault

Defiance of the gods

EPIC CYCLE/ JOURNEY1. The hero most possess supernatural

abilities/powers2. The hero is charged with a quest that will

test his abilities/ worthiness3. The hero will meet helpers, companions,

and mythical animals throughout his journey

4. The hero will travel to a supernatural world of which ordinary humans are banned

5. The cycle reaches a low point when it seems as though the hero is defeated but in the end, the hero regains his rightful place with a lesson learned

ARCHETYPESCommon elements that appear again

and again in literature and art such as:SituationsCharactersImages

Can you think of a common example for each?

MESOPOTAMIA “BETWEEN RIVERS”

Mesopotamia is believed to be one of the world’s first civilizations

Located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern day Iraq

MESOPOTAMIA CONT.Kings ruled the city-states to act as

intermediary between the gods and the people (Sumerians)

Sumerians were polytheisticDeveloped world’s first writing system

GILGAMESH The epic of Gilgamesh examines the quest

for eternal life, friendship, abuse of power, and relationships

One of the oldest works of literature The epic is divided into twelve tablets Gilgamesh is the historical king of Uruk

during 2700BCE He was 2/3 God 1/3 human and 100%

TROUBLE He is arrogant, boastful, selfish and

destructive Represents both the best and the worst that

a person can be