Annotated Bibliography

Vogler, Christopher. “The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers." Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 1998 p. 107-125

Summary:

This reading was about the refusal of the call and meeting with the mentor. When the hero is faced with the call to adventure, he is faced with his first big challenge. There is a certain amount of fear that goes along with the chance of being taken out of your comfort zone and placed in an unknown world. This halt shows the reader/audience that the adventure will most likely be risky and dangerous, which makes it interesting. It is natural to avoid the adventure at first due to fear, and to make excuses. Some heroes, however, don’t hesitate at all. When they are faced with a challenge, they just take it and run with it. In almost every heroic story, there is that threshold guardian that is there to push the hero to raise the fear of the adventure and to test the hero so that he/she can perform at their best.

Along with the threshold guardian, there is usually a mentor that is there to protect, guide, teach, test, train, and provide magical gifts for the hero. “Meeting with the Mentor is the stage of the Hero’s journey in which the hero gains the supplies, knowledge, and confidence needed to overcome fear and commence the adventure.” (p.117)

Reflection:

One of the scariest things in the world for most people is probably change. It’s scary to move, to change schools, to go from high school to college, to get married, to have children ect. This is what the hero faces when he is presented with a chance to leave his comfort zone and venture out into an unknown. The first instinct is probably to just say no, because it’s the easiest. But then again, if you do accept the challenge, you will get something out of it no matter what and will be proud of yourself.
It’s easy to relate to Vogler when he talks about the hero making excuses. I know that when I am faced with a difficult task and fear is involved, my first instinct, like everyone else, is to make and excuse so that I can just avoid the situation altogether. It was good that Vogler put in some examples from the Odyssey because most of us have read that so it’s easy to relate to it.

Questions:

Why do you think change is a big fear for people? What are some big changes you have experience within the last couple of years?

Does a hero need a mentor to get through his task? What heroes do we know that have used a mentor? Which ones have not?