Vogler # 8

Summary:

 

            In this section of The Writers Journey, the hero’s quest is beginning to come to an end. By this point, the hero has faced his life “life and death” experience, and now he is moving forward to retrieve his reward and to return back to his “ordinary world”.

            Vogler describes the “reward” as being a physical object, a lesson learned, a love gained, a realization in ones self or more insight when returning to the “ordinary world” because of the experiences he endured while in the “new world”. This is a very important part of the journey because it is where the hero acquires something in exchange for the challenges he had to undergo during his journey. Now, the life and death experience he has is worth it because he gained something so much more meaningful because of it, and he has come out a changed human being that he himself as well as others take note of. This scene is also a good part of the film, play or book to allow the audience to realize the sacrifices the hero has made and how he has grown from this entire experience. This is a good chance for the audience to familiarize with the main character, and allow them to relate to his experience and who he has now become as a human being.

             The reward then leads to the “road back”, which is the part of the journey where the hero decides to leave the “new world” along with all his newfound knowledge (or some other form of reward or prize) and return to the “new world” with his new belongings. Many things can occur during the road back that is not planned. A villain who was not completely defeated can return to seek revenge, a “chase” scene can occur in order to build up the excitement for the audience, or a “setback” may occur when suddenly the hero’s good luck turns around and something else is may suddenly occur which he must deal with before he is finally finished with his journey. After these events occur, the hero just needs a little more support and effort in order to return back home.

 

Reaction:

 

            I think that these sections of Vogler were very accurate and clear in describing how a hero begins the conclusion of his journey. I feel if a move suddenly ends abruptly with no slow down period of the “reward” and no fast paced excitement of the “road back”, the movie would leave me feeling confused and unsatisfied. These elements are very important to establishing the journey and the character of the hero as well. In order for the audience to relate to both the hero and his journey these steps must take place before the conclusion.

 

Questions:

 

1.     What is the “reward” for hero’s who are deceased by the end of the movie such as Kevin Spacey’s character in American Beauty or Will Smith in I Am Legend?

2.     Are there situations where the hero doesn’t want to return back to the “ordinary world”? Does the hero ever remain in the “new world?”

3.     Name a “Setback” that occurred in the Dark Knight.

 

Annotation # 7

Vogler, Christopher. The Writers Journey. Third. CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 1998. Pgs. 135 -145 "Crossing The First Threshold", "Test, Allies and Enemies"

 

            In this stage of Volger’s book he talks about the extensive Approach to The Innermost Cave, which deals with various challenges and obstacles that the hero faces before his final test.

            Approaching the innermost cave is a time period that involves many events before the “bigger ordeal”. This is also a time for a love scene to occur in films and books. Vogler speaks about how the Wizard of Oz had almost every one of the steps taken in the Innermost Cave so used it in order to lead the way and explain what occurs during this crucial time period. Because I have not seen that movie in quite some time, I thought of The Dark Knight instead while reading through this section.

While approaching the innermost cave the hero faces complications, relies on his allies and mentor, realizes the significance of his reward and journey along with many other complications that show that the hero is human and is having difficulty facing obstacles even before facing his true test. There were many sections that reminded me of what Batman had to go through during the Dark Knight. I felt that the most significant point in the “approach to the innermost cave” stage in the Dark Knight was when Alfred tells Batman that “Some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money. They can’t be bough, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with, some men just want to watch the world burn.” At this point Batman is “cutting into the opponents mind” by realizing that the Joker is crazy and will never stop because he has no logic behind what he is doing and has no reason to suddenly stop. Batman now realized that “the stakes are high” because if he doesn’t stop the joker everyone will get hurt. He is also facing what seems like an “impossible test”, like the gigantic head had displayed in The Wizard of Oz. Thanks to him mentor, Batman realizes he can never stop saving Gotham because the Joker will never stop killing people. Therefore, he faces his destiny because there is “no exit” for the hero and he must eventually face his biggest challenge, facing the Joker.

The next stage of the journey deals with finally facing the villain, the Ordeal. In this stage Vogler displays a mountain, which shows the “crisis” the hero must face. This is created differently depending on the movie with some crisis’s being delayed or extended. The “tension” however must still keep the audience tension, or else this section can be too lengthy and drag on.

The Ordeal is the chance for the hero to fail and then get reborn again, because there is always excitement and energy added to a film or book when the hero first does not succeed but continues trying. As Vogler puts it, “sometimes things have to get better before they can get worse.” Vogler also explained human emotions as “basketballs”, and the audience gets a tremendously pleased feeling after feeling really low about the hero and his failures. After the basketball hits the ground it flies right back up again, which adds more human emotions to the character and empathy by the audience who know that he is struggling like everyone else.

Of course, the hero must get back up again and continue. This is when the hero faces his greatest fear; this can be losing the love of his life (John losing Clair in Wedding Crashers) or facing his worst enemy (Harry fighting Voldermort in Harry Potter). Eventually he faces the villain and defeats him.

 

Reaction:

These sections for me were more difficult and complicated for me to read than others. For one, the Wizard of Oz references were quite irritating and got my side tract on the main idea. Vogler kept discussing the “male energy” in the movie and how it affects the female hero as well as what everything “symbolized” in the movie. I wanted to read about and think about my hero, not have a lesson on what The Wizard of Oz is about if you look into it symbolically. Also because I have no seen the Wizard of Oz it just got me confused. There were so many steps during this section that I just got lost and them and although I tried to focus on what I thought was important they all just somehow meshed together into one.

The ordeal section was easier for me to read, however they were a few sections such as Ariadne’s Thread that I didn’t feel was so significant that it had to be there.

 

Questions:

 

1.     Can you think of a movie that had a “delayed crisis?”

2.     Where is the “other special world” in The Dark Knight?

3.     In love stories, what is their “shamantic territory”?

 

Annotation # 6

Vogler, Christopher. The Writers Journey. Third. CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 1998. Pgs. 125 -145 "Crossing The First Threshold", "Test, Allies and Enemies"

Summary:

            In this section of The Writers Journey the Hero’s quest is now in full effect. The hero has transferred from the “ordinary world” to the “new world” where he must deal with his new surroundings, people, and conflicts.

            Crossing the first threshold is when the hero decides personal and with the help of an external force to take part in this journey. He has now decided to leave his ordinary life behind in order to seek something new that is missing or to accomplish some sort of task that needs to be achieved. Vogler calls this the “leap of faith.” The moment when the hero jumps into action and there is no changing his mind or looking back. Even though the hero may have a “rough landing”, he is now in the new world where he will encounter tasks and individuals that will motivate him, aggravate him, and attempt to stop him from reaching his goals.

            This brings us to the next section, tests, allies, and enemies. In this section tests occur before the final big test in order to prepare the hero for what is to come. He must encounter some trouble before he faces his major confrontation. He can face these either by himself or with the help of allies or sidekicks. Like in the Harry Potter movies, Harry would not be the same without Ron and Harmony by his side to help him fight off villains and unravel mysteries, although ultimately the final battle is between Harry and Voldermort. We also get to know Harry’s character more through his friends. A hero’s allies show what they themselves are like. An enemy does the same because it shows the hero’s stance on morals. The batman wants to stop the Joker because the Joker is evil therefore we know Batman is a good guy. This section is just another part of the hero’s journey that develops the hero’s character as well as leads up to the hero’s true test.

 

Reaction:

            The only problem I had with this section was that I didn’t know most of the movies, so all of Voglers examples instead of guiding me to understand left me more confused. However it was an easy read and I could understand the two stages from experiencing it in the many movies I’ve seen as well as my own personal life. I like the airplane analogy, where he talked about starting the engine and than finally taking off, because that gave me a good idea of where I was in the journey. I also liked when he spoke about hero being a “freshman all over again” when entering the “new world.” I felt that was very relatable.

 

Questions:

1. Can you think of other popular locations other than a bar where the hero meets his allies, enemies, or love interest?
2. Can you give examples of any hero’s that had a “rough landing” when entering the “New World.”
3. How does entering the “new world” relate to your first year in college? Does it relate to any other experience you’ve had?

Annotation # 5

Vogler, Christopher. The Writers Journey. Third. CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 1998. Pgs. 107 -125
Summary:
In this Section, Vogler speaks about two very important steps within the journey: The “Refusal of Call” and “Meeting with the Mentor.”
The refusal makes the character appear more likeable because it makes him more human. The fact that this character is not ecstatic about this sudden and drastic change in his life shows that there is a more human quality about him. He should question his journey and be uncomfortable with this change because the audience can relate to that. We as humans like remaining in our comfortable lives and to jump right out of that comfort zone for what seems like no reason would seem odd and make the character seem phony. This time should be a difficult one for the hero, not easy.
The Refusal of Call is present in almost all stories. Even for what Vogler calls the “Willing Hero’s” there is still a sense of refusal displayed. Even if the refusal is small it still should exist within a story to show the importance of the journey in general. Of course eventually after refusing, either the threshold guardian, the heroes “natural curiosity”, the need for a change in his life or the influence of a mentor often pushes the hero to take on his journey.
Meeting with the Mentor plays a huge role in influencing the hero to begin his quest. This character also adds a lot of depth and realism to the hero as well because the audience can relate to a person who has greatly influenced them in their own lives.
For the most part, its hard to make a radical change in our lives without the ideas and support from others, someone is usually present in our lives to stress the importance of our adventures and point us in the right direction. The Mentor is so important that there are even entire movies based upon the mentor and his relationship to the hero.

Response:
The thing I liked about this section is that the “Refusal of Call” and the “mentor” are not set in stone to create “cookie-cutter” boring stories for the audience. Instead there are various amounts of ways to refuse the adventure as well as many different types of mentors.
The refusal of call was something I never really realized existed but now looking back at almost every movie I watched its present in every single one. There is always that time, even for just a moment, where the hero wishes to avoid the adventure all together.
I also understand now that the mentor can be a lot of different types of people. The “wise old man” and “wise old woman” don’t have to exist in my story in order for a mentor to exist. The mentor can have flaws, the hero might not like the mentor, the mentor can sometimes turn against the hero, and the mentor might not even be physically there but may come from within. The mentor in general can be viewed at from a lot of different angles.

1. What was a “Refusal of Call” you had in your life and who was the “Mentor” that influenced you to take on the journey instead of ignoring it?
2. In Remember the Titans is Denzel Washington’s character a mentor or a hero or is he both? How does that movie relate to the hero/mentor relationship?
3. Who is the mentor in Fight Club? Was this mentor a positive mentor?

Quiz #1 Metamorphosis

1. The ordinary world isn’t displayed typically in Metamorphosis. In this story, our idea of the characters “ordinary world” is actually unordinary for him. We are thrown into the confusion and chaos that Gregor is suddenly going through and only understand his life beforehand through his thought process (such as how he hates his boss and being a salesman, ect). This “ordinary” world turns into the “call to adventure” when suddenly another force comes into the plot. Mr. Manager forces Gregor from his ordinary world (laying in bed as a bug) to beginning his adventure (getting out of bed and exposing himself). From here on out Gregor must figure out why he has turned into a bug and how he is going to transform back into a human.
2. I felt like I saw some social issues presented in Metamorphosis. One was the relationship between boss and employee. Gregor never missed a day of work, never went out at night and worked very hard yet still got reprimanded by his boss. Mr. Manager came to his house because Gregor was late, demanding an explanation as if Gregor was a completely inferior being. Gregor’s well-being was not a concern at all. This shows that maybe at the time this story had taken place employees were treated a lot harsher than they are now.

Another thing was the relationship between the son and his family. It was as if Gregor was he sole provider for his family, which is something you don’t see too often now.

Metamorphosis also relates to the “Red Scare” in a way because people were afraid of Communists even when their was no actual threat, just like Gregors family and boss now fear him although he is not imposing a threat either, in reality he is just as scared.

3. Greogor turns into a very large bug that I believe is a cockroach.

Revision Plan

Revise:

• My first paragraph needs work. I should grab my reader’s attention and let them into my characters state of mind. I want to captivate my audience from the beginning and throw them into the plot and into my characters world.
• I need to make more connections for the reader and use more transitions so it is easier to follow and understand my story.
• I need to make sure I guide my reader in the same direction so that all my points come together to create a larger picture and one main point.
• I need to “unpack” my ideas and explain them more so that my reader understands why I am telling them certain things and what it has to do with the theme of my story.
• In my final paragraph I must make my point more clear and emphasize what I learned from my experience. I need to explain why my story is important and what others can learn from it as well.

Edit:

• I need to remember FANBOYS. I use commas too often and rely on them too much in my sentences. I should know when to use semi-colons instead.
• I should use more powerful words than “it, this, that, you.” These will bore my audience and leave them feeling unsatisfied with my language.
• I use “thing” a lot as well, and this is very unclear and can confuse my audience. I need to define my “things."