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The Hero's Journey: From the Ancient Epic to Modern Literature and Movies
Teaching Level:
High School
My 9th grade class reads Paulo Coehlo's The Alchemist. After we have discussed the novel and they have explored its themes through writing, I introduce Joseph Campbell's model of the hero's journey. The students identify the stages of the hero's journey that the protagonist, Santiago, undergoes, and then we turn our attention to the movies. I show the Disney Pixar movie Ratatouille, and the students keep a viewing log in which they identify the stages of the hero's journey in the movie. They then go home to choose their own movie and to write an essay about the hero's journey as depicted in that movie. T
(1 vote)
I love the idea of the hero's journey. I do quite a bit of that with my 9th graders and, honestly, all my grades. I often start out with music and looking at fairy tales--any of the songs from "Into the Woods" work well. My personal favorite is "I Know Things Now;" it works well with illustrating the journey stages. I think the movie "Dead Poet's Society" is a great one, too.