Assignment #5 The Hero’s Journey

Objective: To apply the hero’s cycle to your own life.

Instructions:

1.  According to Joseph Campbell, many events in our lives follow the  mythological hero’s cycle. We experience the three major stages of  departure, initiation and return many times throughout our lives. After  familiarizing yourself with the hero’s cycle as explained in our course  module, please write about a person in your life – a family member,  friend, etc. – who went through the hero’s cycle and write an  Introductory Paragraph.

2.  In the subsequent 5 paragraphs, identify and explain how the following  aspects of the hero’s cycle apply to your personal hero. You’ll need to  clearly indicate which part of your story is which part of the  cycle…don’t assume I know.

• Call to Adventure
• Crossing the First Threshold
• Road of Trials
• Any variables experienced along the way
• Ultimate boon

Even though this is an informal essay, it still requires good organization and academic writing.  Remember  that in a Gordon Rule class one of the objectives is to communicate  effectively.  Please do not choose a celebrity or someone famous in any  way.  When you are finished, you will have a strong paper that  illustrates the steps of the heroic cycle, and you will have a nice tribute to a family member or a friend that you can share with them. Two for one!!

Writing Directions:

• Your paper should be organized and written according to academic standards.
• Your paper should be approximately one to two pages in length, typed, double-spaced.
• Your  paper needs to be formatted according to MLA style. Some of this  includes using a 12pt. font and setting 1” margins all the way around.  There are many good online resources for formatting papers according to MLA (see module for the some good writing resources).
• Be sure  to submit the paper before the deadline (see syllabus policy). The  system will only allow you to submit your paper once, so be sure you  select the correct file before submitting it.