Synergy: A Heroic Hero's Journey

The uplifting story of an underdog hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York is told by the film Miracle. The team is composed of many college hockey players trying to better their game play. Tryouts come and go and it is when Coach Herb Brooks reads the final roster of the 1980 Olympic Men’s Hockey Team that starts the beginning of the greatest moment in sports history.

What images come to mind as you reflect on your childhood? Playgrounds, blackboards, and soccer balls may be among the warmest of memories. Yet for many mermaids swim their thoughts, princesses get swept of their feet, and lions roar to their loyal place in the animal kingdom. There is no doubt that today’s entertainment has most of its touch using classical influences. Walt Disney has produced animated films that have captured the heart and imagination of audiences of all ages around the world through the magic of storytelling and imagery. Many of us appreciate the imagination and magic that Disney puts into its animations with out knowing they are based off of classical and traditional storylines

    “‘I come from under the hill. And under the hill and over the hills my paths led. And through the air, I am he that walks unseen’” (The Hobbit). When the dragon Smaug asks Bilbo of his identity, our hero speaks to him in riddles as to not give away who he is. Bilbo has snuck into Smaug’s lair, using a magical ring to become invisible. This part of his adventure is called the “Ordeal,” one of the twelve stages in the Hero’s Journey Archetype. The Hobbit, an animated film directed by Rankin and Bass, fits the Hero’s Journey Archetype by following these three stages: “Call to Adventure,” “Tests, Allies, [and] Enemies,” and “Ordeal.”

The night air was heavy with silence. Clouds drifted across a calm sky, and a full moon shone in the distance. In a small hut on the outskirts of the valley, an old man lay in bed, awake in the peaceful slumber of the village. His breaths came in rattling gasps, his forehead burned, and his joints felt stiff with pain. He shifted on the blankets, his withered hands clenched in fists as he tried to suppress the wave of bitter memories coming to him. His life had been nothing more than work, loss, tragedy. He remembered all of his hope, his ambition, in his youth, and he smiled bitterly. No one would remember him as the man that he had once hoped he would become. Now, as his breathing became heavier and he felt himself fading on the brink of

In ancient Greek mythology there were gods and goddesses, heroes to their people. Today there are just hero’s, that people of the modern world thank and look up to for their inspirational acts. Just like the Gods and Goddesses, hero’s today are known to show strength, wisdom, bravery, and many other heroic characters. Jacqueline Cochran showed her heroic attributes when she came into WWII looking for a way for women to make a difference and fight in the war. Jaqueline founded WASP, Women Airforce Service Pilots, she made an impact in so many women’s lives by making them more included in the war instead of staying at home waiting for updates. Jacqueline shows the heroic traits that goddesses such as Athena showed in ancient Greece.

In 2014, I attended the Hero's journey summer program in hope to discover myself and to become a better man. My father who has attended the program many of times introduced me to the foundation and thought I should give it a try under the Young Men’s program with 8 other teens from around the world. Nervous but also excited about discovering who I truly was and what brotherhood really meant I found myself becoming the best of friends with these guys for 7 days. During the trip I learned that in relationships it is not only about how much you have in common, but that you trust each other and can work together as one. I could not tell you those guys last name or their favorite video game but I can tell you that I knew they had my back no matter what.

The clock struck 3am; I jolted out of bed. Normally, I would be fast asleep dreaming about what I was going to awake to cooking on the stove, but this night was different. An immense pain struck me, so strong I couldn't bear to lie back down. The look of confusion and terror on my face must have been one to please even the likes of Stephen King himself.

Throughout all of history there has been stories and tales about heroic characters saving their societies, or even the world. Over these eras, the way these heroes have been illustrated has changed and been refined by numerous people. These stories are called Hero’s Journey’s. There are three main types of heroes; Epic Hero, Greek Hero, and Shakespearean Heroes. Over time their stories have been twisted and turned in many ways. All of these heroes have many differences and similarities. The Epic Hero being a great warrior while the Greek Hero is civilized and the Shakespearean Hero is more centered on the wellbeing of their people. This shows the evolution of each of these themes throughout time.

A reason for going there (usually a item or some sort) this gives the hero a purpose for his quest.

A dream vision is a genre of writing that takes place within a dream. Dreams can be inspiration for the dreamer, and encourage him or her to act on what was said in the dream. The Dream of the Rood is a poem that is part of this genre. There are three heros in the poem: Jesus, the cross, and the narrator.

There I was sitting at the table eating what the nuns like to call food what just looked like to me slop I was sitting with my friend Felix. He came across a carrot and it was a full-size carrot he just sat there and stared at it not even touching it if he did not hurry up and I was going to grab it and eat it.

A few months later, I found myself riding with Halt back to his quaint little cottage nestled in the woods. He was teaching me about animal tracks. As our horses tread against the snow that lay on the ground, I noticed a massive print next to the cottage, and Halt said it was a giant boar. A man was lying in the bushes and came out to claim that he had seen the boar first hand, and that it was a mad and destructive one. Halt told him to go to the castle and tell the Baron to gather a group of men so that we can all go hunt the boar in the morning. The next day, I found myself on horseback on the outside of a circle of warriors, and Horace. If the boar were to escape through our circle, I was to chase it down and finish it off with my bow.

Let me tell you a short story about this boy. It was 9 o'clock in the afternoon when his parent asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said with enthusiasm "I want to be a doctor", not knowing what it is. After that we just went about our days. Ten years later, he's a senior in junior high school getting ready to embark on the road where many have failed. He did what he had to do so that he can graduate. Graduation day was here and pretty quickly. His parents said to him, "no more fun and games, you are going to enter high school. All I want from you is to pass your class of high grades , graduate and go on to college to pursue your career to become a doctor." This kid heard a lot of things when it comes to becoming a doctor and

Another way to comply with the situation and do as the hero cycle provide. Like in the movie “Fury” at first Norman did not like the call nor wanted to accept it. First initiation he was called to be part of the tank crew, which he was all against. He also make another refusal when Wardaddy asked him to kill the German soldier after the battle men captured him. He said “it’s not right.” Norman did not want to be part of the crew, because that was not his assign job in the army and also he did have a proper training prior. It take Norman many occasion to actually accept the call although his adventure had already begun. At some point I feel like Norman regretted accepting the call, because the way his battle partners were acting towards him.

The steaks were usually high for the adventurer that chose to cross through the jungle. To flirt with the untamed danger of nature was foolishly dangerous otherwise. For Avery, the trip was necessary. Locked in a lengthy correspondence with a young man that promised her the world, she’d chosen to sell her belongings, pack what could be carried and relocate. With little survivalist training, traversing the forest would be nearly impossible. She had to rely on others for safe passage, which became strangely simple to arrange. First a local family led her along before a wandering ministry group accepted her into their ranks. Finally near the end of the entire ordeal, it was time to prepare herself for civilization.