Transcript STAR WARS - 8EnglishCM

STAR WARS: A New Hope
The Hero’s Journey
The Hero’s Journey
The Star Wars saga is based on a very old
type of story called “The hero’s journey”.
This type of story is characterised by
A young hero
Faithful companions
Wise guides
Evil villains
In Star Wars who
is the young hero?
are the faithful companions?
is the wise guide?
is the evil villain?
Structure
The hero’s journey is structured according to
three main parts:
Departure
Initiation
Return
Departure
Departure is when the hero leaves his
common life and moves away to begin his
journey of adventure.
Initiation
Initiation is when the hero learns new skills,
usually under the guidance of a wise
master, and is tested by facing some kind
of supreme ordeal.
Return
Return is when the hero returns from a
period of exile or more training in order to
complete his heroic work once and for all.
The Star Wars Saga
Each of these three parts (departure,
initiation, return) corresponds to one of the
films in the original Star Wars trilogy.
A New Hope, our film, shows us “departure”.
Departure
Departure has five main parts:
1. The call to adventure
2. The wise and helpful guide
3. The threshold
4. Into the labyrinth
5. Heroic deeds
The call to adventure
The hero’s journey begins with the call to
adventure. This “call” is usually something
that signals that the hero is meeting his
destiny. It is usually in the form of an
important message carried by a fairly
ordinary person or thing. The call can
often be received purely by luck or a twist
of fate.
And in Star Wars?
Who delivers the call in Star Wars?
What is the call asking Luke to do?
What twist of fate allows Luke receive the
call?
The wise and helpful guide
After receiving the call, the hero must next
encounter “threshold guardians”,
characters who potentially block the way
to adventure. To escape these threshold
guardians, the inexperienced hero often
needs the aid of supernatural forces in the
form of a wise and helpful guide. This
guide usually provides advice and special
tokens that help the hero on his journey.
And in Star Wars?
Who are the threshold guardians?
Who is the wise and helpful guide?
What special token does he give to Luke?
What “advice” does he tell Luke?
The threshold
The hero leaves his familiar surroundings
and goes to a place that acts as a
threshold between the world of his old life
and the world of adventure. Often at this
point the hero meets some of his faithful
companions.
And in Star Wars?
What place is the threshold?
Who are the faithful companions Luke
meets here?
Into the labyrinth
Labyrinths are mazes, places difficult to
journey through that offer potential
dangers to the hero and his companions.
Often, on entering such a place, the hero
will wear armour to accomplish his first
heroic deed.
And in Star Wars?
What is the labyrinth?
What is Luke’s first heroic deed?
What “armour” does he wear to
accomplish this first deed?
Heroic deeds
After his initial heroic deeds, the hero must
face a greater and more deadly heroic
deed. In the end, he is personally
responsible for accomplishing such a task.
Good triumphs over evil and the hero is
recognised for his valour.
And in Star Wars?
What is the heroic deed Luke needs to
accomplish?
How does he personally accomplish this
deed?
How is Luke recognised for his valour?
What else?
Can you think of any other stories that
feature the hero’s journey?