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The Hero's Journey
In this document, you will come to understand the hero's journey as developed by Joseph Campbell. He thought of a theory that influenced many storytellers around the world.
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Places and Forms of Power
- In this video extract, we can see the power of masters over slaves. It is explained in the first moments of the video. If slaves run away, they get killed instantaneously. It proves they are considered as simple objects and property.
- Qui-Gon represents the power of the Republic and also the power of the Jedi. Just like in the council of Elrond, he owns a typical weapon that represents his power. Anakin knows it and tells him « only a Jedi can carry that sort of weapon ». So, it is clearly identifiable.
- We also understands the special powers of the little Anakin. He says he is « the only human who can [race with pods] » So, we start understanding that he may have special powers. He is also very skilled and can repair anything. We see the robot he has built and it shows his great skill.
- Power of money. Only with money can Qui-Gon free Anakin. It shows that money, whatever the place, remains an important power that can influence almost anybody.
- Power of decision. Anakin is faced with a terrible decision: either stay with his mother or go with Qui-Gon and fulfill his dream. He must make a quick decision that will influence the rest of his life.
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Space and Exchange
- The scene represents people talking together and exchanging their point of view about the situation. It’s only through exchange with the 2 slaves that Qui-Gon and Padmé will find the solution to their problem.
- We understand the very close relationship between Anakin and his mother since Anakin doesn’t have a father. Their exchange is the basis of their life. They are all they have.
- We understand that the « strangers » have arrived on this planet while they were on an important mission to another one. So, it shows that it has become possible to travel from one planet to the other as simply as we use our car today. This is the ultimate conquest of our space.
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Myths and Heroes
- Qui-Gon represents the hero in the scene. He is a Jedi Knight.
- Anakin idealizes the Jedi knights. For him, they can’t be killed and Qui-Gon must have come here to rescue them and free all the slaves. This is the typical vision of the great hero saving everybody.
- Anakin dreams of becoming a hero. He says that in his dream, he becomes a Jedi and frees all the slaves. This is why he sees in Qui-Gin, the hero of his dreams and probably a father figure as well.
- Without even noticing it, Anakin tackles with the myth of immortality. For him, Jedis are immortal since no one can kill them. Of course, this is only in his imagination. But it represents a certain fascination for the young boy.
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The Idea of Progress
- Anakin and Shmi, his mother, are slaves. They hope that one day they will be freed. This would represent a social progress.
- When Anakin is freed by Qui-Gon, he instantly goes through social progress since he is offered the possibility to quit his planet to become a Jedi Knight, which is a way of climbing the social ladder.
- We can also see the technological progress that allows people to built up entire cyborgs to help them with daily tasks.
- La vidéo que je vous propose ci-dessous est un sujet expliquant le monomythe de Joseph Campbell. Il vous permettra de comprendre la portée de cette structure narrative et d'en comprendre toutes les implications.
- J'y ajoute d'autres ressources vidéo qui devraient vous permettre d'approfondir vos connaissances en la matière.
- Si vous avez des questions concernant des éléments développés dans la vidéo, venez en discuter sur l'espace Discord de votre classe!
Conférence TED x durant laquelle Jesse Vaughan explique pourquoi le parcours du héros s'applique à la vie de chacun.
Episode de la série éducative "Crash Course" traitant de la structure du parcours du héros.
Entretien avec Alexandre Astier sur l'influence de Christopher Vogler et du travail de Joseph Campbell dans l'univers de la fiction.