Gilgamesh and the Hero’s Journey
Write an analytical paper (3-4 pages). it is a model that asks that you use one text (Campbell) to construct a definition and another text (the myths excerpted in Gilgamesh) to provide an example. Then, you come in and explain the relationship.
The topic of the paper is “Gilgamesh and the Hero’s Journey”. We will be using a method called “Definition analysis.” This is a pretty straight forward model that asks that you use one text (Campbell) to supply a definition that you apply to a primary text (Gilgamesh), and then you explain how the example meets the definition. That explanation part is key because this is where you will be doing the actually analysis (analysis is just explaining why you chose the passages you did). So, you just follow this pattern: Definition (Campbell)—Example (Gilgamesh)—Explanation (you).
We turn our attention to fully analyzing a complete work, “The Epic of Gilgamesh.” You will be making use of the same model: definition (Campbell)-Example (Gilgamesh)-Explanation (You). However, in this paper you will be doing all of the “hero’s journey” (not just parts) and looking at the entirety of a myth (not just excerpts).
The hero’s journey can be summed up with “Separation-Initiation-Return.” Explain each of these steps in detail using Gilgamesh to illustrate your explanation. After you have answered the question above, where do you see these characters and themes played out in popular culture? Be specific as you apply the stages of the hero’s journey to the film or TV show. Finally, discuss how both Gilgamesh and your contemporary hero vitalize the individual. Play mythographer and explore your own culture. Be specific by making use of clear examples from Gilgamesh and your pop-culture text. (quotes). This paper is meant to give you the opportunity to illustrate your understanding of the material we have covered this semester.
As I said, the Hero’s Journey is about more than its parts. Campbell writes that “the quest and the return are two halves of the same circle. They comprise the empowerment process or journey of beginning that joins the participants with the ideal realm of their deities.”
Seperation→Initiation→Return are parts of the process of transformation. So, we can begin with the idea that the heroic journey is a symbol of our own transformation. Further, Campbell argues that the hero is a model of behavior and the heroic act is one of transformation. In this perspective, the journey or trip is a manifestation of his or her own nature. The adventure is the experience of life that leads to a change in consciousness.
Simply put, the hero is a symbol of our vitality. The influence of a vital person is to vitalize us. As we read mythological narratives, we come into contact with those symbols that evoke our vital character. We get to know ourselves as we go along. We have to pay attention and choose symbols and situations that reveal the best in ourselves—not the worst.
This is why heroes often begin as negative characters. Certainly, at the start of the epic, Gilgamesh is a bad character. Yet, through a series of tragedies and loss, he discovers not his “true self” (we are who we are) as much as a positive outlet for his energies. Often, what causes us to “mess up” is not channeling our strength in the right direction or not using them at all. In the end, what makes Gilgamesh a great king are the same attributes that made him a horrible human being. But, once channeled in the right direction, he becomes a transformative figure.
The hero, as symbol, and the journey, as symbol, leads to a reversal of existence. What we thought was strength is a weakness. What we thought was our weakness is our strength. We look to those symbols that raise our consciousness by changing the field of our perception. These symbols and these narratives infuse all life with the significance of existing .Once we have completed our own quest, either in reality, through the stories, or both, we can have that feeling of sanctity always. We have transformed our life.
(You are supposed to have already read chapters 1, 2, and 3 from Hero bock) Also read THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH. Quotes from both.
Format:
Introduction: What are you writing about? (return stage). How does Campbell define it? (Use a direct quote and then explain it in your own words). Now, explain that there are subcategories to the return stage (Campbell covers 6 in his chapter. You need only to pick 2-3). So, let’s say I pick “Refusal of the Return” and “The Crossing of the Return Threshold” and “Freedom to Live”. My thesis would be: Campbell identifies Refusal of the Return, The Crossing of the Return Threshold, and Freedom to Live, as being key sub-categories to the Hero’s return stage.
Part 1: Seperation
Definition: How does Campbell define it? (Quote). Then explain in your own words what that means.
Example: Use an example fromGilgamesh (Quote). Be sure to explain what story the quote is coming from and provide some context for the selection.
Explanation: How does this example from Gilgamesh illustrate Campbell’s concept?
Part 2: Initiation
Definition: How does Campbell define it? (Quote). Then explain in your own words what that means.
Example: Use an example from Gilgamesh(Quote). Be sure to explain what story the quote is coming from and provide some context for the selection.
Explanation: How does this example from Gilgamesh illustrate Campbell’s concept?
Part 3: Return
Definition: How does Campbell define it? (Quote). Then explain in your own words what that means.
Example: Use an example from Gilgamesh (Quote). Be sure to explain what story the quote is coming from and provide some context for the selection.
Explanation: How does this example from Gilgamesh illustrate Campbell’s concept?
Part 4: Summation: This is more akin to what we have been doing. Pull back and take a moment to consider how the 3 stages relate to “real life”?
Part 5: Conclusion: You know how to do that.
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