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Joseph Campbell definition of a hero, or the monomyth, is a basic pattern found in many narratives, myths, and stories across cultures. Based on Joseph Campbell's definition of a hero, the storyline follows an archetypal protagonist as they transform through a journey. These worksheets can be a useful teaching tool to engage students in analyzing this common plot structure and recognizing it across texts, or even movie films. In this blog post, we will explore what a this progression is, the benefits of these worksheets, and how teachers can effectively integrate them into the class.
This chart is a graphic organizer that maps out the narrative structure of the monomyth. Having kids fill out a chart is an activity that develops critical thinking as they analyze the events of a narrative and categorize them into the correct stage.
There are many versions of monomyth charts available. Most include the key stages or plot points typical of one of these stories: the ordinary world, call to the quest, refusal of the call, meeting a mentor, stepping across the threshold to a new world, tests/enemies, approach to the inmost cave, the conflict, the reward for overcoming the conflict, the road back, resurrection, and return with the elixir. A chart tracks the protagonist through each stage of this transformative story.
Using these worksheets, students explore how the protagonist undergoes change in each stage:
Exploring each stage brings depth to literary or movie analysis. Kids come to understand the archetypal storyline that connects so many storied heroes, in both film and literature.
Here are some tips on integrating these worksheets into your ELA, film, or mythology lessons:
Integrating analysis of different literary or film protagonist types and examples deepens students' understanding of the monomyth template.
Integrating a graphic organizer into English or mythology lessons when teaching archetypes offers numerous benefits for learning and engagement. Using a graphic organizer facilitates critical analysis as students map the narrative progression of a story. They identify how plot structure aligns with the stages of the monomyth template conceived by Joseph Campbell in his analysis of world monomyths.
As your class completes printable hero’s journey worksheets, they build deeper comprehension of fundamental storytelling elements and archetypes. Recurring figures like threshold guardians, the trickster, or the shapeshifter become familiar. Recognizing these story conventions for archetypes across myths, literature, and movie examples creates connections. For example, the presence of enemies, tests or supreme ordeals before the climactic resolution, and the transformative nature of the experience.
Comparing completed worksheets for different protagonists also grows appreciation for archetypes and the monomyth concept. For instance, contrasting graphic organizers charting Odysseus’ long voyage home to Ithaca with watching Luke Skywalker’s life and galactic quest in a movie format emphasizes similarities in these archetypes despite vastly different settings. As Carl Jung the father of archetypal psychology described, archetypes resonate across cultures and eras through symbols in the collective unconscious.
Further, exposure to the heroic journey blueprint can boost creative writing. Your class can invent and write about original heroes and plot a quest story incorporating stages of the monomyth outline. The ordinary world, call to the quest, stepping from the first threshold into the unknown, road of trials, and thrilling climactic resolution become waypoints on their protagonist’s transformation. Internalizing this storytelling structure empowers the imagination.
In all, integrating analysis of monomyth plots using worksheets, charts, and graphic organizers offers multifaceted benefits for student learning. It stretches critical thinking while elucidating recurring narrative patterns for archetypes that speak to primal parts of the human psyche.
Happy Creating!
A charting the hero's journey worksheet maps out the narrative structure of a story onto the template of the hero's journey. This type of graphic organizer has sections for each stage of the monomyth, including departure, initiation, and return.
Some key stages often included on a hero's journey worksheet or chart are: the ordinary world, call to adventure, crossing the first threshold, meeting allies/enemies, road of trials, approaching the inmost cave, supreme ordeal, seizing the reward, the journey home, resurrection of final challenge, and return with the elixir.
Learning the stages of the hero’s journey benefits students in multiple ways. It builds story analysis skills as students map plot structure onto the monomyth template. Recognition of story patterns and archetypes across myths and literature improves literacy. Creative writing is enabled as students incorporate heroic journey elements into original protagonists and adventures.