The Hero's Journey.
Students can identify stages of the hero's journey from a familiar book or film.
Roots & Meanings - Greek Mythology
Brainstorm: What qualities make a hero?
We will watch a video introducing the hero's journey.
Star Wars (1977)
1. The ordinary world. Luke lives with his aunt and uncle on a farm on Tatooine. He likes to stare at the sunset and dream of “teleporting off this rock”.
2. The call to adventure. R2-D2 plays Luke a message of distress from Princess Leia, who needs someone to transport the droid to Alderaan.
3. Refusal of the call. Luke isn’t thrilled about leaving his home planet and getting in trouble from his uncle to go on a wild goose chase.
4. The mentor. Obi-Wan Kenobi convinces Luke to follow his heart by showing him his father’s lightsaber.
5. Crossing the threshold. Luke and Obi-Wan leave Mos Eisley for Alderaan.
6. The ordeal. Leia’s rescue from the Death Star, and later, Luke using the Force to destroy the Death Star.
7. The return. Luke joins the rebels and decides to become a Jedi.
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997)
1. The ordinary world. Harry lives with his aunt and uncle, who make him sleep in the cupboard under the stairs.
2. The call to adventure. Harry receives a letter from Hogwarts, asking him to attend.
3. Refusal of the call. Harry is unsure of what is real and what isn’t and has trouble accepting he is a real wizard. As far as he knows, his parents were killed in a car crash—and not by an evil wizard.
4. The mentor. In the first book, Hagrid serves as Harry’s mentor, but later in the series, it’s Albus Dumbledore who guides and advises Harry. Hagrid convinces Harry he is a wizard and takes him to Hogwarts.
5. Crossing the threshold. Harry crosses a literal barrier—platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross station, leaving the normal world behind and crossing into the magical one.
6. The ordeal. Harry’s many trials and tribulations during his first year at Hogwarts, culminating in his first meeting with—and the temporary defeat of—Voldemort at the end of the first book.
7. The return. Harry returns to his aunt and uncle’s house for the summer, happy and safe in the knowledge that he has a new home at Hogwarts.
Students will choose a hero from a familiar book or film.
Students will try to map out which stages of the hero's journey their selected hero experienced and record them on the worksheet.
Remember: Each hero will probably NOT experience ALL stages of the hero's journey. Some of the stages should be left blank.
Worksheet (found on Classroom)