POTH Model

Worksheet for students to document the Hero Path in any story:

Name:___________________________ Story:__________________________ Date:___________________

Directions: Cite the page number/chapter/moment the hero experiences each stage of the journey.

Be sure to cite your hypothesis with evidence from the text/movie.

THE CALL TO ADVENTURE

Supernatural Aid/The Meeting with the Mentor

Along the way, the hero often encounters a mentor, who gives the hero both psychological and physical weapons, or some other form of special help.

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The Crossing of the First Threshold

Before the hero's real story starts, she must cross the threshold between her home world and the new world of adventure. Often this involves facing off against and quelling a "threshold guardian."

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Ordeal / The Belly of the Whale

The name for this stage of the Monomyth is based upon the story of Jonah. The hero faces challenges, trials, and difficulties that he must overcome before he can truly enter the world of adventure, often in an enclosed space.

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THE TRANSFORMATION

The Road of Trials / Training

Once in the other world, the hero is repeatedly challenged with mental and physical obstacles that must be overcome. Often these take the form of training or a test, by which the hero improves her skills and proves her worth, and often there is a death and rebirth.

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Apotheosis

The Hero grows into someone new and more powerful, understanding things he didn’t understand before, mastering new abilities and gaining the confidence to use them. Quite frequently his idea of reality is changed; he may find himself able to do new things or able to see a larger point of view, allowing him to sacrifice his former self, often in a real or symbolic death and rebirth.

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The Climax / Final Battle

This is the moment when the hero pulls together all that she has learned and achieved throughout the story, all the new wisdom, power, and understanding, in order to defeat the enemy, which may be external or internal.

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THE RETURN

The Gift

Having defeated his enemy and achieved personal enlightenment, the hero returns to the ordinary world with new mental and physical gifts gained in the Apotheosis, stronger and more balanced. His newfound knowledge and skill also has potential to benefit others.

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The Crossing of the Return Threshold

The hero must return to the ordinary world, sometimes to where she began, sometimes to somewhere else, bringing along the gifts she has won to use for the benefit of others. The Final Threshold is confronted with a new strength, thus completing the change in character and an evolution from average person to hero.

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Master of Two Worlds / Freedom

Once the final threshold is crossed, the hero is now free to move back and forth between the two worlds at will. He has mastered not only the outer world, but himself. With the journey now complete, the hero has found true freedom, and can turn her efforts to helping or teaching others.

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Hero Path Note Sheet.docx

We use the Path of the Hero Movie Note Sheet for students to illustrate different stages as we view them as a class. We host an after-school POTH Movie Night one night a month for our students!