Archetypal Elements Of A Hero's Journey

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Growing up, I always read fairytales or mythical stories that I could relate to. I would always search for the truth, for the meaning--for significance in many of the myths or stories that I read regarding heros.When a hero’s adventure is read, human beings are always told a about a hero’s life that signifies a touch to modern day reality. A hero’s adventure is also a clue to the spiritual potentialities of a human beings life. Many concepts of an archetypal character or image are within a framework of a myth as well.
These characters or motifs, function as a link between an essential archetypal concept of myth and the journey to a hero’s adventure. A hero is usually a woman or a man that has been able to overcome local or personal limitations
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Mythologist Joseph Campbell, believed that the best solutions to problems of the world would be found in the roots of an hero’s adventure. In many of the stories of an hero’s journey, Campbell says that “ the hero is ready for is the one he gets. The adventure is symbolically a manifestation of his character...Our life evokes our character. You find out more about yourself as you go on. That's why it's good to be able to put yourself in situations that will evoke your higher nature rather than your lower” (The Power Of Myth …show more content…
Myths on the other hand, are tales that provide relatable heroes, who are able to achieve fantastic feats. Fairy tales are also a source of entertainment for young child, but they also provide a foundation that can open and stimulate a child’s imagination as well. Many fairytales, such as Sleeping Beauty help children develop strong intellect while clarifying a child’s emotions.
In The Uses of Enchantment: the Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales, Bruno Bettelheim explains his psychoanalytical understanding Sleeping Beauty. When I first read his interpretations of this fairytale I began to disagree with alot of the things he said. Yet, as I think back of the time I read Sleeping Beauty, I was surprised by the central theme of the fairytale and how the story showcased a parent’s attempt to prevent their child's sexual awakening. Bettelheim emphasized that the message of sleep in the fairytale symbolized physical lethargy which occurs around

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