The Hero: A Journey to Conquer Self and World - Essay Sample

Introduction

The Hero with a Thousand Faces is an enlightening evocation of some of Campbell's previous works like The Power of the Myth, which relates to spiritual perspectives, gender, culture, place, and transcend time. Campbell employs archetypal story of an adventurous hero journey to recover his hidden treasure. The hero is forced to make tough decisions, which came at a great cost as the author states, "It is only when a man tames his own demons that he becomes the king of himself if not of the world" (Campbell). I guess these choices were unavoidable since the redemption of the society and the individual hugely depended on the bravery of such heroes. The author divided each stage of the journey into chapters that bring out themes relating to the function of symbolism, the nature of duality and harmony, and the universality of human experience. The aim of the story is to show how the spiritual world connects to the physical world and the ways in which myths expound on those manifestations.

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The book starts with a prologue in which Campbell outlines his core theories and the analytical process he uses to expound these theories in the book. These ideologies are based on the concept of psychological and spiritual belief systems of different cultures. Through the hero's bravery, he learns new things about himself, which enables him to discover new strength that was dormant within him. The author suggests, "Perhaps some of us have to go through dark and devious ways before we can find the river of peace or the high road to the soul's destination" (Campbell 4). In a different dimension, the narrative is egalitarian in the sense that it tries to establish who we are and the rewards that await us if we embrace the hero's journey. The hero in the journey is not just a character in the story as he symbolizes the god-given strengths within us. It is evident that there is a spiritual world that exists parallel with the physical world as the author suggests that the ultimate goal of physical existence is to connect to the spiritual world. From a personal point of view, the purpose of the story I to evaluate how the spiritual world connects to the physical world and the ways in which myths expound on those manifestations.

Unlike the ancient times, the importance of methodologies and allegories seem to be diminishing in the modern world. With the emergence of a secularized and rational society, supernatural elements are often played down or simply viewed as a story. Campbell (2008) states, "Wherever the poetry of myth is interpreted as biography, history, or science, it is killed" (Campbell 6). This is attributed to the fact that we live in a science-driven world where it is easy to prove that myths are not true. However, making these conclusions means missing out on the purpose of myths in humanity. I believe that myths explore the endless journey of the soul and the adventures beyond what we can fathom.

Campbell, Joseph. Myths to live by. Joseph Campbell Foundation, 2011.

The book is a compilation of Joseph Campbell's lectures into a comparative examination of the world's major religions. By evaluating the origins of these religions, the author explores the understanding of our society's surroundings and how they have resulted in the development of cultural mythology. He also discusses the impact these methodologies have on culture and whether these strategies are still useful in the contemporary world. However, his main aim is to use consistency in each mythology to establish the themes common among most cultures. His thesis is that mythology is the brain of the universe able to impact it in ways never seen before. Thus, instead of conforming to literal interpretation of myths of ancient times, he feels that people are about to realize the eternal truth in mythologies.

At the beginning of the book, Campbell explores how science has undermined the importance of mythologies in explaining the reason for existence and continuous interaction with nature. He also feels that all the religions in the world are no better than mythologies in the sense that even though some mythologies might not be applicable in the modern world, yet most religions are flawed by this factor. The author then differentiates between western and eastern mythologies suggesting that eastern mythologies relate to an individual's inner life. On the other hand, western mythologies are made of historical records of the society and human relationships. Eastern mythologies also emphasize on the society over the Individual while the eastern mythologies emphasize on the individual and their free will. As the book comes to a close, Campbell reinstates his thesis that humans are moving towards a more spiritual world. He feels that humans have evolved to accepting myths as their primary source of explanation for the existence of mankind. Progression towards the mythical world would definitely unite us rather than create another division like religion and science. Thus, the book can be viewed as an important source in the speculative philosophy of future human relations.

Campbell, Joseph, and Bill Moyers. "The Power of Myth." (1994).

The power of the myth is based generally on a television series based on interviews between Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers. The series encompasses the evolution and universality of myths in the history of humanity and its place in the contemporary world. He brings up stories of his own upbringing and other experiences from different cultures. With all these experiences, he concludes with a compelling thesis that contemporary society is going through a change from old traditions and methodologies to a modern way of thinking where global mythology will come up. He reflects on material that he has gathered for more than 30 years of teaching comparative mythology.

To begin with, Campbell (1994) states that "Myths give a meaning to life" (Campbell and Bill 5). This generally implies that since the methodology is a collection of stories of experience based on one' e knowledge, myths are clues to the meaning of life and your potential to grow spiritually and find your inner self. Thus, seeking experience and knowledge is the true meaning of life since people often want something to live for or remember. For instance, marriage creates a spiritual transformation in us because it changes our own perspectives and our ability to make sacrifices. Additionally, in chapter two of the series titled The Message of The Myth, the author evaluates how deep down, Myths are meant to teach us about ourselves and how to live our lives. He suggests that they serve more than just the folkloric function in most traditions, such as the "do's" and "don'ts." He states that a Myth "in the field of reference...metaphors for what is absolutely transcendent" (Campbell and Bill 2). This implies that myth serves as our guide books with its beauty and mystery. They also evaluate the ideologies of transcending duality which implies that even though things come in pairs, all things have their opposite as there can be no evil if there is no good.

The First Storytellers analyses the ways ancient cultures endeavored to understand our evolution and its connection to their world through rituals and storytelling. These rituals where warriors honor their gods before going to war or a hunter think the spirit of the animal he has prayed on existed to create harmony with nature. These stories and myths were passed through generations and have become cautionary tales in the modern world. The fourth chapter, Sacrifice and Bliss, encores many of the concepts already discussed by employing the ideology of transcending death through sacrifice. The next chapter, Love and the Goddess, digs into the ancient beliefs of matriarchal religion and the rise of romantic love in mythic tales. The last section, Masks of Eternity, explore the infinite and the importance of having the experience to relate with. Campbell suggests that all cultures create "masks," which are symbols of God. These symbols can be viewed as metaphors of the godly creatures beyond our knowledge and fathom. Throughout the whole interview, he reflects on his own experiences as he was approaching his death.

Sadri, Houman. "The Super-Heroine's Journey: Comics, Gender and the Monomyth." 3rd Global Conference Of The Graphic Novel, 3-5 September 2014, Mansfield College, Oxford University. 2014.

In the contemporary world, comic books are experiencing a period of cultural ambiguity, much attributed to the continued popularity of mythical narratives such as The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. These stories remain popular in modern media through films and television series, which draw their storylines from these narratives. Campbell's lifelong search for myths and legends from different societies began at a young age when he was undergoing religious teachings at his native catholic church, which later spread to other cultures such as the Arthurian legends of the holy grail and Hindu writings of the uplands. These narratives are take a structural pattern similar to spiritual and mythical stories where the heroic character embarks on an unfamiliar and extraordinary journey. According to Sadri (2014), to a great extent, superheroes seem to be the ultimate modern expression of this concept even though it has some limitation in the lack of female heroes. The author also feels that the unavoidable nature to portray Campbell's theories also reflects on the challenge of female superheroes to achieve equality in their depiction as superheroes. Thus, the author uses Campbell's theories to investigate the patriarchal nature of mythical narratives and how it has evolved to remain relevant even in the contemporary world.

Works Cited

Campbell, Joseph, and Bill Moyers. "The Power of Myth." (1994).

Campbell, Joseph. Myths to live by. Joseph Campbell Foundation, 2011.

Campbell, Joseph. The hero with a thousand faces. Vol. 17. New World Library, 2008.

Sadri, Houman. "The Super-Heroine's Journey: Comics, Gender and the Monomyth." 3rd Global Conference Of The Graphic Novel, 3-5 September 2014, Mansfield College, Oxford University. 2014.