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What do Harry Potter,

0:00:15.435,0:00:16.561
Katniss Everdeen,

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and Frodo

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all have in common with the heroes of ancient myths?

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What if I told you they are all variants of the same hero?

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Do you believe that?

0:00:27.401,0:00:28.982
Joseph Cambpell did.

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He studied myths from all over the world

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and published a book called,

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"The Hero with a Thousand Faces,"

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retelling dozens of stories

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and explaining how each represents the monomyth,

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or hero's journey.

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So, what is the "hero's journey"?

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Think of it as a cycle.

0:00:46.850,0:00:50.537
The journey begins and ends in a hero's ordinary world,

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but the quest passes through an unfamiliar, special world.

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Along the way, there are some key events.

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Think about your favorite book or movie.

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Does it follow this pattern?

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Status quo, that's where we start.

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1:00: Call to Adventure.

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The hero receives a mysterious message,

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an invitation?

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A challenge?

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2:00: Assistance

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The hero needs some help,

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probably from someone older, wiser.

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3:00: Departure

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The hero crosses the threshold from his normal, safe home,

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and enters the special world and adventure.

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We're not in Kansas anymore.

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4:00: Trials

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Being a hero is hard work:

0:01:34.048,0:01:35.355
our hero solves a riddle,

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slays a monster,

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escapes from a trap.

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5:00: Approach

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It's time to face the biggest ordeal,

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the hero's worst fear.

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6:00: Crisis

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This is the hero's darkest hour.

0:01:52.801,0:01:55.674
He faces death and possibly even dies

0:01:55.674,0:01:57.456
only to be reborn.

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7:00: Treasure

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As a result, the hero claims some treasure,

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special recognition, or power.

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8:00: Result

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This can vary between stories.

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Do the monsters bow down before the hero,

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or do they chase him as he flees from the special world?

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9:00: Return

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After all that adventure, the hero returns to his ordinary world.

0:02:25.120,0:02:27.169
10:00: New Life

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This quest has changed the hero;

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he has outgrown his old life.

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11:00: Resolution

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All the tangled plot lines get straightened out.

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12:00: Status Quo,

0:02:40.593,0:02:42.780
but upgraded to a new level.

0:02:42.780,0:02:45.784
Nothing is quite the same once you are a hero.

0:02:45.784,0:02:47.469
Many popular books and movies

0:02:47.469,0:02:50.177
follow this ancient formula pretty closely.

0:02:50.177,0:02:53.911
But let's see how well "The Hunger Games" fits the hero's journey template.

0:02:53.911,0:02:55.968
When does Katniss Everdeen hear her call to adventure

0:02:55.968,0:02:57.926
that gets the story moving?

0:02:57.926,0:03:01.459
When her sister's name is called from the lottery.

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How about assistance?

0:03:03.098,0:03:05.462
Is anyone going to help her on her adventure?

0:03:05.462,0:03:06.735
Haymitch.

0:03:06.735,0:03:08.307
What about departure?

0:03:08.307,0:03:10.428
Does she leave her ordinary world?

0:03:10.428,0:03:12.645
She gets on a train to the captial.

0:03:12.645,0:03:14.094
OK, so you get the idea.

0:03:14.094,0:03:15.609
What do you have in common

0:03:15.609,0:03:16.546
with Harry Potter,

0:03:16.546,0:03:17.391
Katniss Everdeen,

0:03:17.391,0:03:18.522
and Frodo?

0:03:18.522,0:03:21.981
Well, you're human, just like them.

0:03:21.981,0:03:24.897
The hero's journey myth exists in all human cultures

0:03:24.897,0:03:26.606
and keeps getting updated

0:03:26.606,0:03:28.891
because we humans reflect on our world

0:03:28.892,0:03:33.082
through symboloic stories of our own lives.

0:03:33.082,0:03:35.079
You leave your comfort zone,

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have an experience that transforms you,

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and then you recover and do it again.

0:03:40.459,0:03:43.464
You don't literally slay dragons or fight Voldemort,

0:03:43.464,0:03:46.026
but you face problems just as scary.

0:03:46.026,0:03:47.243
Joseph Cambpell said,

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"in the cave you fear to enter lies the treasure you seek."

0:03:52.143,0:03:55.111
What is the symbolic cave you fear to enter?

0:03:55.111,0:03:57.522
Auditions for the school play?

0:03:57.522,0:03:59.266
Baseball tryouts?

0:03:59.266,0:04:00.813
Love?

0:04:00.813,0:04:04.664
Watch for this formula in books, movies, and TV shows you come across.

0:04:04.664,0:04:06.409
You will certainly see it again.

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But also be sensitive to it in your own life.

0:04:09.616,0:04:12.083
Listen for your call to adventure.

0:04:12.083,0:04:13.665
Accept the challenge.

0:04:13.665,0:04:14.936
Conquer your fear

0:04:14.936,0:04:17.293
and claim the treasure you seek.

0:04:17.293,0:04:18.593
And then,

0:04:18.593,0:04:20.439
do it all over again.