WEBVTT

00:00:13.988 --> 00:00:15.411
What do Harry Potter,

00:00:15.435 --> 00:00:17.554
Katniss Everdeen, and Frodo

00:00:17.578 --> 00:00:20.417
all have in common
with the heroes of ancient myths?

00:00:20.441 --> 00:00:21.442
(Roar)

00:00:21.466 --> 00:00:24.424
What if I told you they are all variants
of the same hero?

00:00:25.788 --> 00:00:27.377
Do you believe that?

00:00:27.401 --> 00:00:28.958
Joseph Campbell did.

00:00:28.982 --> 00:00:32.512
He studied myths from all over the world
and published a book called

00:00:32.537 --> 00:00:34.634
"The Hero with a Thousand Faces,"

00:00:34.658 --> 00:00:36.296
retelling dozens of stories

00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:39.055
and explaining how each
represents the mono-myth,

00:00:39.079 --> 00:00:40.670
or Hero's Journey.

00:00:42.120 --> 00:00:44.726
So, what is the "hero's journey"?

00:00:44.750 --> 00:00:45.894
Think of it as a cycle.

00:00:46.851 --> 00:00:50.513
The journey begins and ends
in a hero's ordinary world,

00:00:50.537 --> 00:00:55.137
but the quest passes
through an unfamiliar, special world.

00:00:55.161 --> 00:00:57.578
Along the way, there are some key events.

00:00:57.602 --> 00:01:00.189
Think about your favorite book or movie.

00:01:00.213 --> 00:01:01.606
Does it follow this pattern?

00:01:03.464 --> 00:01:05.497
Status quo, that's where we start.

00:01:07.148 --> 00:01:09.531
1:00: Call to Adventure.

00:01:09.555 --> 00:01:12.081
The hero receives a mysterious message.

00:01:12.105 --> 00:01:13.759
An invitation, a challenge?

00:01:14.572 --> 00:01:16.397
2:00: Assistance

00:01:16.421 --> 00:01:21.098
The hero needs some help,
probably from someone older, wiser.

00:01:21.122 --> 00:01:22.682
3:00: Departure

00:01:22.706 --> 00:01:26.063
The hero crosses the threshold
from his normal, safe home,

00:01:26.087 --> 00:01:29.054
and enters the special
world and adventure.

00:01:29.078 --> 00:01:30.871
We're not in Kansas anymore.

00:01:30.895 --> 00:01:32.775
4:00: Trials

00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:34.077
Being a hero is hard work:

00:01:34.101 --> 00:01:35.331
our hero solves a riddle,

00:01:35.355 --> 00:01:36.574
slays a monster,

00:01:36.598 --> 00:01:38.433
escapes from a trap.

00:01:39.296 --> 00:01:41.524
5:00: Approach

00:01:41.548 --> 00:01:45.440
It's time to face the biggest ordeal,
the hero's worst fear.

00:01:46.268 --> 00:01:47.268
(Roar)

00:01:48.318 --> 00:01:49.808
6:00: Crisis

00:01:50.843 --> 00:01:52.777
This is the hero's darkest hour.

00:01:52.801 --> 00:01:55.650
He faces death and possibly even dies,

00:01:55.674 --> 00:01:57.456
only to be reborn.

00:01:58.764 --> 00:02:00.562
7:00: Treasure

00:02:00.798 --> 00:02:01.798
(Roar)

00:02:02.196 --> 00:02:05.841
As a result, the hero
claims some treasure,

00:02:05.865 --> 00:02:07.300
special recognition, or power.

00:02:08.251 --> 00:02:09.953
8:00: Result

00:02:09.977 --> 00:02:12.197
This can vary between stories.

00:02:12.221 --> 00:02:14.392
Do the monsters bow down before the hero,

00:02:14.416 --> 00:02:18.323
or do they chase him as he flees
from the special world?

00:02:18.347 --> 00:02:19.850
9:00: Return

00:02:20.663 --> 00:02:23.748
After all that adventure,
the hero returns to his ordinary world.

00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:27.145
10:00: New Life

00:02:27.169 --> 00:02:31.082
This quest has changed the hero;
he has outgrown his old life.

00:02:32.318 --> 00:02:34.596
11:00: Resolution

00:02:34.620 --> 00:02:37.042
All the tangled plot lines
get straightened out.

00:02:38.284 --> 00:02:40.569
12:00: Status Quo,

00:02:40.593 --> 00:02:42.756
but upgraded to a new level.

00:02:42.780 --> 00:02:44.996
Nothing is quite the same
once you are a hero.

00:02:45.784 --> 00:02:47.445
Many popular books and movies

00:02:47.469 --> 00:02:50.153
follow this ancient
formula pretty closely.

00:02:50.177 --> 00:02:53.887
But let's see how well "The Hunger Games"
fits the hero's journey template.

00:02:53.911 --> 00:02:56.435
When does Katniss Everdeen
hear her call to adventure

00:02:56.459 --> 00:02:57.902
that gets the story moving?

00:02:57.926 --> 00:03:00.307
When her sister's name
is called from the lottery.

00:03:01.459 --> 00:03:03.074
How about assistance?

00:03:03.098 --> 00:03:05.438
Is anyone going to help
her on her adventure?

00:03:05.462 --> 00:03:06.711
Haymitch.

00:03:06.735 --> 00:03:08.283
What about departure?

00:03:08.307 --> 00:03:10.404
Does she leave her ordinary world?

00:03:10.428 --> 00:03:12.621
She gets on a train to the capital.

00:03:12.645 --> 00:03:14.070
OK, so you get the idea.

00:03:14.094 --> 00:03:16.522
What do you have in common
with Harry Potter,

00:03:16.546 --> 00:03:18.498
Katniss Everdeen, and Frodo?

00:03:18.522 --> 00:03:20.585
Well, you're human, just like them.

00:03:21.981 --> 00:03:24.873
The Hero's Journey myth
exists in all human cultures

00:03:24.897 --> 00:03:26.582
and keeps getting updated,

00:03:26.606 --> 00:03:28.868
because we humans reflect on our world

00:03:28.892 --> 00:03:31.811
through symbolic stories of our own lives.

00:03:33.082 --> 00:03:35.055
You leave your comfort zone,

00:03:35.079 --> 00:03:37.534
have an experience that transforms you,

00:03:37.558 --> 00:03:39.477
and then you recover and do it again.

00:03:40.459 --> 00:03:43.440
You don't literally slay
dragons or fight Voldemort,

00:03:43.464 --> 00:03:46.002
but you face problems just as scary.

00:03:46.026 --> 00:03:47.219
Joseph Campbell said,

00:03:47.243 --> 00:03:50.960
"In the cave you fear to enter
lies the treasure you seek."

00:03:52.143 --> 00:03:55.087
What is the symbolic
cave you fear to enter?

00:03:55.111 --> 00:03:56.714
Auditions for the school play?

00:03:57.522 --> 00:03:59.242
Baseball tryouts?

00:03:59.266 --> 00:04:00.789
Love?

00:04:00.813 --> 00:04:04.640
Watch for this formula in books,
movies, and TV shows you come across.

00:04:04.664 --> 00:04:06.385
You will certainly see it again.

00:04:06.409 --> 00:04:08.732
But also be sensitive
to it in your own life.

00:04:09.616 --> 00:04:11.274
Listen for your call to adventure.

00:04:12.083 --> 00:04:13.641
Accept the challenge.

00:04:13.665 --> 00:04:16.410
Conquer your fear
and claim the treasure you seek.

00:04:17.293 --> 00:04:18.569
And then,

00:04:18.593 --> 00:04:19.983
do it all over again.