Approach to Inmost Cave and the Ordeal

Cameron Bradley

Annotated Bibliography

Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Studio

City:Michael Wiese Productions, 2007.

 

Summary

The next two stages of the Writer’s Journey explain the hero as he or she Approaches the Inmost Cave and the Ordeal.  The Inmost Cave deals with the hero coming to the area of the Threshold guardian.  On the way to the hero’s goal, the hero must face a series of obstacles before they can rest.  For example, the book uses the Wizard of Oz and the glittering sight of Emerald City to show that Dorothy is about to reach her goal.  However, obstacles such as the witch casting a sleeping spell and the city guardian stop Dorothy from making her journey complete. 

            Once the hero has reached the area of the Inmost Cave, he or she must face the Ordeal.  The hero must face the main terror of the story in this stage and everything the hero has in at stake.  This is including the hero’s life.  Many times in this stage, the hero is killed off but then brought back to life.  The hero usually dies through an act of selflessness and he is brought back by a moral lesson.  If the hero’s life is not at stake, something else the hero owns is.  Facing phobia, defeating a villain and letting the enemy escape, or tearing down one’s ego are just a few instants that the hero will come across during the Ordeal. 

Reaction

These seem to be the most exciting parts of story.  While they are no the climax, they hold some of the most memorable scenes in a story.  One random emotion seems to be stretched at this point to make the viewer hang onto their seats for more.  Consequently, the hero seems to be doomed to fail in these two parts of the story.  The hero is only given a peak at what his final ordeal will hold and what skills he will need to face it.  

Questions

1.     What is the difference between the Ordeal and the Climax of the story?

2.     Is the hero always sure to fail in these stages?

3.     What factors usually trigger the events of the Approach to the Inmost Cave?

Terms

Quo: verb used with a noun: the state of existing or being

The doctor kept a lose watch on the status quo of the coma victim.

Ganglion: noun: a mass of nerve tissue existing outside the brain

The ganglion of the story is sensitive when the climax is in motion.

 

 

 

Annotated Bibliography-Crossing the first threshold and testing of allies and enemies

Cameron Bradley

Annotated Bibliography

Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Studio

City:Michael Wiese Productions, 2007.

 

Summary

Stages five and six in the Vogler text now explain the hero crossing his first threshold and determining his allies and enemies.  Whiles at the first threshold, the hero must either fight a threshold guardian or overcome n inner demon that motivates them to keep traveling the road he or she has chosen.  The threshold guardians are sometimes training for the hero for hat he is to face later in the story.  In other words, the crossing of the first threshold is a quiz leading to a test. 

            The next stage covers the hero trying to determine his allies and enemies.  In this stage, a series of trials and tests are put on the hero to determine his state of mind toward the people around him.  After the tests, the characters may be torn into teams, sidekicks, enemies, rivalries and other aliases toward the hero.  At the end of this stage, the hero must prepare for the next stage called approaching to the Inmost Cave. 

 

Reaction

            These two stages just seem to be prep for what is going to happen later.  We get a better understanding of which character is “good” or “bad.” In other word, character development is important here.  Motivation is also tested in these stages.  The motivation can be tested with either a fight for a flashback. 

 

Terms

1.     Can the test of allies and enemies be false when a character is lying?

2.     What is an example of a mental test in the crossing of the first threshold?

3.     Can the crossing of the threshold r testing of allies and enemies be taken out of a story?

Annotated Bibliography- Refusal to Call and Meeting Mentor

Cameron Bradley

Annotated Bibliography

Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Studio

City:Michael Wiese Productions, 2007.

Summary

The next selection of reading for Vogler covers the refusal of the call and a meeting with the mentor.  These two sections of the story involve how the hero reacts to the new situation he is facing and the beginning obstacles he must face.  The refusal of call explains reasons and excuses why the hero does not want the new world facing him or her.  The fears of the hero are brought to the surface, as he must fight his own conscious to start a journey.  The hero can underestimate his or her own strength in this stage but will have the nagging feeling of not finishing a job.  Some heroes will automatically accept the call as a way to find something he has lost. 

            Meeting with the mentor explains where the hero receives his wisdom for a journey.  Strength can be drawn from the words of the mentor to push the hero into the journey.  Whenever the hero is stuck in a tight spot, the words of the mentor may linger to propel the hero out of danger.  The words of the mentor can last for the entirety of the story in the heroes’ head. 

 

Reaction

            These new events in the story can only last for a few minutes or a few words in a story.  For example, in the Wizard of Oz, the refusal of call was only a few words and the first meeting with the mentor was around 10 minutes.  These are both very brief periods that can have a major effect on the attitude of a hero toward his or her journey. 

 

Questions

1.     When a physical mentor is not present, what are some examples of forces that can act as a mentor to the hero in the meeting with the mentor?

2.     When a hero accepts a call head on, does this make the hero seem more selfish when the refusal of call is minimal?

3.     Can the mentor also be a guide for the author of the story?

4.     Can a mentor say negative words to hero to propel him or her?

 

Terms

-Delve- o carry on intensive and thorough research for data, information, or the like

 

The detective had to delve in the evidence before he could find a new lead to the mystery. 

            -Lyre- a musical instrument of ancient Greece consisting of a soundbox made typically from a turtle shell, with two curved arms connected by a yoke from which strings are stretched to the body, used esp. to accompany singing and recitation.

 

            The lyre gave a sweet sound even in modern times.

 

            -Illicit-not legally permitted or authorized; unlicensed; unlawful

 

            The policeman did not have an illicit reason to arrest the accused man. 

            

Edit and Revision- For Draft

Revision-1. All of the sentences of the paragraph should relate to the first sentence.  

2. The first sentence must give a brief overview of what the paragraph is about. 

3. I should add more dialogue. 

Edit-1. I should use more semicolons to add more ideas and details.

2. I  should change my vocabulary is some of the sentences to keep the words clear. 

3 I should write between 6-8 sentences for each paragraph

Kafka Quiz

1. Connect the Ordinary World and the Call to Adventure to your reading of Book 1 of _The Metamorphosis_ Explain the connection.
2. Are there any social issues being critiqued in the story? How does "The Red Scare" relate to Kafka's work?
3. What does Gregor turn into in the story?

1. The ordinary world is an average life with a job that travels.  He would wake up every morning and get ready for work.  If he did not feel good, he would goto sleep again by turning on his right side. 

2. There is a social issue of what a family thinks is right for their kids.  Th parents believed the son was to work at the firm for the rest of his life. There was much hysteria over a situation that the parents did not understand and this related to the red scare.  

3. He  turned into an insect. 

Ethos, Pathos, Logos-Squirrels

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL1uFjSbvnA