My All American Hero's Journey

Words: 1975
Pages: 8
Open Document
People of all ages enjoy watching movies and are unconsciously transformed emotionally and psychologically. Life lessons can be taught or inspired through the stories of tragic main characters overcoming obstacles and searching for meaning in their life. Films can be conventional or unconventional in design. Each method of storytelling has different qualities associated with them. According to Bill Swanson’s chapter How Films Feed the Mind or When I’m Hungry, I Don't Want to Eat Candy, he defines conventional films as “feel good movies because they make the viewers more comfortable about themselves and what they believe”. (Swanson 318) Conventional films are distinguishable from unconventional because there are clearly defined good and bad …show more content…
In contrast in the same essay, Swanson further explains unconventional films as “we’re not sure who the “good guys” are or what the main character should do.” (Swanson 321) The viewer is challenged to come up with their own construction of the significance. Campbell’s tragic hero is commonly referred to as the hero’s journey, where the main character displays flaws that hinder their growth as they journey through many stages to overcome their biggest test in order to fully understand their problems and return to society. The idea of the tragic hero is ever present today in film. In the sports biopic My All American (2015) directed by Angelo Rizzo, the life of Freddie Joe Steinmark (Finn Wittrock) and his athletic accomplishments are shared along with his battle with bone cancer and amputation of his leg to end his promising football career. Throughout the film there is a clear and unwavering message of hope that demonstrates when things get difficult on the gridiron or in life, the importance of faith in oneself and in others is the defining moment. The conventional film My All American depicts the inspirational theme of never giving up, and tragic hero, Freddie Joe Steinmark, inspired more cancer research because he died so young and could have been saved if more knowledge on cancer was
Show More

Related Documents: My All American Hero's Journey

The Hero With A Thousand Faces Analysis

American scholar Joseph Campbell, a mythologist, lecturer and writer, had introduced the concepts of the Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell studied myth and made claims that in nearly all myths, the hero's’ adventures are identical in their format. The different stages of adventure turned out to be called the “Hero’s Journey”. According to Joseph Campbell, the hero’s journey forms the basic template for all great stories. These stories are somehow important to readers since they are always huge inspirations…

Words 1106 - Pages 5

How Is Chief Bromden A Hero

Teddy Lear Mrs. Wasserman Honors English 11 20 February 2024 The Hero and the Rebel Over the course of the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest the hero’s journey is apparent, however for much of the novel it seems to be in R.P. McMurphy’s journey, but in fact the hero’s journey is best represented by Chief Bromden. In an interview with Bill Moyers, Joseph Campbell states “Even in popular novels, the main character is a hero or heroine who has found or done something beyond the normal range of achievement…

Words 1293 - Pages 6

American Lore Myths

American Lore is just like any other lore it has myths, legends, and fairy tales, but American lore shows the history of America and how we live today, with a twist to the story.Legends are based on historical facts Myths are based on religion and gods and goddesses. Fairy Tales are made believe not real, includes special creatures. Tall tales and legends are more based in American lore and is heavily based on history and the many traditional stories that are spread from generation to generation…

Words 1593 - Pages 7

Hero's Journey

Fernando Castro-Diaz Honors English 10 Mrs. Henderson May 9th, 2024 Peace like a river By Fernando Castro-Diaz. The Hero’s Journey is an essential part of storytelling in which the involved Hero passes through various stages to be transformed into this new, praised character. Leif Enger uses this template as the root to create a blend of both Heroism and Biblical views, resulting in a Heroic Christian figure. Peace Like A River is a story of creeping suspense. A story which follows the Land family:…

Words 1462 - Pages 6

The Hero's Journey of the Odyssey Essay

Charles Deng Ms. Gibson English 1/2 H p5 16 December 2013 Odysseus’ Clock Heroes are everywhere... such can be the Americans who fight over seas, the leaders who defend our human rights, the civilians who save the unfortunate, the people who feed us and shelter us from the cold and unknown, and the souls that lie within every one of us. We do not realize this because the definition of a hero is ambiguous. According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, a hero is a mythological or legendary figure…

Words 1570 - Pages 7

Essay on Huck Finn Final Draft

The history of slavery spans from ancient times to the present day; slavery in early American history was a system in which people were legally considered the property of another. One modern face of slavery takes the shape of international human trafficking. An estimated 29.8 million people are living in illegal slavery today. Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn depicts the reality of the despicable racism exhibited in slavery in the USA during the nineteenth century. Twain’s protagonist…

Words 1066 - Pages 5

What Is A Hero's Journey In The Scarlet Letter

realize that they will find a journey is being told. The film American Beauty and the novel The Scarlet Letter both use the archetypal hero’s journey and supporting images of power to emphasize that finding individuality can lead to fulfillment and rebirth, desires we all share. In the case of American Beauty and The Scarlet Letter, both narratives share the required journey pattern of departure, fulfillment and return in their quests. The departure phase in American Beauty exhibits Lester as he…

Words 1704 - Pages 7

Essay on secret life of bees

Owens. This girls is coming of age through predicaments loss and betrayal. She is haunted by the inconclusive death of her mother. She is isolated and lonely with a troubled relationship with her abusive father. Lily escapes with Rosaline an African American who is lily’s caregiver and closest friend. She does this to find the truth about her mother by visiting Tiburon where she meets the knowledgeable Boatwright sisters. Where she finds peace and happiness in beekeeping. Lily's Owens character go through…

Words 857 - Pages 4

Harriet Tubm The Hero's Journey

Tubman is a very well-known name and is still talked about in history class today. She risked her life to help save others and give them a better life. Harriet Tubman's life can be categorized from the start of her journey to the end of her journey by using the template of the Hero’s Journey, made famous by Joseph Campbell. Harriet was born in Dorchester County, Maryland during March 1822 in the ordinary world as a slave held in captivity (“About Harriet Tubman”). She first had the job of checking muskrat…

Words 2269 - Pages 10

Midterm Essay 1

Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey while simultaneously adding complexity to these same characters that lead to an especially satisfying story. While one could explore Casablanca in a 1 ­to­ 1 way, equating characters to Jung and Campbell’s archetypes, I believe the magic of the film lies in the fact that the ensemble together evoke the entire pantheon of archetypes. Campbell’s idea of the Hero is played out not by a single leading character but by multiple characters who have journeys of their own.…

Words 2401 - Pages 10