Final Vogler Reading

Summary:

For the first potion of this reading, Vogler talked about how letters, words, and stories are magical. First, he mentioned how amazing the simple concept of writing is; that pen strokes can combine to create letters, then words, then sentences, and eventually whole stories which millions of people can understand. Not to mention, all of the various meanings that one word can carry and all of the intricacies that come with forming sentences (i.e., sentence structure, metaphors, etc.). From there, Vogler went on to talk about how his skeletal structure relates to real life: 1.) his structure is malleable enough that all sorts of life-stories can be told using it, 2.) every living human has at least one experience that can be tweaked to fit Vogler’s structure, and 3.) that stories are alive, in their own right, and deserve to be structured carefully. It is through such effort, to create a well-developed story, that an author can bring a tale to life; from reasonably small aspects, like word choice, to make-or-break aspects, like story development. When those stories come alive, they speak a kind of truth that the audience can identify with. Consequently, audience members become invested in the progression of the story and are emotionally affected by the final outcome; it is with that kind of spectator involvement that stories gain the power to heal and hurt.

Often times, the Hero starts out as superficial; wishing for things instead of being content with what they have, which often times serves as a catalyst for the journey. After all, the journey is meant to help the Hero grow as a person; to learn a moral or emotional lesson which will help them correct their superficial ways, flaws, personality, or their understanding of the world. Like the audience identifies with the truths of the story, they also identify with the characters that have traits universal to all people: common drives, desires, and weaknesses. It is due to that commonality that people go and watch movies; they want to experience danger without getting hurt, have their wishes come true, and experience other situations which will never happen to them. Although going to the movies is an easy way to have our wishes temporarily granted, the audience still has to endure all of the struggles and obstacles that the Hero has to overcome in order to achieve their wishes. When the audience struggles alongside the Hero, the story becomes more realistic and obtaining the wish, in the end, becomes more rewarding.

According to Vogler, there are several steps of human emotional development that can be applied to help further develop his skeletal structure, however, he chose to focus on three. The first, which has already been mentioned, was wishing. In that stage, both the Hero and the audience establish that they need change in their life. However, if they want results, they need to do more than just wish. The second step adds action to the equation; instead of sitting idly by, the Hero has to chase his dreams. It is the transition between wishing and the third step – willing. The third step is where the Hero takes responsibility for his/her actions. In this stage, the Hero has developed enough will power to seek change for themselves and no longer rely on others. It is in this stage, that Heroes show how much they have grown; they have learned lessons along their journey which have caused them to be less idealistic (wishing) and more resolute in the life goals.


Reaction:

I speak, read, and write every day, which has made the novelty of communication wear off; especially, in this age of cell phones and the internet. I liked the first part of this reading, because Vogler reminded me how incredible language truly is. It is nice to take a moment and appreciate it. However, I feel as though Vogler took it too far by saying that writing is magical. I also think that he was a little harsh on the concept of wishing. Yes, it is great to make your wishes reality, but with that comes maturity. I think that we all need some wishes and some will in our life; having a balance between the two helps keep life from getting too serious.


Questions:

1.) Is it possible for an individual, who relates with the Hero, to grow and learn as the Hero does?

2.) Do Disney movies show the three steps: wishing, doing, and willing?

3.) Do any characters, other than the Hero, go through those three stages?

4.) After reading all of The Writer's Journey, can you see ways in which Vogler's skeletal structure can be applied to other modes of communication than writing and movies? Can it help people become more persuasive speakers?

Stage 9 of the Journey: The Epilogue

Vogler, Christopher. Vogler, Christopher. “Epilogue: Looking Back on the Journey.” The Writer's Journey. Third. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 1998. 231 – 290.

Summary:

As Vogler brings his book, The Writer’s Journey, to a close, he lists several famous movies which exemplify the use of his structure, including Titanic, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, and The Full Monty. Vogler goes on to analyze the character archetypes and the plot development of those movies in order to help synthesize the ideas that he has presented. Vogler was careful to note that the 12-step structure, which he has presented, is purely a guideline to start from; writers are meant to create unique and interesting stories that branch off from his skeletal structure. Do not expect to use his format and come away with an award winning story or movie.

Reaction:

Looking at the comparisons, it is interesting to see the ways that stories differ and to see that Vogler’s structure applies to all sorts of genres. Also, this section of the book is important to look at because it puts all of Vogler’s ideas together, instead of looking at one single point of a story or movie. The Epilogue is an important piece of the book, because Vogler’s ideas cover a lot and he really needed to reiterate all of those points as a whole. Personally, I feel as though this book has been very repetitive, but in a way that is a good thing; it really emphasizes the concepts that Vogler is trying to make.

Questions:

1.Can Vogler’s skeletal structure be found in television shows, both fictional and reality? What about in documentaries?

2.When looking at comparisons like the ones Vogler made, is it important to notice the variations? Are they what makes the story better?

3.How would you feel about a series of stories or movies that changes perspective in each piece (i.e., the first movie comes from the Hero’s perspective, the second movie comes from the Villains perspective, etc.)? Does that reverse the Hero and Villains roles? How would the audience feel about each movie if they only saw one movie compared to seeing the whole series, or even seeing them out of order.

4 Mediums About Domestic Violence

Song:

Eminem’s, a.k.a Marshall Mathers, song Kim is an especially poignant representation of domestic violence because, for him, it is a very personal issue. He and his wife have received a lot of publicity for their volatile relationship, and that topic has served as inspiration for several of his songs. Although I have not personally experienced domestic violence, nor do I know anyone who has, this song makes it easy to imagine the fear and anger involved in such a situation through the use of a lot of pathos. The song begins with Eminem singing a lullaby to his daughter, but immediately switches to him yelling at Kim, his wife. In the background you can hear her screams. The lyrics show that a lot of this can cause a relationship to go wrong; at one point it can be progressing perfectly and the next it can be completely screwed up, just because of one small incident.

Art:

A Window Between Worlds (AWBW) is an organization which deals with both women and children who have suffered from domestic violence. That organization has created an art exhibition out of drawings and paintings that the children, staying with them, have created. These pieces of artwork are so impactful because they express what the children cannot say, or are not willing to say. What makes this exhibit so interesting is that, for the artist, creating art is a source of release but, for the viewers, looking at the art is a source of a bone-chilling sensation. Under each piece, online, there is a comment from the artist (the artist comments on their artwork years later, when they are grown). Those comments further exemplify the painful experiences that each child went through. On a positive note, some of the stories show growth and healing; that is, after the children got out of the abusive homes.

Book:

Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men by Lundy Bancroft is a good book to look at because my other examples (the song and the art) use a lot of pathos. This book takes a more analytical approach to domestic violence, and brings in personal stories. It takes Bancroft’s personal experience of being a therapist to angry men, who have been abusers, and uses his findings to help advise women how to get out of their abusive relationships. He also goes over the different kinds of angry men, various abusive relationships, and dispels common myths about violent relationships.

Video:

The movie, What’s Love Got to Do with It, is about a woman named Anna Mae, but is really based off of Ike and Tina Turner’s abusive relationship. This is a perfect representation of domestic violence, because it shows how a relationship can start off perfectly loving and then become abusive. It also shows the importance of getting out of such a harmful relationship, and that life goes on; no one should be completely dependent on any one individual person.

Stages 11 & 12 of the Journey

Summary:

The Resurrection –

This stage of the journey is an incredibly important one. It has a moment of death or rebirth, which not only makes the story feel more complete but is also the climax of the story (similar situation to the crisis/Supreme Ordeal, but this situations tests the lessons that the Hero has learned). That death or rebirth inspires the Hero to change, which allows him/her to return to the Ordinary World. Sometimes the climax is not the most dramatic moment in the story (a.k.a quiet climax). Sometimes there is a series of continuous climaxes (a.k.a rolling climaxes). The climax is meant to make the audience have an emotional breakthrough.

Return with the Elixir –

The “elixir” is what the Hero brings back to the Ordinary World; it is an adaptation of the lessons that the Hero has learned. It is during this stage of the journey that the story’s loose ends are tied up. Sometimes, however, the story is left open-ended in order to leave the audience with a sense of ambiguity. Sometimes an epilogue is needed to complete the story. Like the Reward, the Return follows a moment of death and rebirth, and both show the consequences of surviving death. The journey not only causes the Hero to change, but also the Hero’s Ordinary World.

Reaction:

I think this reading was interesting, but kind of boring. I think the most important part of the story is when the Hero shares the elixir, because the only way you can know that you truly understand something is to explain it to others.


Questions:

Is repetition important in creating an appealing story?

Are open-ended stories ever as successful as neatly wrapped up stories?

Can a Hero not learn anything? Can he/she not share his/her knowledge?

What happens if a Hero is too stressed out? Can he/she just give up?