“A Practical Guide”-Summary
In this first section of reading Vogler speaks about the universal pattern in all stories, no matter the culture or time period, and the process it takes to create the journey of a hero. All stories that follow the Hero’s Cycle have similarities in their set-up and yet they can be altered and made unique to a certain culture or to fit the author’s intentions. The hero’s journey was described beginning with his state in the “ordinary world”, continuing into the heart of the adventure and ending with the hero having gained something either physically or mentally, or both. Throughout the journey the hero has to overcome certain obstacles that interfere with their goal; in doing this they gain some sort of knowledge or insight and are changed people when they return to the ordinary world. There are certain symbols throughout the journey that are representative of “universal life experiences” and can be altered and adapted to fit any story. Vogler stresses the importance that the outline for the Hero’s Journey is not set in stone and there are endless possibilities as to where the story can go and the details that can be added throughout the piece.

Reaction-
I thought it was interesting and helpful that Vogler included examples of current films and television shows to illustrate his ideas and points. I liked that the steps and process of the hero’s journey were showed through diagrams and charts and were also broken down into twelve sections and then explained in great detail. A roller coaster was used as a comparison to the Hero’s Journey and I felt this was appropriate in describing the unknown path and fear that a hero must face in order to be successful. I was a little unsure about the idea of the hero becoming more attractive after they have completed their journey and what exactly this meant. A hero may seem to be more attractive because of their accomplishments but it is unlikely that they actually are and I would argue that it is more in the eyes of those who observed them before and after the journey. I also thought it was important to make clear that the set-up of the Hero’s Journey was merely an outline and could be altered and reworked to fit any idea, which Vogler did well.

Reflection-
This section of reading relates directly to what we talked about in class on Friday, meaning fairytale stories and childhood classics that involve some sort of hero. It was interesting that we discussed both male and female heroes and there is a special note about including women as heroes as well, and Vogler refers to “her” as he talks about heroes. The book is written in a fashion that makes reading it enjoyable even though there is a lot of information and examples packed into each page. I am beginning to see why we might have to pick a hero that relates to us in some way for an upcoming project. Perhaps the hero we choose and the journey that they experienced says something about who we are as individuals. This book seems extremely relevant to each of us at this point in our lives, not merely because the Hero Journey is all around us in films, books, etc… but because we are living our own epic journey. This universal system also links all cultures together creating a certain degree of understanding and civility between them.

Questions:
What exactly is meant by the hero becoming more attractive after the journey?
Is it really plausible to say that the Hero Journey will “outlive us all”?
Are there any heroic stories that follow a completely different outline?