Hero's Journey.

Reflection on the hero's journey presentations

     My group created a Hero's Journey poster over the movie Tangled. This film is about Princess Rapunzel, whose hair has healing powers from a magical flower. She is kidnapped by evil Gothel early in life, and she spends 18 years in locked up in a tower, believing Gothel is her true mother and the outside world is cruel and unforgiving. A bandit called Flynn Rider breaks into the tower, setting Rapunzel out into a life-changing journey. She'd always dreamed of seeing the floating lanterns on her 18th birthday, and Flynn promises to take her if she would just return the crown he stole from the kingdom. Their journey consists of a sassy horse, big tough men with surprisingly sweet personalities, a tiny chameleon with opinions of his own, and much more. It tells how you must always find it within yourself to do what is impossible. When there is nothing left to lose, you keep going. 

     There were some very creative and inspiring hero's journey movie posters presented in class. One presentation I enjoyed was the Nightmare Before Christmas because the poster was very detailed and you could tell hard work had really gone into the making of it. Also, the movie sent an inspiring message; that if you really want something to happen, sometimes you have to do it yourself. There are two kinds of people in this world: the doers, and the watchers. Another presentation I liked was the Life of Pi. The poster itself was well done, as there was tiger stripes in the background and it fit in really well. Also, I really related to Pi, the hero, because we share the fact that we are both physically and mentally tired. He becomes physically and mentally tired while stranded on the boat with the tiger, and I have become physically and mentally tired for different reasons. However, it's inspiring to me that Pi got through it all and made success with his life; he made himself happy. To me, happiness is one of the most--if not the most-- important thing one could possibly have in life.

   

Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming...

Write about the film you think works best for the hero’s journey.

I have always loved the movie Finding Nemo. Not until now have I realized that there is a hero’s journey in it. Dory, the cute blue fish who has short-term memory, rises to the occasion and helps Nemo’s dad help find Nemo. I think that she is underrated in the film because everybody focuses on the fish that the movie is named after: Nemo. However, Dory is in high spirits throughout almost the entire movie. When Marlin (Nemo’s dad) is about to give up all hopes of finding his son, Dory pushes him to keep going. She even has her own little motto; to “just keep swimming!” She is a hero in the very sense of the word. Dory reads the origin of the scuba diver’s mask to Marlin when he is busy almost getting eaten by a horrifying electrical fish in the dark depths of the ocean. Her optimism helps her achieve the impossible on the long journey to finding Nemo. Marlin even suggested that if Dory hadn't comforted him so much he may have never even reached Sydney and found his son!

Gotta Get Out of That Funk!

An abyss is the lowest part of a person/hero’s journey. It is the place of darkness and a place to face (metaphorical) monsters. Once the “dragon is slayed” transformation occurs.

     All throughout my life I have fallen into abysses of different magnitudes. One of the most recent ones that have occurred was tryouts for the volleyball team this year. I was really shooting to make Junior Varsity (JV), but that unfortunately didn’t happen. Instead, I made the sophomore team. At first I couldn’t get over it. I was furious at myself, because I thought I had tried really hard at tryouts. Then I second-guessed myself and thought that maybe I hadn’t tried as hard as I should have. But as the days passed, I realized that in the long run me making the sophomore team was the best possible outcome. There are quite a few reasons for this reasoning. One is because by being on the sophomore team; I get an abundant amount of playing time. Also, my coach really pays attention to me and I feel like I am getting better and better each practice. Also, it gave me a chance to make friends with a lot of really great freshmen; I can tell that in a couple years they are still going to be good friends of mine. This is not to say that I wouldn’t like to be on JV. However for many different reasons I am completely content with making the sophomore team. Thinking hard about it, in my point of view the whole world revolves around labels. It’s what things are labeled that make people want or not want them, and I think that I just had to get over my want for the label of JV and face reality. The best way for me to improve greatly this season is by being on the team that I’m on, not the team I randomly wanted to make. 

This is a highlights video from the Olympic's volleyball. I can only hope and work to one day be as good as these players are!

My Hero!

     What does the word "hero" mean to me? Well to be quite honest, I have two very different images whenever I think of that word. They pop up in my mind at the same time, so I couldn't really tell you one which one I admire more. These two heroes are people that “keep the peace” so to say, and imaginary superheroes. By the people that keep the peace, I kind of mean like the SRU (the Strategic Response Unit, which is like the SWAT team except they also do psychological profiling) and firefighters. They are extremely brave and courageous in my point of view, and that's why I admire them. As for superheroes…I mean that one is kind of self explanatory, don’t you think? I love superheroes like Iron Man because he doesn’t have some freak supernatural ability that is totally unrealistic. He’s just a total genius and brainiac, and he builds everything that helps him be a superhero. Some people hate him for that exact reason, but I think that it sends an important message out; you can be whatever you want to be as long as you put your mind to it (no pun intended). 

     Going back to the SRU…I first became aware of this team by watching a Canadian TV show called Flashpoint. I think it’s one of my favorite TV shows because it reveals the tremendous hardships of being somebody that people look up to for protection. At the same time, you must have the courage to step into deathly situations with only a bulletproof vest and your mind to protect you. These specialized officers have the ability to talk down people thinking about suicide, people about to set off bombs, people about to commit murder in any way shape or form, or worse. Yes, worse. They don’t have written scripts for situations they are needed at because they never really know what they are getting themselves into until they profile everything that is going on at the scene. They then keep the peace and are incredibly brave  and wise in every action that they take.

I Simply Remember My Favorite Things...

I Simply Remember My Favorite Things...

...and then I don't feel so bad! (That's a line from The Sound of Music for those of you that didn't get it.) 

     To be quite honest, if somebody were to ask me what my favorite things were my mind would come up blank. There's so many wonderful things to choose from! However the two objects of chocolate and volleyball will forever have a special place in my heart. 

     Whenever I have a choice/option between chocolate and something else, my answer will always be the more chocolatey option. Maybe I love it so much because chocolate has some kind of ingredient in it that is addicting like coffee...or maybe it's because it's like a little miniature party in my mouth whenever I eat it. Whatever the reason may be, I will always be a chocolate nut.

                                          

     As for volleyball, I can't even get started on why it's my favorite sport out of the many I've tried in my life. Ballet, swimming, soccer? Too boring. But the feeling of digging an incredibly fast ball or serving a mean ace is amazing. Watching your own teammate kill or block a ball is fantastic, and the specific cheer your team hammers out after a well-deserved point is incredibly fun to chant. Volleyball is not just a sport, but more of something that gives you a natural high when you're on a roll. It's plain old fun.

    Now what IS the best experience of my life? Well to be frank I have had some pretty amazing experiences so far, so it's pretty difficult to pinpoint a favorite. My trips to different countries are always absolutely incredible. My favorite so far has been a two week trip to India. It was amazing seeing and being a part of a completely different culture. I learned to greet people by respectfully saying "namaste", and many more things. The food was spicy and the people were extremely friendly, the cows were holy and the Taj Mahal was perfect. The elephant and camel rides were spectacular. It was a trip I will never forget.