...Archetypal Analysis: How the Grinch Stole Christmas The school of criticism that best interprets Dr. Suess’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is an archetypal analysis. The author frequently follows recurring symbols and themes found in numerous types of literature. Using several universal symbols, images, and character types, Dr. Suess has definitely created a poem filled with archetypal images and story patterns. Generally, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” follows the archetypal pattern in which the main character, the Grinch, leaves his home on a quest – specifically, to stop Christmas from coming in Whoville. During this journey, being in itself a popular story line in literature, the Grinch encounters several common archetypes that reflect particular actions or situations that represent human nature. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is an obvious example of “Good versus Evil.” The “Who’s down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot,” (1); a happy, family-oriented town of individuals who had no notion of evil in their minds is distinguished as something “good”. However, “the Grinch hated Christmas”(2) and succeeds in stealing Christmas from the guiltless Who-families, distinguishing himself as “evil.” Additionally, the evil Grinch encounters Little Cindy-Lou Who, who asks him, “’Santy Claus, why,/Why are you taking our Christmas tree?” (74, 75) Her innocence reflects yet another archetypal character. She may also be considered a hero, as she predominantly exhibits goodness...
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...Thinking back to childhood, many people can recall a certain celebrity that they wanted to grow up to be just like. As we grow and mature, we still find people to look up to and emulate. This craving to admire somebody is a societal trait that has been around since the beginning of time. It is a human archetypal trait to put somebody on a pedestal and to idolize them. This trait is even seen in futile societies. This idea is commonly seen in literature. Works of literature dating back long before even the 1800’s can sometimes best demonstrate this idea. A good example of the human trait of admiration in literature is Beowulf, the Epic Poem translated by Seamus Heaney. In Beowulf, the plebs and soldiers are in constant admiration of the Epic Hero Beowulf. They look at him like a savior, shower him in gifts, and give him a burial that eternalizes his spot on the pedestal. The epic poem Beowulf highlights the human trait of admiration through the...
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...“The Hobbit” is a book that narrates the adventures of a creature called a hobbit. Bilbo, the name of the hobbit, embarks on a long journey with a troop of fourteen to recover stolen gold. His companions each play different roles throughout the story, and these roles help readers understand what each character contributes to the story. As the story progresses, the reader will start to realize which characters belong to which archetypal roles and how they affect the story. Roles such as the shapeshifter add suspense, and roles like the herald help bring the story to life. In “The Hobbit,” many characters play archetypal roles to help carry and enhance the story. Heroes play the most important role in the story, they make sacrifices and lead...
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...Aimee Waldrep Professor Lo-Verde Dropp English Composition II Section 006 2/15/2015 Archetypal Development of Star Trek’s Spock Spock, at first glance, is simply logical, unemotional and to an extent, without much personality. However his character is significantly developed through the course of episodes 1-14, as well as the rest of the series. Spock has elements of the archetypes of The Seeker as well as The Sage. He, along with the Enterprise crew, explores the unknown, and embraces learning. He also avoids the support of others, contributing to The Seeker archetype. His character contains numerous components of The Sage archetype as well, such as seeking truth and knowledge, intelligence, and being the unfeeling judge; cold, rational and heartless. However, as the show progresses more of his character is revealed. We not only see more of his half human side, but realize that this side of him, part of his heritage and genetics, is his Unhealable Wound. It will always be a part of him, though it’s something that he clearly sees as a flaw. Furthermore, throughout these episodes we see the alternation of Spock and Captain Kirk’s relationship as Mentor-Pupil. Depending on the episode, and in some cases depending on the situation within an episode, their roles in this relationship change. On certain occasions Spock is the mentor towards Kirk, providing him with logic and advice. While on other occasions the roles are reversed, Kirk offering Spock insight into the human psyche...
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...****Take note of points 2 and 6**** Title: Good grief: Lord of the Flies as a post-war rewriting of salvation history Author: Marijke van Vuuren 1. Introduction "It is a great pleasure to meet you, Mr Golding," said King Carl XVI Gustaf, presenting William Golding with the Nobel Prize in 1983. "I had to do Lord of the Flies at school" (Monteith, 1986:63). The Swedish king's words may well be echoed by countless people worldwide who have "had to do" Golding's first novel in various English courses. Indeed, this "unpleasant novel about small boys behaving unspeakably on a desert island" (1) may well have been done to death by exhaustive but reductive reading and teaching. Where Lord of the Flies has been read reductively, Original Sin writ large over it, readers have tended to respond to the novel in terms of its doleful view of humanity or its perceived theology. Its initial success reflected post-war pessimism, the loss of what Golding (1988a:163) has called his generation's "liberal and naive belief in the perfectability of man". Although the novel does not groan under a dogmatic burden to the extent that some critics have alleged, it has seemed the prime example of Golding's earlier writing, a tightly structured allegory or fable. … It is not surprising that the Bible's first and last books, on humankind's "origins and end" beyond the horizons of knowledge, turn to symbolic narrative. In Lord of the Flies Golding draws heavily on imagery from Genesis and the Apocalypse...
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...An archetypal hero is defined as someone who “…possess attributes which you would recognize as heroic.” More importantly, the archetypal hero has some “…form of journey (the hero's journey archetype); these needn't be physical journeys like Homer's epics, but also spiritual journey(s)…” In the Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf slays dragons and monsters, as well as becomes king, and sails across vast oceans—however, Beowulf’s ultimate purpose to his journey is to be remembered for what a renowned hero he once was, as well as gain recognition from others for his heroic battles. Beowulf can be considered an archetypal hero because he possesses attributes that would be considered heroic, and also goes on a physical as well as spiritual journey. In the story of Beowulf, Beowulf has an ultimate journey that involves a call to adventure, followed by a refusal of the call, as well as reward (seizing the...
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...In my opinion, Christopher is an archetypal hero. The book begins with him possessing severe and uncontrollable Aspergers symptoms. Naturally, Christopher will never pertain the ability of living independently. As Christopher leaves his house to begin a journey alone, he overcomes his greatest weaknesses. In the end, Christopher feels confident he can one day live unnattended. Christopher’s character follows the template of the quintessential hero. At the beginning, Christopher has severe Aspergers symptoms (e.g. hitting a police officer, screaming when touched). Although you discover his mother is deceased, early on, you become suspicious because his father hates their neighbor, Mr. Shears, and Christopher’s mother had an affair (60). This fits the archetypal hero’s mysterious and orphan-like beginning. Halfway through, Christopher realizes his father lied to him; his mother is living! Christopher’s call to adventure occurs after...
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...Mythological and Archetypal elements are expressed in many ways in The Natural. The characters of Roy Hobbs and Pop Fisher are both based on the mythology of Sir Perceval and the Holy Grail. Filmmakers of The Natural also demonstrated mythological and archetypal elements with most of the shots in the film. The character of Roy Hobbs can be seen as Sir Perceval, one of the Knights of the Round Table. The most obvious example of this is that Sir Perceval was a knight of the Round Table and Roy Hobbs plays for the New York Knights. In the legend of Sir Perceval, he goes on a quest in search of the Holy Grail. Roy Hobbs is on a journey to succeed as a baseball player and the Holy Grail being the pennant. Another example of a mythological element in the film is Roy’s bat, wonder boy, as it represents King Arthurs’s Excalibur. Roy Hobbs’s character also loosely follows the story of The Odyssey. In that story, Odysseus goes on a quest, but is struck down by Calypso and it takes him twenty years to return home. In The Natural Roy goes on a quest to be the best there ever was. He meets a woman named Harriet and is shot by her, it takes him sixteen years to get back in the game. Another character in the film The Natural is Pop Fisher, and he can be related to the Fisher King. The Fisher King was a broken man who guarded the Holy Grail. The only one who could heal the Fisher King was Sir Perceval. In the film, Pop Fisher is the coach of the New York Knights who were a far below average...
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...The Good Shepherd is an archetypal model for the priest. The great Pope John Paul II in his writing on Pastores Dabo Vobis (PDV) in the late 20th century about priestly formation in our present-day points out that: “Indeed, the priest, by virtue of the consecration which he receives in the sacrament of orders, is sent forth by the Father through the mediatorship of Jesus Christ, to whom he is configured in a special way as head and shepherd of his people, in order to live and work by the power of the Holy Spirit in service of the Church and for the salvation of the world” This affirmation shows a genuine and deep understanding of the specific ontological link which draws the priesthood to Christ the good shepherd and the great high priest. Such statement shows that, the Church is certain in her teaching that Christ the ‘Good Shepherd’ is a true ideal model for the priest. But, to what extent can we express this certainty of the good shepherd as a paradigm or as a model par excellence in the priestly formation? One must not forget that, the essential characteristic of Jesus Christ as the good Shepherd is precisely being there for others. That in turn expresses his whole life in tendering and nurturing his sheep (the well-being and the growth of his disciples). Specifically, his life was above all a complete service, a true dedication and a genuine relationship with his sheep. It is important to comment on the ontological bond between a priest and Christ the...
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...Tyriq Coleman E2 Honors Begovich In Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the use of archetypes contributes to the overall strength of the novel. During when the various times the “light vs dark” archetypes are utilized and when the archetypical death and rebirth occurs to convey the extent of which the novel is strengthened by archetypes. In Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 the light vs dark archetype helps show to what extent archetypes are used to strengthen the novel when Montag is conversing with Clarisse after Mildred began reading her script. The author states “He felt his body divide itself into a hotness and a coldness, a softness and a hardness, a trembling and a not trembling, the two halves grinding one upon another.”{Bradbury 21}. In this passage Bradbury is showing that inside Montag the light and dark are warring against each other. As light vs dark are opposites the author uses opposites to show the relationship between the two, for example the comparison between cold and hot, the cold represents the dark as darkness is inherently cold as light provides heat. The two parts grinding against each other show to the light and dark at war, as they at odds at one other. Since they cannot coexist the light and dark in this situation refer to the Montag, in that they are his struggle to free himself from the ignorance that is his societal beliefs. The author also states when Clarisse and Montag walk to her house, "When they reached her house all its lights were blazing" (Bradbury...
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...The creation of humans have been thought bout for trillion of years. People have become so curious that they made their own beliefs and stories to back it up or explain it. The West African and Genesis creation stories contain archetypal similarities and differences. The West African belief story, created the human and he created human by using clay. He “formed the clay in the shape that he saw in his reflection”(West African). In other words he created the human in the image of a god. That is the similarity between In the Genesis creation story the human was also made in the image of the god. Instead of using clay he used dust. Also the Earth was created different. In the beginning there was only the heavens and he himself. He created it...
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...A person can become caught up in their lust. Whether it be fantasy or physical, one can get off-track. However, one can ponder further whether or not this truly illustrates a poor path. Can straying from the normal trail possibly lead to an even greater destination? 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. As readers venture into any story, they will realize that they will find a journey is being told. 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....
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...Miller’s Universal Truths through the Characterization of Reverend John Hale Throughout The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses the characterization of an archetypal hero, Reverend John Hale, to reveal how when arrogant and nationalistic pride becomes involved even the most intelligent and moral man’s moral compass can be distorted. This universal truth and Hale’s archetypal characteristics were revealed by Miller to reprehend those who fell into McCarthyism and the flaws in the American society in the nineteen-fifties, which were impacts of their blinded morals. To comprehend the idea of this specific universal truth, one first must understand Hale’s characterization through Aristotle’s archetypal hero traits. The first criteria, Noble...
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...freedom around the world, the memoir Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of my Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman portrays a young woman named Devoireh, struggling to grow and gain the freedom she deserves under all the restrictions and barriers laid upon her. Contained in these pages, are the examination of the primary and secondary sources such as: the movie Erin Brockovich directed by Steven Soderbergh, the memoir The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara, articles such as Norse Jewish Women Tells Of Holocaust from the New York Times and Judaism, the women’s version by Tamar Rotem which brings out the major themes like freedom, determination, struggle and courage. Within these primary and secondary sources a strong relation to the major archetypal figures are displayed through out the memoir such as: the crusader, the survivor and the innocent, the contexts of these sources depict Feldman’s interpretation of Devoireh. There are many strong willed women who are told they are incapable of pursuing what they want because they are “women”. With many struggles and obstacles, in the film Erin Brockovich, the major character Erin displays herself as a remarkable woman who achieved what she desired most because she had a vision to pursue her goal. This plot unveils the theme determination from the memoir Unorthodox because in relation to Erin, Devoireh was in pursuit to set herself free from her Satmar community and with conviction she was successful. Devoireh believed her destiny was...
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...VII. Archetypal Approach: This approach focuses on connections to other literature, mythological/biblical allusions, archetypal images, symbols, characters, and themes. A. How does this story resemble other stories in plot, character, setting, or symbolism? B. What universal experiences are depicted? C. Are patterns suggested? Are seasons used to suggest a pattern or cycle? D. Does the protagonist undergo any kind of transformation, such as movement from innocence to experience, that seems archetypal? E. Are the names significant? F. Is there a Christ-like figure in the work? G. Does the writer allude to biblical or mythological literature? For what purpose? H. What aspects of the work create deep universal responses to it? I. How does the work reflect the hopes, fears, and expectations of entire cultures (for example, the ancient Greeks)? J. How do myths attempt to explain the unexplainable: origin of man? Purpose and destiny of human beings? K. What common human concerns are revealed in the story? L. How do stories from one culture correspond to those of another? (For example, creation myths, flood myths, etc.) M. How does the story reflect the experiences of death and rebirth? N. What archetypal events occur in the story? (Quest? Initiation? Scapegoating? Descents into the underworld? Ascents into heaven?) O. What archetypal images occur? (Water, rising sun, setting...
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