My Best Entry

My best entry is the Samurai Jack Archetype Analysis. I feel I did a good job addressing the components of the Hero's Journey. I also feel that I did a good job in analyzing the others types of archetypes including the color  nature, and number archetypes.

Hansel and Gretel Archetype Analysis

 The Grimm Brothers first documented this tale in the early 1800s.Originally from German origins, parts of the story resemble those from French and Swedish folklore as well.  Since then it has become adapted and more disney-fied. In the original story, both the wood cutter and the wife are the biological parents of the children. Therefore, they share the blame of abandoning the children. Now, some of the adaptations include the mother being the step-mother of the children, and the father opposing the step-mother to leave the children in the woods. It has been adapted to opera and there is also many television renditions of this story including a Looney Tunes short named Bewitched Bunny.

Our story begins with a little house surrounded by the forest. The forest is a symbol of evil, the feeling of being lost, and the feeling of fear. Already this beginning foreshadows evil and helplessness. But like all Fairy Tales this one has the happily ever after as well. Although there are no kings, queens, princes, or princesses we can relate the characters to the traits royalty in Fairy Tales possess. The father is old, and noble struggling to provide for his family and can be considered as the King in this story. The step-mother, like in all the other fairy tales, is evil and manipulative. She resents the children because they are not hers.

"No, wife," said the man, "I will not do that. How can i bear to leave my children alone in the forest?" The husband answers when his wife tells him to take the children into the woods and leave them there. After much pestering the wife convinces him to take the children into the forest.

Hansel, also the prince of the story, is smart. He is calm an collected as he overhears his parents planning to leave them in the forest. Gretel, on the other hand, is a little more than worried acting the part of the damsel in distress.

We are brought back into the forest that leaves us with the feeling of evil, fear, and being lost. This is the initiation for the two children as they cross the threshold into a more dangerous world. The siblings wake up in the forest after being left by their parents. Hansel comforts Gretel reassuring her that as soon as the moon comes up, they will be able to see the pebbles that lead back to their home. And as expected, the step-mother is not happy that the children are back and convinces the woodcutter to leave them in the woods again. This can be considered as the road of trials where the children find their way home only to be sent back to the forest. Hansel can not gather pebbles as he did the first time because the door is locked so he uses his piece of bread to make a trail. When the time comes, there is no bread trail because the birds have eaten the crumbs forcing Hansel and Gretel to wander the woods in search of their home. Instead of their house they find a house made of gingerbread, sugar, and candy( the house serves as the temptress, luring the children to their demise). They feast on the house unaware of the cannibalistic witch waiting for them. This is the innermost cave because the children are in the house of their greatest trial in the quest to get back home to their father.

She embodies the typical witch or troll in the stories. She is evil, ugly, and a cannibal. She locks up Hansel in a cage and commands that Gretel do the chores and feel Hansel so that he will be plump when she cooks him. Hansel, displaying his wit, holds out a bone to the witch when she wants to see how fat he's become. When the witch, out of frustration declares that she will eat Hansel tonight, Gretel, shedding her damsel in distress skin, pushes the witch into the oven. Together Hansel and Gretel take jewels to support their family, and leave in search of their house. They cross a body of water( a feat most related with the characteristics of the hero's journey) on the back of a white swan. The color white represents pureness and goodness. They are welcomed back to their house with the news that their step-mother had died. This is the reintegration and return to society. Many people believe that the death of the step-mother and the death the witch are linked. In some versions of the story, the witch and the step-mother are one in the same.

And so they lived happily ever after.

The Dark Knight Rises Archetype Analysis

As the Batman, Bruce Wayne is on the typical warrior’s journey to save his city from being destroyed. This can also be interpreted as his quest to rid the land of danger. He is guided by his mentor, the wise, old Alfred who has been taking care of him since he lost his parents when he was a child. And although the Batman is associated with the colour black, he is the hero. He must save Gotham from Bane, who is bent on sending the police force and citizens over the edge.

“When Gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die.” Bane informs Bruce Wanye. He is the evil our hero must battle. Wayne could be considered as an apocalyptic hero at this point because he faces the possible destruction of society. Bane, at the beginning of the trailer, blows up the football field mid- game. He is also shown standing in front of escaped convicts from prison. I predict that Batman will also have to fight them as well.

Selina Kyle warns Bruce Wanye that, “Do you think this is gonna to last? There’s a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you’re all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us.” Her character can be related to the temptress archetype, being characterized by sensuous beauty that has the potential to bring about the hero’s downfall. She is also associated with the colour black, that symbolizes chaos, the unknown, or evil. Though Selina Kyle is portrayed as the temptress, I predict that she will end up helping the Batman defeat Bane.

We are also introduced very briefly to a possible damsel in distress when Wayne is at a party. Between Bane, Selina, his mentor Alfred, and a possible damsel in distress, how will our dark hero fare?

Samurai Jack - The Hero's Journey

In the first episode of Samurai Jack, we are exposed to all of the elements of the hero's journey except the return and reintegration into society due to the fact that it is a television series.

When Aku attacks, Jack is taken across the water in a boat. The boat is an example of an object archetype, where it symbolizes safe passage. And the mist is an example of nature archetype where it represents mystery concerning his future. This is the departure in Jack's journey. He is naive and inexperienced, and does not want to leave. Jack's mentors teach him necessary skills that he needs to survive, all the while keeping him safe from Aku until he is ready. This is also the initiation in Jack's heroic journey. 

Throughout the whole episode, we are exposed to other archetypes as well. Color archetypes include black and red for Aku symbolizing darkness, chaos, mystery, death, and evil. The kingdom is colored gold symbolizing the sun, wealth, corn (also life dependency), and truth. And where Aku is associated with black and red, Jack is associated with white. White is a symbol for light, purity, peace, innocence, goodness, and morality. Also the producers of the show use a shift in color to show that something bad is going to happen. 

There is also shape archetype in this episode. Jack's family crest is a square that symbolizes earth, stability, and the number four. There is also a ceremony where Jack finally transforms from child to man. He receives new clothes and the sword that will defeat Aku.

The road of trials for Jack is when he returns back to his homeland. He is the only one free of Aku, therefore, he must free everyone else. The innermost cave is when Jack battles Aku who sends Jack to the future. There is no concrete return and integration into society.

Other texts with familiar elements include The Percy Jackson Series. Percy must find the lightening bolt of Zeus and free his mother. The Harry Potter Series is also has very similar elements. Harry Potter must battle Lord Voldemort to stop him from destroying the world.

This same old story is constantly being renewed  because it is the very basis of western literature that started with stories such as the Odyssey and the Iliad. We can't get enough of comics, films, and novels with this same idea because although it follows the same elements, it concerns the journey that everyone must go through. It can be related to many experiences and cultures, and it can also be presented in many different ways, which makes it appealing no matter how many times we may have encountered it.