Our connection to stories

#1 ARCHETYPES AND ALLUSIONS C.N.

WHAT IS AN ARCHETYPE?• An original model (TYPE) after which other things are similarly

patterned

• An image, story pattern, character type, representation, or

recurring idea

• It evokes strong associations to the reader or observer

WHAT KINDS OF ARCHETYPES ARE THERE?

• Situational

• Symbolic

• Character

• A person or being that serves as a

representative of a greater ideal (TYPE)

• Characteristics, actions, abilities, or

powers contribute to the archetype

characterization

• There are many different archetypes

present in literature

CHARACTER ARCHETYPES

• The Sage (Yoda!)

• Temptress

• Star-Crossed Lovers

• The Scapegoat

• The Devil Figure

• The Outlaw or Destroyer

• Jester

• The Hero

• The Ruler

• The Initiates

• Loyal Retainers

• The Outcast

• The “Evil” figure who actually has a good heart

• Earth Mother

• The Innocent

Just to name a few…

COMMON CHARACTER ARCHETYPES

CHARACTER ARCHETYPES: THE HERO• Traditionally, the protagonist of

a story

• Often his past is a mystery

• He is the champion, king, or

savior of many

• Endures pain and sorrow that

all leads to a greater good

CHARACTER ARCHETYPES: THE SAGE

• Serves as a teacher or counselor to the initiate or future hero

• Usually the “Wise Old Man”

• Helps the hero see his potential or inner strength

• Sometimes a Father or Mother figure

• Guides the Hero on his Quest

The Karate Kid’s Mr. Miyagi

WHAT IS A SITUATIONAL ARCHETYPE?

• A TYPE of experience that a hero/character must

endure to move from one place in life to the next

• Actions and events that add to the plot

• A common event seen throughout stories in may

different genres

EXAMPLES OF SITUATIONAL ARCHETYPES

• The Quest

• The Task

• The Initiation

• The Journey

• The Fall

• Death and Rebirth

• Nature vs. Mechanistic

World

• Good vs. Evil

• The Unhealable Wound

• The Ritual

SITUATIONAL ARCHETYPES:THE HERO’S JOURNEY

• Sends the hero on a search for some truth or quest

• Forces the hero to discover many unpleasant truths

• At his lowest point, the hero will return to the world of the living

These serve as a TYPE of representation (symbol) of a specific person, act, deed, place or conflict. They are easily recognizable but

not as common as situational archetypes.

• Light vs. Darkness

• Water vs. Desert

• Heaven vs. Hell

• The Magic Weapon

• Innate Wisdom vs. Educated Stupidity

• Haven vs. Wilderness

• Supernatural Intervention

• Fire vs. Ice

SYMBOLIC ARCHETYPES

SYMBOLIC ARCHETYPES: LIGHT VS. DARKNESS

• Light suggests goodness,

hope, renewal, or

enlightenment

• Darkness implies evil,

mystery, ignorance, or

despair

The battle of light and darkness will stretch beyond

actual light and dark. The good (light) and bad (dark)

can be seen through a story’s characters and their

actions.

WHAT IS AN ALLUSION?

• Allusion: an indirect (rather than direct) and usually

brief reference to a person, place, or event.

• This reference is probably explicit, but its meaning

can be understood only if the person, place, or event

is well known by all or known by the reader.

• An allusion can help the reader develop their

understanding of the text.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF ALLUSIONS?

• We, as readers, need to know what allusions are so we can identify them in our reading.

• They help us avoid long, roundabout explanations

• For example, if the name of a character was an allusion to a different character in another literary work, that similarity could reveal something about the character that we wouldn’t have known if we hadn’t found the allusion.

If you were trying to instill confidence

in a friend and said, “Use the force,”that would be an allusion to the text

Stars Wars.

FOR EXAMPLE:

It’s elementary my dear Watson!

It is an allusion to The Adventures of

Sherlock Holmes.

HOW ABOUT THIS PHRASE…

• In a book, a song, movie, or a poem.

• Even visual allusions can be made to art or film. Movies that

are parodies are filled with allusions.

• Comedians rely on allusions. They allude to current events in

a humorous matter.

WHERE ARE ALLUSIONS USED?

• Writers often make allusions to Greek Myths in a

text.

• Myths are ancient stories about gods and heroes.

• Many words used as allusions come from the names

in the myths.

ALLUSIONS AND GREEK MYTHOLOGY…

“HERCULEAN” STRENGTH

• was the strongest man in the world.

• The Greek half-god had to perform 12 tasks so

difficult that they seemed impossible. By the end

of these tasks, he was a hero to the people.

HERCULES…

• He had many Herculean tasks ahead

of him.

• Meaning—tasks that seem

impossible

ALLUSIONS TO HERCULES…

• The weight lifter used his Herculean

strength to lift the 200 pound weight.

• Meaning—very strong

ALLUSIONS TO HERCULES…

“ACHILLES HEEL”

“Perimeter

shooting has

been

Louisville’s

Achilles heel all

season.”

• A great warrior.

• When he was a baby, his mother dipped him in a

magical river. Where ever the water touched him, he

could not be harmed. But his mother held him by his

heel, so that was his one weakness (his “mortal”

area), so he was only defeated when an enemy struck

his heel.

ACHILLES…

• “I can’t read your answer because of your messy

handwriting!” the teacher said.

• “Neatness has always been my Achilles heel!” replied the

student.

• Meaning—someone’s Achilles heel means his or

her area of weakness

ALLUSIONS TO ACHILLES…

ODYSSEUS & THE ODYSSEY

Honda

“Odyssey”

• A Greek king who went to war against the Trojans. During the

war, he hid his men inside a large wooden horse. Then he gave

the horse to the Trojans as a gift. The Trojans brought the

horse inside the city walls. That night, the Greeks attacked.

• The Odyssey is a very long poem about Odysseus’s long

journey home after the Trojan war.

ODYSSEUS…

• “The family set out on their 24 hour

odyssey to Florida for vacation.”

• Meaning—any long trip or

adventure

ALLUSIONS TO ODYSSEY/ODYSSEUS…

THE TROJAN HORSE

• The large, wooden horse that Odysseus sent as

a gift to the Trojans. The Greek warriors were

hiding inside. The Trojans brought the horse

inside the city walls. That night, the Greeks

attacked and won the war.

THE TROJAN HORSE…

• “Try some of the casserole,” Mom

begged Bryan, but Bryan was afraid it

was a Trojan horse.

• Meaning—something that wasn’t

quite what it seemed

ALLUSIONS TO A TROJAN HORSE…

OTHER ALLUSIONS

• Pandora’s Box

• King Midas

• Nemesis

• Cupid

CORNELL NOTES SUMMARY:

• Something that is becoming

clear to me about archetypes

and allusions…