My Final Paper

Well, here's what I have. I would strongly suggest not reading this paper if you havent seen the movie and plan to. Spoilers are abound.


Jay Morse
Prof. Sexson
Engl 210D-01
14 June 2005
Mythic Context of the Film “Hero”
In the opening scene of the film we see a man in a carriage being escorted by a procession of horses. The first words spoken are an inward monologue that immediately sets the hero up; “I was orphaned at a young age and was never given a name” (Hero). It is here that we see the most abundant archetype of the mythic figure, the orphaned child. While his birth and childhood is a mystery it is a tie-in with the other characters in the story as well (but more on that later).
As Nameless is brought to the temple of the King of Qin we see him progress up the exceedingly long staircase as if in ascension. This is odd in that this is something that would be seen near the end of a story, but as we soon find out this is a story that is told in true story form. It is told as events that have already happened. When Nameless finally is given audience with the king we discover another archetype of the heroic figure, he holds a lowly position in the societal caste being a mere prefect.
As Nameless tells the story of how he came to defeat the first assassin, Sky, we are immediately set upon with mythic images. The falling water of the chess house, signifying Nameless’ “birth” into his mission, his first appearance in the scene is where he is standing in the threshold of a door, waiting to cross over to duel Sky, and the blind musician who eventually breaks the strings of his instrument to signify destruction. It is also in this scene that we are first witness to our hero’s supernatural abilities, with his adeptness at swordplay and his incredible agility, another of the archetypical qualities of the hero.
The scene is next shifted to the first appearance of Snow and Broken Sword in the calligraphy school. All the participants in the scene and backdrops are in a red hue signifying blood, violence, or extreme emotion. This is our fist indicator that this story is the lie that the king discerns it to be, yet it still contains fragments of mythic overtones. We see in this scene the aged, wise teacher of the calligraphy school who shares his knowledge of the pen being not mightier, but as mighty as the sword. He can be seen as the father figure imparting knowledge. We also see that Snow and Broken Sword have taken up residence in a dry, barren area, signifying that they may be emotionally stunted by past events. We also see in this scene more of the supernatural ability that the characters possess in the defense of the school.
When we go back to the king and Nameless in the temple we see the first sign of a heroic act in the king himself as he professes his desire to unite the land under one language to ease communication. This is where we see Nameless begin to realize the necessity for a ruler. The king also displays heroic qualities in deciphering the lie that Nameless has told to him. We then see the scene that the king believes to be true told in a backdrop of blue signifying a cleansing, or understanding, like water of sorts. At the end of the fights the servant of Broken Sword bestows upon Nameless the weapons of the assassins, the talismans of his quest. More symbolic mysticism is approached when the king states that he was warned of Nameless’ treachery “By the flickering of 100 candles” (Hero). This is telling of the king’s own supernatural abilities.
When the final true story is revealed to us, we begin to see all of the true mythic correlations. We see the supernatural abilities of Nameless are in this last section of the movie revealed to the fullest extent. Nameless has a move that cannot be parried inside of ten paces, and his sword is so swift and precise that it can enter a body without hitting any vital organs. We see the battle that takes place between Nameless and Moon (the minion of broken sword). We also see the hero asking for assistance in his quest when he approaches the assassins with his plan.
While all of these are archetypes of the heroic figure, the most interesting part of the story is the face that the three main male characters are portrayed as the heroic figure through the build of the hero archetype. Nameless is the man with the quest, the supernatural ability, and the clouded past who had an attempt on his life at an early age. The king of Qin is the character who reigns over the land, and lives in solitude. Finally there is Broken Sword who is driven from the city, lives in a barren area, and ultimately dies under mysterious circumstances at the top of a hill. It is through the act of unification of the land that these three main characters become the “hero” of our story, and make up the archetype that we have thus far learned about.
As we have learned however, all heroic figures have had women figures that interacted with them, yet in this movie we only see two females the entire time, and one is the minion of Broken Sword. The obvious question becomes, “What woman figure is Snow?” She is all four at one point or another in the story. She is an earth mother at the end of the movie when she comforts Broken Sword atop the hill overlooking the land and dies with him. She is the temptress in the scene that is first told by Nameless to the king, adorned in red and trying to seduce Broken Sword. She is the platonic ideal when she decides to help Nameless without the assistance of Broken Sword, and fighting him into submission. She is the unfaithful wife when Nameless reveals that Sky and Snow were lovers. While some of these female archetypes are seen in stories that are later revealed to be lies they still convey the message of the story within the story and how the role of the female character is muddled and confused over time with re-telling.
While the mythic images in the film are more than prevalent, I would like to, in closing, approach the subject that has been my obsession since the beginning of the term, originality. This story is a beautiful piece of work through the sights and sounds that we are subject to. It is told in a format that we are familiar with, that being the story within the story. The heroes fall into the archetypes that we have learned about time and again in stories that we have read. So is this an original work? I have come to the conclusion that it is only original in the sense of its message. The actually telling of the story and the inclusion of the hero archetypes are refurbishments. The originality of the story is in the combination of the message the story conveys and the format in which it is told. This type of originality is what makes the great stories stick out in our minds and help us to remember the message. This is the reason that we remember the works of Shakespeare and movies like the Wizard of Oz. Yes, we know the princess will find her prince and live happily ever after, but how the story is told to us and the message that it brings to the fore-front are the important and original ideas. Aesop’s Fables are a wonderful example of stories that can easily been put into the archetype formula, yet we will still read them because the original idea that they convey to us is what entertains and delights us. Although art is oftentimes imitating life, life can be entertaining so art should be as well if it is to capture our curiosity.

Works Cited
Hero. Dir. Zhang Yimou. Perf. Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, and Zhang
Ziyi. Miramax, 2002.

Starting of the paper...

Through everything that I've learned and read thus far in the class I cannot see how I can keep my paper to three pages. The mythicsm of my chosen subject (the film "Hero") is so overwhelming that I am amazed watching it now that I didn't see it before. I just finished watching the movie again and ended up with close to six pages of just notes about things to mention and recognize. I don't think the hardest part of this particular assignment is the application of the knowlege, but the organization of the cognitive process. I hope that I can present a thoughtful analysis without too much rambling at this point.

It is indeed true that after this class we will never look at movies, books, music or any of the things that we consider entertainment in the same light again.

My thoughts on myth half-way through the term

I've been giving quite a bit of thought to the actual definition of myth.

Myth (mith) n. 1. A traditional story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a primordial type in the world view of a people. 2. A fiction or half-truth. 3. A fictitious story, person, or thing.

It is from this definition that I have decided that there must be intention in the telling of the story for the myth to stick. My curiosity has led me to three possible examples of non-myth thus far.

1- Social Commentary: This is most often seen in film, as we are far more subject to that medium in this day and age. Movies such as "Clerks" from the early 1990's tell of a day in the life of a pair of lethargic workers in a convenience store. Through the film references are made to works that have been recognized as mythical, yet the underlying story is of how people see the world differently. It the movie "The Jerk" from the late 1970's Steve Martin portrays a man that has a less than acute common sense. The story is told as a humorus look at how people value things differently, and what is of overall importance to us all. At this point in my learning of myth I see social commentary as a definite difference from the stories that are set forth as "traditional" myths.

2- Documentary: In film and in written form documentary is a format that is set up for a specific purpose, to inform. Is it possible to have a documentary about myth that in itself is mythical? The telling of the story of myth is already broaching the idea of the mythical story, thereby recognizing itself. I feel at this time that the admission of myth detracts from the impact of the secodary myth contained there-in.

3- Modern Music: This could easilly fall into the social commentary department, but it has a discernable difference. Music seems to be the medium that is most subject to evolution. In movies we can have a film that is set several years in the past, but is still subject to the constraints of the time-frame (the movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark" springs to mind), yet in music we don't get the same impact when a performer plays a selection that was originated by Charlie Parker or Duke Ellington. They are called "Cover songs" for a reason, they are differently interperted. Harry Connick jr. does a wonderful rendition of "If I Only Had A Brain", but it is so different from the original song, which we are all so familiar with, that any mythical context that it held originally is lost in the translation. I suppose the thing that stuck out in my mind about modern music is that fact that we know most of the older myths were told in song form, but I can't see Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City", or Sly & the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falletinmebemiceelfagin)" as anything more than a social commentary set to music. Perhaps this view will change by semesters end.

My Mythic Journey

My Memorial Day celebration was less than stunning. I woke and went through my morning ritual of eating and cleansing, rifled through some bills, and did a little reading. In the afternoon I had decided to turn on my computer and kill some time playing a video game. I logged on to my game of choice, hitting all the proper clicky boxes and typing in the appropriate passwords, enabled my voice program that would allow me to talk to my friends in the game and prepared to waste a few hours.

Upon entering the games world I was immediately informed of an adventure into a very dangerous dungeon for only the most experienced players that my friends had set up. I quickly ran around the virtual world preparing for the conquest, buying all the proper equipment, readying my arsenal of combat attacks, and enlisting more people to help in the battle. After all was ready I summoned my virtual mount and headed to the entrance to the cave that we were to attack.

The ensuing battle took hours, and our forty-man team completed the mission that we set forth for ourselves. Later in the evening, after I had logged off of my computer, I called my mom to wish her a happy holiday. She asked me what I had done with my day and I said “Oh, I just played video games most of the day.”

As soon as the words left my mouth I realized what I had said. I had done more than play a video game all day; I had taken part in the telling of an epic tale worthy of Homer. I had helped to battle giants made of molten lava, gigantic flaming dogs, and men that were half snake. I had spent time in a virtual city, spending virtual money, interacting with virtual people, yet I had done all of this with the help of forty real people. We had all taken part in the telling of a tale, but had used the most cutting edge technology available to do so.

My mythic journey was seen not only through my own eyes, but also through the eyes of the other people that took part in the adventure with me, and it is now a story that we can tell to other players in the virtual world. We as storytellers now have the choice of embellishment to capture the interest of the listener, but as they pass the story along our virtual characters will most likely become epic in their stature.

Thoughts on presentations...

Overall I was impressed. It was a fun excercise for getting the story across. I felt that if those stories were being told in that fashion in the time that they were being created they would have been to in much the same ways.

I Had A Thought...

As the class is a basis for discussion, I thought that I'd bring about my thoughts on the "Cupid and Psyche" story.

I was struck by the mention of incest in the story, I wasn't quite sure why at first, but it stuck with me over the weekend. I re-read the story this Sunday and I figured out what it was that was getting under my skin about it.
Ok, Cupid and Venus have a little interlude of "Open-mouthed kisses" implying that they have a special relationship (to put it as "G" rated as possible). Now, Venus is pissed off because of the fact that Psyche's beauty is comparable to hers. Cupid now goes off and falls in love with Psyche (Following where this is going yet). Can this then be said to be a simple story of finding a woman just like dear old mom? I'm sure that Freud or someone else drew a similar conclusion with more $3 words, but it would seem that the mythical entertainment of the story is removed when it is analyzed in this fashion. I know that when I drew this conclusion the story lost much of its entertainment value.

My Santa Experience

I don't really ever remember totally believeing in Santa, so I don't know when I fully disbelieved in him. I suppose I was somewhere between 5-8 yrs old when it was confirmed for me, but I have no recollection of the incident. I'm the oldest child, so I guess that brings with it certain responsibilities, I.E. you don't get to believe in Santa in order to look out for your brother.
Thats not to say that I'm a "Scrooge" about the holiday season, far from it. I love "Decemberween." I have always had a soft spot for kids, and love to see their excitement during the holidays.
I suppose the I see Santa as more of a state of mind than an actual person. Anyone can be Santa if you have the right attitude.

Earliest Memory

I have a great deal of early memories that have amalgamated into a childhood. Most of what I remember of my earliest days were the times that I spent outdoors.
In 1975 I was 4 years old, and as most children I was prone to spending as much time at play as possible. My most vivid memory of this "playtime" can be summarized in a few sentences, but I'll try to expound upon it to make it for an interresting read.
As I rode my Big Wheel through the trailer park where we lived I remember the vibration in the handle grips caused by the choppy, uneven asphalt. My tiny legs pumping away at the foot pegs in a futile attempt to jump the speed bumps that littered the driveway and launch myself into the air. My mother would try to keep her eye on me, but I would cruise the entire length of the trailer park, even going so far as to circle around to the back side where I was always fobidden to go.
One day as I was doing my usual rounds, I stopped at the home of a girl that was much older than me and was watching her cut the small patch of grass that all of the trailers possessed. I remember the loudness of the lawn mower kept me at bay, and I stayed close to my Big Wheel that was out in the street. I don't remember the girls name anymore, but I remember her long, red hair, and the fact that she was always nice to me. She didn't speak to me at this time, but waved and acknowledged my presence.
She was nearly done with her chore when her mower stopped running. She pushed the mower up on its side to get a better look at the underside, but what I would guess to be her lack of upper body strength caused the mower to crash back to the groud right side up. As the mower hit the ground it briefly restarted, but her bare foot was underneath it. The result was that one of her toes was severed and hit me directly in the middle of the chest as the lawn mower spat it out the grass chute.
She screamed and her father ran out of the house to attend to her. I stood there for a few seconds until he told me to go home. My last vivid part of the memory is my father trying to put a positive spin on the situation by telling me that this is why I should always be careful with any tool.