discussion – Page 2 – Did You Do Your Homework?

Episode 12: The Hero’s Journey

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Did You Do Your Homework?

The homework for the episode:
Pete: “Of Beren and Luthien,” chapter 19 of The Silmarillion
Martha: The Book of Life, 2014 animated film directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez
Calee: Shrek, 2001 animated film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson

Two lovers forced to perform impossible tasks before earning their happily-ever-after.

A bullfighter-turned-musician embarks on a magical journey through the land of the dead to reunite with his living love and save his town.

An ogre steps up to reclaim his swamp and finds more than he bargained for on the way.

The hero’s journey as a storytelling map has been part of human culture for thousands of years. Joseph Campbell codified it in The Hero With the Thousand Faces, and when illustrated by infographic, it looks a little something like this:

The hero’s journey can be broken down into three necessary stages and seventeen substages, because Joseph Campbell is a categorizing animal with an answer to everything. As we note in the episode, not all of these substages show up in every hero’s journey, and frequently they get shuffled around a bit as the story calls for it. In convenient outline form:

Departure
1. Call to Adventure
2. Refusal of the Call
3. Crossing the First Threshold
4. In the Belly of the Whale
Initiation
1. Road of Trials
2. Meeting with the Goddess
3. Temptations
4. Atonement with the Father
5. Apotheosis
6. The Ultimate Boon
Return
1. Refusal of the Return
2. The Magic Flight
3. Rescue from Without
4. Crossing the Return Threshold
5. Master of Two Worlds
6. Freedom to Live

Your podcasters’ credentials:

Pete: Embassytown by China Mieville
Martha: Bondi Ink Crew on Netflix
Calee: Real Genius

We take a brief detour down the rabbit hole of Val Kilmer’s IMDB page, Martha talks tattoos and Pete is involved in speculative fiction.

Thoughts to Think on for The Hero’s Journey

Admittedly, the hero’s tale is a very formulaic one. How does this aid the narrative, and how does it hinder it? If a tale diverges from this, is it considered better or worse?
Are we cheapening the act of the Return of the hero? Does it mean as much when we expect it?
Why has the hero’s journey become this lasting, resonant storytelling structure?

A lot of our discussion circles around the question: how does a storytelling structure that is so ingrained in us do anything new or innovative? Using Tolkein, Shrek, and an animated celebration of the Day of the Dead (The Book of Life, hey-o) we talk about the elements that make up the archetypal hero’s journey and why it’s important to understanding the way we have and continue to tell stories. We also briefly mention Star Wars, because honestly, I don’t think you can talk about the hero’s journey without at least touching on it.

I dug up this article about why the hero’s journey has particular resonance and staying power, particularly from the perspective of someone creating stories: “Writing and the Importance of the Hero’s Journey,” by Evelyn Bertrand.

Next episode, we’re taking things in a little lighter direction and discussing fandom and how it gets treated by media. Join us for our chat on Fandom in Media and enjoy doing your homework!

Your homework for July 19:
Martha: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Calee: Fanboys, 2009 film directed by Kyle Newman
Pete: Galaxy Quest, 1999 film directed by Dean Parisot

And remember, if you have questions, comments, or ideas for a show, give us a shoutout here or send us an e-mail to show@homeworkpodcast.com. We’d love to hear from you!

syllabus

Grief and Grieving: Syllabus

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Did You Do Your Homework?

The Babadook (2014 film directed by Jennifer Kent and starring Essie Davis)

Deep Dark Fears (webcomic by Fran Krause, located here)

The Fox and the Hound (1981 animated film directed by Ted Berman, Richard Rich, and Art Stevens)

Frankenweenie (1984 film directed by Tim Burton)

Hannibal, episodes 1.04 (Ouef), 1.09 (Trou Normand), 2.12 (Tome-Wan), and 3.02 (Primavera) (2013 TV series produced by Bryan Fuller)

iZombie, episode 3.10 (Return of the Dead Guy) (currently airing TV show created by Diane Ruggiero and Rob Thomas, and starring Rose McIver)

The Orphanage (2007 film directed by J.A. Bayona and starring Belen Rueda)

The Others (2001 film directed by Alejandro Amenabar and starring Nicole Kidman)

Pet Sematary (1983 novel written by Stephen King)

Scrubs, episodes 5.20 and 5.21 (2001 TV show created by Bill Lawrence)

The Skeleton Tree (2016 musical album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)

Song of the Sea (2014 animated film by Tomm Moore)

Spontaneous (2016 novel by Aaron Starmer)

Supernatural, episodes 1.01 (Pilot), 2.01 (In My Time of Dying), 2.02 (Everybody Loves a Clown), and 2.20 (What Is and What Should Never Be) (Currently airing TV show, created by Eric Kripke)

supplementary material

Grief: Episode 11 Follow-up

Posted on June 28, 2017June 30, 2017 by Did You Do Your Homework?

(Written by Calee S.)

Thoughts! I have some! I think that grieving is different for every person, and may even vary from one situation to the next. In the past month, I’ve dealt with a lot of loss, both directly, and indirectly. I’ve had a lot of opportunities to wrap my head around why things can be so different, and really learn how the grieving process can change. I’ve also experienced the notion of grieving as a result for those who are left behind after a loss, as well as feeling sad at the loss of potential a life could have had. But often it feels like something, or someone is missing. While I was perusing my bookshelf for supplementary materials, it made me realize how many comics I had borrowed from someone who has since passed, and the chance to discuss these with them is gone.

Supplementary Materials

1 Song of the Sea (2014 film directed by Tomm Moore)

This movie starts out with a death that scars a family for years. *spoilers* Conan’s wife, Bronagh, disappears after childbirth of her second child. As a result, this breaks Conan, who was very much in love with Bronagh. His son, Ben, also has a hard time dealing with his baby sister, Saoirse, whom he blames for his mother’s disappearance.

2 Deep Dark Fears (ongoing comic by Fran Krause)

Reflecting on Martha’s comment about horror related to grief, I’d like to bring up the Deep Dark Fears Comics. These are one shot comics that are submitted by readers and can be found online here. Several of these deal directly with those fears associated to horror and loss that you just can’t quite put your finger on until someone else brings it up. Another common trope seen is one where the submitter perceives themselves feeling grief and guilt even after their hypothetical passing.

3 Fox and the Hound (1981 Film directed by Ted Berman, Richard Rich, and Art Stevens)

Okay so this was admittedly the first movie I ever sobbed during. This deals with all sorts of grief. From the classic, Disney parent death, to loss that cuts so deep and raw, but isn’t necessarily the result of a death. This movie made me realize that it’s okay and important to grieve a lost friendship, as this is also a part of life, and just because it’s over doesn’t mean it wasn’t important.

4 Frankenweenie (1984 film directed by Tim Burton)

Ahh the good old story of grief so strong, you bring your pet back from the grave.

episodes

Episode 11: Grief & Grieving

Posted on June 21, 2017July 5, 2017 by Did You Do Your Homework?

Better late than never, right, y’all?

The homework for the episode:
Pete: The Skeleton Tree by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the Pitchfork review of the album, and the Wikipedia page for it
Martha: Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer
Calee: Scrubs, episodes 5.20 and 5.21

A musician familiar with the sounds and strains of death exorcises his grief through a brief, but haunting, album.

Mara Carlyle, high school senior, leads a pretty normal (albeit substance-fueled) life – until her schoolmates start spontaneously combusting.

Dr. Perry Cox makes a call with the best information he has, which kills three patients. This is the aftermath.

Grief is something that everyone experiences in some shape or form during their lifetimes, and pop culture can help us develop the tools to deal with and overcome it. We thread our way through three stories that show us how characters overcome their grief, and also how an artist can use his art to express it.

Your podcasters’ credentials:

Pete: Plizzanet Earth
Martha: Awful Squad: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds stream from Polygon (here)
Calee: “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure” trailer

Martha’s new zen place is watching Polygon employees get shot a lot in Battlegrounds; we debate how long is too long for an animated short before a Disney movie; and Pete tries to explain Snoop Dogg to Martha (J/K; she gets Snoop Dogg, she just doesn’t quite grokk his unique method of speech).

Martha also mentions the trailer for the upcoming Disney/Pixar feature Coco, which you can watch here.

Pop Culture and Mental Health: Discussion Questions and Big Ideas

How do media portrayals of grief and loss align with “typical” experiences?
Does knowing the story behind a highly personal work of media change the way we view it? How?
How can media/pop culture help people deal with loss, both as consumers and creators?
How do others respond to those grieving? What responsibility do we have to people?

There’s a whole lot to unpack here, and not just the notion (a carry-over from last episode) that the idea of “normal people” and the “normal way” of dealing with things is a whole lot of B.S. We all agree that one of the things media can do is normalize the fact that there IS no one way of dealing with grief, but that seeing characters we love go through the grieving process can help us when we suddenly have a heft of it and no tools of our own to process it.

We’re getting our Joseph Campbell on in our next episode, which is going to be all about The Hero’s Journey. Background reading of The Man With the Thousand Faces is 100% optional (PETER). Enjoy doing your homework!

Your homework for June 28:
Martha: The Book of Life
Calee: Shrek (the first one)
Pete: The “Beren and Luthien” chapter from The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkein

And remember, if you have questions, comments, or ideas for a show, give us a shoutout here or send us an e-mail to show@homeworkpodcast.com. We’d love to hear from you!