SYMBOLISM, ARCHETYPES, & PLOT PATTERNS

I. SYMBOLISMA. A symbol is something that

stands for something else

B. A person, place, thing, or event that represents something beyond its literal meaning to the story

II. ARCHETYPESA. A recurring pattern found in the mythology,

religion, and stories of all cultures and time periods

B. These patterns can be found in characters, symbols, themes, and plots

C. Why are they important?i. Archetypes help us realize that we have

common traits that we share with others outside of our culture.

ii. Since archetypes are universal and timeless, they help us interpret situations and characters that might be quite different from ourselves.

III. SOME COMMONLY USED ARCHETYPESA. The Mother

i. Symbolizes growing, dependence, self-concern, nurturing

ii. The keeper and protector of lifeB. The Father

i. Symbolizes independence or a giving nature

ii. Often acts as a protector or guide

C. WATERi. Most commonly

represents birth and rebirth

ii. It also serves as a symbol for separation, union, life, and destruction

D. THE COLOR BLACK

i. Can represent evil, death, terror, chaos, and the unknown

E. THE COLOR REDi. Most commonly used to

represent love.

ii.Can also be a symbol for death, murder, and lust

F. THE RISING SUN

i. Represents new life, beginnings, birth, hope, and peace

G. THE SETTING SUNi. Often represents death, endings,

and no hope ii. Can also be used to represent

the movement towards the unknown, ignorance, or despair

H. THE CAVE OR HUT

i. Used to represent the womb

IV. THE HERO ARCHETYPE

A. Usually the hero is from a mysterious origin, born under unusual circumstances, or born in secret

B. They are often are physically set apart from others or emotionally feel like it

C. Has an “I can do anything” attitude

D. Performs great deedsE. Goes on a quest

V. WHY DO WE HAVE A NEED FOR HEROES?

A. Role models – we want to strive to be like someone better than us.

B. Want someone to pave the way for all of us – someone to “break the mold”

C. Someone to make the world safe at an unsafe or uncertain time.

A. Throughout cultures and times, certain patterns of story-telling exist.

B. These patterns contain a specific formula of events that drive the story, its central conflict, and theme.

VI. PLOT PATTERNS IN LITERATURE

C. FREYTAG’S PYRAMIDi. Gustav Freytag was a Nineteenth

Century German novelist who saw common patterns in the plots of stories and novels.

ii. In 1863, he wrote Die Technik des Dramas in which he developed a diagram to analyze these stories and novels.

iii. He diagrammed the story's plot using a pyramid.

D. THE HERO’S JOURNEY

i. Joseph Campbell was a theorist in the 1920s who began to study myths and legends.

ii. He found a pattern that spanned all cultures and all ages, which he developed into his theory of “The Hero’s Journey.”

iii. It models human experience, describing the patterns of life, growth, and experience

The Known

The Unknown or Shadow Realm

STAGE ONE: SEPARATION

STAGE TWO: TRANSFORMATION

STAGE THREE: RETURN

Call to Adventure

Threshold Guardians

Crossing the Threshold

Helpers

Abyss or Supreme Test

Transformation

Revelation

The Return

Reward