responses, 250 words, 3 hrs

1. Select any two hero myths from the Leeming text of differing cultural origin, and discuss the significance of each place on family, identity, and origin. How are these three issues reflective of their cultural origins? What parallels are noteworthy regarding values and value systems? Explain.

‘Hero’ is the representative of ordinary humankind in the realm of mythology. I have first looked into a Greek mythology of the heroic story “Herakles” which was known and worshipped also by the Romans. Credits to Walt Disney, he remains one of the most widely recognizable heroes. Herakles was the son of a mortal woman and his success demonstrates ordinary man can also be a hero. Applying the concept from unit 4, Herakles is a great example showing the expected gender norms of a prominent powerful man depiction under Greco-Roman mythological traditions. His adventures serve as one significant component of his heroism that his overt masculinity and charisma have well defined him. As a normative male under this tradition, he possessed numerous wives and consorts and established his identity through individual action prior to marriage, in order words, he values work-ship over family. While on the other hand, there is a striking contrast in value systems when comparing Herakles to the Eastern Myth of the tale of Buddha from India. If we view Buddha as Siddhartha Guatama, the son of Queen Maya, we can consider Buddha as a hero. Apart from his decent identity as a wealthy prince, he was honorable to receive blessings and compliments from the Brahamanas, the highest class of people in the society i.e. priests and claimed him to be the savior of the world. He too, values workship over family, but because of a greater goal to accomplish, and do not possess any consorts nor wives. His mission is to help the poor with a benevolent heart plus does not ask for any returns. The value of his journey is to ennoble the struggles of life. Both of them were considered as heroes as they have earned right for their reputations that their values were affirmed by their achievements and acknowledgement by the crowd.

2. Discuss any hero myth, even one not covered in the Leeming text, represented in graphic novel form. How effective is the medium for communicating these narratives? What advantage does the medium possess? Explain.

I have chosen the graphic based bible to answer this topic that to me, Jesus is a true hero. He is, inevitably, the true God, but if we view him as the son of Joseph and Mary from Bethlehem, we may consider him as a mortal-born hero. Like Campbell’s suggestion of the universality of all heroic stories, these ‘monomyth’ share a template that 8 common characteristics can be found across all cultures. The bible has presented heroism in the following orders: First, parallel to Campbell’s theory: the miraculous conception of Virgin Mary and Jesus taking the form of human to arrive on earth, to the hiding of the Jesus from King Herod. Second, parallel to Campbell’s theory: the ordinary childhood of Jesus where he shares work from his mortal father, a carpenter stopped only when Jesus reached the age of 12 where divine signs of him preaching in the temple started to appear. Third, parallel to Campbell’s theory: the refusal of accepting him as acknowledging him as the messiah, savior of the world, because people think such respected identity would not belong to one who comes from Galiliee (hometown). Fourth, parallel to Campbell’s theory: trials and quests continue with the challenges from Pharisees and Jews. Fifth, parallel to Campbell’s theory: Jesus’s death symbolizes the sacrifice made for all mankind and him willingly to become the scapegoat for us human. Sixth, parallel to Campbell’s theory: the descent to the underworld and seventh, parallel to Campbell’s theory: the resurrection and rebirth was shown where Jesus came alive on the third day. Eighth, parallel to Campbell’s theory: the ascension of Jesus to heaven. All these ‘hero’s experiences’ not only prove Jesus to be the true hero but also provided lessons to people of ways to overcome both the internal and external challenges in life. Depicted with graphics, a stronger and clearer visuals and connections have been linked to the viewers that sounder emotions have also been synchronized. Instead of merely text, the illustrations have reflected the illustrator’s personal understanding and feelings towards the subject matter, especially when there is not definite image of Jesus Christ.

3. Select any two hero myths from the Leeming text of differing cultural origin, and discuss the significance of each place on family, identity, and origin. How are these three issues reflective of their cultural origins? What parallels are noteworthy regarding values and value systems? Explain.

Hero, the main character of in the stories, represents the core of the message that the author wants to send. The tragedies and the legends gave us cautions and inspirations. In the Leeming text, I have selected the King Arthur and the Orpheus and Eurydice. English like to think the right from the god. Their blue blood is different than others in the ancient time. The nobles control all the resource and the people obey them because they believe the legitimacy of the power is from the chosen by the god. Even Arthur became a kind from nobody, but he is the bastard of the old king. On the other hand, Orpheus has talent but cannot control his emotion. These characteristics gave him power to see Hades and got a chance to save his lover, but he lost it by not follow the instructions from Hades. The origin, identity and the family gave multi background information for the stories. It also represents the people’s moral and believe in the region and the period. The family gave King Arthur blood and the noble theory is believed in that region. The identity gave Orpheus a chance to fix the issue, but he did not follow the power’s words. He lost his lover. It is origin from the rule’s mind in the Greece.

4. Discuss any hero myth, even one not covered in the Leeming text, represented in graphic novel form. How effective is the medium for communicating these narratives? What advantage does the medium possess? Explain.

Shengnong, he is an emperor in the ancient China. He leads his group of people from the kingdom to look for something to eat and heal people. He found wheat, grain, rice etc. for allay for hunger. He continues to find something to heal people’s illness and start to try different herbs. He ate hundreds of herbs per day and wrote a book teach people how to heal their body by different herbs. Eventually, he ate some poison herbs and have no time to heal himself. He dead and picked up by the Crane from the god. It was originated from the ancient Chinese words. However, people who usually read these myths when they are very young. Graphic novel will helps young kids to know about their culture. In this story, it at least send three message other than the Shengnong. Herbs is the first messages. It can be heal people, actually, herbs is the most common way to heal people in China till recent. Food is the most basic food we can find today and herbs can be poison. The picture form showed the exact things that exist in our life which can make a strong connection. The advantage for this medium is expand the readers for the stories and making Chinese know their root of culture.

5. Discuss any hero myth, even one not covered in the Leeming text, represented in graphic novel form. How effective is the medium for communicating these narratives? What advantage does the medium possess? Explain.

The “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” is one of the earliest excellent long historical novels in China. Through vivid descriptions of the disputes between the three countries, the book presents a panoramic picture of the political struggles, military struggles and historical evolution of that particular period. For hundreds of years, it has been read by generations of the entire nation. It can be said that “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” has been deeply rooted in every corner of our national life.

I still remember when I was young, every time I had different imaginations while I read it over and over again. I always used my imagination to integrate into its’ storyline. It seems very rare that I had the chance to experience the stories that have been handed down since the 14th century when I was young, as such a traditional media: novels. I think it worked as functions of “memory” of human beings passing down by generations.

In the future, people can quote its’ allusions, enhance national self-confidence, and help archaeologists understand the psychology and living conditions of the ancients.

In the other hand, the novel has the flexibility of being exclusive to the text. The stimuli of the picture come from the audio and visuals, but the stimulation of the text can come from our five sensations, in a sense, the same as dreaming, so it can penetrate the human spirit and the mind. There are many novels once adapted into a movie, it loses its’ taste of the original. Furthermore, the picture of each “seeing” may be different by reading at different ages. We are able to use imagination by the “blur scenes” created by novels, so the classic works are especially worth reading again and again.

I remember in “Norwegian Forest”, there is a sentence described Midori’s silence:

“Just like the rain of the world falls on the all the lawns in the world.”

It delivered the faint, inexplicable feelings can only be understood yet can not be said which is the unique expression of the novel.

Once it becomes a concrete frame, it loses its beauty.