Midterm 2 Written Section
Fall 2005
John A Dowell, Instructor
261 words
The American Hero's Journey as Portrayed in....
Step One. Review all your notes on the
Hero's Journey - i.e., the Joseph Campbell stuff.
Step Two. Review the Robert Reich article, "An American Morality Tale." Review your notes on the semester's previous readings and viewings as well (except for Miner, of course).
Step Three. View one of these films, noting particular scenes and dialog befitting Steps One and Two.
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Frank Capra, 1939)
- It's a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)
- D.O.A. (Rudolph Maté, 1950)
- High Noon (Fred Zinnemann, 1952)
- Shane (George Stevens, 1953)
Step Four. Write an essay between 600 and 800 words long which demonstrate your understanding of the film's depiction of the "classic" American hero. Unless you can think of something considerably better, the title of your essay will be "The American Hero's Journey as Portrayed in <FILM TITLE HERE>," where the title of the film goes in the (hopefully) obvious place. Unlike the twelve stages of the hero's journey listed in class, NO NOT make this a list; this is a narrative essay you're cooking, so "chef up," dig into your fridge and pantry, and write an actual synthesis.
You must cite at least four of your readings for this class in your essay, NOT including Reich or the notes from "Interpretations of Joseph Campbell...." You must use correct MLA citations. You may offer drafts to both peers and the Writing Center for revision suggestions - not me. Final drafts are to be posted online and correctly linked to your WRA135 webfolio no later than Noon, Wednesday the 16th of November.