Saturday SAVY, Day 2 – “The Call: Heroism and Transformation of Percy Jackson” (5th/6th)
SAVY parents,
It was a great second day at SAVY. Students came in ready to learn. On day two, we started with some riddles to start us thinking and add a little levity before diving back into our literary analysis.
In class, we continued our discussion of archetypes. Students were given twelve different archetypes and the traits of these archetypes, both strengths and weaknesses. Students worked collaboratively to think about characters from any book, movie, or TV show that they thought met the criteria for a certain archetype. This activity included a lot of agreement and some respectful disagreements, which led to a really great discussion.
As students shared their thoughts about various characters, some misconceptions needed to be clarified. For example, some students thought that the “explorer” archetype had to be a character that actually explores. When asked to justify their answer with the traits and characteristics of the explorer, they couldn’t really defend their answer. What they began to understand after our conversation is that a two-year-old is also an “explorer” archetype because they, too, are learning about the world. They fit the pattern. A two-year-old is not on some big adventure, looking for artifacts, but they are constantly exploring and learning about their surroundings. They are curious, motivated, driven, restless, and often not satisfied. These are all the traits of an explorer’s archetype.
After discussing archetypes, we then began learning about the narrative structure of the hero’s journey. We began this discussion by talking about Vogler, Campbell, and Snyder. These are three people who have identified the common components of what makes up the hero’s journey. As we watched a video clip on how we can take the hero’s journey structure and use it to create a version where the antagonist is the hero, it was great to hear students say, “Wow! This makes my brain hurt.” Students were really thinking on Saturday.
To develop a better understanding of this narrative structure, students were given a copy of the three versions, and they had to choose which version of the hero’s journey they wanted to use for their analysis. To apply what they had learned, students were asked to break apart Percy Jackson, The Lightning Thief, and create a storyboard of the hero’s journey. Much like earlier in the day, some misconceptions needed to be clarified. Some students thought that every aspect of the hero’s journey had to be present. I reminded them that not all components have to be identifiable; however, as long as most of the structure is there, it is a hero’s journey narrative structure. These misconceptions that students were brave enough to share really helped all of us develop a better understanding of the structure. We definitely have a class of thinkers and risk-takers! Since we didn’t get a chance to finish the storyboards, we will start with this next Saturday.
As students grow as readers, they can now identify these structures and patterns, which will allow them to go even deeper into the stories that they are enjoying. Identifying traits also helps us as readers understand why characters do what they do and clarifies what motivates the characters in a story. At SAVY, we don’t assign homework, but I did encourage the class as they read this week to look for the various archetypes and share what they have learned.
I look forward to our last Saturday together next week!
Dinner table questions:
- What are some of the archetypes that you learned about? (Everyman, Sage, Caregiver, Explorer, Outlaw, Lover, Hero, Magician, Innocent, Creator, Ruler, and Jester/Trickster)
- What were some characters from books that you have read that matched the various archetypes?
- Why is Percy not the “hero” archetype in the exposition of the story? (Percy can’t be the hero because he has not transformed. In the exposition, he is a relatable 12-year-old. It is not until he accepts the call and goes through trials that he can become the hero.)
- What is the function of the “road of trials” in the hero’s journey? (These trials allow the character to transform from the “every man” to the “hero.” These trials show Percy has the ability and strength to be more.)
- Explain the difference between static characters and dynamic characters. (Static characters stay the same and do not transform. Dynamic characters change, usually through trials, and do transform.)