Star+Wars,+the+Monomyth+and+the+Quest+Narrative

=This unit explores the concept of the QUEST NARRATIVE using the film //Star Wars Episode 4// as an example. =

We will:

 * ==View //Star Wars Ep 4// and analyse the features that make it a Quest Narrative ==
 * ==Explore other Quest Narratives ==
 * ==Prepare our own Quest Narratives using Powerpoint (or other multimedia tool). Planning for this will be done by hand in class. ==

What is a Quest Narrative? Let's have a look at this Youtube video explanation.
media type="youtube" key="2Cvu_0dQjAI" height="315" width="420" align="center"

**Another diagram of classic Narrative Structure**



//Star Wars - Episode 4 A New Hope //


**Some resources that we will use:**

An excellent video that explains the Hero's Journey across a number of movies (including Star Wars Ep 4)

media type="custom" key="25351916" = = =Another Explanation or two to help you= media type="custom" key="25596142" align="center"



==This website from IMDB (Internet Movie Database), gives a lot of information and links for the movie. Have a look and explore the characters, reviews, trivia and goofs.==

**TASK 1 - Analysing Star Wars as a Hero's Journey**



Using the information from the resources above, you are to prepare a //**written analysis**// of the film //Star Wars Ep 4 - A New Hope.// This analysis needs to include the following sections:
 * 1) A BRIEF overview of the film's storyline - this can be done using dot points;
 * 2) In what ways the plot matches the overall structure of the Hero's Journey;
 * 3) A comparison between the characters in the film and the Archetypal characters in the Hero's Journey;
 * 4) Mentioning two other films that use the Hero's Journey as a basis for their work and briefly describing the connections with Star Wars.

Words - minimum 600 Due Date - To be advised.

You will be sent a more detailed Task Sheet via email which outlines the Assessment standards used for this task.

**WRITING YOUR OWN INTERACTIVE QUEST NARRATIVE**

For the next couple of weeks you will be writing your own quest narrative. This will be done using interactive computer software such as Powerpoint. Even if you have never used this program, you will learn quickly. It enables you to incorporate text, images (which you can take from the Internet), and links between pages/screens. This will make your story **INTERACTIVE**. Follow the steps outlined below to help you construct your Interactive Quest Narrative. You will take this information and use it to build your story on the computers.

You need to include the following in your planning:
 * 1) **ENVIRONMENT** Devise a world in which your quest will take place. It could be in the past, or the future, on Earth or not. Harry Potter is set in modern times but in an ‘alternative’ world of magic and witchcraft. Briefly describe your world.
 * 2) **HERO/PROTAGONIST** Think of a hero. Remember some of the qualities that a hero should possess – including the usual thing of being orphaned in some way. The hero needs to be forced to leave the safety of his/her home in order to undertake the quest.
 * 3) **THE QUEST** – what will your hero be asked to do?
 * 4) **VILLAIN/EVIL FORCE/ANTAGONIST** – What evil character will be trying to stop the hero? Why? Think of the ways in which the antagonist will try to do this.
 * 5) **OBSTACLES** What obstacles will your hero face and overcome? Divide them into the three categories of Environment, Evil Forces and Personal Doubts.
 * 6) **HELPERS** Devise a wise and magical guide, a couple of comic sidekicks and a brave but reluctant ‘larrikan’ (such as Han Solo or Madmartigan).

As people engage with your story, they will encounter all of the above. A Home Page needs to help the user navigate through your story.

YOU WILL PRESENT YOUR STORY TO THE CLASS IN AN ORAL PRESENTATION. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">This can be done **"live"**, or you can **record a video**, or make a **Multimedia presentation** with your (group's) narration, or **present the story** in some creative way.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">The important thing to remember is that it must include the voice of every person in the final presentation. **

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">**// MINIMUM NUMBER OF PAGES: 10 or the equivalent depending on the final format you choose. //** =<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">**Performance Standards** = <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">**Use this link to help you write a Hero's Journey story** <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">**Hero's Journey Interactive guide**

**Here SIX ideas that you might help you get started with this task** In some ancient time and in a faraway land a roaming tribe invades another tribe. After a great battle <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;"> the roaming tribe is defeated and the survivors flea the land they have invaded. They don’t leave empty handed for they take with them a significant person or a sacred object. The person/thing must be retrieved at all costs. To pursue the enemy there is only one boat, or one horse, or one …….(or some reason only an individual or a small party can pursue them). The greatest
 * Option 1**

warriors of the land are either dead or injured and cannot take on the task. Only one can do it.


 * Option 2**

A terrible disease has swept the country. Doctors are totally confused about the nature of the illness or how to combat it. They only know that it is destroying the population. An old professor at a university has an idea and calls on a young student who is doing obscure research to find a solution to the problem.

The greatest superheroes in the world have all been slain by an evil overlord. It seems the world is at the mercy of his greed and cruelty. Somewhere, in a secret location, there lays the world’s only hope. What is it? An old man, father and mentor of one of the slain heroes, knows of its existence. Who can he find to accept the quest to save mankind?
 * Option 3**

A family in the country is in a desperate situation. Their farm is suffering from drought and hence their crops and animals are dead or dying. They cannot sell the farm as no one wants it and they haven’t got the money to move. A poor traveller brings news of a fortune that can be made in a far off land. He has failed himself at the quest but believes riches can be made for the lucky and the strong. Who will risk the journey in an attempt to save the family from starvation?
 * Option 4**

A family has lived for many years with the tragedy of having their father killed by a merciless rival. The rival disappears and the children of the dead man grow to adulthood. News comes to them that the killer has been seen in a nearby town. For the family to regain their esteem, exact revenge and put the matter to rest they believe the killer must suffer the same fate as their father. One must be chosen but will the quest for revenge destroy the family?
 * Option 5**

A hero decides to woo a beautiful princess who has been recommended to him but is well‐protected and her love is difficult to obtain. The wooer journeys to the girl’s country; he stays at the girl’s court until he is able to meet secretly with the girl; he wins her love: he proposes; they elope; they are pursued by the girl’s father and/or his army; they a fight, and, finally, the wedding the two are wed in the wooer’s home country.
 * Option 6**

Here's an interesting article about what a Quest Narrative is and how to write one. =Quest Narratives= Posted on [|December 19, 2010] by [|admin] The quest narrative is one of the oldest and surest ways of telling a story. The //Odyssey// is essentially a quest narrative, with Odyssey’s journey back to his wife and son serving as the basis for the quest. Since then, there have been thousands of quest narratives written, including King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable, detective stories, //Moby Dick//, and many others. The form of a quest narrative is simple. **Basically, the author descibes his or her desire to do something, see something, experience something, discover something.** In describing the object of the quest, whether a grail, or castle or insight or pot of gold, it’s helpful to “sell” the quest, emphasizing why it’s important either to the writer or the reader. Since the writer is the reader’s surrogate, describing why you want to go to Rome is often enough, especially if you can make it seem an especially appealing destination. Some quests are so compelling they don’t need to be sold: the quest to find the Green River Killer or a cure for cancer. The description of the goal for the quest encourages a sense of seeking, questioning and curiosity, propelling readers forward into the narrative. It gives a structure and suspense to a piece that might otherwise be flat and static. This is a very adaptable form, appropriate to all kinds of subjects, whether personal essays, travel pieces, investigative journalism, memoir. You can write a quest narrative about seeking to find the perfect peach, or the perfect glass of Pinot Noir wine, or about coming to terms with your parents. The quest narrative can be used effectively in many different contexts. The form fits very well with James Stewart’s emphasis on curiosity as the basis of fine nonfiction writing in //Follow the Story//. The description of the quest immediately poses a quest in the reader’s mind: will the author or narrator achieve the quest? Quest narratives can be written in a number of points of view. First person is probably most common in nonfiction, but third person can also be used, as in the description of a scientist searching for a cure for the common cold.

HOW TO WRITE A QUEST NARRATIVE: 1) //Describe the object of the quest and why it’s important//. You don’t have to start the story with this statement, but it should come near the beginning, explaining why you’ve arrived in New Guinea, for example. 2) //Set out on the quest//. //What do you bring? How do you prepare//? 3) //Describe the journey and the difficulties of achieving it.// 4) //Describe whether you achieve the goal or not.//

Taken from http://www.thewritersworkshop.net/wordpress/2010/12/19/quest-narratives/