ACTIVITY 1: READING COMPREHENSION
Star
Wars and the hero myth
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/reading/b2-reading/star-wars-hero-myth
Read about
how the film Star Wars follows a pattern found in myths.
Critics of the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode
VII – The Force Awakens have called the film unoriginal and
predictable because the story so closely mirrors the very first Star
Wars film in 1977. But, in fact, both films follow a structure that
pre-dates all Hollywood films, that of the 'hero myth'. That's because director
George Lucas based Star Wars on the ideas in Joseph Campbell's 1949 book, The
Hero with a Thousand Faces. Later editions of Campbell's book even
featured Star Wars' hero Luke Skywalker on the front cover.
In his book, Campbell analyses myths from all over the
world to describe the 'monomyth' – a pattern that you can see in myths
from every culture. In short, a hero sets off from home on a journey, where he
overcomes obstacles and defeats enemies to return with a prize. It's a tale
that has been told for thousands of years, from the Ancient Greeks with The
Odyssey to JK Rowling's Harry Potter books.
George Lucas was one of the early film directors to
directly base his story on the 17 stages of the hero's journey. Typically the
hero starts the story living an ordinary life, but something happens that calls
them to an adventure that changes everything. At the beginning of Star
Wars, Luke lives an ordinary life with his aunt and uncle, repairing
robots. When he finds Princess Leia's message to Obi-Wan Kenobi inside the
robot R2D2, it is 'the call to adventure' that starts the hero on his
journey.
According to Campbell, the hero at first refuses the
call to adventure, but a mentor appears who helps them and they decide to
'cross the threshold' and travel into the 'special world' where the
adventure happens. The next stage consists of passing tests, fighting enemies
and meeting friends as the hero prepares to face their biggest challenge. For
Luke the mentor is, of course, Obi-Wan, the friends are Han Solo and the
robots R2D2 and C3PO and the enemy is Darth Vader inside the special world of
the Death Star.
Next, the hero overcomes obstacles on the way to
facing their greatest challenge. There often comes a moment when they face
death or loss and that experience gives them the strength to finally defeat the
enemy. Luke loses his mentor when he sees Darth Vader kill Obi-Wan, which helps
him find the strength he needs later on. When heroes succeed, they return from
the special world, changed by their experiences forever. Luke's change comes
when he remembers Obi-Wan saying, 'Use the force', and he uses it to help him
aim his laser into the heart of the Death Star. Luke takes his first steps to
becoming a Jedi, and the hero myth restarts in The Return of the Jedi,
except this time his mentor is Yoda.
learnenglish.britishcouncil.org
Are these sentences
true or false?