Brooke Green
11/3/08

CO 122: Analytic and Persuasive Writing
Annotated Bibliography # 9
Prof. Kathleen Robinson
Fall 2008


Vogler, Christopher. “Book Two: Stage eleven- The Resurrection and Stage twelve- Return with the elixir. The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2007. 197-228.

Summary:

In this chapter Vogler describes one of the trickiest and most challenging parts of the entire hero’s journey. This is the final time that the hero will be faced with death and danger, but it is the most dangerous fight that he will have faced yet. This is also the greatest climax of the story. The hero must change significantly in order to show the resurrection to the audience. The hero must get a new personality and this part cleanses the hero of the deaths that have occurred throughout the story. Most stories even have two great ordeals, one in the middle of the story and one right before the very end. This is the last fight between the hero, and the last time the villain has a chance to fight. Sometimes the hero even has to be rescued by an ally in this final fight. In most stories the hero almost dies, but the villain is the one who ends up facing his death. The main this is that change must occur in order for the story to have any meaning, or the hero gaining anything. In stage twelve, after all the ordeals and struggles have finally passed the return with the elixir stage comes. The hero must come back with an elixir that he can share with everyone else. Without this elixir the story would not have much point to it, and the journey would not have been a success. This elixir can change the entire world, and help save everyone. Or it could just benefit the hero in a smaller community. Sometimes the storyteller has an open ending, or even an abrupt one where you do not really know what happens after this ordeal, and must decide for yourself.

Reaction:

I do not really like how it talked about the hero having to be saved by an ally in this final fight. I believe the hero has been training and working towards this part of the journey for the entire story. Then to just make it so he has to be saved by someone else ruins the point and the preparation it took to get there.


Questions:

1. Would it ruin the story if in the end the hero could not accomplish the goal and needed a lesser character to save him?

2. Is it okay for the hero to keep being assumed dead, only just to come back every time?

3. What happens if the hero doesn’t change at all?