ON A MISSION
An Internet WebQuest on the HERO JOURNEY

created by Ralph A. Bucci
Charles W. Flanagan High School

Introduction | The Task | The Process | Conclusion |


Introduction
COMPLETION OF THE HERO JOURNEY WEBQUEST, 'ON A MISSION' IS EXPECTED BY FALL 2007.


'What we do in life echoes through eternity!' the Roman general Maximus cries at the opening of Gladiator, thus setting a heroic tone that carries through the entire movie.

Maximus is Rome's most popular and successful general. The dying Emperor Marcus Aurelius loves him more than his own son, and his last wish is that Maximus assume his mantle of power. The Empire, Aurelius tells him, must once again become a republic. And it must not fall into the hands of his son, Commodus.

Maximus, exhausted by two years of war and longing to see his family, is reluctant to take on yet another responsibility.

His hesitation proves fatal. Furious that his father does not entrust him with the Empire, Commodus murders the old man and then sends his own loyal troops to slay Maximus. The general, always the superior warrior, slays his attackers and flees into the woods. Weeks later he arrives home to find his family crucified by Roman troops.

Exhaustion and depression overtake the hero, and wandering slavers capture him. He is sold into bondage to Proximo, a man who trains slaves for the gladiator shows. Maximus's supreme talent on the battle field quickly wins him the adoration of fans in the outlying provinces of the Empire. When Commodus lifts the ban on gladiatorial combat Rome, Proximo eagerly brings his new prizes into the city. There Maximus fights spectacular battles in the Coliseum ... and plots his revenge against Rome's murderous Emperor.

A hero will rise. And he will kick ass.

What makes Maximus so appealing is that he's a hero, but not the sort of generic, blah hero that you'll find in most action flicks. He's a man with strong convictions and impeccable moral character who fights for what he believes. He's motivated by a sense of duty to Rome, but that duty arises because of his respect for what the Empire is: a civilizing force upon the world. He's the ultimate family man -- he knows exactly how many days it's been since he last saw his wife and son -- and he doesn't want to rule the world. But what we find most appealing about Maximus was the fact that he never gave up. Oh, he may have faltered a bit, but in the end he fought for what he believed, and we respect that.

Frodo Baggins is everything a hero should be. In The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, Frodo fits the requirements of a hero. Frodo goes through the separation, transformation, and return that a hero must go through. He also displays the thirteen traits of a hero. During his quest to return the ring to Mount Doom, he learns many aspects of life. He endures pain, death of a loved one, and occasional happiness.

A hero is often considered to be someone born with outstanding ability, courage, and bravery. But are heroes really born that way... are they superior beings?

Some heroes you are familiar with have forged their strength and character through their experiences. Their bravery and courage are developed in spite of fear and human failings. Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz must travel with her companions to develop qualities of courage, heart, and brain before she can return home with a new appreciation for her loved ones. And in the recent movie, Toy Story 2, Woody must learn to take hold of his own life and make it truly his own.

Television has its share of action heroes and battles between the good guys and the bad guys. But perhaps you could also think of these stories and images as reminders of the heroic nature of your own individual journey--no matter how ordinary you may think your own life is.

Many artists have depicted the hero's journey as a great battle with evil or a quest for something sacred that will help their community. Other heroes must complete a bigger-than-life task. We love these stories! Gawain, Percival, and Galahad quest for the Holy Grail and Jason for the golden fleece. Hercules must complete twelve nearly impossible tasks as an act of penance.

A familiar theme in paintings is Michael slaying the dragon. In our own lives, the dragons we meet are not so much breathing fire on us as breathing fire in us. Our dragons might be an illness or a loss or a great fear. Or perhaps we have to conquer self-doubt. Slaying the dragon can be an important metaphor for our inner quest for peace, truth, love, and wisdom.

Sometimes, the hero's journey involves learning to believe in ourselves and our ability to play our part. We may even need to grow into and accept our ability to lead others, overcoming guilt or confusion--you remember Simba in The Lion King? Joseph Campbell taught that the hero's journey is primarily a journey to the center of yourself, an inner journey to wholeness and understanding.

You too must take the hero journey in life. Learning from the aforementioned heroes gives you a reference point to begin your quest. Whether it be Maximus, Frodo, Simba, or Woody what you do with your own life echoes in eternity.


Task
HOW DO THE JOURNIES OF HEROES EXEMPLIFY THE PASSION TO COMPLETE THE MISSION IMPOSED UPON THEM?

Process
In this WebQuest you will be working together with a group of students in class. Each group will answer the Task or Quest(ion). As a member of the group you will explore Webpages from people all over the world who care about the HERO JOURNEY. Because these are real Webpages we're tapping into, not things made just for schools, the reading level might challenge you. Feel free to use the online Webster dictionary or one in your classroom.

You'll begin with everyone in your group getting some background before dividing into roles where people on your team become experts on one part of the topic.

Phase 1 - Background Information
Use the Internet information linked below to answer the basic questions of who? what? where? when? why? and how? Be creative in exploring the information so that you answer these questions as fully and insightfully as you can.


Phase 2 - Roles
INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Individuals or pairs from your larger WebQuest team will explore one of the roles below.

2. Read through the files linked to your group. If you print out the files, underline the passages that you feel are the most important. If you look at the files on the computer, copy sections you feel are important by dragging the mouse across the passage and copying / pasting it into a word processor or other writing software.

3. Note: Remember to write down or copy/paste the URL of the file you take the passage from so you can quickly go back to it if you need to to prove your point.

4. Be prepared to focus what you've learned into one main opinion that answers the Big Quest(ion) or Task based on what you have learned from the links for your role.

FRODO BAGGINS:

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to THE LORD OF THE RINGS:

1.

RAY KINSELLA:

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to SHOELESS JOE:

1.

SANTIAGO:

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA:

1.

GEORGE MILTON:

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to OF MICE AND MEN:

1.


Phase 3 - Reaching Consensus
You have all learned about a different part of the HERO JOURNEY. Now group members come back to the larger WebQuest team with expertise gained by searching from one perspective. You must all now answer the Task / Quest(ion) as a group. Each of you will bring a certain viewpoint to the answer: some of you will agree and others disagree. Use information, pictures, movies, facts, opinions, etc. from the Webpages you explored to convince your teammates that your viewpoint is important and should be part of your team's answer to the Task / Quest(ion). Your WebQuest team should write out an answer that everyone on the team can live with.

Conclusion
It's the same for understanding a topic as broad or complex as the HERO JOURNEY: when you only know part of the picture, you only know part of the picture. Now you all know a lot more. Nice work. You should be proud of yourselves! How can you use what you've learned to see beyond the black and white of a topic and into the grayer areas? What other parts of the HERO JOURNEY could still be explored? Remember, learning never stops.

created by Filamentality Content by Ralph A. Bucci, rbucci@browardschools.com
http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/webtheherora.html
Last revised Wed Feb 6 8:54:47 US/Pacific 2008