Choose a heroic figure you have read about. Examples might be: Theseus, Oedipus, Calaf in Turandot, King Arthur, Siddhartha, Moses, Mohammed, a cowboy hero, or Frodo from The Lord of the Rings.

Other examples may include people who are/were known for their humanitarian efforts, or who have led a movement (such as Mother Teresa or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.).

Or, choose a heroic figure from a book, a film, or a comic/cartoon series with which you are familiar.

Introduce your chosen hero at the beginning of your response, and apply at least two of Campbell’s characteristics as you elaborate on the person’s life.

Campbell’s characteristics:

1. A hero gives his or her life to something bigger than him/herself, to some higher end.
2. A hero performs a courageous act, either physical or spiritual.
3. A hero is usually someone from whom something has been taken or who feels there’s something lacking in the normal experience available, or permitted, to members of his society.
4. A hero embarks on a series of adventures to recover what is lost or to discover some life-giving information.
5. The hero usually moves out of the known, conventional safety of his/her own life to undertake the journey.
6. The hero undergoes trials and tests to see if he or she has the courage, the knowledge and the capacity to survive.
7. A hero has to achieve something.
8. A hero’s journey usually consists of a departure, a fulfillment, and a return.