Order of Steps
Relationships of Steps
During this Step
Internal, Abstract, & Figurative
As seen in The Lego Movie
100
This is the only step of the hero's journey that occurs twice.
What is the Status Quo.
100
The hero will often resist the call to adventure, but during this stage he will meet someone who gives him something that will help the hero to accept the call.
What is Assistance.
100
During this step, the loose plot lines of the story are tied up.
What is the Resolution.
100
This is one of the main reasons that a hero will reject a call to adventure.
What is fear of leaving his comfort zone. (Will also take "What is insecurity.") *Discuss other reasons.
100
In The Lego Movie, Emmet's call to adventure occurs when...
He touches The Piece of Resistance.
200
This step occurs once the hero enters the special world and typically comprises the majority of the story.
What are the Trials.
200
During this stage, the hero is creating a plan and preparing to face his greatest challenge in the Crisis.
What is the Approach.
200
During this step of the journey, the hero will make enemies and alliances.
What is the Trials step. (100 point BONUS: What archetypal character may also arrive during this step?)
200
During this stage, the hero will be "reborn" in some fundamental way, either literally or figuratively, as a result of facing/experiencing death.
What is the Crisis.
200
What do we learn about Emmet in the pre-Status Quo that sets us up to pity him?
He is unoriginal, oblivious to the problems that exist in his society, and is ignored by the people he considers his "friends."
300
There are four steps of the hero's journey that begin with the letter "R." Three are consecutive and the fourth is separated by New Life. In order, these four "R" steps are...
What are Reward, Result, Return, and Resolution
300
During the Trials stage, the hero will face many challenges and tests. This is because he is in a transitional period and is adjusting to being in the _________ after leaving the _________.
What is being in the special world after leaving the ordinary world.
300
During this step, a connection is established between the reader and the epic hero where the reader is made to feel empathy for the hero.
What is the pre-Status Quo.
300
The hero's mentor will give the hero something that will help him to accept the call to adventure. Sometimes it will be something concrete like a map and other times it will be something abstract such as...
What is confidence, wisdom, courage, etc.
300
What are the Crisis and the immediate Reward in The Lego Movie?
Crisis: disabling the Kragle and the Takos Tuesday detonation device Reward: the Mast Builders are freed and the Lego-verse is (momentarily) saved.
400
These are the steps of the hero's journey that traditionally take place in the "special world."
What are Trials, Approach, Crisis, Reward, Result, and Return.
400
Some scholars do not consider this its own step but, instead, group it together with the step immediately after it.
What is the Result. (100 point BONUS: Explain why the result is often not considered its own step.)
400
During this step, the hero will draw on skills learned during the adventure in order to confront some obstacle back home.
What is the New Life or Resurrection.
400
During the Crisis and New Life, the hero will often face/experience death, which can either be literal or figurative. In the case of a romance, an example of a figurative death could be...
What is a break-up. (Other examples: learning that a lover lied, cheated, hid something, did something hurtful, etc.)
400
What is the New Life step of The Lego Movie?
After Emmet returns to Bricksburg, he faces Lord/President Business one-on-one in order to convince him to not use the Kragle on everyone. (100 point BONUS: In order to reach this point, Emmet had to first overcome the Crisis and, before that, many Trials. What was the biggest INTERNAL trial that Emmet faced? Explain.)
500
These are the steps of the hero's journey that traditionally take place in the hero's ordinary world.
What are Pre-Status Quo, Call to Adventure, Assistance, Departure, New Life, Resolution, and Post-Status Quo
500
Explain the relationship between the Trials and the Crisis and the Crisis and the New Life.
The struggles of the Trials prepare the hero to face the Crisis. Likewise, overcoming the Crisis in the special world helps the hero to face and conquer the challenge posed in the ordinary world during New Life. (or something to that affect)
500
In relation to a our earlier studies of plot structure, this step of the hero's journey serves as the story's inciting incident.
What is the Call to Adventure. (100 point BONUS: Explain what role the inciting incident plays in the plot of a story.)
500
The hero's call to adventure can be "direct or indirect." Explain both and provide a general example for both.
With a direct call to adventure, the hero will be pointedly asked to go on the adventure, such as a friend saying "Let's go do [something]." However, with an indirect call the hero will be faced with a situation or circumstance that will force the hero to have to go on an adventure, such as a force of nature or receiving shocking news. (100 point BONUS: Give specific examples of a direct and indirect call from other well known books or films.)
500
How does the Crisis of The Lego Movie differ from the characteristics of a traditional Crisis?
What is it occurs in Emmet's ordinary world and, traditionally, the Crisis occurs in the "special world."
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