Neo's Journey to Heroism

Jhoel Peguero

ENG 101/103

                                    Neo’s Journey to Heroism

                               A hero is someone who is chosen to protect mankind from danger. Neo in the movie “The Matrix” is a perfect example of being a hero. Joseph Campbell’s theory “Hero Journey” talks about how a hero goes through these stages called the twelve stages to a hero’s journey. Each stage has an act that Neo goes through on his path of becoming the savoir. The chapters that Joseph Campbell mentions from his book “The hero with a thousand faces”. Here are some of the stages that Neo goes through, 1) Departure, 2) The call to Adventure,3) Supernatural Aid, 4) The crossing of the first threshold. 5) Test, allies, and enemies, 6) Approach to the most Inmost cave, 7) seizing the sword and reward and, 8) Departure of the hero. These’s acts are Neo’s guide of becoming a hero through the Matrix. So with Joseph Campbell’s theory Neo is the hero.

            The first stage of Neo’s journey is “The Ordinary World”. Before Neo starts his journey, he first lived in a world where he thought was reality. He had a regular job, just like everyone else. He was also a hacker that went by the name of Neo. He knew something was up because; he was able to see on to another world through his computer. He also felt like someone was trying to contact him.

            The second stage is “The Call of the Adventure”; it’s when the hero has to make a drastic change. In this stage Neo realizes that the world that he’s living isn’t the world that he thinks he knows. Neo receives a call from a mysterious person and informs him that a group of agents were coming after him. The mysterious man goes by the name of Morpheus.                                                          Morpheus:“Yes. I've been looking for you, Neo. I don't know if you're ready to see what I want to show you, but unfortunately you and I have run out of time. They're coming for you, Neo, and I don't know what they're going to do”                                                                                        Neo:“Who's coming for me?”                                                                               That conversation between the two triggers Neo into a position that he’s never encountered. And that’s what most hero’s face when the encounter something unusual. Another strange encounter that Neo had faced was the two choices he had to make. Morpheus gave Neo two options and they were the red pill and the blue pill. If Neo chose the blue pill then he would wake up and believe what he wants to believe. If he took the red pill then he would know the truth. He took the red pill and thus his journey began.

The third stage is Supernatural Aid. “For those who have not refused the call, the first encounter of the hero-journey is with a protective figure”(57). Basically its saying that Neo took the red pill so now he has to expect things that he usually isn’t familiar with.                                                                   Neo:“Morpheus, what's happened to me? What is this place?”                             Neo is unaware of what’s going on, and thus does not want to realize that he’s living in reality.      Morpheaus:“What is real. How do you define real? If you’re talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain”. Morpheus the protective figure explains to new about the new world that he is living in. Neo not accepting the truth tries to deny it.                                                                                                         Neo:“Take this thing off me. Take this thing..”.                                                                                 Trinity:“Listen to me...”.                                                                                                                     Neo:“Don't touch me. Stay away from me. I don't want it. I don't believe it. I don't believe it.”                                                                                                                               This shows Neo not accepting of what he’s seeing. But later on Neo accepts it and trains with Morpheus. Morpheus aids Neo of his journey by giving him advice and being his mentor.                                               Morpheus:“How did I beat you?.”                                                                                                      Neo:“Your too fast.”                                                                                                                           Morpheus:“Do you believe that my being stronger or faster has anything to do with my muscles in this place? You think that's air you're breathing now?... Again.”       With the conversation between the two, Morpheus’s role as being a mentor, tries to give Neo the confidence and not doubt his ability.

            The fourth stage is “The crossing of the first Threshold.” “With the personifications of his destiny to guide and aids him, the hero goes forward in his adventure until he comes to the threshold guardian at the entrance to the zone of magnified power.”(64) In this stage Neo explore more about his destiny of becoming the hero. He goes to a woman called the Oracle, who can give him the answer. As he waits for her, he learns something about himself and the matrix.                                                                                                                                                                                  Spoon boy:“Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth.”                                                                                                                                                             Neo:“What truth?”                                                                                                                                     Spoon boy:“There is no spoon.”                                                                  That gave Neo an idea of what he could really be as a hero. He meets the Oracle and she told him what he wanted to hear from her.                                                                                                                                Oracale:“You're going to have to make a choice. In the one hand you'll have Morpheus' life and in the other hand you'll have your own. One of you is going to die. Which one will be up to you. I'm sorry, kiddo, I really am. You have a good soul, and I hate giving good people bad news. Oh, don't worry about it. As soon as you step outside that door, you'll start feeling better. You'll remember you don't believe in any of this fate crap. You're in control of your own life, remember? Here, take a cookie. I promise, by the time you're done eating it, you'll feel right as rain.”                                                                                                     This was the last thing the oracle had told Neo about.

            The fifth stage is test, allies and enemies. In this stage Neo learns about how his allies and who are his enemies are. He’s also is going to take some test. One test that Neo took was that long jump he had to do. He didn’t make it and he said                                                                                                      Neo:“I thought it wasn't real.”                                                         That showed some confusion but then an idea of how the Matrix works. We all know that one of Neo’s enemies were the agents. But a secret enemy of his was a crew member by the name of Cypher. Cypher was very jealous of Neo because Trinity was in love with Neo and not with him.                                                                                                                                                                                               Cypher:“I don't remember you bringing me dinner. There is something about him, isn't there?”                                                                                                     Which shows his jealousy towards Neo. Cypher later on betrays them by telling the agents that Morpheus knew how to get out of the matrix. We also know that Neo’s allies are Morpheus, Trinity and Tank. These guys are reasons why Neo is the Hero that he is.

            The sixth stage is called “Approach to the most Inmost cave” which is when Neo has realize that he has to face danger.                                                                                                                                        Neo: “The Oracle. She told me this would happen. She told me that I would have to make a choice”                                                                                         Which tells us that the Oracle told Neo what he wanted to hear and that was to make a choice. He did want to control his destiny so now he has the chance to do so. Morpheus was captured Neo took action with Trinity to save him. It was suicide, but that rescue mission was also a way for Neo to be able to unlock his true potential.                                                                                                                   Trinity:“You moved like they do. I've never seen anyone move that fast.” Which is example of Neo’s hidden potential. Something he never knew he had nor can do. He saves Morpheus, but is encounter with agent Smith and has no choice but to fight him. Since he threw everything at him and nothing has hurt him, Neo decides to run from him.

The seventh stage is called “Seizing the sword and reward.” In this stage Neo is facing death due from the beating from the agents. But is rewarded since he thought he might have lost his treasure which was trinity.                                                                                                                                          Trinity:“Neo, I'm not afraid anymore. The Oracle told me that I would fall in love, and that man, the man who I loved would be the one. And so you see, you can't be dead. You can't be, because I love you. You hear me? I love you.... Now get up.”                                      That calling from Trinity is what triggered Neo to be resurrected and to have God like powers. Morpheus:“He is The One.”                                                                                                                          That statement made my Morpheus proved that Neo finally has become a hero.

            The final stage is called “Departure” in this stage/chapter it talks about Neo’s story ending after he had won the battle.                                                                                                                                                Neo:“I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid. You're afraid of us. You're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin. I'm going to hang up this phone and then I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you, a world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries, a world where anything is possible. Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you.”                                                                                                                                     This was Neo’s final message and like all good hero’s he wants to save everyone from the prison of lies that there living.

             In conclusion these were the stages that Neo had to go through to become a Hero. He has faced many challenges but at the end of the day was able to overcome it.

            Works Cited

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero’s Journey. Google Web. May 2012

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With A Thousand Faces. Pantheron. Books. 2008. Print.

The Matrix. Larry Wachoswki 1999.Warne Bros. Picture May 2012. Dvd

Screenplays for  You." Screenplays for You - Free Movie Scripts and Screenplays. May 2012

Wachowski, Larry, and Wachowski Andy. "The Matrix (1999) Movie Script –

 

Painting Description

The painting I chose is called Number VII from Eight for a Portrait by Francis Bacon. Bacon's art work was first introduce in 1953 on Oil on linen, 60 x 46 1/8" (152.3 x 117 cm). The painting looks dark and it kinda has this roller coaster figure to it. The person or thing that was in this painting looks, confuse and scared. i say scared because of the way the painting looks. And judging by the way the person looks on the painting I can tell that this person is dead and looks more like a zombie then a human being It looks more of a 2D/3D figure. The zombie/human is dressed as if someone died and was placed on a coffin. There are two yellow flowers in the background. I chose this painting because it caught my attention and the way it looks. The first thing that caught my attention was the way the zombie figure thing looks as in it was sitting for a roller coaster ride. Since i've always like zombies and playing zombie game, that easily caught my attention. Not only that but to me it looks like a mixture of both 2D and 3D. Which to me is really cool. And the coloring of it just shows how much time and effort that the painter took to paint it. I find the coloring amazing because its black and black is one of my favorite colors. Plus it reminds me of my family, well the ones that passed away. I say that because I'm so use to going to funerals.

Outline

Introduction
1Thesis: Tennessee Williams author of A Streetcar Name Desire show how similar Blanche and Stanley are
2 Blanche and Stanley are very similar, even if they don't even know it

Characteristics Blanche

1 She's a liar

2 She has sexual need for any man

3 She likes to drink

4 She's very anxious

Characteristic Stanley

1 Stanley is very aggressive 

2 He doesn't treat Stella properly  

3 Stanley likes to drink

4 He loves to play poker

5 He has a sexual drive for Blanche 

Conclusion

These are the reason why both Blanche and Stanley and very similar

blog #4

Stanley get really violent when he's drunk, but has a good heart for Stella. On page 39 Stanley got upset because the radio was on, while he was playing poker. On page 40 Stanley lay his hands on Stella. Even tho he laid his hands on her. Stanley wanted to apologize for his actions. On the same page Stanley yelled out Stella name, which shows his feelings towards her and how he cares for her. He does love Stella but when he's drunk, he's another person.

Blanche is a liar. She lies about her drinking habits. She tells Mitch that her limit is 3 but she drank more than that. She also lied about her age, when she's actually the younger sister. She also lied about the petition that could have made Stella and Stanley rich. Blanche's outfit is also a lie. She claims to be rich when she's really not.

Final Draft

   Achieving a 3.0 GPA for the cluster class is a small step to my main goal, which is to become a Psychologist. I know a 3.0 is more easier to get, but I've always like to start small and then move on big. Having a 3.0 GPA in college is something that no one in my family had. I want to not only be the first one but to show my family that their travels to the United States wasn't a waste.

  Getting a 3.0 will be a challenge because there is one area that I still need to improve on and that's my writing. Improving my writing will not only make me a be writer but it would eliminate years of frustration towards writing. If my writing hasn't made an improvement then my goal of a 3.0 would be a waste of my time. This is very important to me because many people that has achieved a GPA of a 3.0 or higher, are most likely to be good writers.I want to be one of those people, I want to achieve something and say that I'm a good writer. Maybe if I go to a tutor that can help me with my writing. It can help me achieve my goal for that 3.0 GPA for the cluster.

  Back in the 6th grade I was a 90 overall student. Over the years that has past I've become more lazier and my GPA has dropped. While I was in high school, my GPA was around a seventy five. I know I could have done better because I know I take school serious. But since my high school was one of those school that didn't motivate their students to do anything. I adapted to it and thus made me lazy and not care about the grades I got. In a way it disappointed me because I know that I'm better then that and how I could have done better. But instead I let the people in my school and the lack of motivation to influence me to not care about school and their academics.

   I want to be motivated about school again. Being motivated will keep me focus and less distracted about the little things. One motivation I had was when I doubted myself, a friend of mine always kept a positive attitude and that kept me going. With my friends positive attitude it always made me realize that I am that A student that I use to be in middle school. One motivation speech that my mother told me was "When it gets tough, you keep going". It sounds a bit corny but it always kept be going. So I will use that to accomplish my goal because at times I don't feel motivated to do anything. It frustrates me because I am a good student and I just need a little motivation to remind me of the big picture. 

  There are a couple of ways for my to help me reach my goal. First off I can take better notes. Taking good notes will help me be more organize and that's important. I can also try to pay more attention in class. Often enough I get really tired, not because the class is boring, its just I sleep late at times. So instead of sleeping late, I should try to sleep a bit earlier, so I can pay attention in class more.
If I improve my writing and get some motivation. I know in my heart that i can reach that 3.0 GPA. These may be small little things to some people, but to me it means everything. It would mean so much to me because over the years my writing was bad and I had lack of motivation to do anything. But once I reach 3.0, then I will attempt to reach a bigger average which is 3.5. But by that time I will be confident enough to know that I can do it and I know I'll have my mother and my friend to keep be focus. To do better and excel. 

What is Art?

Art to us is creativity, colors, imagination, emotions, illusions, designs, and beauty

Blog 2: First Draft of Goals Essay

  In order for me to become a Psychologist I first must achieve a 3.0 GPA for the cluster. I know 3.0 could be a bit easy but its a small step for me and my journey of being a psychologist. But for me to achieve a 3.0 GPA I also must improve my writing because jobs for psychology requires me to to write a cover letter. If my writing isn't good enough through their eyes they can simply just throw away my resume out the trash. I think if I get a 3.0 GPA it would mean that not only my hard work paid off but, it would also mean for me to work even harder for the long run.
  One way for me to achieve a 3.0 is by improving my writing. Improving my writing would not only eliminate my frustrations towards writing but it would also improve my GPA. Writing has always been my enemy for years. I dislike writing for so long that every time I hear the word essay I just give a mean look about it. Ways for me to improve and writing is by going to the writing center if I'm ever in need of help. I can also do some free writing on my journal that I keep, maybe that could help me improve it.
  Another way for me to get a 3.0 GPA is by getting some morale support by either my family members or friends. Back in high school i was always one of those students who were just lazy to do any of the homework. I understand the work that was given to me, but since my high school was one of those schools that had no positive energy it turned me lazy. So with the support with someone close to me, it can motivate me to stay focus and concentrate for my 3.0 GPA. I can also make a bet that my English professor mentioned when she was in college. Placing bets are great ways to improve your GPA because, no one likes to lose especially if the loser has to do something embarrassing.
  Talking to my college professor could likely improve my GPA cause, their feedback can help me understand what i need to improve on so I can be a better student. For example if my English professor suggested I participate in class more, then I'll do everything in my power to improve on that. If I get a low grade on a test I can ask why I got that failing grade. It will also help me have a better understanding thus helping me get a 3.0. I should also take my classes seriously, cause if I don't I wont be able to accomplish my goal. So taking my classes seriously is another way to do well on the cluster.
  In conclusion now that I have achieve a 3.0 GPA for the cluster its time for me to focus on something even more bigger. Its time for me to achieve an even higher GPA. Since I started off slow and did everything at a good pace for myself. I can now try to achieve a 3.5 GPA, which means I have to work a lot harder and study more.