Approach to the Inmnost Cave and the Ordeal

Approach to the Inmost Cave

Now our characters approach the middle place between the entrance to the new world and the center of the adventure. At this point the heroes would fall in the zone of Approach; here they "make plans, recognize the enemy, reorganize the group and arm themselves." Also a romance may be ignite, confident heroes will go on a head, information is gather, obstacles confront, dealing with complications and the heroes will put something on a stake.

Ordeal

"The face of the greatest challenge and the most fearsome opponent.' It's secret is that the hero most die and be reborn and when they are reborn they should have change in some way. The ordeal is not the climax, but a dramatic point with a crisis that can appear in the middle, or can be delayed and come near the end of act II. Is the most tense stage for the hero as he must make sacrifices and even pretend to die, watch death or/and kill someone.
Another important part of the ordeal is facing the shadow or the the "hero's fears or rejected qualities which can be demonize or projected into other people. Finally the hero will face the villain in battle and one of them will win and the other may die. Ariadne's Thread is an elastic band that connects heroes' with loved ones, and can help them come back to life. In romantic stories the ordeal can be a crisis of the heart or fear of commitment.

As the hero approaches the cave it most prepared and plan for the ordeal that it would confront a head in the journey; approaching the cave is the perfect place for the hero to think, plan and prepare himself and his company to face his or their biggest fears. The ordeal is when the hero learns who he really is by facing his fears and the outcome may be death. If he comes back to life he would change and be a new and better human. The hero does not have to face the ordeal by himself and sometimes the allies and mentors can become heroes to the hero in distress, as it happens in "The Wizard of Oz"

Vogler mentions how people pay money to have a taste of death; for that feeling of almost dying and coming back to life. We all have always wonder how does it feel to die, because we all know one day it may come to us and we want to be ready for it and for death to be as painless as possible. Even if we all wonder about the feeling of death not many like to take the risk of bungee jumping or the adrenaline of rollercoasters; myself being one of them. I hate rollercoaster and you can not tell me is because I have not try becuase I did, twice. If this is the case does it mean I have an extra fear of death? I do not think so. If I were to die today I don't think I may be afraid since I do not have any regrets.

Questions

1. What is your biggest fear?
2. Do you think people like to ride rollercoasters and do extreme sports to have a taste of death?
3. What is that deffect about yourself that you demonize onto others?

Crossing the First Threshold; Tests, Allies and Enemies

Crossing the First Threshold

The last stage in Act 1, at this point the turning point or the plot point appears. The hero decides to start the adventure in the new world. Also they can be "shanghaied" or push into the adventure, or a combination of internal choices and external events.
Threshold guardians may try to block the path and stop the hero, some may be turn into allies.
After the guardian, the hero most cross the to the other world, so the adventure can begin. Landing in the other side can sometimes be difficult.

Tests, Allies and Enemies

First stage of the 2nd act, now we can see the contrast between the new world and the ordinary world. Now the hero will be put trough a series of tests to prepare him for even bigger challenges.
The hero may meet allies and sidekicks that can help it overcome these challenges. Also the enemies and rivals that will produce those challenges. The hero will have to get use to new rules different from the ones he is used to.

In these two sections we learned the last step of the first act, and we were introduced to the second act. Now the hero has the courage to cross to the other side into the new world. In this world he is going to confront different challenges to test him as the adventure goes. Some of these challenges may be brought by his enemies and/or rival, but he would not be alone since he has allies and sidekicks to help him out.

I think the most difficult task the hero has is choosing the allies; to trust others is really difficult. I am really careful when I make friends since I want to make sure I can trust them. This is why sometimes people think I am antisocial. I think the hero most be really smart when it comes to choosing allies, he has to make sure they may not betray him in points where the adventure gets difficult.

Questions
1.How do you choose your friends?
2.Are you scare of trying new things or unannounced events?
3. How is an ally different from a sidekick?

English vrs other languages

U.S. refuses to participate in International Mother Language Day until it's celebrated only in English

This article came to my attention when I read "U.S. refuses to participate in International Mother Language Day" Why, once again, will the U.S. refuse to participate in an international day designated by the UNESCO? The answer was just because is not in English.
I understand that many immigrants (being one myself) bring their own language to this country and try to impose it over English. I do not agree to this and I am all pro making English the nation's official language, but why not celebrate the different languages and cultures that make this country.

We should not forget that the United States was founded by immigrants. We all together natives and foreigners make up this country. Many even if is not the majority speaks a mother language other than English and is really important to them. Is not fair that they are not given the opportunity to celebrate their own modern tongues along with English which they also use.

Stages: Refusal of the Call and Meeting with the mentor

Refusal of the call

Is the threshold of fear and an understandable reaction to hesitation or refusal of the Call for some period of time.
The first step is avoidance which is natural and happens when the hero tries to avoid the adventure. Then the hero makes excuses and this refusal may lead to tragedy. After that the hero may have to decide between two calls; is never good to refuse a call unless is a temptation to evil or a summon to disaster.
Some heroes can be willing and accept or even sought out the adventure. Therefore heroes who overcome the fear and commit can still be tested by powerful figures who question the hero's worthiness and capabilities. They are known as threshold guardians.
Also the hero can be tested by a secret door or symbols of human curiosity, the powerful drive to know all the hidden things, all the secrets.

Meeting with the Mentor

A mentor prepares the hero to face the unknown world. It can also protect, guide, teach, test, train and provide magical gifts. Sometimes the mentor can misdirect or have conflicts with the hero.

To start a new journey can be scary or troublesome to the hero. First it can make excuses and refuse the call. Also if it decides to refuse one or more calls it can bring calamities to him, unless he refused an evil temptation that could have diverge he from the adventure.
If the hero is still insecure a mentor can guide him and help him understand the new world. Also he can be helpful along the adventure even if sometimes he can get in an argument with the hero.

When Volger mentioned the secret door (in the refusal of the call chapter), it made me wonder of how much this concept is used in books and movies. Besides the beauty and the best there are many others, for example the door to Narnia was in a misterious room that had only an old wardrove. If Susie did not have gone to that room while playing "hide and seek", the children would not have been able to find that new world which would become their kingdom.
A most recent one is the book I am reading right now "Coraline". Coraline discovers her "other mother and father" behind a door that was supposed to lead to a brick wall, but when the crazy old man tells her that the rats warn her not to approach the door; curiousity takes over her and she opens it reaching the world behind the door were her adventure starts.

Questions

1. Have you ever refuse some opportunity that if you had accepted it would have been for the best?
2. Is the mentor always present in a story?
3. Have you ever open a secret door or done something out of curiosity?