Men's Movie Series summary

Goals: To teach through the example of teaching stories found in Fairy Tales, Mythology, and Religion of how every youth must transverse the wasteland of their lives to adulthood and to their true self. By using popular media I help to teach these ancient stories through technology adapted for our modern audience. The youths will learn to find more than style and gags from movies to lead their lives by, but lessons addressed by the hero’s of the cinema. Youths will learn the road to redemption, justification, salvation, and justice by the power of their own self. Audio, visual, and written teaching methods will be applied.

Star wars lecture: Day One
Duration: 1 to 2 hours
Preparation: T.V., seating, and VCR/DVD, and cheap sources of sugar to stimulate those with low blood sugar and ADD.

In this lecture we will be introducing you to the hero’s journey through the media of film. These tales have come down from our ancient ancestors and their dreams that have led in time to oral traditions around campfires, to traveling minstrels, the written form, and finally to film. These stories have adapted and changed to fit the audience of the modern listener, but the core components have never. They are just dressed up, but the many layers of these teaching stories still guide our youth through the wasteland of adolescence to adulthood where they will meet their true self. For some what should of started at the onset of puberty has not finished or even started yet. Great importance was given to the coming of age of men into society. High elaborate ceremonies were enacted upon to create a psychological break from childhood and the world of the protective mother. From one matrix to another, a child is suppose to be raised to be prepared for this moment. If not the youth must be re-taught each matrix until he is ready for the hero’s journey. The matrixes of today and the coming of age rituals are broken today, this lecture is a return to the days of old. Movies teach more than style, the way to hold your Glock, and humorous lines to be told back to one and another. They still teach, but we have lost the way to interpret them. But in our movies we will discuss the hero’s journey and the way we can learn from them..
Now what is the hero’s Journey steps. We have the call, denial of the call, initiation, the threshold, the wasteland journey, facing the evil within, choice between temptress or loving mate, confronting the father, letting go, achieving the goal climax, and the return. How does this relate to our youths. Youths get a call to be responsible and get a job, they deny this and screw around, they finally get their first job, they date some nightmare women and hopefully find someone lovable, they leave home and confront their parents with his own wishes for his life and up keep, he gets married and lands well paying job he enjoys and is good at, and he in time provides for his parents in his old age. This is one person's journey, simplified.
In using the Star Wars movies I have chosen scenes that illustrates these steps. Luke scans the horizon on Tattoonie and sees escape probe landing illustrates the call. The youth Skywalker faces Darth Vader in a cave to lop his head off to find his own evil side behind the mask. Luke finds out that his arch villain is his controlling Father. Then he gives up all to a higher power and uses the force to destroy the Death Star, his goal. Finally to return to share the triumph with his friends.
In this lecture youths will learn to interpret movies and literature to guide their lives, find where they might have to analyze their own lives, find positive role models, find a calling, accept their faults without shame or guilt, justify their own decisions, face their father and society, letting go to a higher power. So in time they will be able to bring their own justice, redemption, forgiveness, and change outside the system as adults yearning and achieving their true self as adults.

Excalibur: Day Two
Duration: Two and Half hours
Preparation: T.V., VCR/DVD, Seating, and cheap sources of sugar to stimulate those with low blood sugar and ADD.

Themes taught in the first lecture will be reintroduced and hammered home in this Arthurian Story that Star Wars was a modern day rendition of through the example of Joseph Campbell, noted comparative mythologist who taught at Sarah Lawrence College. Similarities will be pointed out between Star War scenes and Excalibur’s like Luke’s confrontation with his dark side in the cave (the subconscious battle with your shadow and guilt) with the battle of Lancelot with himself over his lust. Plus, Arthur battling with his son Mordred and the battle between Luke and his father Darth Vader. Afterwards the students will be ask to write an essay on themes of the hero’s journey they have seen in both movies and how it applies to some part of their life they want to change.

Circle of Iron: Day Three
Duration: Two and Half Hours
Preparation: T.V., VCR/DVD, Seating, and cheap sources of sugar to stimulate those with low blood sugar and ADD.

In this lecture we will watch a movie written by Bruce Lee inspired by material he gained during his tenure at UCLA for his Ph.D. in Philosophy. This time we will begin to understand Jungian archetypes of our subconscious mind and how they arise in another tale of a youth entering the wasteland to find himself. In the tradition of the Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; we will learn the mysterious fourth part. The one God; all for one, one for all. As health means whole in Latin, we will learn to see the pieces before we try to put the puzzle of our minds back together, whole. Students will be asked to write an essay about how they have seen different characters as part of themselves and the issues they face. How will they start to bring themselves back together. Students will have to be prepared to speak about their essays in the next lecture.

The Cell: Day Four
Duration: One and Half Hours to Two Hours
Preparation: T.V., VCR/DVD, Seating, and cheap sources of sugar to stimulate those with low blood sugar and ADD.

Scenes from this movie will be used to describe the Jungian archetypes of the inner child, the shadow, anima, spirit and the bipolar aggressive/passive ego. Fairy tales will be addressed to analyze which matrix is needed in childhood development to move the students to their preparations for their Journeys. When one has cancer, the individual cells must be analyzed to bring health to them before the whole is cured. But by treating the disease and not the symptoms through drugs, work, sex, or alcohol addictions. A suggestion of other movies, audios, and books will be mentioned.

Day Five: The Return
Duration: Two Hours
Preparation: Request sheets filled and fulfilled, Plates and utensils, Extra Garbage cans, seating with round 36” tables, and T.V.,VCR/DVD.

Four months later I will return to see how the students are doing on their journey. We will recap on the previous lectures. Tell each other our lives stories since the last time we met. Find our growth and blockades. We will watch the movie Steppenwolf and further discuss Jungian archetypes.
Some sort of reward will be requested for this day for the students like Pizza. Or each student before returning to this last lecture will fill out a last request sheet. A last favorite meal to honor their old life and commemorate their new one upon their journey to their self.

 

* After the fifth lecture in any of these series, the students are welcome to personal counseling if they so desire. To promote and create friendships from advisor to peers. Hopefully one day, to teachers.