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Archetype & Identity
A Personal Statement Writing Workshop "Put your Story on Summer Simmer" The Consensus on Personal Statements: Convey the Heart and Soul of You!
Archetype
A Symbol Universally Recognized by All
Jung
Carl Jung (1875-1961) is a Swiss psychiatrist who explored the human psyche in depth through dreams, art, and mythology. He contributed the concept of Psychological Archetypes.
Archetypes
Archetypes can be recognized in image and emotion. They re-appear across time and continents. Archetypes are universal forms that channel experiences and emotions, resulting in recognizable and typical patterns of behavior with certain probable outcomes. ( A Critical Dictionary of Jungian Analysis , Samuels, Shorter and Plaut.) In fictional narratives, it is assumed characters with strong archetypal features will automatically and unconsciously resonate with a large audience. In writing about yourself, if you connect to an archetype, you will connect with your reader.
Identity
Erik Erikson (1902-1994) is a Danish-German-American development psychologist concerned with the development of Identity. While adolescence is a stage at which we are neither a child nor an adult, life is definitely getting more complex as we attempt to find our own identity, struggle with social interactions, and grapple with moral issues. Our task is to discover who we are as individuals separate from our family of origin and as members of a wider society.
Matching Game
Many literary characters, and authors, are widely known in speech
He is a Scrooge Impulsive, a dreamer
She is quixotic Rags to riches, happy ending
He's a Robin Hood Frustrating, illogical
It is a Cinderella story Stingy, mean
A Kafkaesque experience He is a romantic
He is a Romeo Champion for the poor
Activity:
Look at images of a variety of archetypes.
Which statements are true when you look at the image?
One or more of these statements is true: I feel drawn to this archetype This archetype is beautiful or interesting I feel a connection to this archetype This archetype resonates with me I relate to this archetype I want to know more about this archetype I feel inspired by this archetype One or more of these statements is true: I am afraid of this archetype This archetype freaks me out I don't relate to this archetype This archetype is ugly or repulsive This reminds me of someone I don't like It made me think of something disturbing I feel scared when I look at this one
Connecting to Archetypes (Worksheet)
Which archetype(s) did you feel a positive connection to? Which archetype(s) did you feel a negative reaction to? Which archetype(s) do you want to read about or learn more about? Share.
Do you or anyone you know fit these descriptions?
Archetypal Literary Characters
Pollyanna (title character) Optimist; looks at the bright side Frodo (Lord of the Rings) Curious; undertaking a quest Juliet (Romeo and Juliet) Idealist; bucking tradition Iago (Othello) Villain; deceptive Tom Sawyer (title character) Carefree; adventurous Holden Caulfield (Catcher in the Rye) Disillusioned; cynical Jo Marsh (Little Women) Tomboy; non-traditional The Queen (Snow White) Jealous; tricky Share.
You as the Protagonist
You are the main character of your life story! Traits that describe you: A character you relate to: An archetype that fits you:
Story Worksheet
Setting: How would you describe your world? (location, politics, economy, environment, family, time in history, ancestral background, influence of friends, etc.) Genre: If the story of your life were shelved in a bookstore, what section would it be in? (mystery, comedy, tragedy, adventure, sci-fi, romance, superhero comics) Title: What title would you give your life? Journey: What kind of journey have you had? Where are you on your path to discovery? Events: What are some memorable or life-changing things that have happened to you? Conflict/Task: What are some goals or desires you have? What has blocked you? How have you overcome adversities? Interests: What has continued to hold your interest over the years? Ending: What would be a good ending to your story?
Connecting to a Parallel Story
Why use this technique?
- Add another layer of meaning to deepen understanding
- Shortcut -- don't have to do as much explaining
- Sound literary Sample Comparisons:
When my father was transferred across the country and we moved suddenly in the summer of my sophomore year, I felt like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. What is implied? What do we know about what she was experiencing?
I was the first kid in my middle school to have a growth spurt. I shot up six inches in seventh grade and kept on going. Did I ever feel like the Ugly Duckling! I tripped on the stairs and bumped into poles. Fortunately, knowing the ending of that tale gave me the confidence to ignore jeers and become the disciplined basketball player that I am today. What do we know about the story of the Ugly Duckling?
When I was a little girl I rejected dolls, but I loved to collect fossils. The dead bugs in my room drove my neatnik mother crazy! Why couldn't I be a normal princess? In my freshman year I heard about Marie Curie and I announced to my family my dream of becoming a scientist. But they laughed at me. We didn't know any "lady scientists." I felt like Beneatha in Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun. What was it like for Beneatha?
Summer Reading List
Stories of Greek and Roman mythology Grimm's Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales Novels with Young People as Protagonists Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens Shakespeare Plays Romeo and Juliet ... Othello ... Hamlet Novels Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoyevsky The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Siddhartha by Herman Hesse Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Animal Farm by George Orwell The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells Autobiographies The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank Black Boy by Richard Wright The Story of My Life by Helen Keller The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley This is just a "starter" list. See ecBerkeley.org for an expanding reading list.
