Symbolism of Star Wars

Symbolism of Star Wars Introduction: AGD: “10 words…” Relevancy: Car Commercial/Mailbox CI: How can a movie made 34 years ago affect us so deeply today? Preview of Main Points: It is because of the mythological, historical, and religious symbolism. I. Mythical - Lucas describes as a “barrel of mythological motif” (Ep 4 commentary) a. Hero’s Journey (Joseph Campbell author of Hero’s Journey) i. Hercules, King Arthur ii. Luke Skywalker b. Mentor is a common mythological archetype i. Those of Hercules, King Arthur ii. Obi Wan c. Oracle – supermystical being i. Oracle of Delphi; Lady of the Lake ii. Yoda d. Shapeshifter i. Examples ii. Han Solo Transition: so these are examples of mythical symbolism, let’s look at the historical symbolism. II. Historical a. WWII Imagery (Historical Channel documentary Starwars Revealed) i. Flag ii. Uniforms 1. Stormtroopers 2. Imperial ofÏcers 3. Darth Vadar/German gas mask iii. Millennium Falcon vs. B18 Bomber b. Roman Imagery i. Pod Race or Chariot Race? ii. Roman Coliseum or Jabba’s arena? Transition: let’s move to the Religious symbolism. III. Religious a. Jesus vs. Anakin b. Comparison to the cycle of fall/redemption/ascension (Henderson’s Starwars Myth and Magic) Conclusion Review of Main Points Final Statement Critique: 1. Was the central idea clear and adequately stated? 2. Could you identify the main points (without looking at the outline?) What types of transitional devices or signposts did he use? 3. Did the main points break down the central idea? 4. What did you think of the visuals? 5. How would you assess the quality of the sources used for this speech? (Could you identify them without looking at the outline?) 6. What types of supporting material did he use? What other types of supporting material might have been helpful here?