Consider the ideas on the structures and limitations of the human mind as theorized by Plato, Freud, and Jung. All have implications regarding how we make sense of the events in our lives and how we tell and respond to stories that help us do that.
Choose a story in the form of a film, TV series, book, fairy tale, or electronic game and analyze it from the perspective of the ideas of Plato (Socrates), Freud or Jung.
For example, you might examine a story like the worlds created in the Matrix or Truman Show movies as variations on The Allegory of the Cave.
To apply the ideas of Freud, you might examine a story like Heart of Darkness or Apocalypse Now! and read it as a journey into the mind or a psychoanalysis of the culture of empire. Black Swan and films directed by Alfred Hitchcock are also good subjects for Freudian analysis.
Jungian archetypes have been identified in stories such as Star Wars in which characters and events suggest mythical patterns, including the “hero’s journey.” Such symbols and patterns often appear in the worlds created in video games as well.
Your essay must be written in MLA format, including a Works Cited page. Besides citing Freud, Jung, or Plato, your sources must include the story you have chosen to analyze as well as one other full-length article such as an in-depth movie review or academic article that is relevant to your topic. Also, any supplementary materials such as those suggested below must be cited. The essay should be 4 to 6 pages long and it is due on April 11.
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To better understand the theories of Freud and Jung, you will need to access some supplementary materials. The following sources are suggested:
A Summary of Jung’s basic theory:
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/jung.html
A book on the hero’s journey in stories:
The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler
A list of Jungian archetypes for students:
http://www.woodsidehs.org/uploadedFiles/file_1937.pdf
An article on Freud with info on Jung and others:
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/psychoanalysis.html
Links to a variety of info on Freud:
http://www.victorianweb.org/science/freud/index.html
