Classifying and Defining Archetype Characters

Classification, as we started discussing last week, is a type of organizational pattern. In the simplest way of using the pattern, each body paragraph may define and/or analyze a particular thing from a larger category.  

• Roane State CC has a great writing page for simplifying the rhetoric. Let's look at their discussion of the classification pattern.

• There is also this one, which shows a simple essay on categorizing computer types.

Definition, is another type of pattern. Let's look again at Roane State's discussion of definition essays. 

• Within a definition, you may define a term (a word or phrase) based on the following types of way of defining listed on this St. Cloud State University page.

Preparing for your In-class Final Exam on Wednesday, April 27th:

• Now, your Final Essay will be for you to write a classification essay in which you will have to classify and define two to three types of people. 

• To get started, lets look below at "archetypes" for some preparation.

"In literature, an archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature.

An archetype, also known as universal symbol, may be a character, a theme, a symbol or even a setting. Many literary critics are of the opinion that archetypes, which have a common and recurring representation in a particular human culture or entire human race, shape the structure and function of a literary work.

Carl Jung, Swiss psychologist, argued that the root of an archetype is in the “collective unconscious” of mankind. The phrase “collective unconscious” refers to experiences shared by a race or culture. This includes love, religion, death, birth, life, struggle, survival etc. These experiences exist in the subconscious of every individual and are recreated in literary works or in other forms of art" (Literary Devices).

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In psychology, these same types of ideas exist, as shown in "The Twelve Archetypes" (Jonas). 

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Here is a great breakdown of archetypes and ways of looking for them through various literary elements, brought to us from a professor at Hillsborough Community College.

This link should make a writer think about how he or she can most effectively contextualize his or her characterizations as more universal ideas. Are their similarities, for instance, in Bockarie's journey and those of the "hero's journey"? If not, do not despair. Instead, use your knowledge gained from this reading to understand how to look at Bockarie's journey as something else familiar, archetypal.