Enduring Presence:
The archetypal character, the 'Friendly Beast', is an archetype we see quite often in many literary works including novels and films. Whether we realize it or not, they are definitely one of the most predominant character archetypes.
Examples: Cinderella (the mice), Star Wars (Chewbacca), Harry Potter (Dobby)
So, why is this archetypal character constantly re-occurring from old to modern day visuals and texts?
Well, the answer to this question is quite simple.
The meaning and message behind this character holds great potential. Ultimately, this character demonstrates two main messages:
In one perspective, it allows people to understand that it is not right to judge a person by their appearances or from rumors that have been spread/heard. You must learn to interact and speak with those individuals (to get to know them) before you can make any sort of judgement.
(e.g., The Beauty and the Beast - the beast was neglected for his appearance, but turned out to be a not only loving, but handsome prince).
In another perspective, this character demonstrates that it is okay to receive help. People are always trying to convince themselves that they are able to handle and control everything around them, even when their world is crumbling down - the 'Friendly Beast' archetype shows that the people around you are always available to support you.
(e.g., Finding Nemo - Marlin rejects Dory countless times, but in the end, she provided comfort and helped Marlin with his journey to find his son).
These are fantastic morals to live by, for all people.
Impact:
The 'Friendly Beast' archetype teaches a great lesson to people of all ages.
It impacts us in such a way that we can gain knowledge and apply it to our everyday lives.
So, how does this impact the audience/readers who come along this archetypal character?
As mentioned before, people become acknowledged by things they read, hear, and see - each of which can be exposed through literary works.
The ability to retrieve and understand the moral meaning(s) behind novels and films is very significant. We, as people, learn so much from old folktale, to modern day literature. Learning from these works, impacts our mentality (the way we think) - we gain insight and new perspectives of the things that surround us everyday.
From this specific archetype, we can learn:
1. Do not be consumed by appearances.
2. You are not alone.
3. Stop putting on a mask, people will love you for who you truly are.
The 'Friendly Beast' archetype allows us to recognize the traits in both ourselves and others, the ones we never knew we had.
Relevance:
Okay, so now that we have went over why the frequency of this character is so high and what kind of impact it makes on us... we need to answer how we can apply this in today's society!
As you can all see, these three elements (presence, impact, and relevance) tend to have many similarities. There is some repetition, but bear with me!
In the enduring presence component, we are notified of the morals presented and their explanation(s).
In the impact component, we learn to acknowledge these morals and make sense of them.
Therefore, in this relevance component, we apply what we have learned into our daily lives!
So, what makes this archetypal character relevant in today's society?
In today's society, actions such as bullying have been rising - to pre-judge and reject others without knowing who they really are or what they have to offer! We take these people for granted when really, they could provide us with great influence.
Now, if we connect the content we learn from this blog with what we already know (in today's society), we can self-reflect.
Think about all the times you may have taken advantage of a friend or even a stranger, and consider why you did it and how you can change or configure your actions so that it doesn't happen again in the future.
This will help us all develop as mature and loving people.
- I apologize for so much repetitiveness! The three components of this text are just very well linked together. I hope this gave you all some insight!!
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