swiftsnowmane: (Default)
 
 



~




“The hero…for a moment rises to a glimpse of the source. He beholds the face of the father, understandsand the two are atoned…. For the son who has grown really to know the father, the agonies of the ordeal are readily borne; the world is no longer a vale of tears but a bliss-yielding, perpetual manifestation of the Presence.” 
 
—Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces




swiftsnowmane: (Default)






Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; and where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.
 
— Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces
swiftsnowmane: (Vaderkin - Twilight of the Apprentice)
In the Star Wars universe, it is stated that slavery is a primary tool of the Sith—for controlling one another, and also for the subjugation of the entire galaxy. And thus it stands to reason that if Anakin is truly the Chosen One (and this is confirmed by Lucas’ canon), then he is also the one who is destined to destroy the Sith, and by doing so, it is implied, break this seemingly-perpetual cycle of slavery (and mental/ideological enslavement)." 


— 

The Chosen One, the Hero’s Journey, and breaking the cycle of enslavement in Star Wars: or, why TFA makes no sense in the context of the Prequels and the Original Trilogy’ 

(via the-far-bright-center)

This is why the climactic and emotionally cathartic ending of Return of the Jedi must herald an end to this cycle. What does destroying the Sith mean, if not that? Without this, there is little point to Anakin’s otherwise wholly tragic story. Without this, I would argue, there is little point to Luke’s story, either.” 

swiftsnowmane: (Vaderkin - Twilight of the Apprentice)
Father,
 
I may be falling
through clouded skies,
broken
and bloodied,
weighted
with the horror
of unholy revelation,
but it is you
who fell long ago
from far greater heights.
 
Father, 
 
you may be standing
against the faded stars,
shackled
and suffering,
bowed
beneath the burden
of long-held darkness,
but it is I
who blaze
with undimmed light.
 
Let go
of your hate,
Let go
of your fear,
Let go
of your shrouded lies,
and I promise –
 
I will be there
I will catch you
 
and together
we will find 
our own piece of sky.
 
 
 
t.f.b.c.
swiftsnowmane: (Vaderkin - Twilight of the Apprentice)


"

Anakin…exists relative to the state of the galaxy. He is not Luke, he is not the youth of western literature on a journey; that is Luke’s role. Anakin’s role is that of the demi-god of Greek and Roman origin. When Anakin rises, the galaxy rises with him, when Anakin is in turmoil, the galaxy is in turmoil, when Anakin falls, so falls the galaxy. Anakin is intrinsic to the galaxy because Anakin, like so many other mythological demi-gods, is an avatar for the gods or, in the case of Star Wars, the Force. Regardless of any one person’s views on the Force (which are extremely disparate and widely varied, so we won’t broach that subject here), this fact is indisputable. Anakin, as the Chosen One who will “bring balance to the Force”, is its avatar. When Anakin is claimed by the Dark, the Jedi Order’s zenith is reached, the Balance is tipped, and the Order descends into darkness with Anakin, just as his return also signals theirs.


The title ‘Return of the Jedi’ doesn’t just reference Luke becoming a Jedi, but Anakin’s return to the Light, and with it, the ability for the Jedi Order to once more flourish. In this he is much like Beowulf, when the Geatish hero sacrifices himself to defeat the dragon at the end of the epic poem. Failure would spell ultimate destruction for Beowulf’s people and country, just as, had Anakin failed to destroy the Emperor, the Jedi and the galaxy would truly have been wiped out. Anakin himself has to die, however, because he is what tips the scales. Once he dies and becomes one with the Force, only then is balance restored."


 

-- ‘STAR WARS: The Creation of a Modern Myth: Cultural Influence, Fan Response and the Impact of Literary Archetypes on Saga Perception’

(via muldertorture)


This right here is absolutely fundamental to understanding the entire purpose of the Skywalker saga, as Lucas so painstakingly told it. The destruction of the old Jedi Order that had ‘lost its way’ and forgotten its true role in the galaxy, and the founding of the New, heralded by Anakin’s return to the Light, and Luke’s essential role in reminding him—and us all—of what it means to be a True Jedi.



Read more... )

 

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