Stories impact our lives in many ways. They are important to us as a species. Whether it be as a lesson or as a form of entertainment, they have maintained their significance to human society for as long as it has existed. Junior Elizabeth McKnight talked about her favorite story in great detail and with great enthusiasm.
McKnight’s favorite story is told both in film and on paper; in fact, it is a series with several volumes. It is the series known as “Percy Jackson and The Olympians” by Rick Riordan. The series follows a young man named Percy who discovers that he is the son of a Greek god and that he must use the power of his lineage to overcome many trials. Though she first learned of the series through watching the first movie, she has since read all of the novels more than once.
“I now have a shrine, lacking candles,” McKnight said “I have a two-foot high stack of all the Percy Jackson books on my desk [in my room]… I have read the first book 12 times and the second and third ones 15 times…”
The story of Percy Jackson appealed to McKnight because of her interest in Greek mythology from when she was a kid. She also is very fond of the characters that Riordan has placed in the story.
“Everyone just goes on adventures,” McKnight said. “It takes one of my favorite things from when I was little and sort of puts it in my own timeline and makes it cool… [My favorite character] shares my birthday. Her name is Annabeth Chase, and she is the female protagonist of the series. She just kicks butt at anything she does. She’s the smartest person in the series, [and] she fights monsters.”
Senior Ian Glynn expressed many similar sentiments about his favorite story, which also takes the form of saga. He talked about Star Wars, a science fiction film franchise that is sure to be familiar to many. The story centers around a young farmer named Luke Skywalker who must leave the place he calls home to adventure among the stars in the pursuit of justice and his destiny.
“It’s a very interesting story; it’s fun to listen to,” Glynn said. “It’s very well laid out, even though it’s not really that original. Despite being a good story, A New Hope (the franchise’s first movie), is basically just a collage of every single other [form of entertainment]. Japanese Samurai movies, Westerns… and even the basic plot of ‘The Hero’s Journey.’”
Glynn is referring to the classic idea of “The Hero’s Journey” as illustrated by Joseph Campbell in his book about the subject, which details the common archetypes that heroes in legends tend to follow. Star Wars is no exception. The series’ main protagonist, Skywalker, seems quite plain and uninteresting at first glance, but, according to Glynn, this is what makes him so special.
“Luke starts off as a young, little, scrappy kid,” Glynn said. “He’s kind of the underdog; no one really expects him to do anything, and then he rises through the ranks, he meets the crazy old hermit… it’s the standard plot of ‘The Hero’s Journey.’ That isn’t bad; that makes it all the more compelling. Luke is special because he’s generic. He’s kind of that average Joe, that wimpy little kid that wants to go to the Tosche Station to buy power converters… Luke’s average, but he’s loveable.”
Stories have shaped who we are as a culture and as a species, bringing significance to the insignificant and meaning to the meaningless. From word of mouth to feature films, stories have provided entertainment in a variety of forms throughout the ages.
– By Cameron Underwood