Regis Cebu Leadership
Leadership in movies vs J. Campbell's Monomyth
Revision 1
Brief Synopsis
The story dates back in the 18th century when America was still under the colony of Great Britain. Due to the grave abuses of the British forces, American colonies started waging a war to drive off their colonizers.
Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) is a war veteran of the French and Indian war is a widower with seven children (five sons and two daughters) and lives in South Carolina. He manages his land with free servants and enjoys his time in carpentry. The French and Indian war has thought Benjamin the harsh reality of war that he is avoiding himself being dragged to vote that his hometown will join other colonies to fight against the British. He was eventually forced the rebellion when his second son was shot dead by the British forces when they accused him of harboring rebels.
The journey of Benjamin Martin continues from organizing and training militias to planning and engaging with the British. The British were finally beaten at the Seige of Yorktown in 1781 when they were finally driven out by the American regular and militia forces with the help of French Navy.
1. THE HERO IS INTRODUCED IN HIS ORDINARY WORLD.
As a war veteran of the French and Indian war, Benjamin Martin tried to live a normal life. The war has taught him so much that he focus his attention into carpentry just to forget the harsh reality brought by the war. Although his passion for carpentry doesn't really speak of his ability, he as little success with it. He is a widower with seven children (five sons and two daughters) and raised them in his farm in South Carolina were he employs free servants.
2. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE.
Great Britain, the super power nation at that time was the colonizer of America. The abuses they made against the American people prompted the colonies to raised arms against their colonizer. As one of the council members in their hometown, Benjamin was called upon a council meeting to vote whether South Carolina will joined other colonies in fighting against the British.
3. THE HERO IS RELUCTANT AT FIRST.
Because of his experience with the French and Indian war, Benjamin never voted for South Carolina to join the war. Benjamin no longer has the enthusiasm in wars as he has first hand experience on the harsh reality of it. His reluctant to vote in favor of South Carolina to join the war resulted in dismay by his eldest son Gabriel (Heath Ledger) who is keenly interested in fighting off the British. Although Benjamin explained to Gabriel the reasons why he chose not to vote in favor of South Carolina joining the war, Gabriel pursue his enlistment to the Continental Army without Benjamin's approval.
4. THE HERO IS ENCOURAGED BY THE WISE OLD MAN OR WOMAN.
Col. Harry Burwell (Chris Cooper) is a long time friend of Benjamin as they both served in the French and Indian war. Col. Burwell respects Benjamin so much that he defended him when he voted against the inclusion of South Carolina to fight the British during the Continental Congress.
With South Carolinas' joining the war against the British, Benjamin was left with no choice but return to his farm where he continued his normal life with his children except for Gabriel who already joined the army.
After the loss of one of his son Thomas (Gregory Smith) who was killed by the notorious British Dragon commander Col. William Tavington (Jason Isaacs), Benjamin joined Gabriel to the Continental Army where he was happily welcome by his long time friend Col. Harry Burwell. Knowing Benjamin's experience and capability, Col. Burwell immediately asked him to organized a militia to keep the British Gen. Charles Cornwallis (Tom Wilkinson) at bay in the south while waiting reinforcement from there French ally. Col. Burwell was able to persuade Benjamin that with his involvement, the fight for freedom is within reach.
5. THE HERO PASSES THE FIRST THRESHOLD.
With the tasked given to Benjamin from Col. Burwell to form a militia, Benjamin knew that he has to leave his children somewhere safe and free from violence. Benjamin decided to entrust his children to Charlotte Shelton (Joely Richardson) sister of Benjamin's late wife. Charlotte owns a plantation with free servants and she openly welcomes Benjamin and his children. Benjamin together with Gabriel rode off to continue their quest for freedom.
6. THE HERO ENCOUNTERS TEST AND HELPERS.
As Benjamin and his son Gabriel continue their journey, there struggle continues with limited resources and manpower. Benjamin with the help of his son Gabriel organized and recruited members to form a militia. In doing so, Benjamin enlisted many local who includes Dan Scott (Donal Logue) and Reverend Oliver (Rene Auberjonois). Also joining Benjamin is his old friend John Billings (Leon Rippy) who together with his son share the same contempt for the British.
As Benjamin continues to recruit he was assisted by a French officer Jean Villeneuve (Tcheky Karyo) who was in charge of training the new militia for battle ready. The people mention are Benjamin's close associate to whom he entrust his life.
7. THE HERO REACHES THE INNER MOST CAVE.
Due to the successive victories made by the militia headed by Benjamin, British Gen. Cornwallis consider their defeats a mockery to him and to the Queen of England. He authorizes Col. Tavington to issue harsher methods of intimidation to the rebels. Col. Tavington is known in the ranks that he has uncommon methods in pursuing person/s that are against Great Britain.
With the blessing from British Gen. Cornwallis, Col. Tavington tracks down the families of the militia especially that of Benjamin. The method use by Col. Tavington was so cruel that it almost breaks don't the morals of the militia. Fortunately Charlotte and Benjamin's children were able to escape and find refuge at a beach colony inhabited by former slaves.
8. THE HERO ENDURES THE SUPREME ORDEAL.
Because of the blessing by British Gen. Cornwallis to Col. Tavington to use extra ordinary methods to track down the militia, Gabriel's girlfriend Anne Howard (Lisa Brenner) and her family together with other families of the militia were arrested by Col. Tavington and his company. They were placed in a chapel and were burned alive.
As the Benjamin and his son Gabriel together with other militia paid a visit to their town, they discovered that the people and families of the militia including Gabriel's girlfriend Anne were brutally murdered. Gabriel together with some militia rides off and tries to catch Col. Tavington and his men. Gabriel almost got Col. Tavington but unfortunately Col. Tavington got to him first and killed him. Benjamin mourns the death of Gabriel and advises his militia to go back to their families.
9. THE HERO SIEZES THE SWORD.
As a result of Gabriel's death, Benjamin's spirit is broken and fears that his past sin has finally caught up him. Continental Army Col. Burwell tried to console him and encourage him to keep fighting but it was left on the deaf ears of Benjamin.
French officer Villeneuve berates Benjamin and tells him how he watched his wife and two daughters were strung up on a ship overrun by British soldiers and burned alive. As Continental armies continue their journey and left Benjamin, they spotted him riding forward to meet them carrying an American flag and promised himself to stay the course as Gabriel told him.
10. THE ROAD BACK.
As Benjamin was able to get back to his foot after a devastating death of his son Gabriel, he together with the Continental army and militia fight against the British at Cowpen. As British Col. Tavington watches from a far, he becomes impatient with the situation he decided to go against the command of British Gen. Cornwallis and charge forth with his British Dragons.
Benjamin on the other hand rallies the militias to push forward and faces off with British Col. Tavington in a fierce duel.
11. THE RESURRECTION.
As both Benjamin and British Col. Tavington started to face off, British Col. Tavington was able to inflect a wound to Benjamin forcing him to the ground. As Benjamin is already in the brink of death because of British Col. Tavington's attempt to behead him, he berates Benjamin for wanting to kill him before the war's end. Fortunately Benjamin was able to grab and hold a bayonet-fitted musket and stabs British Col. Tavington.
The defeat of the British forces in Cowpen forced British Gen. Cornwallis to retreat. It was in Yorktown that British Gen. Cornwallis finally surrendered as he was already blocked out by the Continental army and the French Navy. As quoted British Gen. Cornwallis said "Everything will changed..everything has changed".
12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR.
With the defeat of the British at the Siege of Yorktown and the surrender of British Gen. Cornwallis, Benjamin returns to his family. They return to their hometown and rebuild their houses and lives.
Benjamin who has seen two different wars has been a leader all through his life. Although the circumstances has brought him to where he never wanted but this character as leader was able to withstand the challenges he faces.
My Life Story
What is the new learning?
There are things in life that no matter how much we want to avoid it, it just simply presents itself like a dust in the wind. As my senses came into this world, one thing that I really feared about is being financially incapable.
My journey in life was a bit rough since childhood. We experienced financial losses every now and then to the point it somehow affected my psychological perception that money is life. Both my parents were struggling financially in coping with the expenses needed to raised me and my two (2) other siblings. As they tried hard in meeting both ends, there were really times that they fail fulfilling their obligations to us. These reoccurrence of financial struggle from childhood to teenage life provides me an understanding that life indeed is full of surprises. It was only when I became professional I learned that those struggles mold me to a person strong enough to face any financial difficulties.
What is the relation to what I already know?
Just like in the story of the movie The Patriot, Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) already knew that war will not bring any good to the American people but if it's the only way to regain their freedom from the British then he has no choice but to lead by example as a veteran of the previous wars.
The character portrayed by Benjamin Martin is the same as to the situation with my family's financial struggles. I know how difficult it is when I experienced it first hand to live a life struggling each day. When I became a professional, the experienced with struggling financially taught me to plan my finances thoroughly. It widens my perspective that I should have other financial resources and will not depend on what I just earned with my job. With this in mind, I started investing in financial institutions and businesses to compliment my earnings and be debt free.
When I started my own family, the financial struggle experienced in my younger days made me pounder if my family will experience the same situation. The apprehension still lingers in my head as I don't hold what the future brings. All I know is those things that my parents were not able to do before that result in our financial struggle has been highly noted and hoping I will be ready enough to face the same problem.
Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" associated the stages in his book to the journey of one person transformation from ordinary to extraordinary. This journey can be regardless of a struggles, failures or achievements. What is being emphasized is that for each stage that the person undergoes is a self discovery of his true potential until he is able to fulfill what is required of him.
As journey into my life, there were a lot of stages mostly struggles that I passed through. The struggles that I experienced at certain point taught me great values on how to face the problem. The problem solving skills has molded my character to become strong, independent and achiever.
Today as I reflect my pass experienced, the book somehow creates a mirror of my journey and the things that I did to cope up with the struggle. Although it is still my apprehension that clouds my mind about the uncertainties, what made me confident is that my experience in the pass will help me surpassing my struggles.
<walang author, walang life story?>
<walang author, walang life story?>
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