A researcher in qualitative research istasked with the role of attempting to access the thoughts and feelings of study participants. This is not an easy task, as it involves asking people to talk about things that may be very personal to them. Sometimes the experiences being explored are fresh in the participant’s mind, whereas on other occasions reliving past experiences may be difficult. However the data are being collected, a primary responsibility of the researcher is to safeguard participants and their data. Mechanisms for such safeguarding must be clearly articulated to participants and must be approved by a relevant research ethics review board before the research begins.
Screenwriters have a romantic and dependent engagement with the “hero”; it is a challenge to find a film that does not employ a “Hero” element. Films transcend entertainment and enter cinematic artistry when the writer takes the generic “hero’s journey” and deconstructs or manipulates it. The monomyth-as termed by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces-serves as a paradigm for the development of protagonists in most all films, from suave secret agent James Bond to an anthropomorphic panda who is surprisingly adept at Kung Fu. Kung Fu Panda, an animated action-comedy wuxia film, follows Po, a large, clumsy, noodle-making giant panda who is “accidently” named the fated master Dragon Warrior, much to everyone’s discontent. What ensues is Po’s “Hero journey” to prove himself. The film Kung Fu Panda, directed by Stevenson and Osborne, is an underrated cinematic piece due to its manipulation of Campbell’s monomyth: it plays with a generational connection to the mentor motif, a literal and figurative take on the “Master of Two Worlds” stage, and an elusive “ultimate boon”.
FIRST BODY:
In the monomyth structure, it is assumed that the “hero” will have one mentor to guide them on their journey. However, Kung Fu Panda goes one step further and includes a generational connection to the mentor motif. Not only does Po evolve throughout the film with the help of Master Shifu, but also Master Shifu has to learn from the Grandmaster, Master Oogway, how to take on this unexpected amateur in order to fulfill the Dragon Warrior prophecy. At first, Master Shifu has his reservations about training Po in becoming the Dragon Warrior because he believed that his master, Master Oogway, had made a mistake in naming the Warrior. In crafting an analogy of nurturing a peach tree, Oogway imparts Shifu with the lesson: “…you [must] let go the illusion of control… no matter what you do, that seed will grow to be a peach tree. You may wish for an apple…but you will get a peach…if you are willing to guide it, nurture it. To believe in it” (Stevenson, Osborne : ). At this moment, Oogway passes on. This is not only a “death of the Mentor” moment for Shifu but also an apotheosis, as Shifu is thus given the wisdom that will enable him to finally mentor Po. Shifu realizes that, with Oogway gone, he must train Po by himself and therefore he must fill in the “mentor” role. This is a reconfiguration of Campbell’s monomyth structure. Stevenson and Osborne include a second mentor narrative structure by using Shifu’s doubts as a mentor as part of his heroic development, casting him as a master who must become the student. Shifu achiev
