On p.

48, Campbell says, a dream is a personal experience of that deep, dark ground that
is the support of our conscious lives, and a myth is the societys dream. The myth is the public
dream and the dream is the private myth. If your private myth, your dream, happens to coincide
with that of the society, you are in good accord with your group. If it isnt, youve got an
adventure in the dark forest ahead of you. Using at least one substantive example from the
text in your first post, explain how the dichotomy Campbell sets up in this quotation might be
responsible for the extreme divisions that currently exist within American society. I know this
is your first time conversing with your new classmates, and you dont want to sound foolish, but
dont worry about that. If you make an honest effort and contribute to the conversation we are
going to have a great time on this blog. Aaaaaand go!

(Respond with 1 initial post of no less than 15 sentences, and 3 follow-up posts of no less than
5 sentences each. Throwaway posts like, I agree will not be counted towards your total. All
posts for this prompt are due no later than 8 AM on Friday,

A persons private dream not corresponding to societys goals or expectations for that
individual has created divisions within American society by forcing them into groups of similarly
natured people. As they age these groups become stronger orienting their members and future
members dreams to fulfill the basic needs of that community. This condition of self sustaining
directionality creates embedded boundaries or divisions in the mentality of the groups, furthering
the rift between them.
In our lives we hear the stories of those who were able to push through the obstacles in
life and become rich or talented. These people can be interpreted as the heroes Campbell
specifies those who have the courage to face the trials and to bring a whole new body of
possibilities into the field of interpreted experience for other people to experience, (49). They
are heroes because they span the rift between the different groups, breaking away from their
communitys public dream and achieving their own private dream. This driving force can affect
someone in an opposite manner making them follow a path most would consider undesirable.
As time advances we shift into groups based on if we are the hero, the commonplace man, or
the reverse hero.
A system of classes has existed and developed throughout history. The most common
separation is that of economic prosperity. This division can be both culture and physical.
Dreams of the individuals within each class change based on the needs of the person and his
assumed ability to reach it. In Time is a movie where each person uses a currency system
based on the literal time left in their life, and it demonstrates well the difference in dreams
between the classes. In the movie you see a man who having been raised in the slums only
wishes to wake up with more time on his arm than hours in the day and a woman raised in the
wealthiest timezone whose wish is to live life in a manner to more than just avoid death. Dreams
may have corresponding themes between different societies, but they will often vary in degree
because of the differences in prior knowledge and ability to accomplish it.
Each group lacks perspective on the goals, achievements, and limitations of the
other groups. A homeless person might be awestruck at finding a hundred dollars, but offered
the same amount a billionaire might scoff at it. We fear what we dont understand and as we
separate out we lose that understanding and communication that makes us a unified group.