Prime Examples of Hobbs Miracle Story Structure - Essay Example

The main difference between Hobbs’ miracle story structure and the Nike advert is that usually, a miracle is the realization of the divine; as opposed to the self-fulfillment of the individual. Yet, as Hobbs indicates a miracle changes with society and culture; therefore in modern culture, a lot of what was thought miraculous and the act of the divine can be explained through scientific fact. Therefore the miraculous is more to do with faith, whether it is in the divine, nature, or one’s self. Hence, the angle of the miraculous as self-realization, as life-changing or wonderful than in the modern era where a considerable amount of people have turned away from the external belief of the divine to self-fulfillment. In many ways, the Nike advert is like the miracle story presented by Hobbs because it is indicating that there are wonderful, life-changing events as long as one has faith in themselves or the divine. The main difference is that the divine is no longer necessary.
2) Read Staley and Walsh, “Hayes” and Note at least three significant differences between the three versions of the story (think in terms of plot, setting, dialogue, and characters). How would most scholars account for the similarities? What might account for the differences?

Hayes’ family movie of Jesus is quite an interesting take because it picks parts from the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John and creates another version of the miracles of Jesus. The first interesting point is that Hayes uses Luke’s version of Mary Magdalene whereby she is not a prostitute; rather she is demon infected. This version is the most gender-friendly because over the years Christianity has been condemned for being sexist. Therefore Hayes using this version is a lot better for promoting equality between the sexes within Christianity. Also, the meaning of prostitute may be different than the modern version because Mary was a married woman who forsakes her family because she was crazed and demon infected. Therefore it may be that the other two versions of the story of Jesus are related to the fact that she was loose with the traditional morals of mother and wife. However, the primary reason behind Hayes focusing on Luke’s version is primarily to do with the changing roles of women, and to call a woman a prostitute for forsaking her duties as a mother and wife would not correlate with modern thinking. The character of Tamar is also a point of difference between the gospels, because she is in Mark and Luke but not John. Also, Hayes portrays her as younger and not betrothed. The primary reason for Hayes’ difference is that betrothing her at 12 years old is not acceptable in the modern era. In Mark and Luke, she is an important figure of youth, innocence, and faith hence Hayes making her younger, whilst John’s version is a lot darker and volatile therefore a different approach to the crucifixion story. It does not mean that the character does not exist; rather she is important to different versions of the story. Hayes’ portrayal of her youth is important to the family audience and to bring the story of Christ to the younger audiences that a puppet show would befit. Finally, the role of Judas is much more prominent in John’s Gospel and as he is the darker version would explain the stronger focus on this character. Hayes’ use of John’s Gospel is important to get a full picture of the betrayal and crucifixion of Christ; as well as presenting the importance of morality and trust over selfishness and betrayal. Therefore as Hayes uses all three Gospel stories to portray the life of Christ because of modern thinking and the audience he is relating to, so do the Gospel writers themselves. Each story has a different emphasis and view because each audience is different and certain characters and events are more important to their particular audience. Read More