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Caves in Stories and Literature*

Updated: Sep 27, 2023

tl;dr: Caves, or "cave moments", seem to be nearly omnipresent in our collective story-telling; Luke Skywalker's cave moment can be used to teach about this pattern and open up discussion about the "cave moments" in the literature and characters you are currently exploring as a class.



Possible Classroom Discussion Outline:


Write on board: "The Cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek." (Joseph Campbell) -

Explain that Campbell has studied story-telling throughout history and across different groups and culture and on reviewing all these stories has observed this idea.


Ask - What do you think Campbell may be getting at?


Explain - Joseph Campbell's model of The Hero's Journey and how this idea spans across a lot of stories and literature.


Illustrate - Show the Luke Skywalker video provided to show how the cave is a symbol found even in famous movies and with iconic characters.


Ask - Can you think of any other "cave moments" in movies, television, books you have read or seen? (These can be literal or symbolic; Have them share examples with the class.)


Invite - As we explore literature together look for "cave moments" in the stories we read and learn about as a class. Ask - What "cave moments" might our currently-studied heroes be experiencing?


Thought/Writing assignment: If you had an experience in a magical cave like Luke Skywalker, what do you think you would find in the cave?


 

Additional Resources:


Here are two other videos in the Play Therapy series that involve caves:





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