Understanding Archetypes and Stereotypes
LESSON ONE
Understanding Archetypes and Stereotypes
LESSON ONE
Black film’s unheralded arrival in the United States had originally emerged during the silent-film era, and it persisted despite its struggles for survival with the expensive coming of sound technologies, emergent film studio industries, and unionized film workers’ racist Jim Crow (racial separation) practices, and subsequently, postwar racial politics in the United States and abroad. Black film production, exhibition, distribution, aesthetics, politics, audiences, and economics over time were difficult either to deny or to fully co-opt or assimilate.”
LESSON ONE
Key theme
- Representation in Storytelling and Media
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, participants will be able to:
- Identify various archetypes and stereotypes in media
- Practice eradicating stereotypes
IMAGE: “Her [Dorthy Dandridge’s] role as the lead character in Carmen Jones (Preminger, 1954) helped make her a star. She was the first black featured on the cover of Life magazine. In Island in the Sun (Zanuck & Rossen, 1957) she was the first black woman to be held — lovingly — in the arms of a white man in an American movie. She was a beautiful and talented actress, but Hollywood was not ready for a Black leading lady; the only roles offered to her were variants of the tragic mulatto theme.” –Source: Ferris State University, Jim Crow Museum
LESSON ONE
Key theme
- Representation in Storytelling and Media
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, participants will be able to:
- Identify various archetypes and stereotypes in media
- Practice eradicating stereotypes
[Photo by Archive Photo / Getty Images]
IMAGE: “Her [Dorthy Dandridge’s] role as the lead character in Carmen Jones (Preminger, 1954) helped make her a star. She was the first black featured on the cover of Life magazine. In Island in the Sun (Zanuck & Rossen, 1957) she was the first black woman to be held — lovingly — in the arms of a white man in an American movie. She was a beautiful and talented actress, but Hollywood was not ready for a Black leading lady; the only roles offered to her were variants of the tragic mulatto theme.” –Source: Ferris State University, Jim Crow Museum
TED Talk: Archetypes and Mythology: Why They Matter Even More So Today
Kristina Dryza (Run time: 19:00)
The Dangers of Stereotypes
from Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt (Run time: 3:53)
TED Talk: Breaking Down Stereotypes Using Art and Media
Bayete Ross Smith (Run time: 12:38)
LESSON ONE
Introduction
The Power of Representation
In 1990, Rudine Sims Bishop commented on the power of representation in texts in her foundational article, “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors,” explaining that “Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection, we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience.”
Known to many as the Mother of Multicultural Literature, Bishop illuminated the importance of the contents of children’s literature on children’s attitudes toward themselves and others — “When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part,” Bishop wrote. Conversely, “Children from dominant social groups have always found their mirrors in books, but they, too, have suffered from the lack of availability of books about others. They need books that will help them understand the multicultural nature of the world they live in, and their place as a member of just one group, as well as their connections to all other humans.”
Bishop’s findings can and should be applied to TV and film; the ways we see ourselves and others depicted onscreen have profound effects on our cognitive development. By learning as much as we can about archetypes and stereotypes, we can consciously create stories and characters that uplift and portray more realistic, rather than stereotypical, portraits of people.
They’ve Gotta Have Us (TGHU) chronicles the journey of Black creatives, visionaries, producers, directors and filmmakers who use intentional imagery to tell stories.
LESSON ONE
Activity I. Break the Code
Procedures
Begin by watching a scene from Episode One of They’ve Gotta Have Us. In this clip, legendary artist and activist Harry Belafonte describes his experiences with stereotypes in the media.
Examine the history of The Hays Code, also known as the Motion Picture Production Code by reading this article and this article. Hollywood’s censorship affected everyone from Harry Belafonte to the cartoon character Betty Boop.
Answer the reflection questions in the next section.
LESSON ONE
Activity I. Reflection Questions
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1Did the rules in the Hays Code (1930s – 60s) reflect the injustices African Americans were experiencing in society during that time? Use this civil rights timeline for guidance.
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2What groups of people were marginalized by the Hays Code?
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3In what ways did the Hays Code contribute to racial, ethnic and gender-based stereotypes?
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1Did the rules in the Hays Code (1930s – 60s) reflect the injustices African Americans were experiencing in society during that time? Use this civil rights timeline for guidance.
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2What groups of people were marginalized by the Hays Code?
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3In what ways did the Hays Code contribute to racial, ethnic and gender-based stereotypes?
Want to learn more?
Check out this lesson plan from lgbtqhistory.org that explores the Hays Code as it relates to Queer film representation.
Watch this short video to learn more about film star Anna May Wong. Like Mr. Belafonte, even at the height of her career, Ms. Wong was prevented from performing an interracial kiss on screen, due to the Hays Code.
As Pulitzer Prize finalist and cultural critic Soraya Nadia McDonald said in an insightful and educational 2021 Twitter thread, “The Hays Code/Industry Policy thinking is still deeply ingrained within Hollywood. “Basically, for like 3 decades studios were like, ‘You can’t identify whiteness or racism as the villain of your Negro motion picture’ and they’re still doing it.”
In this next activity, we will study stereotypes in the media. How can you recognize stereotypes? How can you dispel stereotypes? What role have we all played in perpetuating these decades-old tropes, and whose responsibility is it to disrupt and insist on new depictions for people of all kinds?
The Archetypes
In order to explore stereotypes, we must first understand archetypes. What is an archetype? To answer that question, we have to briefly learn more about Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. He suggests that the characters we see in images, plays, literature and films all fit within twelve archetypes. An archetype is like an original character trait or a prototype. All other characters come from these original characters. Here are the 12 Jungian archetypes: The Sage, The Innocent, The Explorer, The Ruler, The Creator, The Caregiver, The Magician, The Hero, The Outlaw, The Lover, The Jester and The Regular Person. Archetypes are recognizable, no matter your sex, race or culture and Jung believed that you could find these archetypes in stories around the world.
Let’s pause for a moment to acknowledge that even though Jung has been celebrated for his work in psychology, he has also been called out for his racist beliefs. In 1988 Dr. Farhad Dalal published a paper in the British Journal of Psychotherapy entitled ‘Jung: A racist.’ It would be thirty years before the Jung Institute acknowledged the harm done through some of Jung’s research. “We cannot allow institutional racism to survive unnoticed in our midst as we read and teach Jung,” stated the apology. “Failure to acknowledge and apologize for these offensive attitudes, and their potential harm and confusion, is also not in keeping with the spirit and ethos of people who, like us, currently participate in Jungian and post-Jungian communities that support and value diversity, gender equality, social justice, political activism, and respect for differences in populations, cultures, religions, and sexual orientations.”
Now, let’s explore examples of archetypes.
Click the cards to see the definition and examples of archetypes.
Tap the cards to see the definition and examples of archetypes.
The Sage
A character who is didactically wise; often depicted as a neurotic man who’s too old to perform the skills he teaches.
Examples:
• Yoda in Return of the Jedi
• Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid
• Morpheus in The Matrix
The Innocent
A character who rejects “sin;” and refuses to perform evil deeds.
Examples:
• Prince Akeem in Coming to America
• Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz
• Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump
The Explorer
A character who ventures to uncharted lands, both literally and metaphorically.
Examples:
• Indiana Jones in the Indiana Jones movies
• Captain Kirk in the Star Trek movies
• Erin Brokovich in Erin Brokovich
The Ruler
A character whose word is widely accepted as sovereign.
Examples:
• Mufasa in The Lion King
• President Beck in Deep Impact
• Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia
The Creator
A character who brings immaterial ideas to the material world.
Examples:
• Miles Dyson in Terminator 2: Judgement Day
• Dr. Brown in Back to the Future
• Dr. Frankenstein in Frankenstein
The Caregiver
A character who provides care; often depicted as an older woman.
Examples:
• The Nurse in Romeo & Juliet
• Lena Younger (Mama) in A Raisin in the Sun
• Alfred Pennyworth in the Batman movies
The Magician
A character who bridges the gap between ancient and modern knowledge; often boasts a supernatural ability.
Examples:
• Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings
• Mordo in Dr. Strange
• The Goblin King in Labyrinth
The Hero
A character who displays an utmost commitment to their morals, no matter the circumstance; commonly promotes courage and resolve.
Examples:
• Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings
• T’Challa in Black Panther
• Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird
The Outlaw
A character who operates outside of the law, either explicitly or implicitly.
Examples:
• Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies
• Catwoman in Catwoman
• Robin Hood in Robin Hood
The Lover
A character who’s predominantly defined by their love for others.
Examples:
• Coretta Scott King in Selma
• Fredo Corleone in The Godfather movies
• Claudia in L’avventura
The Jester
A character who laughs in the face of social conventions.
Examples:
• Randle McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
• Rod Williams in Get Out
• Arthur Fleck in Joker
The Regular Person
A character who conforms to social conventions; background and supplemental to the other archetypes.
LESSON ONE
Activity II. Stereotypes in Media
Now that you’ve learned about archetypes, let’s diagnose ethnic stereotypes in media.
In contrast to archetypes, stereotypes are typically defined as caricatures: the dumb jock, the super-intelligent Asian, the dangerous Black man and the funny fat girl are a few examples. These stereotypes have historically been used to make audiences laugh, but oftentimes the real-life consequence is that audiences leave the theater and hang on to those fictional depictions. “Radio, television, film, and other products of media culture provide materials out of which we forge our very identities; our sense of selfhood; our notion of what it means to be male or female; our sense of class, of ethnicity and race, of nationality, of sexuality; and of ‘us’ and ‘them’,” writes Dr. Douglas Kellner, education professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Media images help shape our view of the world and our deepest values: what we consider good or bad, positive or negative, moral or evil.”
Racist stereotypes in the early days of media helped shape the way the world saw minorities. For some audience members in the early twentieth century, a minority on screen might have been their only interaction with a person of another race.
In this next activity, we will study stereotypes in the media. How can you recognize stereotypes? How can you dispel stereotypes? What role have we all played in perpetuating these decades-old tropes and whose responsibility is it to disrupt and insist on new depictions for people of all kinds?
Procedures
- Watch this video on archetypes and stereotypes in the media.
- Download this PDF.
- Analyze the movie clips that follow.
- Identify the stereotypes and archetypes that might be associated with the characters presented.
- Take action and break the stereotype.
Expand the sections below to see examples of stereotypes in film and how to change them.
In this section we will analyze African-American stereotypes in film.
Watch the following clip from Robert Townsend’s Hollywood Shuffle:
Questions to consider
Why is the grandmother (Helen Martin) upset? Why does Bobby (Robert Townsend) want to assimilate into a system that reduces him to a stereotype? Do you know where the stereotype originated?
Questions to consider
Why is the grandmother (Helen Martin) upset? Why does Bobby (Robert Townsend) want to assimilate into a system that reduces him to a stereotype? Where did the stereotype originate?
In this section we will analyze Asian stereotypes in film.
Watch he following clip from John Hughes’ Sixteen Candles:
Questions to consider
What role is Long Duk Dong supposed to play—do Asian characters usually play comedic roles? What are the character’s defining aspects? Why is he dating a woman that’s much taller than he is?
Questions to consider
What role is Long Duk Dong supposed to play—do Asian characters usually play comedic roles? What are the character’s defining aspects? Why is he dating a woman that’s much taller than he is?
In this section we will analyze the Irish stereotype.
Watch the following clip from Saturday Night Live:
Questions to consider
Is this scene inflammatory to Irish people? Why or why not? What role does comedy have in perpetuating stereotypes?
Questions to consider
Is this scene inflammatory to Irish people? Why or why not? What role does comedy have in perpetuating stereotypes?
In this section we will analyze the Jewish stereotype.
Watch the following clip from Sopranos:
Questions to consider
Is it wrong for a character to be openly racist? What responsibility do writers have when creating racist characters? For those familiar with The Sopranos, how does Junior’s (Dominic Chianese) anti-semitism relate to the ethnic conflict in the show?
Questions to consider
Is it wrong for a character to be openly racist? What responsibility do writers have when creating racist characters? For those familiar with The Sopranos, how does Junior’s (Dominic Chianese) anti-semitism relate to the ethnic conflict in the show?
In this section we will analyze the Latina stereotype.
Watch the following clip from Modern Family:
Questions to consider
Why are women of Latin heritage often depicted as loud, domineering forces? Should writers avoid this stereotype so as not to perpetuate it?
Questions to consider
Why are women of Latin heritage often depicted as loud, domineering forces? Should writers avoid this stereotype so as not to perpetuate it?
Answer
This scene commentates on the Black hustler stereotype that was popularized during the blaxploitation era of Hollywood films (1960s/70s). Although he never intended for it to happen, Rudy Ray Moore’s “Dolemite” character is considered a forefather of the stereotype. Bobby ponders the effect of his acting career on his younger sibling.
The Black Hustler
The Black hustler is a stereotypical character that’s defined by womanizing and illicit dealings. The hustler has played a recurring role in films for more than 50 years – and is implicitly connected with the gangster stereotype.
Why it’s harmful – Why it’s harmful – The Black hustler stereotype is harmful because it correlates a Black man’s character with negative traits like philandering and drug dealing.
Understand the stereotype – Read this article from Yvonne Simms, Assistant Professor, South Carolina State University. Author of Women of Blaxploitation: How the Black Action Film Heroine Changed American Popular Culture.
Break the stereotype – How can writers characterize characters so that their identities aren’t as explicitly linked with their race? The goal of this stereotype when it was first introduced to film audiences was to poke fun at qualities that distinguish them from white people and to distill these qualities, from a diverse group of countries, into a single image. Quite simply, do the opposite; integrate others while respecting their unique heritage.
Answer
This scene demonstrates the caricatured Asian stereotype that has pervaded Western art for millennia. Asian actors often play comedic roles that place them in weakened positions — exaggerated accents and purposefully comical names (and sometimes exaggerated prosthetic physical features such as big, crooked teeth and slanted eyes) are common, and men are often placed in classically emasculating positions, like Long Duk Dong’s relationship with a woman who towers over him. In the past, most Asian roles—and always leading Asian roles—were played by white actors. As with all stereotypes, we learn little about Long Duk Dong beyond what might serve to make us laugh.
The Caricatured Asian
The caricatured Asian is a stereotypical character that’s defined by exaggerated physical features, brash mannerisms, and loud, broken language. The caricatured Asian is seen throughout Western art. White actors were often cast to play Asian roles.
Why it’s harmful – The caricatured Asian reduces a variety of cultures to a monoculture, with a negative, homogeneous identity. Because the caricature is generally East Asian, this depiction has also caused South Asians not to be seen as Asian by Westerners, since they don’t fit the caricature.
Understand the stereotype – Watch In the Mood for Love, Sixteen Candles, and Chinatown.
Break the stereotype – The caricatured Asian is an easy stereotype to break. Why? The goal of the stereotype was to poke fun at qualities that distinguish them from white people and to distill these qualities, from a diverse group of countries, into a single image. Quite simply, do the opposite; integrate others while respecting their unique heritage.
Answer
This scene celebrates the drunk Irish stereotype. Although SNL treated the stereotype cavalierly (it is a comedy show after all), the drunk Irish stereotype has actually played an incendiary role in ethnic relations for thousands of years by depicting Irish people as a whole as drunk, and therefore unreliable and quick to brawl. Comedy allows people the space to interrogate known stereotypes, but funny scenes or jokes also have the effect of making stereotypes more popular or widespread.
The Drunk Irish
The drunk Irish is a stereotypical character that’s defined by a sloven, drunken appearance. The drunk Irish stereotype is rooted in an ancient era; Plato suggested Celts were “drunken and combative.”
Why it’s harmful – The drunk Irish is often depicted as a celebratory figure for Irish culture, especially with the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, but the stereotype has contributed to discrimination.
Understand the stereotype – Watch The Irish Pub, Brooklyn, and Hunger.
Break the stereotype – The drunk Irish stereotype has been used for thousands of years to “other” the historically poor Irish community. Perhaps the best way to break this stereotype is to study its past and avoid perpetuating it
Answer
This scene raises the “cheap Jew” stereotype and the easy discrimination that comes with it. The cheap Jew stereotype suggests that Jewish people are greedier than their gentile counterparts. When Hesh haggles for a cheaper rate, Junior retorts, “Hold on to your cock when you negotiate with these desert people.” Thousands upon thousands of Jewish characters have been characterized by this simple stereotype.
The Cheap Jew
The cheap Jew is a stereotypical character that’s defined by self-interest and greed. The cheap Jew stereotype is explicitly used in religious dogma.
Why it’s harmful – Anti-semitic groups have used this stereotype to discriminate against Jewish people for milennia. Some even associate the cheap Jew with demonism, carnality and the Zionist agenda.
Understand the stereotype – Watch Schindler’s List, A Serious Man, and Shiva Baby.
Break the stereotype – Consider the complex portrayal of Jewish characters in film. Diagnose where the stereotype derives from and question whether or not it has to do with an ethnic history of subjugation.
Answer
Gloria in the hit network television series Modern Family is emblematic of the fiery Latina stereotype. The fiery Latina stereotype is omnipresent in media, from literature to television to film. Over the years, it’s contributed to a perception that Latin women are loud and brash.
The Fiery Latina
The fiery Latina is a stereotypical character that’s defined by hot-headedness. The fiery Latina is often hyper-sexualized through a heterosexual male lens. Some scholars suggest that the stereotype is rooted in an American desire to characterize women of Latin America as wild and unrestrained.
Why it’s harmful – The fiery nature of these stereotypical characters suggest that Latin women are carnal and socially domineering.
Understand the stereotype – Watch The Fast and the Furious, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Spanglish.
LESSON ONE
Activity II. Reflection Questions
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1What is the point of stereotypes?
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2Should stereotypes be used? How can they be avoided?
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3Are ethnic stereotypes “worse” than roled stereotypes such as “the dumb jock?”
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4Are stereotypes ingrained in the collective unconscious?
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1What is the point of stereotypes?
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2Should stereotypes be used? How can they be avoided?
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3Are ethnic stereotypes “worse” than roled stereotypes such as “the dumb jock?”
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4Are stereotypes ingrained in the collective unconscious?
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