Archetypes

            What is an archetype and where did it derive from. An archetype would be experiencing the unconscious side of our unique personalities. This can be different for every person on a day-to-day basis. It comes from within and what each person as an individual has been taught as good and evil. Dreams and myths are groups of archetypal images. There are very few basic archetypes, which exist on an unconscious level, but there are many images that relate back to these few archetypes. .
             Like I said there are only a few archetypes, the first one called "The Shadow". This being the most basic archetype is experiencing the unconscious side of our individual personalities. This is the easiest archetype for humans to actually experience due to the fact that we most likely see it in other people. For instance, in the narrative "Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, she sees her slave master as evil; her slave master views slaves as animals. These are two very obvious examples of the shadow archetype. When we think of Batman or Superman are first thought would be hero, when we think of tropical islands we relate this to paradise. Each of these represents a symbol to us as an individual or as a whole of what we see or perceive in our unconscious state of mind. .
             The next archetype is called anima for males and animus for females. Anima is considered or is another name for the male soul and animus is another name for the female soul. This is where males and females meet their inner opposite, which can appear as an exotic image that usually reflects the condition or the need of their inner soul. In the movies and in fact real life there is something about the bad boy image that draws the attention of a pretty lady, the choice of choosing something that is good for you or doing something you know isn't because it's more exciting. This also relates back to the nice guy always finishes last syndrome.