Supernatural Aid (at the Threshold)
“God Help the Outcasts”
performed by Heidi Mollenhauer
from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
soundtrack
Esmeralda:
I don’t know if You can hear me,
Or if You’re even there.
I don’t know if You would listen
to a gypsy’s prayer.
Yes, I know I’m just an outcast.
I shouldn’t speak to you.
Still I see Your face and wonder…
were You once an outcast too?God help the outcasts:
hungry from birth.
Show them the mercy
they don’t find on earth.
God help my people.
We look to You still.
God help the outcasts
or nobody will.Parishioners:
I ask for wealth.
I ask for fame.
I ask for glory
to shine on my name.
I ask for love I can possess.
I ask for God and
His angels to bless me.Esmeralda:
I ask for nothing.
I can get by,
but I know so many
less lucky than I.
Please help my people:
the poor and downtrodden.
I thought we all were
the children of God.
God help the outcasts,
children of God.
This isn’t one of my favorite movies, but I still like this song. It kind of reminds me of Kairos…I shouldn’t really explain why I suppose.
I don’t know if You can hear me,
Or if You’re even there.
I don’t know if You would listen
to a gypsy’s prayer.
Yes, I know I’m just an outcast
I shouldn’t speak to you.
Still I see Your face and wonder…
were You once an outcast too?
So many people doubt themselves and doubt that God would listen to what they have to say. In this song, the people have not given up hope. Even when their attitude is “Why would anyone listen?”, they still pray to God. They might be doubting, but that has not stopped them from speaking to God.
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This seems a very appropriate song for the supernatural aide for the Hero Journey. For one thing, it seems almost inevitable that our hero shall be an outcast by virtue of his need to change the world. Therefore, it is fitting that G-d should help the outcasts. It also seems ironic that Esmarelda makes the comment that she doesn’t know if G-d is even there. It wouldn’t matter to her, though, because her secondary source of supernatural aide is Djali, the goat. Yeah, I read the book, deal with it. Anyway, where was I? Oh, right the SA. Anyway, it is possible that a hero will never recognize their SA, or even be aware of its existence, but it is important to remember, as the song points out, taht there is a higher power watching out for the outcasts. Which is sweet, cuz we need it. Anyway,I’ve rambled long enough. Gonzo Out.
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This is a cool song. It is not my favorite one that we have done for this class, but I like the change of pace this one has from most disney songs that involve alot of jumping around or up beat tones. I think that this is a good song for the supernatural aid, both becuase many people can look to God for their aid, but also the person in the song is hoping for aid and calling out for it. I think that we all need aid and help to find our way or path in tough times, and that there is a great sense of humility in putting it all on the line asking for help from some sort of higher power.
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I really like this song and think it relates really well with the supernatural aid. The supernatural aid is a protective figure who helps the hero by representing the power within the person and personifies their destiny. The main refrain and the title of this song is “God help the outcasts.” I think “outcasts” is a symbol for heros who may be lost or struggling to accept/find their destiny. In the song, God is the supernatural aid who helps the heroes, or the outcasts, find their way. Sometimes, as the song describes, heroes are unaware that their supernatural aids are there and in fact helping them, because supernatural aids often take different shape and form for different people. All in all, I think this song represents the Supernatural Aid very well.
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Esmeralda, the gypsy, personifies the Supernatural Aid by asking God to help all others. In the rare chance (in her opinion) that she can be heard, she decides to not use her chance to help herself. She wants to help the entire World, allowing all of those in it to continue their hero journey. This prevents the citizens of the world from losing their Golden Seed(s).
Not only does she directly ask God for help, she asks for even just the bare minimum to push the poor along, even asking to help those who are worse of than her. She is doing this all by herself. She is trying to help more than the parishioners are trying to.
The parishioners are Anti-Supernatural Aids, trying to only have God help them and only them. Instead of asking to help all of the community, they focus on themselves, going against the hero journey’s main focus: to change the world in a positive way. Esmeralda asks for the positive change in the world, which ultimately shows that she is the Supernatural Aid.
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Esmeralda is concerned about others and realizes that she has a good life. I really like the stanza where she says:
“I ask for nothing.
I can get by,
but I know so many
less lucky than I.
Please help my people:
the poor and downtrodden.
I thought we all were
the children of God.
God help the outcasts,
children of God.”
Esmeralda shows empathy towards the less fortunate. She recognizes that she is very fortunate and wants to reach out to those in need. She prays for them and sees all as children of God. She sees the children of God as equals and believes that everyone should be treated with kindness, dignity, and respect. She is very selfless in her prayers to God.
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I absolutely love this song. When I listen to the lyrics and compare it to the section of the hero journey it’s been paired with, I can see why this song was chosen. Sometimes the little things we attempt to do in life aren’t enough to say, make a large difference. (Because everything we do has to make at least SOME difference, especially if it’s with good intentions or for the better.) That is why we normally look for supernatural aid. In this part of the movie, Esmeralda is asking God to look after those pushed to the side, the “outcasts.” She would give up anything if they would just be treated equally, but she needs that supernatural aid to help her.
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This song is probably my least favorite of all the songs we have reflected on in the hero journey. I don’t know, just don’t like it…as a song. But I do think that it supplies a good message that coincides with the supernatural aid section of the hero journey. I think that in this stage of the hero journey, we have come to the realization that we can not do it all alone. We need some help from someone with more power than us, just someone to help us through. It really doesn’t even have to be the most magnificent, powerful creature in the universe (like the geanie in Alladin). It just has to be someone or something that helps give us the power to help us through the hero journey, so that we are not alone. In this song, Esmerelda has really been called out of her world when she mets the hunchback of Notre Dame and she realizes that she is too subordinate to carry out the journey alone. That is why she asks God, as her supernatural aid, to help her and all the people of her kind to embark on this journey. I also like the fact that she is not only asking for help for herself but for all the others that need help as well. She is asking for help for mer own hero journey while still helping to change the world, which is the mere purpose of her journey.
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Alrighty, well in the movie Esmerelda is Quasimodo’s supernatural aid. She personifies what is right and just. She is independent and free which personifies how Quasimodo will eventually become free from his master and the judgment of others. Esmerelda is a pretty rockin’ disney character. She asks God for help, not for herself but for her people and for the less fortunate, while the parishoners ask for fame and wealth. Everyone is equal in Esmerelda’s eyes. Frollo, on the other hand, judges others by appearances and social standings and holds himself to seperate standings. After watching a little bit of the movie, Esmerelda give’s Quasimodoa woven band neclace, a amulet, which is a map of the city that leads to the Court of Miracles, where Quasimodo can succeed in his hero journey.
This is one of my and my brother, August’s favorite Disney movie’s because of all the hidden innuendos. Super movie. Gotta love it.
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I think, as Christians, we tend to feel overly self-righteous and we tend to judge. This is evident by the way of which Esmeralda speaks of her status as a gypsy. She feels like an outcast, part of the invisible, low class. What I found ironic was that Esmeralda’s prayer was more Christian-like than the parishioners, the so-called “devout Christians”. Whilst they asked for materialistic objects (they even wanted tangible love) during prayer, Esmeralda asked merely for opportunities for her peoples. Like the church folk I think we all tend to forget how fortunate we are and become quite arrogant.
Also, I found the title ironic because the Jews, the Outcasts of Egypt, are God’s chosen peoples. Whilst I do not believe that they are the ONLY chosen people, I believe the bible picked them to exemplify that fact that no matter where you stand on the social ladder, you are still valuable in God’s eyes.
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I have loved this song for as long as I can remember. It is truly phenomenally written and performed. This piece really demonstrates that God is who is for everyone, and not just for an individual group.
I hate to say this, as I know many people are sick of hearing the words “KAIROS” kicked around in junior student vernacular, but I must say that my interpretation of this song would have been different (and so much more cynical) before my kairos journey. There is something to be said for this piece because I think it demonstrates that “coming back to God” period, where it is awkward, helpless, and simply desperate. Having recently gone through such a period, I can say that I relate to someone whos perspective on life has become so skewed that they don’t believe God will help them, or hasn’t helped. I think the rest of the movie Hunchback of Notre Dame, shows that this gypsy girl finds God in all sorts of unlikely places, a lesson I learned too in the past few weeks. I must admit that even before I had gone away from God, I used to be one of the Paritioners. I asked for all sorts of abstract things, to add and top on to my life, but I learned how to ask for the right things in the last weeks. I think Esmerela has it right, she just wants someone to be there for her when there is an absence of that.
I believe it to be true. God does help the outcasts. He is a supernatural aid in my world. More often than not. More often that I think.
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i’m not going to lie…the hunchback of notre dame was always my LEAST favorite disney movie. it was scary, and wierd, and i didn’t get it. i liked the gargoyles though. then i decided to watch it last year, i forget why. and i got it all. and still didn’t like it. this was always one of my favorite songs in the movie though. i understand how easily it is to despair, and how hard life can get sometimes, but some people have it soo much worse than any of us. one of the parts of the song that especially depicts this feeling of having so much more than some people is at the end, when she is walking into the light reflected by the stained glass window. she is in this place of grace, and wanting only for God, or her SA to help others who are in a worse position.
sometimes i think that MY life is getting overwhelming, and i’m having to deal with things that i really don’t want to have to deal with. until i remember how horrible some people have it. i was delt a good hand. i hope that my SA can grant me the strength to battle through my own shortsightedness and see my potential for helping others who don’t have the blessings that i’ve received.
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Unlike half of those who have already commented, I’ve always loved the Hunchback from Notre Dame. There were two disney princesses, or in this case just female characters, that I always dressed up as: Pocahontas and Esmerelda. Ha, I wanted to be these two women so badly when I was little. They were the best in my young eyes. And as a child this song was always the more boring song to watch. But! It’s nice and easy-on-the-ears now.
This song does seem appropriate for the Supernatural Aid representation. Aid may come in any which shape or form. Perhaps it comes to you in a time of need or perhaps when you least expect it. Nonetheless, your supernatural aid guides you to fulfill something greater, aka your destiny.
Since Quasi is the main character, Esmerelda somewhat plays a part as his supernatural aid. While she acts as Quasi’s aid, she’s fulfilling her own destiny. All in all, achieving the greater good. Justice…of course!
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I miss this movie. I remember being esmarelda for Halloween one year, sorry I’m going off topic. I think this is such a great song because I think that everyone in one point of their lives thinks they are some what of an outcast or uncool of forgotton about. everyone needs someone or needs that supernatural aid to boost up their confidence and make them feel like they are someone and I think that the supernatural aid does that. The supernatural aid is that person who brings meaning into your life and offers guidence and puts you on the right path to fulfill your heroic journey. In this song Esmerelda is asking for help from God but I think that anyone can help put a person on their heroic path like a parent, a friend or even someone you just meet. Anyone could surprise you and inspire you!
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The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of my most favorite Disney movies because it is sooo different from the others that Disney has produced. That being said, this song is one of my absolute favorites, too and have used it as a reflection in religion class. I think it’s Esmerelda’s humility that really appeals to my heart. You have all these people around her asking for things that are so secondary to her. All she is asking for is to help the others that she knows. She doesn’t even ask for anything for herself saying that she can “get by” when the real reason she’s there is because she’s trapped in the church.
Also, I think it’s really interesting that she asks (I guess Jesus?) if He was an outcast or not. I don’t really think of Jesus as being an outcast, simply because he had disciples who followed him, and people loved him for however long a time. But, obviously, towards the end of His life he really was like Esmerelda, being “cornered” by the church. It really says something, too, about the church and how the people of the church are supposed to treat others.
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I feel like I should say something about how this represents supernatural aid. I think this song really suggests that Esmerelda is lacking it when she asks. She is crying out to God to help her. Her prayers are answered in the form of Quaismodo which I think is another form of supernatural aid. He gets her out of the church and away from harm. I feel that as he was a form of this aid, he was also on the hero journey himself. Very interesting.
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Whenever I hear this song, I think of Kathryn Ferrell singing it at the “Committed to Justice” choir concert last year, and it’s pretty much impossible for me to think anything bad about choir, so I love this song
. Anyway, I certainly see how it fits the “Supernatural Aid” segment of the hero journey. Esmeralda is asking God for supernatural aid for the “outcasts,” and in doing so she becomes a sort of supernatural aid.
Personally, I feel like a mix between the Parishioners and Esmeralda. There are certainly times when my requests are very similar to the Parishioners’, but there are other times when I realize that so many people are worse off than I am, and I should be more grateful.
My favorite verse is this:
“God help the outcasts:
hungry from birth.
Show them the mercy
they don’t find on earth.
God help my people.
We look to You still.
God help the outcasts
or nobody will.”
It doesn’t necessarily ring true anymore, but this is the kind of situation my “ancestor Jews” most likely found themselves in. At the time of “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” anti-Semitism was running rampant (it was about the time of the Spanish Inquisition, etc.) So, I guess in a way I can sort of vicariously identify with this song, if that makes any sense…
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In this song, I think Esmerelda’s supernatural aid is G-d. She is an outcast and desperately needs someone or something to help guide her, so she knows she is taking the right path. The supernatural aid is supposed to come in a hero’s time of need. There comes a point in every hero’s journey that they need guidance because they aren’t sure if this is the right thing. This is the point in which they are shown by their supernatural that what they are doing is the right path. In this song, Esmerelda is calling out because she needs her supernatural aid to help the people around her that cannot get by without some help.
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I love this song so much! It’s so pretty! And Esmerelda is one of my favorite Disney female characters. She’s so strong all on her own, yet she isn’t afraid of asking God for help when she knows that her influence is not enough to save them. I guess the Supernatural Aid doesn’t appear to her ready to help her, rather she happens upon an effigy of Mother Mary and the idea of praying for help just occurs to her. While she isn’t given any direct guidance from this prayer, the action of asking for help is a kind of supernatural aid, because it helps Esmerelda think some things out and consider what has to be done. She is calling out to her supernatural aid in this song, and is asking for help. As we know from watching the movie, her supernatural aid definitely comes through, and she ends up with the lovely soldier while the hunchback just goes back to his bell tower.
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This song is a great representation of the supernatural aid. It is a not only a call to change but a cry out to God, the universal supernatural aid (depending on one’s beliefs). Perhaps we are all outcasts in one way or another, waiting for our supernatural aid to call us to our destiny. Even if our supernatural aid comes in the form of something or someone unexpected (such as a gypsy). In this song, Esmerelda asks God to show the outcasts the mercy they don’t see on earth, so she is asking her supernatural aid to call her and her followers to act and change their world.
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Even though this is not my favorite song out of all of our class songs, it fits the part perfectly. It is a lot different than the others because it is calm and there is no screaming or jumping. Esmeralda acts as these people’s supernatural aid here because she is asking God for him to help her people. She does not care about herself because she can get by with what she has, and she knows that there are others who can not get by though. She knows that it is time to ask for help for these people because the times have gotten so bad. This is perfect for the supernatural aid part of the hero journey.
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This is my absolute favorite song so far. In my opinion, it’s even better than “Through Heaven’s Eyes” which I loved.
The Mary figure represents a possible supernatural aid for Esmeralda and her fellow gypsies. She’s a very literal representation of the traditional “virgin” supernatural aid figure. Honestly, I relate much more to the parishoners in their prayers than to Esmaralda in hers. I ask more for things to make me happy rather than help for others. That’s not to say that I don’t care about other people. It’s just very easy to get caught up in what you don’t have when you’re unhappy.
I don’t remember this movie very well, so I don’t know if Esmeralda and her people got their supernatural aid or not. I do know that it is a necessary component of the hero journey. Maybe Quasimoto is her S.A. and she his?
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At first I wasn’t that excited by this song because I didn’t know it and it was sort of slow. But after hearing the lyrics, it kind of grew on me and now I really like it. The song shows that we should treat everyone equally, because in God’s eyes, we are really all equal. Many of the prophets, including Jesus, often spoke of improving the treatment of the poor, widowed, or orphaned. And I like the line at the beginning where Esmeralda says, “Still I see Your face and wonder…were You once an outcast too?” She says this while looking at a statue of Mary holding baby Jesus. Jesus was probably treated as an outcast a lot of the time, but even through that, he still accomplished many great things. And I think that this shows Esmeralda that even outcasts can do great things in the world.
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Well first off this is probably one of my favorite Disney movies ever. Mostly because there’s so much more to it than you know when you’re a kid. But anyhow, about the song.
I love how in this song Esmeralda says that she asks for nothing which is something I always try to think about when I remember to pray. I make it a point to pray for others rather than myself. And I think in doing so rather than the Supernatural Aid coming to Esmeralda, she becomes something of the supernatural aid for the other outcasts of society.
THe other part I really like baout this song is the part where she says “we look to you still, God help the outcasts or nobody will.” It really exemplifies in the hero journey how the supernatural aid always comes at the right time and in many forms to help the hero.
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I’ve always liked this song… My mom was a big fan of this movie and she used to play piano and make me sing this song with her over and over. Everytime I hear it I smell the vanilla candle she has sitting on her piano and remember a time when I could be happy singing this song. Now that I’m older I understand the lyrics more and I find myself thinking about the desperation behind this song. Esmeralda is telling a G-d that she doesn’t even know exists what to do… She alternately pleads and commands him. She represents everyone who sees injustice in this world and sees mass quantities of it. You can only do so much until you feel a little powerless, trapped in a chaotic world where not a lot makes sense. When I see the kids I tutor dealing with things I can only dream of, I think of this song. I like it when she says she can get by but there are so many that aren’t as lucky as her. I think of everyone at my Comm Serv and visualize the family that all of these kids have created amongst themselves. Unfortunately they can’t depend on their parents, they have not guarantee of a safe place to go home to. They remind me of the people in this movie because they are trapped within persecution and judgement because of circumstances that they cannot help. They can’t depend on anyone or anything and they live what we would call terrible lives. But they keep going and somehow they continuously find ways to smile.
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I like this song very much and I really like the movie the Hunchback of Notre Dame … it was one of my favorites as a child … but I had too many favorites I think. In this song Esmeralda is asking for help from a true supernatural being … God. She needs a savior and she thinks that God is it so she is begging and pleading with Him … asking if He is even there … if He can even hear her, etc. I think this song really fits well with this unit for that reason alone … because it is so obvious that God is the supernatural aid … yet He or rather the supernatural aid doesn’t just solve all our problems as Esmeralda seems to think … instead He or rather the supernatural aid … helps us to achieve our destinies in the oddest ways and when we desperately cry out for help … it comes but in the most disguised way … in the most ugly of society … in a hunchback … the hunchback of Notre Dame. So this song and movie is a very good choice for this unit and I really like the connection.
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I think that Esmerelda is really selfless. She is a gypsy and doesn’t have a great life, but she still realizes that there are other people who are less fortunate than her. instead of asking God to give her “stuff” she asks him to help the outcasts and the poor.
“God help the outcasts:
hungry from birth.
Show them the mercy
they don’t find on earth.
God help my people.
We look to You still.
God help the outcasts
or nobody will.”
She acknowledges that if God doesnt help the outcasts no one else will bother to care. She is looking for the supernatural aid to help her.
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I think this song is crucial for the section of Supernatural Aid. Esmerlda is singing of all the tragedies and hard times that people have to face. It is hard to deal with difficult issues alone….this is where the Supernatural Aid comes in. It is someone or something to help you through the tough, whether that be appreciating what is good in life or helping fix the problem. Sometimes people can feel so down, and a supernatural aid helps to put things into perspective, where one can realize the blessings in life. We always want bigger and better things, this song explains that wants are not necessary. This was a smart choice for Supernatural Aid for the reason that it captures a moment in the movie when an aid would be helpful.
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i’m gonna be honest… i’m not a huge fan of this song. However, I still see how it relates to the supernatural aid portion of class.
Please help my people:
the poor and downtrodden.
I thought we all were
the children of God.
God help the outcasts,
children of God.
In those lyrics, she is asking for God to help her people because no one else will. She is asking for aid from a higher being and not for herself, because she knows they all need his help. In a way, she is kind of acting as an aid to those people by seeking help for them because she still sees God in a bad situation, and they might not be able to. Therefore, she is offfering the aid that she can, by prayer, to help the unfortunate.
I like the fact that she acknowledges everyone as God’s children and all are deserving of help and nurturing. She is reaching out for a supernatural aid so that she can provide the help that they need so that they can live more comfortably. I think this song is a good representation of the supernatural aid because Esmeralda is looking for assistance to achieve a goal.
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I like this song, but I do not like this song as much as I have liked songs for the hero journey in the past. Though it does seem to fit well with the supernatural aid. This seems to be reaching to those heros who don’t fit in with everyone else. The line repeated in the song many times and also the title of the song is “God help the outcast”. I always liked Esmerelda in this movie, growing up she was one of my favorite Disney characters. Another line in the song that I like is,”Show them the mercy they don’t find on earth”. This reminds me that everyone should be treated the same no matter what our calling is. I love how she seems to be having a conversation with God throughout the song.
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I think that this song is very symbolic and can mean many things in regards to Supernatural Aid. In the song Esmerelda realizes that there are many things in life that she must go without, but is ok with that because she still realizes that there are many people who are worse off than she is. So, instead of asking God for the things that she may need she is asking him to help her people. She is hesitant at first because she doesn’t know if it is her place to ask God for anything. I feel like a lot of people in our society feel that way today because they think because of the mistakes that they have made God doesn’t care about them and that they have no right to ask him for anything.
We always need aid from those who will bring us closer to our destiny and most of the time one of those aid’s is God.
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Though the Hunchback of Notre Dame was never one of my favorite Disney movies, I think that this song is a good fit for demonstrating the Supernatural Aid aspect of the Hero Journey. A hero’s supernatural aid can take many shapes or forms and in this case that aid is God. It shows that help is not always something that you can see, but something you just have to believe in. It I think this is a good fit for the supernatural aid because Esmeralda talks about how she is not sure God is even listening to her or helping. This is important because many times the supernatural aid isn’t obvious or straight foward. A hero’s aid does not control the hero’s life, it helps to teach the hero a lesson and move foward. By having Esmeralda ask for God’s help it shows that help is everywhere when you are open to it.
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Yes, I was the little girl running around her basement playing dress up like Esmerelda! i had a little red dress with purple scarf with sequence and a picture of Esmerelda on the front! it was amazing! As a little kid I never really understood the meaning of this movie! Now, i can see how well it represents the Supernatural Aid. Esmerelda never gave up on her people, she knows that because she is a gypsy she is an outkast but that doesnt stop her from believing. She realizes that there are still people out there that are less fortunate than her and she doesnt need to pray and ask God for possessions she pays to ask God to help all the outkasts and the poor. By praying for all the outkasts and poor people Esmerelda is being the Supernatural Aid for many different people, and that is why i believe this song is so perfect for this part of the Hero Journey!
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I like this song, although it doesn’t remind me of the typical disney movie songs. It really goes well with the supernatural aid. Esmeralda is asking God for help not for herself, but for other people. I think that her call was to help other people, which she does all through the movie. She shows that she is accepting what has been her call and she is seeking God’s help. It is a pretty good song and I like that her character is a gypsy.
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I love this song. I sang it for Solo&Ensemble in 7th grade. Great song!
Anyway, I think this song is a different (in a good way) representation of the hero’s relationship with the Supernatural Aid because she is actually calling out for help rather than only receiving the help without realizing it. This is also a good representation of the supernatural aid because it can take many different forms, human and otherwise. Here, the Supernatural Aid would be the Virgin Mary where, at other points in the movie, a supernatural aid can be something such as a group of gargoyle statues. Either way, the supernatural aid is an important part of the hero journey and this song portrays one version of the supernatural aid very well.
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It’s weird; I seriously don’t remember ever watching this movie. I probably saw it once and was scared so I never watched it again. However, this is a good song and I think it represents the Supernatural Aid fairly well. From what I gathered, Esmeralda is asking God to help the outcasts (obviously). Esmeralda and the people never stop praying and asking God for help, even when nothing comes from it. Maybe we all are like the outcasts in the movie, trying to have God guide us on our individual journeys. In the song, Esmeralda says how she has enough and just asks God to help the others. This seems noble and different from the rest of the people, who are only asking God for things they need personally. While I am not familiar with this song or its context, it seems to be a good representation of the Supernatural Aid.
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Quite obviously, God is being labeled as the Supernatural Aid in this song. The thing that is confusing to me however is that I was under the assumption that the supernatural aid comes out of no where when the hero least expects it to help guide them to find the path to achieve there destiny. But in the song, Esmeralda is quite literally calling out for help, like a well orchestrated SOS signal.
I thought we all were
the children of God.
God help the outcasts,
children of God.
Here she is near begging for God to help her. Yes she has faced struggles in her life. Yes in this stage of her hero journey shes probably coming upon new struggles to deal wit. But besides the obviousness of God being a universal aid, I don’t really see how this song strongly relates to this particular stage in the herojourney. First of all, where’s the help? Where’s the amulet? Where’s the evidence that she’s God is leading her along undetectably on her journey. Maybe its in the movie, but in the song all i hear is a catchier version of a nighttime prayer.
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This really is not one of my favorite songs out of them all, but I think it makes the point really well. I especially like the part when Esmerelda is singing with all of the parishioners. She says: “I ask for wealth.I ask for fame.I ask for glory
to shine on my name.I ask for love I can possess.I ask for God andHis angels to bless me.” She acts as the parishioners’ supernatural aid by almost helping them ask God for what they need. She sort of opens the line of communication between God and the people and then seems to make it more comfortable for them to ask for what they need.
I feel like i can sort of relate to the parishioners’ position in this song. In the part where Esmeredla says: I ask for nothing. I can get by,but I know so many less lucky than I. Please help my people: the poor and downtrodden. I thought we all were the children of God. God help the outcasts, children of God.” I know that there are so many less fortunate people in the world than me and sometimes I feel a little guilty about asking God for things that I feel like I need. I think that that’s the way she feels a little bit, too. She knows her people have serious needs, and so does she, but she is more concerned about putting them forst.
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I feel that this song is significant to our learning of the hero journey on multiple levels. I guess the first one to examine is Esmeralda’s personal struggle seeing the outcasts – whom she feels a certain kinship towards – mistreated by society is very troubling for her. He looking to God in this situation is very representative of overcoming doubt in the face of suffering. There is one set of lines that strikes me perhaps more than the rest:
Yes, I know I’m just an outcast.
I shouldn’t speak to you.
Still I see Your face and wonder…
were You once an outcast too?
We learned in class that the supernatural aid was often someone who was on the outskirts of society and not really understood by many. I guess this quote examines why God functions as a supernatural aid so often, and I feel it is because he too is an outcast.
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i think that this song is a great fit for the “supernatural aid” portion of the hero journey.” this song shows what a true supernatural aid should be. a good supernatural aid should be more concerned with the well being of the person on the hero journey than him or herself. in esmerelda’s case, this is demonstrated when she prays for god to help the outcasts. she does this while acknowledging that she needs no blessings – she can take care of herself. all around, the parishioners are praying for reasons grounded in self-benefit. this selflessness shows how she does indeed make a good supernatural aid.
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i am slightly confused about who the SA is in this scenario. i think it could be esmerelda asking God to help others or it could be God Himself. I really like the part when she says
“Yes, I know I’m just an outcast.
I shouldn’t speak to you.
Still I see Your face and wonder…
were You once an outcast too?”
I think this represents God as SA and esmeralda as the hero (which i am now convinced is the situation). She wants to bring help to all of those in her world of outcast, but she feels like there are so many people who have such great need that she can’t help them all. God is the SA who she feels will help them. I like this part of the song because it alludes to the fact that once heros have completed their journey, they can be the aid and inspiration to so many new heros. Jesus had a pretty big hero journey, and i believe that by His journey He saved all of humanity, and now He is the aid so mnay others seek. He helps and continues to save people, especially outcasts, because that is His call and golden seed:to help others become heros so that they may help others as well.
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I feel like this is a very good example of supernatural aid because it shows a lot of different things about it. For one, it shows how sometimes people can be supernatural aids without even realizing it. Esmeralda is clearly the supernatural aid for many people, and is looked up to, but she doesn’t know. It shows how anyone can be a supernatural aid, they don’t necessarily have to be “supernatural.” Also, this song represents a chain in supernatural aids. It kind of lets you know that almost everyone has to have a supernatural aid. Esmeralda is being a supernatural aid to her people, but when she needs help, she goes to seek her own supernatural aid. It kind of makes me wonder, where does the chain end? You would think that G-d would be the ultimate supernatural aid, but who knows? Maybe there is something or someone that even G-d has to turn to in times of turmoil.
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This song really stands out from the various other songs on the soundtrack to me because there was a clear message of the supernatural aid, while with many of the other songs i felt as though you had to look more to find it. In this song the supernatural aid that Esmeralda is referring to is Gd. She is trying to get help in the song not for herself really but for her people. She says that she can get along fine but just wants Gd to help those who can’t. My favorite part of the song is when the parishioners are asking for fame, wealth, glory and much more and then Esmeralda asks for nothing for herself. It helps emphasize her selfishness just wanting to help others while the people that seem to have enough just want more.
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I guess for me it was kind of a struggle to connect this song with supernatural aid. I know that it’s about God who is supernatural and does give aid to some people, but Esmerelda isn’t asking for help for herself to help her transform the world, she’s kind of telling God he should do it not her. I mean, I did miss this day in class so maybe I’m confused on what supernatural aid is, but from the website I have gathered that it is the person who gives the hero an amulet to help them on their path. It shows them that they are special that destiny is behind them and supports them taking this path. I don’t see how God is this person to Esmerelda. She questions whether God is even there and he doesn’t give her amulets. So…question mark? J I would say that Esmerelda’s call is to help the world to view her people and the hunchback as people too. God can’t really help her with that by showing them mercy. Unless we are saying that Esmerelda is the hunchback’s supernatural aid…. Hum…
Another person, sorry I don’t know who it is, wrote in their post that supernatural aid is supposed to help the person realize the power within them and personify their destiny… I think Esmerelda is looking for God to solve the problem for her, not for him to help her see that she can solve it herself.
All in all, I’m rather confused on how this song represents supernatural aid at all other than that God is a supernatural being. I don’t mean to be critical of your song choice… I just want to understand!!!
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i’m still kind of fuzzy on the supernatural aid step in the hero journey, so i can’t really judge if this song is a good fit for it. However, i think that God in general would be an awesome example of a supernatural aid because God is something that people can believe in and rely on for help, hope, ambition, motivation, inspiration, etc. i feel that a supernatural aid is someone or something that helps instill the hero’s own faith in themselves, and gives them someone to rely on for a short period of time before they go off on their journey again. the aid is kind of like a rest stop, to collect and catch one’s breathe. praying/going to church to pray is definitely one of these rest stops and i think that esmerelda reaching out to God and questioning his logic/asking for answers and help is a good parallel to the hero reaching out to a supernatural aid.
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OK, well i have never seen the Hunchback of Notre Dame so i cant really join in on the Hunchback bashing/loving debateishthing but i can say that i do indeed feel as if this song has an extremely significant meaning to our lives as people at Brebeuf and the understanding of the SA. For one, if you come from Brebeuf you are automatically an outcast to the majority of people from NC and Carmel and Pike because apparently a bunch of Pansy ass Intellectuals, and second I feel as if the way Esmerelda is reaching for her Supernatural Aid is what Joseph Campell is talking about. I feel as if the need to connect to the supernatural aid and failing to do so when its needed most is in fact part of the road of trials and she is in need for some good ol’ SA lovin’. I think g-d is indeed w/ the outcasts because from generation to generation the outcast persists to be and if g-d didnt keep an eye on them i dont think that would be so.
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i feel like i should just come out and say that I never saw hunchback of notre dame and I have never heard this song before, so therefore I have no idea the background to this song. But it is obvious that Esmeralda is praying that “god help the outcasts or nobody will.” She is fearing that if God doesnt help then they are worthless and will never be helped. The song kinda seems like this is Esmeraldas last try at helping her people, she says, “i thought that we were all the children of god.” That line tells me that she has given up hope in God, her spiritual aid. As previously stated, Esmeralda acts as the spiritual aid in this song. In her prayer to God, she asks for Him to help others (the poor and downtrodden) while all the parishoners line up and ask for wealth, fame, and glory in their own name, not anybody elses.
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As a little kid watching this movie, I didn’t understand the true meaning of the song. I think at several times in our life, we look to God for help, some requests are selfish and others are selfless. At this point of the movie, Esmeralda is asking God to remember the outcasts in life. I think what is compelling about Esmeralda’s request vs. the townspeople’s is how she is simply asking for a little help, instead of the selfish requests for money, power, and fame. She realizes what is important in life. This song is a great pick to represent the supernatural aid because when it feels like nothing is going right and no one is there to help, you can always turn to a supernatural aid.
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While I’m withholding my opinion about the song itself, I would have to say it represents the supernatural aid well. Esmeralda is unsure of whether or not there even is a God that can help her. She does not ask for anything for herself, but rather for the people who she sees needing it the most. In this way, she’s almost acting as a Supernatural Aid herself for these people. She is trying to help the people by asking for aid, selflessly asking for nothing for herself.
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this movie freaked me out as a child. i wasn’t too big of a fan of people getting hanged and brutalized. anyways…
This song is a great interpretation of the Bible story where this poor probably leprous guy goes and prays and basically says “i know im not worthy enough to talk to you…but thanks for all i’ve gotten so far” and the wealthy dude next to him says “God. You’re awsome. thanks so much for making me not like this pathetic sap next to me. goodbye”
that was a great paraphrase, i know.
but it is significant because in the song as well as the passage, people who were thought of as lowly and unclean, people not really allowed to be in a church with alledgedly less sinful people, are fully allowed to have a relationship with the divine.
This song relates to the supernatural aid because it talks about everyones possibility of finding their golden seed. It is a shaky start, but eventually one recognizes that they have potential
(”I don’t know if You can hear me,
Or if You’re even there.
I don’t know if You would listen”)
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I’m a little disappointed that people continue to make comments about how this isn’t their favorite song, and this isn’t their favorite movie. It’s just that I think both the movie and the song were fantastically done–although disney did edit it from the original story (but what hunchback of notre dame done by disney would hang esmeralda? really killing people off isn’t their forte).
Regardless, I think this song is appropriate for the supernatural aide portion of the hero journey. Esmeralda is acting as the supernatural aide in that she is praying and watching over her people. In the movie she acts as a leader and a guide to them, protecting them, and trying to open the eyes of the people around her to their true calling (even her adversaries). In another light, Esmeralda is also embarking on her hero journey as well, and is asking for help from her supernatural aides who take form in the support of God, and the support of her people.
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To be honest, I can’t remember the movie at all. Actually, I don’t know if I ever saw it but the lyrics seem to parallel this part of the Hero Journey pretty well. I think it’s really important that even though Esmeralda doubts God’s existence, she’s still praying to Him. And she’s not praying to Him for “things”, she’s asking for nothing but help for her people. “I ask for nothing. I can get by, but I know so many less lucky than I. Please help my people: the poor and downtrodden.” The supernatural aid is here to protect the hero’s powers. Esmeralda is clearly looking out for the “outcasts” with only the best intentions, making her a great supernatural aid.
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this song is actually really touching. when i started listening to it i expected to esmeralda to ask for something from God (I’ve seen it before but I didn’t remember it). The fact that she says “I ask for nothing, I can get by.” shows that she is selfless and in my opinion can be a hero. Also, it seems that her call is to help the outcasts and her SA is God, which is why the song fits this unit. She reflects the idea of most unfortunate people, whether there truly is a God. However, she shows her faith by asking God to help her cause.
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ok, this song is wonderful. I don’t like the movie because i think its really sad and i cry every time i see it. i am very touched by esmerelda’s request. she asks for nothing because she can get by, but she needs God to help her people.
God help the outcasts:
hungry from birth.
Show them the mercy
they don’t find on earth.
God help my people.
We look to You still.
God help the outcasts
or nobody will.
Simply because the outcasts are different they are shown no mercy. but esmerelda knows that God can help them. She is looking to God because he is the only one who can help. i see her as a leader and an aid to all the outcasts.
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I’ve never seen this movie, so I wasn’t too excited about this song. I’ve heard all the previous ones before, so honestly this one kind of scared me. However, it’s grown on me. I think that it fits in very well with the concept of supernatural aid. Everyone experiences the time in their life when they feel like there is nowhere left to turn. That’s where supernatural aid comes in. The most expected form of supernatural aid is God, because He is supernatural. However, I believe that someone’s supernatural aid could be anything: it could be a friend, a stranger, or even an animal. I think that supernatural aid is the one thing that you can count on to help you through the rough spots. In this song, when Esmeralda says:
“God help the outcasts:
hungry from birth.
Show them the mercy
they don’t find on earth.
God help my people.
We look to You still.
God help the outcasts
or nobody will.”
I think she is acknowledging her supernatural aid of God. She believes that He can help and that no one else can. She is asking for mercy and guidance, because she can’t find it on earth. She needs something, for lack of a better word, supernatural, because something that is ordinary will not help. She wants to help others, and I think this is critical, because it shows that she is asking for help for the right reasons, instead of selfish ones.
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This song does a good job of showing how much God’s help is necessary in one’s hero journey. Everyone needs supernatural aide, no matter how strong they may appear on the outside. But at the same time, the song shows how distorted your priorities can get when things in life are going well. You must always remember the less fortunate than you and thank God as much or more than you ask for God’s help.
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The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a great Disney movie, and while I never really liked this song because it’s so slow, it is a good song to use for super natural aid. Just from the title, i feel like Esmerelda is calling out to any S.A. because she is so helpless, and she knows that somewhere there is somebody or something that is going to help her soon. She is humble, and at the end she is basically just praying for everyone she knows and the people that are worse off than her.
she is learning that she has a hero journey, and by her calling out to her S.A., she is right on track.
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omg. BEST. MOVIE. EVER. and i loved this song as a kid, and still do now, even though when i watched the special features on the dvd (don’t judge) i realized that heidi mollenhauer is in fact really obnoxious in real life.
i think this movie still rings true for me is because i can identify with esmeralda, in a way. (not in the whole volume way, unfortunately. like seriously, her hair is 3X the size of her head.) she’s running around getting all this crap for being born in a certain circumstance and has to get herself out of the trouble she gets herself into on her own. she also has a bit of a temper. (who me? naww.) but the one thing that sets this bodacious beauty apart from my lowly little self is her ability to put self before others. i’m more of the type that prays for something really stupid, and i’m sure god is sick of me asking for a 27-hour day. she, on the other hand, doesn’t only see those who don’t have her privileges, but also prays for them. (sometimes i do that, but its more for specific people than this whole general ‘outcast’ thing.) my favorite bit is when she’s looking at the statue of Mary and says, “still i see your face and wonder/if you were once an outcast too.” its interesting to think that god doesn’t just know us–he experiences everything we experience. if what they taught me in sunday school is true, and god does truly know me, i think that god might not just know my favorite color and my boyfriend’s middle name, but also know the joy and pain that i experience every day. he might also understand that whole 27-hour day thing.
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I feel like this song really does fit supernatural aid perfectly. Esmeralda is crying out not for something she wants but for the people she feels she represents those who are “outcasts” of society. I honestly can’t remember how I felt about the movie as a kid, but it was definitely one of the more saddening of the Disneys. The movie that the whole supernatural aid thing made me think of though, was when Cinderella appeals to someone to help her get to the ball and her fairy godmother answers her. I guess they’re one in the same, but in this movie Esmeralda’s outcry holds more power and more depth than a plea to get to the ball. I know this song fits the unit exactly the more I listen to it, which has kinda taken me a while to let it sink in and for me to separate my analogy from the actual example. It is her begging for a supernatural aid to exist, at the very least, if it cannot help save her and her people.
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This is not so much about supernatural aid itself as it is about the NEED for supernatural aid on one’s hero journey. Particularly for an “outcast” like Esmeralda, where her situation seems hopeless because of her position. In such cases, it seems like only outside assistance (such as from God) can give any amount of hope. As we have learned, The Supernatural Aid can be much more subtle than literally God. Another interesting point is that Esmeralda, an outsider to the Church uses prayer, an appeal for supernatural aid. God, acting as supernatural aid does not create wealth, status or glory for its own sake, but rather, Esmeralda asks for assistance to help her people, which in and of itself is more noble than any amount of wealth.
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Growing up, the hunchback of notre dame was one of my favorite movies and esmerelda was one of my favorite princesses even though meg always said she was esmerelda because she had brown hair…anyway, i find this song extremely relevent to the supernatural-aid portion of the hero journey because at this point in the journey, the hero seems to be lost on their way and whether seeking an aid or not, is in need of someone/something to guide them. I find this example interesting because in many cases, the supernatural aid is a person, but in this case, God is the aid. God cannot physically speak to the hero, but through the actions of other people and by seeing Him within yourself, He can guide you. I think it’s beautiful that esmerelda is so selfless in praying for everyone but herself. Even though she is so beautiful, she has the humility to pray for everyone who is less fortunate than her and she realizes this. I think in some ways she, unknowingly, is Quasimodo’s supernatural aid.
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This song shows that every Hero needs a Supernatural Aid, and in this case that aid is God. “God help the outcasts or nobody will.” Without someone to send Heroes on their way, Heroes may never find the right path that was laid out before them. Esmeralda knows that she will be fine, but she knows that there are many others out there who are outcasts (perhaps heroes) that need someone or something. This song is very fitting for SA portion of the Hero Journey primarily because it illustrates the need for an aid to prompt heroes in the right direction.
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First off, I love this song. Second, I think it’s interesting how this movie is full of supernaturla aids. First, we have Esmerelda who is Quasi Modo’s supernatural aid. Then, though this argument may be less anticipated I’d argue that God is Esmerelda’s supernatural aid. Esmerelda feels the weight of the world on her shoulder due to the condition of her people. While everyone is asking of something that will benefit them, Esmerelda asks God to take this burden from her. God is an unexpected supernatural aid though he embodies most of the qualities. Esmerelda is an unexpected hero, but if you think about it, she has a great boon to bring back to her people and a great ability to transform the world.
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As opposed to the last song, this is one of my favorite songs because of the last stanza.
I ask for nothing.
I can get by,
but I know so many
less lucky than I.
Please help my people:
the poor and downtrodden.
I thought we all were
the children of God.
God help the outcasts,
children of God.
I think that this song is very appropriate to a student of Brebeuf, and especially one who embraces a man or woman for others ideal. Esmerelda asks not for her own wealth, power, or love, but she asks for this for her people. This is what a hero is truly supposed to do for their world, selflessly change the world in a way that betters the condition of the other people in their world. This is also partially what Brebeuf encourages us to be as servant leaders–to serve the people we lead. We are to see the poor and the downtrodden as our own people, even if it is not obviously so in the case of Esmerelda being a Gypsy. The way she reminds herself, God, and the not present people of her world that everyone is a Child of God, even the outcasts, is especially important to me and my own personal spirituality and hero journey, as well as fulfilling my education at Brebeuf.
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