Fiche en anglais, myth and heroes: What are heroes for? Why do we need them? Why does mankind resort to mythology, myth making?

Myths and heroes

I will talk about myths and heroes, which are the bases of every civilization. Myths are the oldest and most powerful of all story forms they often carry an important message for a culture or a group. Generally a hero is a man who is admired for his brave and noble qualities. The documents I have chosen are the following: the speech by Martin Luther King entitled “I have a dream”, a picture of King as he was delivering the speech and a picture of Mount Rushmore. They illustrate both notions and raise a number of questions: What are heroes for? Why do we need them? Why does mankind resort to mythology, myth making?

A hero is a legend who has a great power and authority, he or she are admired for good qualities and personal achievement. A hero can save lives by endangering himself.

The first document I am going to speak about is “Mount Rushmore”. It is mythical because it relates to an important era of early America. It represents the first 150 years of American History. It commits to memory the birth, growth, preservation and development of the U.S.A between 1927 and 1942. We can see busts of the 1st President, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President and author of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Lincoln who abolished slavery in 1863, Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President and against the difference of color. They are the Founding Fathers of the U.S and the modern democracy, so they are mythical. To link with this document, I have chosen the one about Martin Luther King is a well known hero, he is an activist, he is a leader of the African American civil rights movement.

He gave his speech in 1963 in front of Abraham Lincoln’s Memorial, just 100 years after the Proclamation of Emancipation by Lincoln.

At the end of the speech, he clearly wants to change the lives of black people for the best by giving them equality. About the picture, my third document, we can see Martin Luther King speaking to a cheerful crowd of people and delivering his speech. He looks very confident his hand is very expressive, he radiates happiness. The picture was taken during the march on Washington. We can see all these people who listen to him carefully. Martin Luther King tried to do his best to improve the lives of his people and gave them the chance to be free.

It is true that there are real or imaginary myths but most of us believe in myths and take them seriously. Everyone is free, to believe in them or not. History has seen many heroes, who have either saved lives or have done exceptional things. Their bravery and their admirable actions are the root of our admiration. Finally, they remain our icons, and we can never forget what they did. In my opinion, it is important to believe in some real myths, because they teach us about the history of our ancestors.                    

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