Myth and heroes : american soldiers

Notion myth and heroes

I am going to talk about the notion myth and heroes.

So the first meaning of a myth is most of the time a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining a natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.

The second use of this word is a widely held but false belief or idea.

The first meaning of myth massively plays a part in the community : it inspires people, teaches good values, it has good aim. The myth encourages people to make the right choice but it can also scare people to prevent them for doing dangerous things.

Myth most of the time include a hero. A hero is a person who is admayered for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. It can be the main character in a book or a film or a person with superhuman qualities. It can also be a modern-day hero, a person who has performed a heroic act or simply our own personal hero, our role model, who we look up just like the American solider.

Well during the year we’ve worked on the war and the involvement of American soldiers in, we are now going to ask if the American soldier can really be considered as a hero and how is depicted ?

We’ll see first a positive representation of the American solider in the World War 2 , then we’ll see the another side of him in the Vietnam war.

To begin with during the year we have seen how the American soldier is depicted positively in a war to have defended great values just like in the WW2.

In this way, firstly the image of the American soldier was promoted and the war too with propaganda. Just like in the film « The fighting Sullivan » and its poster catching the attention of civilians to get involved . With the catch phrase « guts and glory » and the image of a futur soldier hugging his wife before of joining the US navy enhance the role of the American solider and how glorious he's. Furthermore we notice a row of sailors standing to attention they are depicted as obedient, dedicated and proud soldiers. Thus this poster highlight how the american soldier he’s a hero and even having human feelings.

Moreover, once the second world war 2 was won, it leaved a legacy, showing the sacrifices of many soldiers. In the touching movie « Saving Private Ryan » we follow an old man, a veteran with his family in a military cemetery. The scene is tragic, poignant, and solemn. This veterans is looking for a specific graze that of his former brother-in-arms who probably saved his life. When he find it, he weeps, surrounding by his his family who understand the pain of survivors and how horrific was the war, they are grateful. Indeed the American soldier is depicted as a hero who sacrificed his life, he’s a saviour, the one whose we have to remember and to be thankful. In effect he's popular amongst the public opinion just after the WW2 and still nowadays.

Whereas the American soldier is considered as a hero and a saviour in the WW2, there is another side of his representation especially in the Vietnam War. During this war the American soldier is shown negatively.

The Vietnam war was a dirty war which

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