"Myths and Heroes" - Bac anglais

Myths and Heroes

        I’m going to talk about the notion Myths and Heroes. First of all, I would like to give a definition of the notion : a myth can be defined as a story about gods or heroes, it can be a popular belief or a tradition or a false notion. A hero can be a mythological figure, a person who is admired for his or her achievements, a superhero or maybe a role model or an icon. A soldier can be a hero. So, to what extent can soldiers be considered heroes ?

        First of all, I will speak about the model of the soldier with children. We have seen an interview about Jim Davis, who joined the British army during the First World War, to 18. He admitted he was happy and proud to be in the army because he wanted to become a hero, he wanted to defend his country and he had not seen much of the world. Maybe he was persuaded by his friends. Conceivably, he may have been looking for an adventure. Of course, he couldn’t know what would happen to him and that his leg would be shot off. Clearly, some soldiers asked to go to war, others not. They go to war to help their country. This can make them heroes. But when they go to war, they cannot see their family and maybe they will never see it. Their younger children may see it as an abandonment because they don’t understand why their father leaves. Older understand and hope it will come back. Once back, he can tell many stories to his children and grandchildren.

        Then, I will tell you why the soldiers deserve the status of hero. We have seen an extract of “Saving Private Ryan”, the Normandy Invasion. Soldiers arrived by boat. They seemed concentrated, anxious and impassive. Some vomit, another kisses a cross. When ready to charge, the first men are shot in the head, then many fall under the German machine gun bullets. A succession of scenes displays the various attempts at advancing under and over water : soldiers are falling or turn to pieces by explosion. We have seen Tom Hanks considering the horrors of war surrounding him in slow motion : grown men afraid, in horrendous, agonizing pain, calling aimlessly for help : not heroes, just simple human beings. All that to say, soldiers are considered heroes for their actions in everyday life, for safety that they bring to citizens. They defend the values of their country and fight for freedom.

        To conclude, the soldiers are heroes because they risk their lives to save others. The heroes like Batman or Superman do too but these are only fictitious.

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