Myths and Heroes : How Americans Heroes evolved by Y. Boudraa

        Hello, so today I will deal with the notion of Myths and Heroes. First of all, I would like to give a brief definition of the notion :

• A myth is a popular story which tries to guide the society toward certain values, or some ideal. Usually, it is composed of unreal fact and action, often led by a Hero.
• A Hero is a courageous person who is ready to sacrifice himself to rescue other people’s. He may accomplish extraordinary deeds. He can be a mythological figure, an rôle model or an icon.

        So now, I will try to explain how American heroes evolved through history :

        First, I'll talk about the traditional icon at the American Hero, the cowboy. After this, I'll try to illustrate how some heroes are real-life persons who were outlaws to rebel against a given order they refused and to challenge it like Martin Luther King or use their popularity, influence and wealth to help the most deprived.

• Our first document is a John Wayne movie poster called "Trick". John Wayne is a famous actor of the Golden age of Hollywood who basically played the role of strong, courageous, blue-eyed blond who fights Indians "red skin".

This image of the white and strong hero who fights minorities has been conveyed for many years. In a difficult setting, the Wild West, where vultures are lurking, the heat is stifling, these films indirectly explain the mentality of the time, where ever an African-American could have fought the natives or survive in this wilderness.

• However, in a tumultuous social context, men and women have decided to fight for their rights. This led to the birth of the Black American hero, which is diametrically opposed to the white hero, a thing that shows the evolution of mentalities in the Society of the time. As an example, our second document is an excerpt from MLK's most famous speech, "I have a Dream".

MLK is an American pastor. His devotion to religion is visible in his speech where he uses a religious vocabulary. He also makes several references to certain American myths, such as that of the Pilgrim fathers.

In 1963, he helped to organize the famous March on Washington. It was at this moment where Martin gave his "I have a Dream" speech, the most famous speech in history. He enbodies True valors, freedom, equality, pacifism, power. He is also a great orator, because he uses the technique of AFORREST in his speech.

However, the evolution of heroin in the USA does not only stop at the fight against segregation. Decades after MLK, the Americans elected their first black president, Barack Obama.

• Today, the title of hero is attributed to the men and women of the daily: policemen, firefighters. However, some celebrities use their notoriety to radically change the lives of the poor and those who need it most. This is what the article of the Time magazine, "Person of Year" explains. Indeed, in the excerpt that I present to you, "Good Samaritans", the image of the rock star or the billionaire who knows nothing of the difficulties of life is broken.

Bono is the singer of the U2 group, especially known for "Sunday Bloody Sun Sunday", a song written in reference to the march for the rights of the Northern Irish where shots were fired at the population. Bill Gates is one of the richest men in the world, founder of the Microsoft firm.

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