Myths and heroes: the evolution of american's point of view on heroes through history

The notion I am going to deal with today is Myths and Heroes. So, when we talk about myths, we think about stories that may be fictional that explains the world’s origins. And when we talk about heroes, we imagine someone who is admired for his courage, his outstanding achievements or noble qualities.

In class we studied the American myths, heroes and its history.

Today we are going to explain the evolution of american’s point of view on heroes through history.

First of all, I will talk about the main past heroes, which were the American Presidents, as they represent american ideals and values, and they are the world’s biggest leaders. Then I will discuss about a new image of american heroes appeared as “cowboys” in the wild west. And finally, I will talk about another evolution of the modern hero who fights against injustices.

America was founded as a great and strong nation which based her morals on equality for men, becoming land of the free people.

In that period, heroes were seen as people of honor to respect, and the person who represented the american ideals were the Presidents.One of the monuments that represents those heroes is Mount Rushmore, which was completed in 1927. On mount Rushmore, four of the most important presidents are craved. The first was George Washington who was the Founding Father of the american’s democracy. Then, we can see Thomas Jefferson, who co-wrote with Washington the Declaration of Independence. He saw America as the model of civilisation for the rest of the world as he stated: “It is impossible not to sense that we are acting for all mankind”. The fourth president was Abraham Lincoln, one of the most important, who freed the slaves in 1863. Finally the last person that America admired is the president Roosevelt. He contributed to the completion of the Panama Canal and he was the first seated American President to be awarded with a Noble Peace Prize.

These leaders are the symbols that represented the strong values and ideologies of this young country.

Mount Rushmore is a monument dedicated to the American ideals that these men represent, which are freedom, liberty and democracy.

The presidents are seen as Heroes from this point of view.

During America’s expansion, there was a period when the American wanted to move west. The west was seen as a far land with opportunities of a better living, but to get there, people had to travel several weeks and sometimes months, only the bravest could do that. So in those days we see another hero that was created: the cowboy.

In class we analyzed a poster:The Oregon Trail, a movie poster that shows how the image of the cowboy in those years was perceived. In the middle of the poster there is John Wayne (a popular american actor who had a great personality, perfect for embodying a cowboy), who is seen from a superior angle looking down on the viewer that suggests dominance.The scarce light on his face, symbolises the idea of a dangerous environment. In the background, we can observe the wagon and the pursuing riders that are two clichés of the western movies.

In those times, the cowboy had become a part of the American culture. There was something about him that

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