Myths and heroes : to what extent can we say that ordinary people become heroes because of injustice ?

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 is a main character, a mythological figure or can be a brave person, who is admired for his or her achievements.

So, we can ask ourselves the question : to what extent can we say that ordinary people become heroes because of injustice?

We will see in the first part that injustice is caused by false accusations, then in a second part, we will discuss the fact that the political system provokes it and we will end up analyzing the injustice of the new generation.

First, it was the most deadly witch hunt in US history. The Salem Witch Trials began in 1692, when young girls from Salem in Massachusetts claimed to be possessed and accused the women of the village of being witches. These executions are unfair and based on no evidence. 150 men and women were sent to prison for witchcraft. Their fates are to be released or pardoned, burned or hanged. These executions are unfair and based on no evidence. The inhabitants accused people of suspicion because they feared rumours. Some young girls, including Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam and Betty Parris, accuse some people of bewitching them and being wizards allied with Satan. These three witches have become heroines now very famous. They are heroines because we have become aware of injustice. Their history has thus allowed many adaptations such as Arthur Miller the Crucible's play.

Furthermore, the famous affair Sacco and Vanzetti began in 1920s after the First World War. Sacco and Vanzetti were Italian-born American. They are anarchists who were convicted of murder during an armed robbery in Massachusetts. They were convicted even though evidence was clear that they had no committed the crime. Some testimonies were unfounded. A man claimed to have acknowledged Vanzetti's mustache and other witnesses testified that Sacco was seen in Boston and Vanzetti in Plymouth on the day of the flight. The two men were carrying weapons when they were arrested. To explain this, Sacco and Vanzetti had to explain their anarchist beliefs in court. It is believed that this may have prejudiced the jury. Moreover, they did not speak English and therfore could not defend themselves. Seven years later, they were electrocuted in the electric chair.

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