Myths and heroes: why does America produce so many heroes ?

English

Myths and heroes have always played a huge part in the proper functioning of any society in the world. They inspire people, boost the economy or give strength to an army. In the American culture, people have taken their importance to a hole next level since the mid XXth century. We may wonder why does America produce so many heroes ? The need for role models will first be presented, then the role that heroes have to make the population feel stronger together and we’ll finally focus on superheroes as a mirror of the American Nation.

I) A need for role models.

America is a very patriotic country and they dedicate a lot of importance to the ones who make their country and the world in general a better place. So they create shows, parades, programs to show these people their respect and thankfulness. The CNN Heroes program is a show created in 2007 by CNN to reward individuals who make extraordinary contributions to humanitarian aid and make a difference in their communities by preserving the environment, championing children or helping out other people. The concept of the show is to elect the CNN Hero of the year out of the 10 nominees previously nominated, who will receive $150.000 to continue their work by making the public submit the names of the candidates and then vote online for the CNN Hero. This year, one of the 10 nominees personally touched my heart and I think she should be the CNN Hero of 2015. Her name is Jody Farley-Barens, she created in 2006 the Singleton Moms foundation after her childhood friend died of cancer. In deed, she was diagnosed cancer as she was a single mother of four, she struggled day to day with her disease as she also had to take care and provide for her children. So Jody created this non-profit organisation to help the single moms who have cancer and that need help. Her and some volunteers help them by cleaning their house, giving them the day to day needs for their house and children. They also collect money to pay their debts and they are basically the support that they need. Jody and her crew have been providing for 9 years now, practical, emotional and financial support to more than 300 single moms in Phoenix, Arizona and area.

Also, populations in the world, especially in America need to have role models, to give them a certain hope for peace, after traumas or during hard times. In the mid-1990s, an English woman moved to the state of California, to teach english to pupils living in a deprived area. She also helped them become better persons since some of them were considered « unteachable » or « at-risk » students. The children had to write their own diary entries and they became so committed in the project that all of their stories reunited were published as a book « The Freedom Writers Diary » in 1999 and is now known across the U.S and worldwide. One of these testimonies is the one from a fifteen-year-old student, whose vision of heroes was changed after he met an incredible woman. In deed, his school had the chance to welcome Miep Gies, the woman who hid Anne Frank and her family from the Gestapo during WWII. It’s also thanks to her that Anne’s diary was revealed to the public since she was the one who found it. The student says in his diary how touched he was in his heart by Miep’s words. In the end, the main thing that he leaves with is

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