Oral Myths and Heroes : How has time shaped our view on heroes ? And who are the modern heroes ?

ORAL ANGLAIS - MYTHS AND HEROES

Today, I will talk about the notion of Myths and Heroes

In the dictionary, the very definition of a hero is “a person who is admired for her courage or noble qualities.” The word “admiration” shows society agrees about the hero’s status.

There are certain qualities that make a person heroic which evolve over time, to fit the characteristics most admired by a particular culture at that moment in history. Thus I will answer this question :

How has time shaped our view on heroes ? And who are the modern heroes ?

I) Definition of a hero, before

Originally in the ancient mythology, a hero was the son of a god and a mortal, like Achilles or Hercules. They often had gifts and superpowers to save people’s life or do good around them. Nowadays, when we hear the term hero, we often think about Superheroes. They first appeared in the 30’s comics and had extraordinary powers and abilities, a strong moral, a costume or even sometimes a secret identity. For example, Superman was destined to reshape the world's future, while Batman was fighting against the Joker.

II) Modern definition

But the hero can also turn out to be a reality. Indeed, today's society has highlighted other types of heroes : firstly, people who made their name famous, then celebrities, who use their exposure to fight for a cause and lastly, ordinary people.

In class, we have worked on two films named « Made in Dagenham » and « The Suffragettes ». They both show the willing and strength of women during the 20th century who were fighting for their status to be as respected as mens. We also worked on Social Changers, historical and contemporary, like Martin Luther King who fought against segregation in the 1950’s and who defended black people’s rights. I personally did an exposé on Karlie Kloss, an american model and dancer, who is currently fighting for women’s empowerment in the tech domain.

Finally, they are also everyday heroes such as firefighters during the attack of the Twin Towers of September 11th who saved dozen of lives. We have watched an inspirational video called « There’s a hero in you » which shows us no matter how big it is, we can always do something to become the version of ourselves.

III) Consequences

Unfortunately, in our actual society, the definition of hero has changed again.

In the document « Andy Warhol’s legacy », the artist is denouncing a society where media is way more present than it ever has : « people are becoming more than bodies, they’re becoming images », realized Warhol. Therefore, we tend to idolize people for anything and everything : the Kardashian family, for instance, but they didn’t do anything, they were already born rich. Internet has also a role to play in this. Videos can become viral all around the world in less than a minute. But like Warhol said, « in the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes ».

As a matter of fact, heroes have evolved through time to be the perfect mirror of the society : they are often seen as the harbingers of crucial change in societies.

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