Synthesis of the chapter : Myth and heroes

Synthesis of the chapter : Myth and heroes

Unit 1 : Myth or reality?

What is a myth ?

A myth is a symbolic tale that concerns timeless questions, such as death, God, the universe. It's connected to a belief or rituals. A myth is a story that explains or give value to the unknown. It's handed through history often through oral tradition. Some may have factual origins while other are fictional.

1- Thanksgiving

The Pilgrim Family are puritans coming from the UK, they have escaped persecutions and found the promised land in America. They went there abroad the Mayflower, a boat. The trip is explained in a diary from William Bradford. When they arrived in America a native American called Squanto helped them settle down. He taught them how to farm the land, to grow corn and also to hunt. Squanto helped them to survive, the first meal they shared is the result of their harvest.

p. 20 : Cartoon

The puritans are landing on the American coast, but the Indians are building a wall. We can see a link with the Mexican wall today. The caption looks like a real cliché, the basic argument of the anti-immigration person : ''you're to deferent to fit in and you will still my job''. The cartoon try to show, make people remember that (except the few native Americans) they are all descendants of immigration. So why do they reject Mexicans ? America is a land of immigration and it makes absolutely no sense to reject Mexicans now. Because if Indians did so, America would not be what it is today.

p. 21 : Ferris, The First Thanksgiving, 1915

This paint represent the first thanksgiving, Indian and Puritans are sharing a meal, with this share they celebrate their union. This paint shows the friendship and the spirit of brotherhood between the Pilgrim Fathers and the native Americans. But this feeling of solidarity, brotherhood is a myth, in fact Puritans and Indians were in a real conflict. The painter is showing, in this paint, the superiority of Europeans, the fight with Indians was over and they were not enemies anymore, so they decided to celebrate Thanksgiving.

2- The land of marvels

Emma Lazarus' poem – The New Colossus, 1886

Ellis Island was used to sort of people who could come in or not. If you were sick or useless (handicapped or old) you could not come. Because in one case you would contaminate the country and on the other case you would be a burden because you couldn't support yourself. New papers were also made on Ellis Island, some people even got new ''American'' names, more understandable.

p.22 : American Land, in Wrecking Ball by Bruce Springsteen

In this song a man talk to his girlfriend and tell her how wonderful America is, and describe it as the land of plenty, the land of milk and honey. Thanks to them America is a melting pot, where all the cultures are melted together, because it is a assimilation of the diversity, they aren't no longer Jews or Irish they are American. Today we talk about a salad bowl because people are prouder of

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