Myths and Heroes : why are myths and heroes so important to our society ?

Myths and heroes

Hi so today, I’m gonna talk about the notion Myths and Heroes. So when we talk about a myth we aren't sure if it's true or not but many believe in, we say it’s a legend. Those stories across the generations mainly because it contains a moral. Most of the time, they're heroes in these stories. Nevertheless, everyone can be a hero. That can be by different actions like defending a cause or more simply like by an act of kindness.

But a question comes to our mind why are myths and heroes so important to our society ?

My presentation will fall into 2 parts. First I will deal with the example of Eminem as a hero and then I will focus on the myth of Banksy.

First of all, heroes mostly give hope through their actions. It can be because they give us back faith in "humanity" or because we identify ourselves in them. If we take the example of Eminem, who is a famous singer and an actor. He began at that we can call the "bottom of the ladder" and climb by himself. In the movie named "8 miles", inspired by Eminem's life and the song "8 miles road" sing and write by himself we understand his course. His family situation was precarious and unstable, constantly moving of house and school. Furthermore, we understand that his father was not present in his life and his mother was in rather complicated relationships with men. He also has a little sister towards whom he feels really responsible because of her young age and the violence present in their family. However, it's not the only obstacle he had to face.

Indeed, he was living in Detroit, a poor city, only a few years after segregation. In the city, rap music it's a way to be respected otherwise than by violence, words are used as weapons. The MC's are really powerful but in the neighborhood mostly composed of black people, the white ones are frowned upon. In fact, in 1967 there has been a series of violent confrontation between residents of African American neighborhoods of Detroit and the city's police department. It lasted 5 days and this was the most violent and destructive riots in the USA, 43 people died. We realize that skins colors matter a lot especially with the "8 miles Road", a physical and psychological road that white people shouldn't cross in Detroit. Despite everything Eminem has achieved its goals and became a true and inspired hero for a lot of young people. The people who think they can not have a career because of their social background or any other inequality can identify themselves in him.

To illustrate this notion I also want to talk about the myth that Banksy and his works represent. Banksy is a painter famously known for painting on walls of cities. We can call it a myth because of his unknown identity and the social commitment that goes through his work. He manages to make accessible and understandable art while passing very important social messages. In addition, he proves that his goal is not to earn a lot of money or to be a star, of course through his anonymous identity but also through other actions. Recently, one of these auctioned works has self-destructed at the time of the sale. Banksy had prepared this mechanism several years before. He denounces the art market and fought for art to be recognized

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