Myths And Heroes

First of all, I’m gonna define these two concepts; the word “myths” come from the greek word which means legend; the word hero also has a greek origin and means “half god”. Nevertheless, heroes are not always all powerfull and immortal beings. A hero is someone who is admired for his courage, his noble qualities… besides they become immortals because their story is told from generations to generations and in that sense, they live forever. If myths and heroes are present in many societies, they probably have different specificities depending on the cultures they are anchored in. By analyzing the term, myth and hero, I will try to answer the following question: if every society has its own heroes and myths but what are their purpose? Do they represent society's values and concerns?

At first, I’m going to talk to you about the founding myths. In United States, the whole society is based on certain values, practices and act according to laws that give them a history and identity.

For example, the Constitution of the United States is the supreme law. In general, the first ten amendments, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, offer specific protections of individual liberty and justice and place restrictions on the power of government. The Constitution of the United States was the first constitution and influenced the constitution of others nations.

We can also say that the feasts of United States are myths. Thanksgiving Day, a very famous one, is a national holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the crop and of the preceding year. This feast has its historical roots in religious and cultural traditions. Thanksgiving today, is becoming a real myth in Anglo-Saxons society.

Let’s talk now about the myths and the heroes as a factor of social cohesion. The "American dream" has powered since its creation in 1931 the hopes and aspirations of Americans for generations. It began as a plain but revolutionary notion: each person has the right to pursue happiness, and the freedom to strive for a better life through hard work and fair ambition. But over time, this dream has come to represent a set of expectations about owning things and making money. The American dream promotes access to many opportunities and the general way of this concept is “all men are created equal”.

A hero can be someone who influences the society as in Dreamland. As example of heroes, you can see the sculpture of the four presidents of the United States, on the Mount Rushmore. Indeed, there are: Georges Washington (1789-1797) who participated in the written of the US Constitution, Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) who was a defender of the liberty and equality, Franklin Roosevelt (1932-1944) who was elected four times and created social security and Abraham Lincoln (1860-1864) who abolished the slavery. They are considered as heroes because they changed the United States in better.

I’d like to talk about superheroes and give an example: Captain America is a superhero created by Marvel Comics. He was genetically modified and so he has optimal fitness and he is an expert in fight. Captain America is wearing a costume with the American flag’s colors and an indestructible shield. After fighting the Nazis during World War II, the character of Captain America became a symbol of the struggle of the United States against

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