Mythe et hero

MYTHS AND HEROES

        The notion that I’m going to speak is dealing with myths and heroes. First, a myth is an ancient story concerning the early history of a people or explaining a natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or event. And a hero in mythology and folklore is a person of superhuman qualities who is admired for his or her courage or outstanding achievement. These narratives thus deliver a universal message about the human condition and also give elements as to the collective identity of a social group. The choice of our career is often linked to which role dominates your time.  A whole range of new myths, with new heroes who can either be real or imaginary characters and somehow caught people’s imaginations have also been created over the ages which deeply influenced our society.

•  That’s why we can ask us:  How some successful people became mythical icons and influenced people’s career choices?

I:  Dream Jobs

        Growing up means making decisions about yourself and your life. That is to say finding an interesting job is one of people’s main concerns.

        An example of dream jobs we can see is the extract from Fighter Pilot: the memoirs of legendary ace robin olds written by robin olds in 2011. Robin olds was a famous fighter pilot during the ww2 and Vietnam War. He followed his father Robert olds for his career choice; he was a fighter pilot too and had a big influence on his son’s life. They can be as heroes because they are both war heroes and they risk their life for something bigger than themselves. Moreover, his father Robert olds was a hero on several levels, for his son and the others. Indeed he was described as a leader, a gentleman and a laughter filled friend. These are many qualities which participate in making a role model for everyone.

        To conclude with the dream jobs we can also speak about Oprah Winfrey’s influence in America. In fact she was born in a modest family and grows up with the segregation and civil rights movement. Her first morning show was in 1973 when she went to Chicago and was very successful. In 1985 it was renamed “the Oprah Winfrey show” which was broadcasted in 144 countries. She encourages people to become more educated, caring and benevolent. She can be considered as a heroin because of her life story. She overcame hardships to reach the top, she climb the social ladder and became extremely successful. She is a role model; people take her as an example. She influences people and inspires some. She seems to be a good person, indeed she uses her money and fame to defend good causes, and she is a philanthropist and a child advocate. And she is a living example of the American dream becoming true.

I’m going to talk about roles models and icons of the past...

II) Roles models and icons of the past

        A society is based on founding myths; a collective identity forged around common land marks and shared values

We can speak about the role of Rosa Parks in US history. 3 people interviewed said what they think about her. And all are agree that she changed the nation, it was very important for African Americans because of the role she played in the civil rights movement. She is called “the mother of the civil rights movement” because her apparently insignificant action of refusing to give up her seat to a white man in a segregated bus triggered the civil rights movement. It was the end of the segregation and equal citizenship.

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