Myths and heroes - fiche BAC

Good afternoon. I’m going to present you the notion of Myths and Heroes. First of all, let me define what a myth is. A myth is a traditional story or a popular belief related to a country’s culture and history, which could be true or not. In other words, these stories have a great symbolic power from the people who believe in. Secondly, a hero is someone who inspires peoples thanks to his noble qualities and for his outstanding achievements. He could be fictional or real. So, you can ask if the myths and heroes we believe in are the same through the years.

1. A TRADITIONAL HERO: THE NOVEL’S ONE

1. 2 examples: Alice in wonderland and Robinson Crusoe
2. They are the main characters of theses 2 novels
3. They can be considered as heroes because they have overcome some outstanding events (the boatshinking, the survivor life …)
4. They can make us dreaming (the fantastic Alice universe)

1. NOWADAYS HEROES: THE ROLE MODEL

• Now, we more consider heroes with the values they represent and embody and not with the adventures they achieve like the novels’ one
• Malcom X: he dedicated his life to the struggle for the civil rights for the black people in the USA in the XX° century

1. WHY THE FIGURE OF THE HERO HAS CHANGED?

1. Because people consider someone as a hero more because he got celebrity, charisma, fame, and not the values he embodies; it is teenagers’ faults. Increasing of the new programs on TV, the characters in TV movies we love the most are some with fatal flaws: they are famous for the money, and they embody bad values like the egocentrism (Paris Hilton, Batman, Superman …)
2. With the increasing of the status of antiheroes: someone can be considered as an antihero if he embodies values which are regarded as good for the society, but the way he used are bad’ one. this is a person who doesn’t embody the hero traditionalist values
   Nelson Mandela can be considered as an antihero in the sense that he struggled for the human rights, but he went in jail and was parted of a clandestine organisation. he is an idealist (≠ realist), rebel (≠ conformist)
3. Because someone can be a hero, and a few instants after, he could be hated by the population! (The Presidents Jimmy Carter or Georges Bush 1st: at the beginning of them term they are consider as a hero and at the end they are hated!)

CONCLUSION

The definition of hero has changed during the history. In the time of the novel: if he is the main character of the plot or if he overcame obstacles. Nowadays, it is if he represents of value which is important for the society.

This figure of hero has changed for various reasons:

• Because people are more consider a person as a hero thanks to his celebrity
• With the increasing of the anti-heroes
• Because someone can be considered as a hero and just after as a “zero”

...