INTRODUCTION

            A myth or a legend embodies the main ideological aspects (aspirations, desires, fears, hopes) of a people and its environment.

Heroes come as vehicles of the great aspirations and expectations of a people at a certain period of time. It means that myths can change all through the times even if some traits can be  repeated. Also, myths interact.

So we understand well that myths are part of the identity of a people, they help explain a people or civilization.

In America for example, you have the myth of the American Dream, the frontier, the barrier between civilization and savagery, wilderness. They helped justify colonization, immigration and  the genocide of Indians.

You also have the myth of the Manifest Destiny which permit America to invade Central America and the Caribbean (Cuba, Grenada).

Other examples of heroes are Marylin Monroe, Romeo and Juliette, Frankenstein (the myth to create humanity, to be a God)

So why do peoples create heroes ? For the same reasons as myths are created. People need to find models to identify with and stand for beauty and other virtues like tolerance, tenderness, forgiveness. It helps cope with and forget the daily problems.

So, it is quite human to develop and create myths.  Myths and heroes give peoples common backgrounds. They identify themselves through myths and heroes. They give people a sense of togetherness, of belonging to the same community.

Heroes can be fictitious like Captain America, Spiderman, Superman. But they also can be real people like Rosa Parks, Gandhi, ML.King Nelson Mandela, even Barack Obama who symbolize progress, tolerance, equality, some aspects of living the American Dream.

It is also worthwhile to point the villains or the bad heroes (Al Capone), the rebel (Robin Hood) and the influence of science on the power of the super-heroes.

Science and technology help develop the power of both evil and goodness of the super-heroes.

Also we realize that with the information technology revolution, new heroes have been created. They are people like you and me who thanks to a reality programme can emerge as heroes

            As a conclusion, we can say that heroes and myths may be be figments of a people’s imagination but they have a very important social and ideological function which is quite human as they help individuals develop a sense of belonging not only to a people but also to the mankind.

 LISTES DES TEXTES

 –War film posters 

–Tigerland, by Joel Schumacher(p.96),-We were soldiers by Randall Wallace (p.98) The Fighting Sullivans by A.Baxter and T.Mitchell (p.100),-Platoon by Oliver Stone (p.102), First Blood by Ted Kotcheff (p.102)

–Film Review (p101)

–The Gulf wars (p.104)

-We, the British (p.154)

 SOME TOPICS TO TACKLE DURING YOUR ORAL PRESENTATION

 How are heroes portrayed in US movies ?

What are the main functions of myths and heroes ? What are myths and heros for ?

The role and functions of anti-heroes ?