MYTHS AND HEROES
1. Definitions
MYTH
a. an ancient story about gods, heroes and magic
b. popular belief or tradition embodying the ideals and institutions of a society
c. an unfounded or false notion
d. a theme or character type embodying an idea
HERO
a. a mythological or legendary figure often endowed with great strength or ability
b. a person admired for his/her achievements, noble qualities and great courage
c. the main character or a literary or dramatic work, an event, period, movement
d. an object of extreme admiration and devotion: icon/role model
Questions you can ask yourself about the notion with help of the documents we study in class
a. What category does the hero(ine) in the document belong to ?
legendary ? hero recognized by the society ? fictitious hero ? (cinema, book…)
b. For what reason ? What does he/she embody ? What are his/her qualities/abilities/achievements ?
c. Why is the hero(ine) “used” for ? Propaganda ? Advertising ? Role model ? (values)
d.Hero or anti-hero ?
