Myths & heroes
Introduction:
-Myths and heroes refer to tales, legends, fictional stories and characters…
But it seems that they are also still present in real life. They are created by
society and have become part of our culture. Not to mention that these modern
myths and heroes have shaped and influenced people’s lives.
-In class, I have studied this notion through the topic entitled « successful
careers » and several questions have enriched our reflexion such as « What does
it take to be successful? », « Why do we cling to the notion of self-made man? »
or « How as the myth of the American dream influenced people’s careers? »
Definition of success
- To me, being successful means to achieve the goals you fixed to yourself
in order to be happy with your life; as long as you’re not happy you’re not
successful either.
But there’s no denying that success is related to two pivotal concepts which are
part and parcel of American culture. These concepts are the American Dream and
the notion of the self-made man.
I’d like to define them before illustrating the with significant examples:
The notion of self-made man refers to a person who was born poor or otherwise
disadvantaged, but who achieved great economic or moral success thanks to
their own hard work and ingenuity rather than to any inherited fortune, family
connections, or other privilege. It’s an essential American figure that is part of the
American Dream.
- The American Dream is characterized by the idea of an America full of
promises and very attractive. It lets people think that anybody living in America,
thanks to courage, work and determination, can succeed. People can start from
scratch and make fortunes. Foreigners came to America to begin a new and
better life (ex: A. Carnegie, Scottish, began the richest man on earth in 50 years
and gave his name to a great opera in NY, the Carnegie Hall)
How as the myth of the American dream influenced people’s
careers and to what extent can we believe in
it?
I- Self-made woman
II- Successful but unhappy
III- The best current American example of a success story
Development
In the world of politics, business, sports or even television, some people have
embraced successful careers clinging to the concepts I’ve just mentioned.
Briefly present the examples of:
Introduction:
-Myths and heroes refer to tales, legends, fictional stories and characters…
But it seems that they are also still present in real life. They are created by
society and have become part of our culture. Not to mention that these modern
myths and heroes have shaped and influenced people’s lives.
-In class, I have studied this notion through the topic entitled « successful
careers » and several questions have enriched our reflexion such as « What does
it take to be successful? », « Why do we cling to the notion of self-made man? »
or « How as the myth of the American dream influenced people’s careers? »
Definition of success
- To me, being successful means to achieve the goals you fixed to yourself
in order to be happy with your life; as long as you’re not happy you’re not
successful either.
But there’s no denying that success is related to two pivotal concepts which are
part and parcel of American culture. These concepts are the American Dream and
the notion of the self-made man.
I’d like to define them before illustrating the with significant examples:
The notion of self-made man refers to a person who was born poor or otherwise
disadvantaged, but who achieved great economic or moral success thanks to
their own hard work and ingenuity rather than to any inherited fortune, family
connections, or other privilege. It’s an essential American figure that is part of the
American Dream.
- The American Dream is characterized by the idea of an America full of
promises and very attractive. It lets people think that anybody living in America,
thanks to courage, work and determination, can succeed. People can start from
scratch and make fortunes. Foreigners came to America to begin a new and
better life (ex: A. Carnegie, Scottish, began the richest man on earth in 50 years
and gave his name to a great opera in NY, the Carnegie Hall)
How as the myth of the American dream influenced people’s
careers and to what extent can we believe in
it?
I- Self-made woman
II- Successful but unhappy
III- The best current American example of a success story
Development
In the world of politics, business, sports or even television, some people have
embraced successful careers clinging to the concepts I’ve just mentioned.
Briefly present the examples of:
