I'm going to talk about the theme of myths and heroes. Firstly, I'll define the words myth and hero. A
myth is a pouplar story. Ancient Greek myths originally explained the origins of humanity and delivered a
message about the human condition and also contained information concerning the collective identity of a social
group. We are all familiar with the myth of Sysyphus compelled to roll an immense rock up a hill, only to watch
it roll back down, and to repeat this action forever or with the myth of Oedipus, the tragic hero par excellence
fulfilling his premonition that he would kill his own father or with Hercules famous labors. These myths are
continually updated, reinvented and perpetuated with a view to maintaining and cementing the identity of a
nation. Very often myths are manipulated and exploited so that they have turned into mere popular beliefs and
legends that are often unfounded or false. The example of the myth of the American Dream is significant. A
myth usually involves the presence of a hero. A hero is a virtuous person admired for his achievements, noble
qualities and great courage. He is a legendary character who accomplishes extraordinary deeds. The value or
nature of a hero can vary with the country, society or people. A William Wallace1or a Johnny Appleseed2
resonate in American and British collective memories although they mean absolutely nothing for a Frenchman.
We may then ask ourselves: What is a hero for a young man living in the twenty-first century? To what extent
have myths and heroes changed our lives? We will see that myths and heroes influence the course of mankind
everyday.
Make a research on these two heroes and write down 1 or 2 lines about them:
1. William Wallace:
2. Johnny Appleseed
The idea of progress basically consists in believing that the world can become better in terms of art, science, technology,
liberty and quality of life. Progress has shaped most of Western civilization ’s vision of history . Progress implies a change,
some evolution from an old order with old traditions to a new order which is not necessarily embraced by all . It's at the
heart of a heated debate between those who approve of these changes and those who resist and criticize them in the
name of tradition . As the rhythm of progress seems to have sped up these last few decades with an ever faster increase of
major technological and scientific breakthroughs, the cult of novelty and progress is now being questioned. Indeed, a
growing number of people share their concern about the ethical, social and environmental consequences of such
development and about the excesses of today's consumer society.
There are 3 main types of progress:
1. Scientific Progress
- Medical advances such as _________________ / _________________ / ________________ , cures for
illnesses, cloning, performance enhancing drugs, GMO (= ______________ _______________
________________ ) and the dangers of science like in the novels of H.G. Wells (The Time Machine, The War of
the Worlds etc.) , Aldous Huxley ( B_______ ___________ ___________ ) , George Orwell
(_______________ ) or Isaac Asimov ( _____________ )
2. Technological Progress (see list of inventors and inventions)
- New technologies to slow down climate change such as ____________________ / ___________________ /
________________________ / ___________________
- advances in communication: ___________________ / ____________________ / ______________________
how they have changed our lives and the dangers of these modern ways of communication like in the tragedy of
___________________
- automated production or Robots like in I Robot
- Nuclear Power and its risks like in the tragedy of _______________________ .
3. Social Progress:
the idea that societies can improve in terms of their social, political, and economic structures.Changes in the
quality of life - how does progress affect our society? Education, employment, _______________ /
_________________ etc.
-
Women's rights, human rights, minority rights
The idea of liberty, freedom, democracy.
Do the social media like Facebook preserve or restrict our civil liberties?
Exchange (n.) [ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ]: act of giving and receiving something else in return.
Vocabulary: communication – trade – globalisation – multicultural society – migration –translation – travel –
borders – colonisation – relationships
Overview:
All societies are somehow defined by the geographical and symbolic places they occupy and how they open up
these spaces to what lies farther away through colonization, conquest, emigration and communication. Nations
have always influenced, culturally, economically, politically or scientifically etc. The various waves of migration
from and to Ireland have fluctuated according to the economic ups and downs and have significantly been
influenced by the country’s attractiveness. Geographically, our world has never seemed smaller as
transportation and telecommunication have accelerated the exchanges between different areas. So new forms
of influence, new spaces – such as global cities – new modes of communication are emerging, redefining our
conception of space. Societies and nations, thanks to this evolution, now keep on borrowing the languages and
cultures of other peoples and nations at an ever increasing rate, thus deeply transforming our world.