The Process Of Hero-Making Summary

In the third chapter of Lies My Teacher Told Me, the author, James W. Loewen continues the topic of history teachers and textbooks not providing its students correct information, or leaving out details that are important to the specific topic of discussion The first specific topic Loewen discusses is the first settlers of what we now know as the United States. He describes that his students mostly said the first settlers were white men in the 1620s. Loewen then informs the reader that the first settlers besides the Native Americans were African slaves. He then describes that new settlers all over the world took over numerous areas of the United States in the 1500s.

When it comes to the world stage of historical education and educators, Jackson Lears would be considered a major player because of his prowess and overall skill as a historian. As a matter of fact, Jackson Lears is a well-renowned writer and historian in the United States of America and has extended many ties from himself to prestigious colleges and writing organizations across the United States. Lears has quite the record for his education, receiving his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Virginia, his Master’s from North Carolina, and his Ph.D. from Yale. He’s held a teaching position at Rutgers University as a professor of history since

Jill Lepore was born in a small town outside of Worcester, Massachusetts. Lepore claims she wanted to be a writer from a young age and had no aspiration or inclination to become a historian. Lepore received her B.A from Tufts University, then got her M.A. at Michigan University, following after she earned her Ph.D. at Yale University. “History is the art of making an argument about the past by telling a story accountable to evidence”, she says. For her to write a story about history with only evidence as her core material, it is truly amazing. Lepore has won many awards and honors with great essays, reports, and books. As I have looked into her background,

“There are three great taboos in textbook publishing… sex, religion, and social class.” (Loewen, pg. 27). This quote from the book demonstrates that textbooks only touch upon what their authors believe students should be learning about, or in other words, the less- interesting, same timeworn stories they all mostly have already learned about. History textbooks lie to students by leaving out important details about key events and significant people. Loewen’s purpose in writing this book was to prove exactly that to students, and to provide them with the truth. Throughout the entire book, he decides to write about people that students are taught to consider heroes, such as; Hellen Keller, Woodrow Wilson, Christopher Columbus, and numerous more. Loewen succeeded in exposing people American’s think of as heroes for whom they actually are, and also prospered in exposing textbooks by providing the truth behind the stories students are all taught.

A historical figure that has been as outstandingly misrepresented as Helen Keller is Woodrow Wilson. Like Keller, Wilson is only known for his positive contributions. When asked about Woodrow Wilson, most people can only recall his great accomplishments such as supporting Woman’s suffrage and establishing the League of Nations. It is not well known that Wilson invaded Latin America and Russia causing unnecessary violence. Loewen states that “Any accurate portrayal of the invasions could not possible show Wilson or the United States in a favorable light” (Loewen 17). Loewen explains that all textbooks have a way of defending Wilson by suggesting he was forced to do these unjust invasions. This is a characteristic of Greene’s soft seduction because the textbooks are presenting Wilson’s violent invasions in a “soft” way by being “indirect” (Greene 441) instead of saying that Wilson wanted to invade Latin America and Russia. This “heroification” of a past president is bad for students to learn because they grow up with a false history of their own country.

    “‘I come from under the hill. And under the hill and over the hills my paths led. And through the air, I am he that walks unseen’” (The Hobbit). When the dragon Smaug asks Bilbo of his identity, our hero speaks to him in riddles as to not give away who he is. Bilbo has snuck into Smaug’s lair, using a magical ring to become invisible. This part of his adventure is called the “Ordeal,” one of the twelve stages in the Hero’s Journey Archetype. The Hobbit, an animated film directed by Rankin and Bass, fits the Hero’s Journey Archetype by following these three stages: “Call to Adventure,” “Tests, Allies, [and] Enemies,” and “Ordeal.”

American history is taught in high schools all over the country. It is held as a core curriculum for every American student because of the importance found in teaching our youth of our “perfect nation” and our “perfect past”. However, contrary to popular belief, James W. Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me, has found American history to be taught with a completely nationalistic approach. Not only is the history of our country taught with a horribly strong patriotic sentiment, but generally with a misunderstood concept of the history of America by the writers themselves. America has never lived a lie as ruinous as that in which happens in classrooms every day.

Among the many flaws American history textbooks have, one that stands out above the rest is heroification.

James Loewen wrote the book ?Lies My Teacher Told ME? to help the students of the United States become aware of their true history. This book attempts to show how and why American history has been taught the way it has without regard for the truth. Mr. Loewen had compared twelve different history textbooks they are: The Great Republic, The American Way, Land of Promise, Rise of the American Nation, Challenge of Freedom, American Adventures, Discovering American History, The American Tradition, Life and Liberty, The United States ? A History of the Republic, Triumph of the American Nation and The American Pageant. Loewen has argued his cases for Heroification, Euorcentrism and the first settlers, and Racism in our history. He has done

Ellis an excellent story teller is one of the leading scholar of American history. He was a college professor and previously taught at the Honors College at the University of Massachusetts. He has written

In his book Flags of Our Fathers, James Bradley, document the life of his father and five other men who exceedingly contributes to the American history. Bradley is a distinguish author and historian who is well known for his numerous non- fiction works; such other works include Fly boys and The Imperial Cruise. Bradley’s love for history was inspired at an early age by President Harry Truman, who wrote an article that endorse historical biographies for young readers. Bradley follows through Truman’s footstep and he is now praised for his realistic portrayal of the life of his characters.

The author of this book is a professor of history at Columbia University and is one of the country’s most noticeable historians. He graduated from Columbia with his doctoral degree under Richard Hofstadter. Foner is one of only two people to be president of three major professional organizations. They are the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, and the Society of American Historians.

Her work experience and historical knowledge is clear, and her historical facts and figures can be checked using the many primary and secondary sources she sites in her bibliography. However, she does tend to focus on minute details of the lives of the women she discusses that are of lesser importance than their achievement or political lives, such as the explanation of Felton’s husband’s career and political viewpoints. However, her narrative gives insight into the differing values of white and black women at the time and what was seen to be acceptable for a woman, and a woman of color, to say and do, as well as the consequences they faced for defying racism, male-dominance and widespread

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (Campbell 1). When we think of heroes most of us think of movie stars or professional athletes, but it’s not always about your popularity or talent it can also be about how you help society. What I think make a great hero is someone who is able to overcome his or her obstacles in life, is highly motivated, and has plenty of bravery.

Who is a hero? How does the definition of a hero change over time? The Epic of Gilgamesh is perhaps the “longest and greatest literary composition written in cuneiform Akkadian” (Dalley 39) and told to an audience, while The Odyssey, and Oedipus the King came many centuries later. However, they all have a hero that represents the values of the society at the time. This paper is going to compare and contrast the ideal of the hero from ancient Mesopotamia in Gilgamesh in approximately 2000 BC, The Odyssey, from the close of the 8th century BC focusing on Odysseus’ long journey home to Ithaca, and Oedipus the King written in about 430 BC and telling the story of the King, Oedipus who fulfills a prophecy.