Myths and heroes, Route 66 Hello, can you correct my oral presentation please? Thank you! Introduction: -The notion I am going to talk about is « Myths and heroes ». Nevertheless, I choosed to concentrate on the notion of myth. So, the myths are true or false stories using to make our collective identity, universel and belong to the past (transmetted to generation to generation). -To illustrate the notion, I'm going to talk about Route 66 . So, I'm going to answer the question: “To what extent can we say that Route 66 is a myth that is fully part of the American identity?” First, I would like to explain what is the history of this road. Then, we are going to see the beginning of the myrh. Finally, we are going to show the place of Route 66, nowadays, in the Aerican culture. I) A road with a history, linked to the American history -Since 1926, driving down Route 66 has been the experience of a lifetime for travelers and dreamers. This road crosses 8 states from Chicago (Illinois), to Santa Monica (California) and it's 3,600 km long. But isn't a banal/common road because it was appproximatly the same road that during the conquest of the West. -In the 30's the traffic increase on the USA's roads. Indeed, it was the birth of the car culture in the USA, car industries began (especially with Henri Ford), cars became accessible to the population and the country was vast and needed transports. Finally, in the 50's the USA became the world's largest manufacturer of cars. -Besides, it was also the route taken by approximately 200, 000 migrants to fleeing the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma to go to California. → ccl: So, this road had a important place in the 30's-60's, but it wasn't the busiest road to cross the USA. II) Route 66, in novels, musics, movies : the beginning of the myth -The myth really began in 1939, when John Steibeck published his novel “The Grapes of Wrath”. Indeed, he writes about a family who has to move from Oklaoma because of the drought (Dust Bowl) and this family travel on Route 66. Besides, in his novel, he nicknamed the road “The Mother Road” (still a famous nickname nowadays) and he makes Route 66 a destination in itself. -And 20 years later an other writer, Kerouac, use Route 66 like the main place of his novel. -Also, there is a reference to Route 66 in a lot of movies, series, or musics in the 20's century. For example the music “Route66” by Nat King Cole, came out in 1946.