Att skapa en hjälte : en diskursanalys av Aftonbladets artikelserie Svenska Hjältar

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study was to examine how everyday heroes are constructed in “Swedish Heroes”, which is a series of articles from Aftonbladet. This thesis also aimed to investigate the similarities and differences based on gender in the construction of everyday heroes. We used a critical discourse analysis influenced by van Dijk to match the aims of this thesis. In this study 13 articles from Aftonbladet were analyzed. The results of our analysis showed that in the articles, the heroes were constructed as unique which separated them from other people. The heroes were represented as role models, and received different rewards for their achievements. Although the heroes faced obstacles throughout their heroic efforts, the hero did not surrender. Our study showed that although the construction of male and female heroes had many similarities, there were also differences to be found. In the analyzed articles the male heroes were represented as confident. The female heroes were represented as caring, and motherhood played a significant role in the construction of female everyday heroes.