Thursday, September 5, 2013
Modern Day Beowulf
Believe it or not, some of Beowulf's characteristics are probably in all of us. Who can say that they don't have any devotion towards their family or that they never felt truly confident from their past successes? But the question is, who exemplifies his character the most? I think Jeremy Lin is an excellent example of a modern day Beowulf. He displayed loyalty to his nation, God, and family while he was famous, which were some traits that Beowulf also showed during his battles with monsters and giants. They're both characters who are confident about what they do and never backs down from a challenge. For Lin, his challenge is to live up to the high expectations of his newfound fans from the "Linsanity" period and to uphold his fame, so to speak. Beowulf also engages in battles continually because he wants the glory and the fame from being the victor. Before going into battle, Beowulf thanks God for giving him safe passage into Denmark and allows God to decide who wins in the battle with Grendel. Jeremy Lin also has a similar belief and displays it just as publicly as Beowulf. Before every game, he does a handshake where he pretends to put on his glasses, open a Bible, and then point upwards. This shows that he gives all the credit to God, no matter what happens in the game. He also has loyalty towards his nation and his family because even though he could go to another country to play for their basketball team and be the celebrity player, he sticks with the NBA. He shows devotion to his family by paying many visits to Taiwan to meet with relatives and spend quality time with them. The only difference between Beowulf and Lin is that Lin is more modest and does not announce how great he is all the time. Other than that, I think they are similar people that are willing to face hardships when the time comes.
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Amy,
ReplyDeleteI think that Jeremy Lin can represent an example of a modern day Beowulf. They both are very determined to make sure that they get the job done. While their actions and motives are similar, I don't think Jeremy Lin represents Beowulf as a person. Their characteristics are very different because like you said,Jeremy Lin is very modest, and Beowulf is very cocky. Also, I think Beowulf has more of a long lasting reputation because he saves his people all of the time, whereas Linsanity only lasted for a few months. I still feel that Jeremy Lin is a great example, and I like how you backed it up with examples.
Jack Eberle
I like how you chose Jeremy Lin as a modern day Beowulf. They do seem similar in their successes, although Lin's popularity does eventually fade. I do agree with the fact that Lin is a lot more modest than Beowulf, but that's probably because of how they were raised. I love how you mentioned both of their religious beliefs because it is clear how much they both believed in God.
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