In Beowulf there are many symbols and elements. The symbols of Herot hall and Grendel represented all that was good, and all that was evil in the story. There are also many Christian elements in this pagan story. These aspects of the poem are important, but not relevant to today's society. In the poem Beowulf, Beowulf is an epic hero. The poem gives the idea of what a hero really is. Many of these ideas have been carried into modern society, and one person fallows these traits of Beowulf. That is the modern hero of Michael Jordan. Beowulf and Michael Jordan had a surprisingly similar journey.
The similarities between Beowulf and Michael start with their fathers. Beowulf's father was a great warrior who had earned a reputation as being strong and courageous; however, Beowulf's father was killed and never saw his son do great things. All of these traits of Beowulf's father are similar to that of Michael's dad. Michael's father, James Jordan, was a great professional baseball player who had earned a reputation as a hustle player and a good lead off man. James was killed later in life, and was never able to see his son do great things. Just like Beowulf's father.
It is know that both Beowulf and Michael earned reputations when they were young. Beowulf earned his reputation by killing nine sea monsters, all while competing in a swimming race. Beowulf did go on to lose the race, but earned a great deal of respect in his homeland when his people heard the story. Michael earned his reputation much in the same way as Beowulf. Michael, however, earned his reputation on the basketball court in North Carolina. At the University of North Carolina, Michael became college basketball's best player. He earned numerous awards his final year, but did not win a championship in his last season. He became very popular and earned a solid reputation just like Beowulf.
Now that both Michael and Beowulf had earned solid reputations, they had to step outside their homelands in order to become heroes. For Beowulf, this meant that he must leave Geatland to go and help the people of Daneland. For Michael this meant leaving the NCAA for the NBA. Both entered these new places with reputations of the great things that they had done previously.
Because of each of their great abilities, many were jealous of their talent. Beowulf was envied by Unferth. Unferth said to Beowulf, "You've been lucky in your battles, Beowulf, but I think your luck will change if you challenge Grendel."(245-246)Unferth was a warrior of Daneland and resented the fact that he needed Beowulf's help to defeat Grendel, an evil monster that has killed many Danes. Michael was also envied. In his rookie year he made an immediate impact, and was named a starter on the Eastern All-Star team. Controversy arose during the All-Star game when word surfaced that several veteran players led by Isiah Thomas were upset with the amount of attention Jordan was getting and led a so called "freeze-out" of Jordan, refusing to pass him the ball throughout the game. Michael's team lost that game and many of his east teammates resented the fact that they could not win without him.
Both Michael and Beowulf would have to face their first true tests. Beowulf had to defeat the evil Grendel with his bare hands. In the poem, Grendel represents evil, and the badness from within a country's borders. Michael had a similar challenge in the 90'-91'season with the playoffs. Michael needed to defeat the Detroit Pistons, a team that was in his own division, in order to win the conference championship. Beowulf defeated Grendel and Beowulf "of all men on earth, was the strongest."(442-443) This was his first step towards heroism. Michael also took his first step towards heroism by defeating the Pistons.
After they both had past each of their first tests, their next test quickly came. For Beowulf, he had to defeat Grendels Mother in order to truly be considered an epic hero. Beowulf defeated Grendels Mother, and for the rest of the story Beowulf has control. Michael had a similar fate. He needed to beat the LA Lakers in order to win his first championship and become a modern hero. Michael won the championship, and for the next decade Michael had control. He dominated the league by winning six more championships.
The point is that the ideas of what a modern hero should be is drawn from epic heroes such as Beowulf. The story of Beowulf is an epic poem. The story describes all the characteristics of what an epic hero should have. Beowulf has all these characteristics. He was strong, brave, loyal, generous ,and his people loved him. When Beowulf died his followers "Rode, mourning their beloved leader, crying that no better king had ever lived,"(568-570). Beowulf also went an a hero's journey. He established a reputation early in life. He left his home to face challenges and had to overcome them. He then returns home with a prize. All of these things makes Beowulf an epic hero.
Now look at the modern hero of Micheal Jordan, and the epic hero of Beowulf. They have similar characteristics, and both went on a hero's journey. Does this make Michael Jordan an epic hero too? He fits the description of an epic hero. He is strong. He's brave enough to take the big shoot. He was loyal to Chicago by playing for 13 years with them. Not to mention that he was generous enough to pay for a Boys & Girls Club in Chicago with his own money. Michael also went on his own heroes journey. He earned a reputation in the college ranks. He left his home in North Carolina to Chicago to play in the NBA, and succeeded in the league. He ended up bringing home six championships as his prize.
Whether or not Michael can be considered a modern epic hero is debatable. I think that the Saxons would have been Bulls fans had they been around in the 90's. The 1990's that is. However, the similarities between a modern hero and an epic hero are undeniable.The world can thank Beowulf for setting the standards of a hero: bravery, loyalty, and generosity.