J. K. Rowling constructed the magical world of Harry Potter in the 1990s, and the first film adaptation was released in 2001. Although Rowling’s primary focus was writing, she also worked as a producer and consultant on the Harry Potter films (cite). Within this enchanting world of magic, Harry Potter emerges as the hero of the story. Specifically, Harry is portrayed as a typical British schoolboy hero, in which Ramaswamy describes, “In British schoolboy fashion, Harry underplays his intelligence and is frightened of acquiring a scholarly image” (cite). In fact, it is this representation as an ordinary schoolboy that supports Harry’s role as a modern hero that defies epic characteristics.
It normally takes epic heroes many years and adventures
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For example, Beowulf vanquished the monstrous beast Grendel with his bare hands after he realized no weapon could pierce Grendel’s skin (Beowulf 320-40). In contrast, Harry Potter’s characteristics are presented as an ordinary boy, defying most epic hero qualities. Ramaswamy writes, “Harry Potter does not fit into the conception of the hero as a godlike form of man. He has human strengths and weaknesses, being created on the lines of Adam and Everyman” (cite). In other words, Harry does not excel in all aspects of his life; notably, Harry struggles with magic and his schooling in the beginning. For instance, after a teacher informs the entire school that there is a mountain troll trespassing in the dungeons of Hogwarts, Harry and Ron head off to find Hermione, who is sulking in the girls’ bathroom. Harry and Ron reach Hermione just as she is being attacked by the troll, and try their best to get the troll’s attention. Eventually, Harry attacks the troll by running towards him, rather than using magic, which leads to him being dangled upside down while the troll continuously tries to pummel Harry with his wooden club. Eventually, Ron flicks his wand and casts a levitation spell on the troll’s club, which Ron uses to knock the troll out, saving Harry’s and Hermione’s life. Although Harry is technically the hero, he was unable to save Hermione,
In movies, novels, and life, people are named as heroes. The heroes we establish and the heroes we recognize, however, may not meet the criteria for a mythic hero. A mythic hero ventures forth on his journey, and comes forth from the hero’s path to greatness. Joseph Campbell, a mythologist who studied many of the great human myths and religious tales, realized, in studying these myths and tales, that there were certain steps that every hero went through. Campbell called this “The Hero’s Journey”; it is based on Carl Jung's idea that all human beings have an archetype. After Campbell studied a lot of the great myths and realized this pattern, he published his findings in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Ever since then, authors have used “The Hero’s Journey” as an outline to tell their stories. “It is important to note that not all of these individual steps are present in every hero’s tale, nor is it important that they be in this exact order” (Vogler 20). The Hero with a Thousand Faces gives a sense of significance as it looks into the inner mind and soul. The author, Joseph Campbell, performs two extraordinary accomplishments: compelling his readers that myth and dream, those are the most effective and everlasting forces in life and a unification of mythology and psychoanalysis with a gripping narrative. One well-known example of “The Hero’s Journey” from popular culture is the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling. In the novel, Harry Potter, the main character, is the chosen one and “The Hero’s Journey” applies to his life from the moment he is attacked by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as a baby.
Greek mythology is a beloved part of literature that has given humans thousands of stories to tell. From stories about deadly quests, powerful deities, to the even more famed aspect of Greek Mythology, its epic heroes. One of the many authors who took inspiration from Greek Mythology, and will serve as reference for this paper, is Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. 1988. The most well known epic heroes from Greek Mythology which Edith Hamilton writes about in her book are Hercules, Jason, Perseus, and Theseus, but the debate lies in which of these heroes is the best. To which the answer is, Theseus is the better epic hero because he possessed superior strength, intelligence, and courage, he was the most just from all other heroes,
As Beowulf possessed incredible the strength of 30 men, Luke Skywalker the force, and Harry Potter magic, epic heroes continue in every form of today’s entertainment and storytelling. Every culture from the beginning has had their own tales of heroes accomplishing great feats that no one else could. An epic hero is an icon for everyone to relate to, they symbolize different lessons to learn. The epic hero archetype exists as a source of entertainment but also as a demonstrative tool. Their morals and actions are there to help shape our own actions in life. The archetype of an epic hero is unchanging; it stands against the test of time to give us reassurance in the good moral values of human life.
During the Middle Ages, both “Beowulf” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” were epic stories that were chanted aloud to the public. Each story told about epic heroes who went on a long journey to face or conqueror someone or something. “Beowulf” is a poem about a young man, Beowulf, who slays a monster and his mother with his bare hands to protect the people he loves. As the years go by Beowulf becomes king and a dragon begins to stir. In response to this, Beowulf fights the dragon with a sword and one loyal companion. Beowulf’s life comes to end, but so does the dragons. From this epic poem you can see that good does triumph over evil, but sometimes it comes at a cost. Along with “Beowulf”, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” was another popular poem. This poem was about a squire, Sir Gawain, who chooses to take on a game proposed by the Green Knight instead of his uncle, King Arthur. He took on the game because he believed King Arthur’s life was more valuable than his own and that King Arthur should not risk his own life. As a result, Sir Gawain became a knight because of his loyalty and bravery. Both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s and Beowulf’s characters share the same quality of courage, the desire to protect people and the involvement of supernatural beings.
In every epic story, the center of attention will be on the epic hero. Usually all the epic heroes have some kind of special power, which keep them different from other characters. Later on, their epic journey these powers, help them to win the glory, which make them epic heroes. In Beowulf, Beowulf is truly an epic hero, because of his wisdom, strength and bravery.
The work of C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling is of grave vital on the grounds that their work portrays actuality as well as adds to it. Yes, their work is not just a portrayal of actuality; it is somewhat a quality expansion. Their meeting expectations are depictions of the reasoning examples and social standards pervasive commonly. They are a delineation of the diverse features of regular man's existence. Their works serves as a something worth mulling over and a tonic for creative energy and innovativeness. Lying open a single person to great artistic lives up to expectations, is proportional to giving him/her the finest of instructive chances.
The logical appeal of this paper is showing of how Radcliffe’s displays his feelings of being Harry and idolized as such by his fans. Radcliffe is Asked in an interview “How do you feel about becoming famous?” he replied with “It’d be cool!” demonstrating that in his early childhood he was very open to this idea. These quotes tell of how a young boy demonstrates how a change in life would be, he had no clue of how his life would change just by these movies. Daniel tells how he feels, “I’m more nervous about the anticipation about feeling bad,” telling the interviewer that he worries about those letting the fans down and not signing all their memorabilia. This quote shows that he likes to make people happy. When he cannot accommodate his fan base do so he is left in sadness. Susan Dominus notes that Daniel deserves to receive the golden ticket he earned at age ten, He will not squander his fame on little things when he has the ability to be a major role model. He does not want to hurt his fans feelings but he cannot be at places fo...
In 1997, the first book of the Harry Potter series was released in the United States, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It was then that people began to fall in love with “The boy who lived.”, Harry Potter, and began their love/hate relationship with the man who would end up helping to save his life multiple times over (Rowling, J.K., 2007). This love/hate relationship developed because it seems as if this man, a professor at Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, constantly was against the hero, Harry. There is a buildup of the fact that Sna...
Since the first segment of the series was released in 1997, Harry Potter has been challenged by churches and parents due to the practicing of magic by children found within the books. The books have been removed from school shelves, discouraged by churches, and censored by parents. It is claimed that Harry Potter is devilish, satanic, and encourages children to practice the occult, damaging their religious views (LaFond). Therefore, many parents keep their children from reading the book series. Yet, Harry Potter has been such a positive influence on my so many lives. Evident through the movies, theme parks, stores, and much more, J.K. Rowling’s series has been an overwhelming success for many reasons (“Because it’s his…”). In order to encourage
Ever since J.K. Rowling first introduced Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 1997, children and adults have read and loved the series. It has gained such popularity that all of the books have been made into major motion pictures, and a Harry Potter attraction has been opened in Universal Studios, Florida. Though the readers love Rowling’s intricate and exciting story lines, many controversies have arisen from these stories, not only in the United States, but also in various countries around the world. Perhaps the biggest controversy is the religious implications perceived by some critics. Although these critics believe that the series promotes paganism and encourages evil actions, these theories should not be taken so seriously.
The portrayal of female characters in British literature has most often reflected the larger perception of women by society during the time of a work’s publication. In this regard, the immensely popular Harry Potter series written by author J.K. Rowling is certainly no exception. The circumstances for women in late 20th century Britain have improved and in many ways are nearing equality with men, yet a notable upper barrier to success still remains. Rowling captures this gender dynamic throughout the Harry Potter series by including a diverse cast of resilient female characters who are not allowed to take on the same leadership roles dominated by the men at Hogwarts, at the Ministry of Magic, in quidditch, and during the Triwizard tournament. The novels also center on an important theme of motherly love that Rowling uses to explore the sacrifices women must make in order to raise their children well. Such issues have been present in British literature for well over a century, with each generation seeing steps toward equality, both for the fictitious characters and the women of a given time period. The Harry Potter series, therefore, constitutes a reflection of female status in modern Britain that has advanced, but remains perpetually flawed.
Beowulf’s powers involve physical super strength. Harry’s powers aren’t as much as physical strength as mental and magical powers. Both make faults in some of their actions which sometimes causes failure. Beowulf shouldn’t have let his gluttony and arrogance outweigh his wit when fighting the dragon, otherwise it would probably have spared his life. Like Beowulf, on occasion, Harry thinks before he acts. His follies aren’t always life threatening, and they can actually turn out to be life-saving. Both cases are a battle between good and evil that affects all. Unlike in Beowulf, not only must Harry fight evil, evil has its followers and he must work around them while Beowulf confronts only the chief of evil itself. The two must not only fight for their lives, but they also fight for the well-being of others. Harry’s fight is for safety and, in a way, he is forced into it, but he accepts it. Beowulf fights predominantly for further glory, pride, and treasure. They each have their own “army” but a lot of their struggles are engaged independently and in special cases rely on their allies. Harry might be a hero, but he was born an ordinary wizard unlike Beowulf who was born into the royal family. Harry was also looked down upon by those who saw him ...
Goff, Patricia. Producing Harry Potter: Why the Medium is Still the Message. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2006. Print.
The epic hero Beowulf was also very skillful when it came to battles. When he first fought Grendel, Beowulf had no idea what he was up against. Instead of just attacked Grendel, he waited until the monster had killed one of the other men in the hallway while Beowulf watched under the guise of sleep. Then when Grendel came to claim Beowulf's life, he knew that hand to hand combat was the only way to defeat this foe. The monster latched onto Beowulf's arms, but Beowulf did the same to Grendel.
Beowulf’s first accomplishment as an epic hero was his battle with Grendel. Grendel was a huge beast, a descendent of Cain, who ruthlessly murdered innocent Danes because he felt pity for himself. Upon hearing of the Dane’s problem, Beowulf set off to help the Danish without having been called upon. Even though Beowulf had men backing him, He drew battle with Grendel alone and without armor or weapons. Yet, Beowulf emerged victorious with the arm of Grendel as his trophy. Beowulf then went on to kill Grendel’s vengeful mother and a huge fire-breathing dragon who thought it had been done wrong by the Geats. Alas, the killing of the dragon would be Beowulf’s last great battle for the dragon took Beowulf’s life in the struggle for his own.