J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is a literary phenomenon unlike any other that remains strong after just under a decade after the publication of the last book. It also has become a widespread topic for academic courses, books, scholarly seminars, and doctoral studies. As Rowling’s empire continues to grow, this paper will reflect on her books of the Harry Potter series. “Mental health issues are all but invisible in the wizarding community” (Murakami, 2006). Rowling drew on her own encounters with mental illness and a recent diagnostic conditions. The series has a lot of undercurrents that I could use but I will focus on just one mental illnesses, depression. I will cover in this paper some symptoms of depression like anxiety, low self-esteem,
Low self-esteem is said to be a person’s way of failing to live up to expectations. There are many reasons why someone would have low self-esteem, the following are some of the reasons: the person vies themselves as inadequate, unlovable, and/or incompetent, lack confidence, feel victimized by others, cannot deal with failure, tend to put themselves down by say things like “I’m stupid”, they are not proud of what they achieve, and they are constantly comparing themselves to peers in a negative way. “Other children develop low self-esteem following a difficult time such as divorce, bereavement or being bullied or abused, and can 't bounce back” (“About Self-esteem”). While I have low self-esteem to this day, it has improved quite a bit over the years. I am still learning how to ignore looks and comments, as the old adage goes “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” is something that I am still learning to deal with. That is also something that Harry Potter is having to deal with throughout the book series and as we see in the last book “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” Harry becomes a confident man even in the adversity of death. So I believe that if he can do then I will become a confident person too. “Once you realize that you 're a wizard and get into the right environment, you 'll flourish and your old feelings of lacking confidence will
Once it is in full swing, everything can make it worse. It has been around for a while in the mental illness circles, but it is not supported by a formal diagnostic process yet. In Rowling’s book “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” Harry Potter is very angry and irritable at everyone and everything, mainly due to being cut off from the magical world and his friends due to Professor Dumbledore’s orders. ““Harry, suffering like this proves you are still a man! This pain is part of being human--” “THEN — I — DON’T — WANT — TO — BE — HUMAN!” Harry roared, and he seized one of the delicate silver instruments from the spindle-legged table beside him and flung it across the room. It shattered into tiny pieces against the wall....”” (Rowling, 2005, p. 824) I have dealt with this type of “fly off the handle” type of anger and irritability and it is not easy to control. I still have some outbursts that slip through and they can be very ugly. While I’m in school is when my brain works the hardest to control these outbursts. It is said that Harry is suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), due to all of the trauma of the people he loves being killed around him, this is the cause of his anger and irritability. “Adults also show irritability by becoming easily angered or frustrated, allowing small annoyances to take on inappropriate
What symptoms classify a person to be diagnosed as sick? A cough, a sore throat, or maybe a fever. Often times when individuals refer to the word ‘sick’, they neglect to mention a common disorder, one which takes a tremendous amount of personal determination, courage and strength in order to overcome. Mental illness took the author, Joanne Greenberg, down a path complete with obstacles, forcing her to battle against schizophrenia, a chronic brain disorder resulting in delusions, hallucinations, trouble with thinking and concentration as well as a lack of motivation. This complex piece of literature was originally composed to fight against the prejudice accusations associated with mental illness, while providing the semi-autobiographical novelist
Mental illness can be a mixture of different factors. You can get mental illness through genetics meaning that it is passed down within the family. That can only happen if the mental illness is heredity. Another factor of mental illness is psychological trauma. Psychological trauma like abuse, or loss can cause some mental illnesses. When mental illness is untreated it makes it difficult for the person to function in society and deal with everyday life. The different types of mental illnesses range from anxiety disorders to personality disorders. Other mental illnesses are mood disorders, eating disorders, psychotic disorders, and impulse control and addiction disorders. An example psychotic disorder schizophrenia. Examples of eating disorders are bulimia and anorexia. According to MedicineNet.com “Most mental illnesses are caused by a combination of factors and cannot be prevented”. Mental illness is something that should not be avoided. The biggest issue when it comes to mental illness that is noticeable is when someone who has a mental il...
Many people’s perceptions of their own skills, strengths, and weaknesses are different, more some than others. Everyone’s personality is a bit different: Some have very high self-esteem, some are very egotistical, some don’t believe in themselves, etc. Most of the time, my self esteem is usually within a delicate balance of “you aren’t as good as you seem” and “you’re doing fine, relax, you’ll turn out just fine.” However, there are a pair of people that will believe in you no matter what you do: your parents. They will always be there for you, to help you succeed, and instill into yourself more self-esteem. My self-esteem has wavered throughout my academic career, always somewhat lower or higher each day. Many people are there to lower your perception of your skills: some of your peers, adults, maybe a
According to your angry child "When we are under stress as a result of the chemical messengers sent to by certain gland glands including our adrenal gkands. Our hearts start to beat faster, we breathe more rapidly, the blood vessels in our hands and feet get smaller which forces blood to our internal organs , and our testosterone and blood pressure increases. " "If you internalize your emotions too much then you can cause yourself to have more health problems such as heart disease high blood pressure, and depression."(young angry child) From my experience with being angry I don't normally pay too much attention to how my body is acting I am focused on being mad and getting my opinion
Whether that be because a coworker has been a complete crap to you all day, or your kid didn’t listen to you and ended up getting hurt for the thousandth time in a row, to getting ultimately stressed and frustrated because your teachers didn’t enter in grades and denies any proof of that occurring, we’ve all been there. When I’ve seen others get angry, they become confrontational or even start yelling, some people that I know of even throw things either at the people that they are angry at, or at other areas, such as walls. There are four different types of angry people: the avoiders, who avoid the situation completely and ignore their anger, bottling it up; the destroyers, who throw things out of anger in order to relieve it; the screamers, who scream, yell or even just become straightforward and rude either towards the person that they are angry towards; the avengers, who come up with plans to get back at the person who angered them, though most times those people don’t actually go through with their villainy plots. The ‘trigger’s, or the things that set people off to become angry, vary from person to person. In my experience, most triggers come from when someone does something that truly peeves them, which could be anything from loud noises to the mood that the other person has towards
Heavy self-criticism, envy and a pessimistic attitude follow (Kirsh, 2005). Three states of self-esteem are identified: Strong self-esteem is when they have a positive self-image and are secure enough to make decisions and remain unaffected by any adverse scenario that would cause detrimental effects. Vulnerable self-esteem is when there is a positive self-image yet their ability to maintain it is not reliable. People with a vulnerable self-esteem avoid making decisions, blame others when situations were to turn sour to protect their own reputation. People who do not regard themselves as admirable or valuable, defeated and immerse in self-pity, define shattered self-esteem. Shattered self-esteem is undoubtedly related to low self-esteem
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.
Self-esteem touches everything about a person’s belief about himself and his emotional state. One’s belief can be positive e.g. I love myself, I am a great person. On the other hand, it can be negative e.g. I am useless or I am too fat. Furthermore, emotional state include shame, pride, joy, despair etc.
The wildly popular Harry Potter book series by J. K. Rowling has caused controversy for many families over the past five years. These novels according to some critics are harmless, adventurous, children's tales. Others choose to portray them as stories that inspire children to become involved in the occult and serious witchcraft. The Harry Potter novels chronicle the life of a young wizard whose wizard parents were killed by the evil Lord Voldermort. On his eleventh birthday he receives invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Each of the five books represents a year of his life there (Walker). This essay will discuss whether the Harry Potter novels are a suitable read for children and why despite what some critics portray, Harry Potter can be a positive role model for youth.
Since a young age author J.K Rowling has suffered with depression. The success of her first book helped her get out of the horrible depression and on to normal level. J.K Rowling used her depression as inspiration for the Dementors. The Dementors symbolize her suicidal thoughts; they were creatures that feed off of others’ happiness. They were also meant to symbolize how depression follows and haunts one wherever they may go. Her depression surrounds everything in the book from forbidden forest to Dementors. If she didn’t hit rock bottom in her life, she wouldn’t have finished the Harry Potter series. J.K Rowling believed she really turned her life around when she started writing that everything was stripped away and she became who she should truly be in the process. J.K Rowling described her depression as “That was characterized my numbness, a coldness and an inability to believe you will feel happy again. All the color drained out of life.” (Inside the Magical World of 'Harry Potter' Auth...
One of the most read series in all literature is Harry Potter. The seven-book succession has sold over 400 million copies and has been translated into over sixty languages. What is it that makes this series so wildly famous? What is it about the boy who lived that makes frenzied readers flock to their local bookstore at midnight on the day of the release to buy the latest installment? How is a story set in a world that doesn’t exist about wizards, witches, magic, and mystical creatures so popular? The series has been able to earn its spot on the New York Times Bestseller list and has granted author J.K. Rowling multiple awards because it is relatable. It is not the setting or the events in the plot of the story that we relate to. We relate to what Harry, his friends, mentors, teachers, caretakers, and even enemies feel. Harry is in a lot of ways exactly like us. He represents some of the good characteristics that all of us have as well as the bad. The series as a whole, is about one thing that is stressed over and over again in the novels, love. The Harry Potter series is one of the most read sequences of novels because the central theme is love and self-sacrifice, and readers are looking for a novel that shows them just that.
A Literary Analysis of the Themes of Identity and Self-Realization in the Fantasy World of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Low self-esteem affects individual’s success. If the person is pessimistic and believe in external locus of control, then they think their life is totally controlled by other people. They totally depend on others because they believe that they themselves cannot change their life. They believe in luck rather than their hard work. So, people who have low self-esteem, who rely too heavily on validation from external sources can easily lose control over their lives and never get success in their life.
Self-esteem is critical evaluation of ones self, resulting in negative or positive thoughts about oneself (Decker, 2010; Kaya & Saçkes, 2004). The way an individual see’s themselves is imprortant in regards to how they behave and the daily decisions they make (Hamarta, 2004). With regards to adolelescents, self esteem is of particular importance, influencing every day decisions that can have a life long impact (Person & Year, 2007). Self esteem can be defined on the basis of the way one sees themselves. In this view of self esteem, there must be a reference point with which the individual compares themelves to although the view of themselves may be positive or negative with respect to that particular reference ppoint. In positive self-esteem the individual is satisified with the way he or she is and thus views themselves favorably with respect to that particular reference point. In contrast, in negative self-esteem, the individual fails to meet this ideal point of reference of how they should be externally (Decker, 2010).
I really think it depends on the situation I am in. When you put me in a social situation, I know for a fact that my self-esteem is negative. On the rare occasion that I am at parties, I always feel like the odd man out. I just can’t understand how people talk so effortlessly. When it comes to sports, my self-esteem is through the roof. I have always been athletic and I find that when I am playing sports with strangers I am able to communicate. I think it stems from both what I think and what others think. I know I’m good at sports, but being picked first in gym class was reassuring. But when my friends go to parties, and I’m not invited, it makes me feel that people don’t want to talk to