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Conclusion for free will vs fate
Analysed Harry Potter novel
Conclusion for free will vs fate
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Dr. Julia Pond, is an Assistant Professor of English at Shorter University. She received her Ph.D. from Illinois State University in 2012. She currently teaches several classes in Children’s Literature, and several of her classes focus on topics that are pertinent to educating the young and middle-grade children. She has several published articles and is well recognized in her field. In her article, “A Story of the Exceptional: Fate and Free Will in the Harry Potter Series”, she addresses Friedrich Nietzche’s fate and free will philosophy, and using the Harry Potter books, she argues that Rowling allows her characters free will, with a fair amount of fate and shows us how the two forces can work in balance. I was fascinated with this article.
I have to admit that I am not that familiar with the Harry Potter series, as strange as that might sound with millions of other people waiting patiently for the next book. I enjoyed the first movie but have not seen any of the subsequent ones or read any of the novels. That being said, I am very familiar with the concepts of fate and free will. As a life-long student of the metaphysical sciences, I have read several classics by theorists such as, for example; Nietzche, Hesse, Camus, etc. as well as the teachings of several new-age teachers, for example; Tolle, Williamson, Dyer, etc. In reading this article I was reintroduced to reminders of these teachings, as well as opening a new door, and a desire to now read the Harry Potter series, due to the article
written by Dr. Pond. It is obvious that children enjoy the series, but book store owners also say that adults enjoy them just as much. In reading this article, I can understand why.
Dr. Pond provides examples throughout...
... middle of paper ...
...o by-pass or produce those outcomes. Dr. Pond reminds the reader that Rowlings was writing about far more than just a mystical story. She notes that Rowlings is teaching a Nietzschean lesson through her character’s actions. They understand that it is their fate that will determine their future but they have free will to operate within those futures. Just as we all do, in our own lives.
Works Cited
Carroll, L., & Zwerger, L. (1999). Alice in Wonderland. New York: North-South Books.
Dr. Julia Pond | Shorter University. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://su.shorter.edu/dr-julia-pond/
Draper, S. M. (2010). Out of my mind. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Tolkien, J. R. (1997). The Hobbit and the lord of the rings. New York: Ballantine Books.
White, E. B., Williams, G., & Rosenwald, E. G. (1952). Charlotte's web. New York: Harper.
Harmon, William, William Flint Thrall, Addison Hibbard, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.
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.
Tolkien, J. R. R., and Douglas A. Anderson. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
The Web. The Web. 1 Apr 2011. http://0-www.jstor.org.library.acaweb.org/stable/3527981>. Parker, Michael.
...s to avoid fate, a chain of unexpected unfortunate events are unleashed and a divine master plan is fulfilled. Man must simply act according to his own convictions concerning the matter and hope that if Fate is indeed existent, there might be an even balance between her and the freedom of choice.
...conditioned self and the true self. She both wishes to be accepted and to be set free from the group's expectations. She wants the perfect body and face and yet realizes the lack of importance therein. Harry Haller, in the end, could not completely understand the game of life, but understood that the willingness to play and the eagerness to sort through the inner self are what really matter. I have realized that, in the end, I must learn the same lesson. The road ahead will not be easy, just as Harry's journey was long and arduous. Fear and fleeing are no longer options, though. It is an archetypal, inherent knowledge within each human being that self-knowledge is key to a true existence, and both the Steppenwolf and the teenaged girl realize the importance of this expedition.
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again. New York: Ballantine, 1982. Print
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. First Ballantine Books Ed. Ballantine Books, 1965. Print.
Tolkien, J.R.R. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1954. Print.
Fate vs free will is an overwhelming topic, and is a subject that is covered by numerous texts throughout history. It is often hard to determine where fate ends and free will is allowed to begin. Paradise Lost tries to tackle this area between fate and free will between creation and the creator. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein also deals with similar issues by delving into the relationship between Victor Frankenstein the creator and his monster. I believe these texts setup interesting scenarios to make the reader question whether or not creations have free will especially when it comes to their relationships with their creator.
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.
Web. The Web. The Web. Oct. 2009. Boulard, Garry.
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.
Gale, Michael J., 1993. Web. The Web. The Web. 11 Mar. 2011. The. Morgan, Susan.
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.