Since the publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 1997, J.K. Rowling’s best-selling series has become enormously popular, evidenced in part by its translation into more than seventy languages (Plunkett). As its popularity has increased, it has been held in correspondingly higher esteem until Harry Potter finally joined the likes of Peter Pan and Robin Hood, and Rowling’s series was unofficially labeled Children’s Literature. Due to this station, it is being treated more seriously and examined more analytically. This attention has illuminated allusions and patterns that impose additional layers of meaning onto the story. Harry Potter’s quest, detailed through seven books and thousands of pages, includes archetypal characters, situations, and structure of a classic epic.
The main character of a classic epic is the epic hero. This hero is usually male, and he performs courageous, even superhuman feats which “determine the fate of a nation” (Stephens). He “must undertake a long and perilous journey, often involving a descent into the underworld,” during which his “endurance, courage, and cunning” are tested (Characteristics of an Epic Hero). A trip to the Underworld is usually accompanied, at some point, by “epic games” and one or more “vision[s] of the future” (Stephens). Though the hero’s friends might be great warriors, “he undertakes a task that no one else dare attempt” (Characteristics of the Epic Hero). In the course of his development, the hero passes through three stages, each consisting of several steps: first, the hero departs the known world; then embarks upon the quest, is transformed, and achieves maturity; and finally, the hero must return to the known (The Hero's Journey). The storyline ultimately ...
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...lunkett, Suzanne. "J.K. Rowling announces new book; Harry Potter fans react." 23 June 2011. The Washington Post. 6 June 2012 .
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 2007.
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Stephens, Jimmy. "Archetypes: Student Notes and Exercises." August 2007. 9 June 2012 .
"The Hero's Journey." Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. 8 June 2012 .
An epic hero is character who is brave and noble, and that person is someone who carries good leadership traits and goes through an epic journey. Usually an epic hero is from an epic, and an example is Odysseus. Odysseus goes through a journey to return back to Ithaca, his homeland. In the modern era, there are epic heroes all around us. They can be in books, movies, or plays. One great example of a modern epic hero is Woody from Toy Story 3. He is confident, courageous,selfless, and humane. Woody is a toy cowboy and his owner, Andy is going off to college. Woody and his buddies get misplaced and get donated to a child day care center. There, they have to try to escape and return home, after realizing how bad the place
An epic hero is a noble and brave person that accomplishes large goals. These noble and brave people have characteristics such as being selfless and loyal. What makes these characteristics so important in an epic hero? Being selfish can make the epic hero stray from the objective. On the other hand, being loyal shows commitment and dedication. An example of epic heroes are Dory and Odysseus. Disney’s movie Finding Dory is about Dory’s journey to find her parents. Homer’s epic The Odyssey, Odysseus goes on an expedition home after the Trojan War. Both Dory and Odysseus face many risks on their journey. However, Disney’s Dory and Homer’s Odysseus are both heroes that accomplish immense feats, but Dory is a more exceptional heroine than Odysseus as Dory is more loyal and selfless than Odysseus.
The definition of an epic hero can be defined as one who is triumphant in some manner that reflects the idea of his/her culture. “Heroes have always dominated mythology, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, history, and literature. No culture seems to lack tales of human, superhuman, or god-like heroes who save the innocent from the wicked, conquer evil, and deliver the threatened and oppressed” (Shunnaq). Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali and The Odyssey can be compared and contrasted in different ways. Both of these literary pieces are epics that contain heroes who precisely mirror the values of their respective ethnicities. While some values displayed in the epics are similar to each other, there are also disagreeing values between the two pieces of literature. Based on the examples from Nian’s Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali and Homer’s The Odyssey, the similarities and differences can easily be identified by one.
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.
The dominant factor in an epic is the heroic main character. This character often is the son of a god or goddess and is favored by the gods. Heroic characters are also always hounded by constant tragedy which drives them to fulfill their fates. Most heroic characters are high in social status and share close contacts with the gods. All of these qualities of heroic characters show up in the characters of Aeneas from The Aeneid and Gilgamesh from the Epic of Gilgamesh.
For a character to be an epic hero, he must possess four characteristics. These four characteristics include the following: (1) he must be high born, (2) the hero must have human weaknesses, (3) he must be brave,and 4) he must be clever. In The Odyssey, Homer’s character Odysseus was an epic hero because he possessed all four of the characteristics.
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.
Since the beginning of time epic tales have been passed on from generation to generation as a form of entertainment. Even though each epic is different in its plot, every epic has certain features in common. The prime example of their similarities is their main character, the hero of the epic. The hero's behavior changes from the beginning to the end of the tale. Since the plot revolves around the epic hero, in most cases, they are made to seem God-like, or larger then life, in their capabilities and strengths. The hero constantly has to conquer major obstacles to achieve their initial and final goal. Usually the hero is tremendously suspicious of other characters intensions. Also, this character usually demonstrates examples of hubris throughout the tale, which ultimately makes his journey more difficult. The epic heroes differences vary but in the epic tale, The Odyssey written by Homer, and the Greek drama, Oedipus The King written by Sophocles, the differences is what makes Oedipus fail and Odysseus succeed. In both these tales, the powerful gods enormously affect their decisions and the consequences they eventually have to face.
The Harry Potter series is a world filled with magic, adventures, and memorable quirky characters. All seven books by J.K. Rowling featuring Harry Potter the young boy wizard with a unique lightening scar and even more remarkable destiny continues to influence and inspire children and adults around the world. Rowling manages to balance humor and darker themes in the children’s books that allows for a wider range of audience to connect with the story. Themes such as death, love, sacrifice, prejudice, and good versus evil are major themes that occur throughout Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Harry Potter is a fascinating tale of sorcerers, wands, broomsticks, dragons, and magic. The story begins with a young boy named Harry Potter who lives at number four Privit Drive, Surray, England. His journey begins after the death of his parents at the hands of the evil Lord Voldemort. Harry learns of his past and his future as a wizard from Hagrid, the keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He travels to Hogwarts where he learns spells and enchantments, makes new friends, finds enemies, and discovers fantastic secretes. J.K. Rowling weaves a web of impeccable storytelling with this critically acclaimed novel. In the tale of Harry Potter imagery, symbolism, and motif take central focus.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone follows Harry Potter’s journey through his first year at Hogwarts and how he overcomes the challenges he faces. Throughout his struggles, multiple archetypes are demonstrated. Archetypes describe a certain situation, symbol, character, hero, number, or color, and they each contribute to the development of the plots of stories. J.K. Rowling displays the use of archetypes in various ways in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
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.
An epic hero is a main character who embodies the ideals of a certain culture. The character is named Beowulf and he represents the ideals of the Anglo-Saxon culture which were bravery, skillfulness, and generosity. Beowulf showed his braveness multiple times throughout the story. After he heard of a monster named Grendel who, for twelve years had been attacking King Hrothgar's mead hall Heorot, Beowulf traveled to the Danish islands to defeat him. Even though Beowulf didn't know anything about Grendel he went on a long voyage to reach the islands so that the Hrothgar's people need not live in fear. Then, after Beowulf Grendel, Grendel's mother came after the people of Heorot to avenge her son's death. To reach her, Beowulf had to dive into dark dangerous waters, facing unknown peril. He swam down through the shadowy lake by himself fighting off monsters the whole way. Once he did arrive at her lair a vicious fight ensued, but the courageous Beowulf came out victorious once again. Later in Beowulf's life, a dragon destroys his village and the large mead hall he had built for his men. Even though he knew he was no longer as agile and strong, Beowulf went straight to the dragon and gave a defiant shout of challenge.
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.
“Part of the secret of Rowling’s is her utter traditionalism.” “The story is a fairy tale, plus a build dungs roman, murder mystery, and cosmic war of good vs evil. The story starts as Harry as a baby and tells his early life. The whole story we are trying to figure out why Harry’s parents are dead and why. We later find out about Voldemort and how Harry tries to destroy him. Rowling writing these in her stories makes them very interesting for readers like you to read.