Harry Potter: An Epic Hero with a Twist
Although not the first character who comes to mind when the thought ‘epic hero’ is mentioned, Harry Potter has many of the qualities necessary for the job. Already the star of five books, Harry has managed to encounter many out of the ordinary situations, and handled them like the epic heroes depicted in earlier British literature. Harry Potter, is a modern character who puts a new twist on the idea of an epic hero. In comparison to the traditional epic heroes, there are many differences, but also many similarities. Harry possesses the super-human qualities that are a necessity for being considered an epic hero, but the qualities he has are evolved versions of those the traditional heroes posses. In the Harry Potter books, Harry belongs to Gryffindor, which is named after Godric Gryffindor, one of the greatest wizards to ever have lived. J.K. Rowling has said that there is a connection between Godric Gryffindor and Godric’s Hollow. In Godric’s Hollow, St. Godric has the ability to know the events that occur hundreds or thousands of miles away. Harry also possesses this abilit
The third quality that all epic heroes must have is loyalty. Harry is the most loyal to his family. Although Lord Voldemort killed his mother and father on his first birthday, he still lives as though they are watching over him. In the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry learns of his godfather, Sirius Black, and begins to show the same loyalty towards him. When Harry faces Peter, the man who led Voldemort to his parents, he stops Black from killing him by saying “I don’t reckon my dad would’ve wanted them to become killers – just for you” (Prisoner of Azkaban pg. 376) Harry Potter as an epic hero creates new hope for modern literature. It is so difficult to find new examples of epic heroes because the qualifications are so strict. It is useful to have a modern parallel to traditional epic heroes so that future generations will be able to further understand the entirety of an epic hero. Although each epic hero differs greatly, they all have many of the same qualities, and each one has his or her ultimate goal they are trying to reach, and along t
Some topics in this essay:
Harry Potter,
Professor Quirrell’s,
Prisoner Azkaban,
Hogwarts Harry,
St Godric,
Harry Peter,
Phoenix Harry,
Secrets Harry,
Lord Voldemort,
Ron Harry,
harry potter,
epic hero,
epic heroes,
traditional epic heroes,
traditional epic,
prisoner azkaban,
future generations,
bravery harry,
godric’s hollow,
books harry,
book harry,
book harry potter,
Join now to see the rest of the essay!
Approximate Word count = 738
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
CUSTOMER SERVICES
| |
|
Example Essays Home
