The importance of parental support in Angus and Harry Potter

Role models are individuals who inspire others by the decisions they make or the actions they pursue. Parents may be a prime example of role models as they have the capability of displaying virtues of love, strength and friendship throughout a child’s life. However, in many cases when these virtues are not apparent amongst the parental figures, other means of inspiration are sought. Louise Rennison’s ‘Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging’ and J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter, and the Philosopher’s Stone’ are both novels that portray parental figures throughout their plots. These characters serve to reinforce the importance of supporting a child through his or her upbringing in order to positively affect the development of the child.

A child must be loved unconditionally in order to help him or her to feel comfort and support throughout his or her life. In ‘Harry Potter, and the Philosopher’s Stone’, the parental roles are taken on by Harry Potter’s aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. The love in the Dursley’s home is unequally directed towards Harry’s cousin Dudley, lea

Individuals grow due to different experiences within their lives; whether it is people they meet or things they discover about themselves they still require support from their loved ones. Harry Potter exemplifies development due to age as he discovers that at Hogwarts he is the most popular and idolized hero who survived Voldemort’s attacks. Due to this sudden attention that Harry received, he becomes overwhelmed with it but handles it in a humble manner. He is able to stay grounded in spite of all the expectations of him being a spectacular wizard and grows as a person although he lacks support from his uncle and aunt. “But the news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow, and Harry didn’t know which was worse- people telling him he’d be brilliant or people telling him they’d be running around underneath him holding a mattress” (Rowling 133).The previously non-existence courage inside of Harry is now blatantly present as he takes on the position of the Seeker in the Quidditch match. Here, Harry displayed his own sense of individuality and rids his lack of self-esteem. He was reluctant at first as to how the match would be but as starts playing he takes risks and grows as an individual. In a negative aspect, it takes a long time and a lot of courage for Harry to take on this risk because of his lack of parental figures to support him. However, he is still able to find it within himself to take on new challenges that will test his limits.

On the contrary, Georgia also matures but does so via experiences she is put into at home that are intertwined to family relations. As her dad leaves for Whangamagta, Georgia acknowledges that her mom is emotionally unstable. Thus, her ability to provide her mom with support stems from the support that her parents have embraced her with when she was in a similar position. “Vati left today….Mum is all glum and sniveling, so I bought her some Milk Tray. That made her cry more, so I don’t think I’ll do it again” (Rennison 139). Georgia’s development occurs in stages as the journal progresses. She gradually recognizes through various events, (such as Jas being upset at her) that her family will always be there for her and in turn she must also return the favor. Georgia’s mentality evolves in light of the support she has received in her upbringing as well as the wisdom she gains through age.

The pursuit for a dream is difficult when various obstacles are lying in the path; this can discourage an individual as in Harry Potter’s case, or encourage an individual to oppose the challenge, in Georgia’s case. Both cases are deeply rooted in the idea of receiving support from parental figures. In Harry’s case, he had his most important dream shut down due to the lack of support the Dursley’s provided him. Harry learned through negative reinforcement that the Dursley’s were not ones who would support him in pursuit of his dreams; therefore his ability to dream was not as pungent as Georgia’s. Georgia on the other hand, received direct support throughout her life. Although her parents may not have approved of having a boyfriend at such a young age, she was still able to stay positive and reach out for her dreams. Georgia’s ability to do so illustrated that due to positive support throughout h

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