Madison Hurst 10/31/2013 ENG 091 7:15-8:30

Harry Potter: A True Hero

Harry Potter? The sheer mention of that name incites excitement in the hearts of millions of dedicated fans. What made the Harry Potter series such a phenomenon? There were many contributing factors, but the sole reason the franchise became such a success lies in the hands of the protagonist, Harry Potter. Harry James Potter, has been described as a young, whimsical soul with the valiance of a lion, a heart made of gold, and with undying loyalty and trustworthiness. With these attributes, Harry Potter was able to defeat the Dark Lord thus capturing the hearts of thousands while saving the lives of millions. The most tragic incident in most one year-olds lives occurs when their mother is not nearby and their separation anxiety begins to kick in. However, Harry Potter was not a normal one-year old boy. For him, his tragedy occurred when Lord Voldemort murdered both of his parents in cold blood and attempted to murder young Harry. But to Voldemorts dismay, Harry was protected by his mothers love when she jumped in front of Harry, sacrificing herself. This is how the Boy Who Lived came to be. Having become the only wizard to survive the devastating Killing Curse thrust the young Potter to be a hero amongst the Wizarding World and instilled his bravery from within. This innate bravery led him to

do many great deeds like defeating the Dark Lord, thus saving not only the entire Wizarding community but mankind itself. Of course, those arent the only things that exemplify Harrys bravery. Another glorifying example of Harrys bravery can be traced back to the second book when he defeated the Basilisk and the memory of Tom Riddle who opened up the Chamber of Secrets. With his triumph against the basilisk, twelve year old Harry also saved the life of his future wife, Ginny. Just a few years later, Harry also rescued a young girl from drowning, slayed a dragon, and ultimately went to die in the Forbidden Forest to save the Wizarding community when he thought all hope was lost. He personifies the definition of bravery. A hero would not be one if they did not possess a truly altruistic spirit or a kind heart. Although Harry may not be the most altruistic wizard, he makes up for his lack of altruism by being a kind and loving soul. In the first novel, J.K. Rowling hinted at Harrys characteristic kindness when Harry saw his parents in the Mirror of Erised. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for a wizard to see something non-materialistic inside the Mirror of Erised is a remarkable feat. The first glimmer of his nature was acknowledged here but it wasnt until the story progressed that Harrys entire nature was revealed. Saving his cousin from the dementors despite their tumultuous relationship and dragging Cedric Diggorys lifeless body from the maze to give him a heroic death are a few of the things that make Harry Potter a kind and selfless hero. In order for one to be considered heroic, mankind needs to deem the aforementioned hero trustworthy enough. The Wizarding World deemed Harry trustworthy after he escaped Voldemorts wrath more than seven times in each of his school years. Although it wasnt apparent to the entire community, Harry committed several acts that made him a trustworthy character. Dumbledore entrusted him with the sole journey of finding and destroying all of the horcruxes. Being Dumbledores most trusted confidante would be enough for most other wizards to find him trustworthy. Another

occurrence of his trustworthiness came to be during his fifth year at Hogwarts when he secretly led a rebel group called Dumbledores Army. He personally trained several students in Defense of the Dark Arts when the course had been forbidden from the school. These students trust in their peer showed that Harry had true leadership abilities. Lastly, a true hero possesses loyalty. The most defining quality of each Gryffindor is their undying loyalty whether its towards their friends, family, or their passion. Being a Gryffindor, Harry had undeniable loyalty. Having lifelong friendships with Ron and Hermione and being faithful to Ginny despite being the most desired Wizard on the planet are two examples of Harrys legendary loyalty. One cannot be sure of their loyalty until it has been tested. Harrys loyalty was not tested until he had to come to terms with all of the backlash after Dumbledores death. What made him a loyal steed was how he still believed in the good nature of Dumbledore, despite the doubts that others had. Harrys characteristic loyalty made him a terrific role model for children to look up to. When a person typically envisions a hero, they imagine a hero having the profession of a fire fighter, police officer, nurse, etc. When a Harry Potter fan envisions a hero, Harry Potter comes to mind. With his valiance, kindness, trustworthiness, and loyalty, Mr. Potter possesses all of the attributes that makes one a hero. The Chosen One, The Boy Who Lived, Specky, Scrawny Git: Harry Potter is a man of many names. But one name that shall never leave him is hero.

Character: Harry Potter 1st Quality Brave 2nd Quality Caring 3rd Quality Trustworthy 4th Quality Loyal

Evidence of 1st Quality -Knew Voldemort was going to kill him when he met him in the Forbidden Forest, he went anyway to save peoples lives. -Fought Voldemort 7+ times since he first

Evidence of 2nd Quality -Although he fairly won the Elder Wand, he decided to not use it and give it to itS true owner. - In the mirror of Erised, instead of seeing himself with

Evidence of 3rd Quality -Dumbledore trusted him not to tell and with the task of finding the Horcruxes. -Was Dumbledores most trusted confidante and protg. -The entire legion of

Evidence of 4th Quality -Was a Gryffindor, whose houses most favorable quality is their undying loyalty. -Had a lifelong friendship with Ron and Hermione. -Never gave in to

entered Hogwarts. -Rescued his cousin, despite their bad relationship, from the dementors. -Left school and embarked upon a year long chase for Voldemores horcruxes while he was being hunted by Death Eaters. -Broke into many high security places, such as Gringotts Bank and the Ministry of Magic, just to help the Horcrux search. -Risked getting attacked by Werewolf Lupin in order to enable Sirius to escape with Buckbeak.

materialistic items, he sees his parents which shows that he isnt superficial. -Shows an undying love and compassion for Hermione, Ginny, and Ron. - Strongly guided by his own conscience. -Protected Cedric Diggorys dead body from Voldemort.

students who were not Death Eaters trusted him with their lives and throughout his journey to defeating Voldemort. - The entire wizarding world entrusted their fate in his hands.

temptations that would let the ones he cared about down. -Still had an undying loyalty to Dumbledore despite the stigma around him in the seventh book. -Stayed with Ginny despite being the most desired wizard on the planet.