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Lord of the Rings: Two Towers / Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban Comparison

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Lord of the Rings: Two Towers / Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban Comparison

In the two novels, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, written by author and Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban, written by author, there is a distinct relationship that is created through the idea that there are the chosen individuals are the only ones that can save the world.

The first novel, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a novel generally focusing on uniting ÐŽ§Middle EarthЎЁ, a term used to describe the human world, to defeat the enemy forces of evil controlled by a character described as pure evil named NAME. The actions of one small hobbit name Frodo Baggins, a race similar to humans, that will in fact determine the outcome of who is triumphant; not the actions of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers protecting the vast armies of Saruman.

Although authorÐŽ¦s style is completely different, considering the novels were written in separate generations, you could find many comparisons when relating back to the idea of ÐŽ§good versus evilЎЁ. In the second novel, Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban, there is a young boy named Harry Potter, whose parents were famous wizards but were allegedly murdered by an evil wizard named Sirius Black. His past is constantly being reminded to Harry, as news that Sirius Black has escaped from prison and is seeking out Harry. Harry and his close friends set out of an adventure to find the truth and lies of his past, only to uncover more treachery, lies, and deception.

These chosen heroes often follow a ÐŽ§collective unconsciousЎЁ [1], meaning that patterns emerge in all ÐŽ§good versus badЎЁ scenarios that are generally alike. There is the heroÐŽ¦s beginning, where a character is destined to do great things but is constantly in a struggle for power, the call to adventure, where heroes become very important is given a chance to prove himself, and the reward, when a character successfully completes his quest, there is some form of gratification and celebration [2]. Regardless of overwhelming odds to defeat evil, the forces of good call for reprisal, uniting their forces to defeat the enemy.

In heroÐŽ¦s beginning, the characters are introduced as very important and are going to serve a purpose, greater than him self which indefinitely will lead to the next stage of a heroÐŽ¦s recognized stature. Although it may not be evident at a specific time, the heroes are aware, to some extent, the dangers they are going to be facing. They may or may not have been confronted as of yet, but their journey is unfolding and important information is revealed. A lot of the characters abilities still remain unknown as of yet, because their skills and knowledge have not been pushed to their limits for their true nature to be discovered.

In Lord of the Rings, the hero Frodo Baggins does not have any magical powers, or is well known at all except his outstanding ability to never give up, unlike in Harry Potter who is recognized and famous. Despite his lack of heroic stature, he is well liked

[1] ÐŽV Archetype by Carl Jung

[2] ÐŽV The Characteristics of the Classical Hero and the Quest

by those who know him, especially his servant, Sam, who Frodo sees as an equal and best friend. This could be addressed as one of FrodoÐŽ¦s most important qualities as a hero because without his ability to see all people as equals Sam would have never shown the dedication to Frodo that would have saved his life on countless occasions. For example, even when Frodo had turned his back on Sam for supposedly betraying him, Sam continued on his journey behind Frodo only to find Frodo in a horrible predicament that required SamÐŽ¦s courage and dedication to help Frodo be freed by a spiders cocoon. Without FrodoÐŽ¦s growing sense of a community, and developing friendships, it is possible that Frodo would have been able to gather the courage, or perhaps turned back when the times were too tough for him to handle on his own. Frodo, who is constantly being outmatched by nature and his enemies, is still learning a lot of important essentials, such as the significance of a truly loyal friend, a righteous cause and the courage to keep on going; all of which are needed for the heroes beginning.„І Needs Quote

Unlike Frodo, Harry is well recognized, respected and even feared by some. Even though Harry is already somewhat surpassing the idea of a heroÐŽ¦s beginning, because Harry was born into a heroÐŽ¦s stature already, he is still no match for Sirius Black, who supposedly wants to kill Harry, like he did his parents. He has still very far to go, and much to learn before being able to face his fears. Throughout the novel, a professor of HarryÐŽ¦s school, Hogwarts, trains Harry with the assistance of a creature that can turn into your deepest and darkest fears imaginable. At first, when Harry attempts to conquer his fear to demonstrate his abilities, he is ineffective at taming the creature. Although he is unsuccessful at first, Harry demonstrates some of the same qualities as Frodo, and generally any hero, which is being able to show dedication at completing your task. Eventually, Harry is able to tame the creature after much practice and after gaining a little confidence in him self. His struggle for power and to prove himself pays off, because if it were not for his dedication to prove himself for who he is and not because his fame, he would have found himself in deep trouble towards the end of the novel where he faces the same creatures of which he fears the most and undoubtedly would have perished. After all, the most important part of the heroÐŽ¦s quest is the beginning preparation.„І Needs Quote

Although there are generally very basic guidelines when creating such novels, the authors are able to create diversity how the characters are developed into symbols of heroism. It can be as simple as creating a different kind of atmosphere, an example being the Hogwarts School of Magic versus the treacherous terrains of Middle Earth. Even though there is diversity, the basic principals of a heroÐŽ¦s growing stature and how to encompass it still do apply.

For the character to truly become a hero, he must undertake a quest to prove he is powerful enough to defeat the evil forces and deem his worthiness of a position of importance. After all, a hero is supposed to protect the people from any enemy, even when the quest seems impossible the hero has to step up to the task, against any odds, and prevail. The call to adventure does not serve a purpose for personal gain, but to accomplish something

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