Wizard-Archer!!!

Wizard Archer!

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Farewell, all!

Thanks for a great semester! I wish you all the best!

Final Class Thoughts - Magic

We have spent the entire class talking about different aspects of magic across a large period of time and how peoples' idea of what magic is has changed. In the medieval period magic was often seen as a form of sacrilege used by heretics, given to them by demons and devils. As time progressed though we see a changing view point that came across strikingly in the Grimm Fairy-tales. In those we see magic as a form of wonderment and joy, something to be hopeful for. That sentiment has continued even till this day with the such classics as The Lord of The Rings and Harry Potter.

What I would like to propose is an answer to the question we were asked at the beginning of this year an answer to what magic means to you, in this case me. After spending an entire semester in this class and learning what it had to teach about magic, which I am sure is only equal to a small bit of the material out there in the world, I have come up with an answer to that question.

My answer is simple magic is that thing in life that takes away all your worries, if even for  a split moment in time. An example of this is when Harry got the letter in the mail to go into to Hogwarts it completely changed his life. I think that is what can be considered magic the ability to change a persons life for the better.

What Makes a Successful Fairy Tale?

In my last Blog Post I mentioned The Fisherman's Wife, which is one of the lesser-known Grimm Brothers' fairy tales. I became curious about why it has not achieved the status held by Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. Certain elements such as the appeal of a strong female character separate these tales. In Red Riding Hood and Cinderella, the female character is prominently featured, but takes on a more innocent role. In Red Riding Hood, the the character of Red Riding Hood is a sweet girl who made a very human mistake while taking sweets to her grandmother.  Her only flaw stems from talking to a stranger, and while the stranger was no ordinary passerby (rather a giant talking wolf), Red Riding Hood is seen as an innocent girl who didn't follow directions. In Cinderella, the character of Cinderella is as pure as one can be. She goes to her mother's grave every day and weeps under the tree she grew with her TEARS. (Because "Cry Me a River" is too mainstream.) Cinderella is a picture of innocence in her story

The Villain of Rumpelstiltskin?

In every story we know from our childhood, there is a bad guy and a good guy.  It is a staple to our Disney movies, a necessity to every video game, and a crucial point to our books.  It is only recently that the "bad guy" has started to become something abstract - such as "understanding each other" being the main conflict of Brave.  Considering that Rumpelstiltskin was written long before this new pattern started to emerge...who is the bad guy?

Most of you will jump the gun and say it is Rumpelstiltskin.  However, I do not believe this is the case.  Rumpelstiltskin was an honest person who stuck to his deals.  He offered to help a woman in need, spinning an entire room of straw into gold and taking only a ring or necklace as payment.  By that logic, it is obvious that he had no need of money.  Why help her for such a small payment in return? 

Perhaps it was so he could manipulate her into giving up her first born child.  But no where in the story does it say Rumpelstiltskin could see the future (unless we are going by Once Upon a Time - which is completely different).  There is no way he could have known for certain that the king would offer marriage or that a first born would be an option. 

Further proving he is not a bad guy, he agrees to amend his contract and give the grieving mother three days to guess his name.  Now, his name was obscure and yes, he had no intention of her figuring it out.  But if you look at it from another perspective, it is giving a mother three more days with her child in order to prepare for the separation.  It is a kindness. 

So, assuming that Rumpelstiltskin is not the bad guy, who is?  Some may argue that it is the Queen who breaks her contract.  Yet I question - did she really break it?  She, of course, did not want to give up her child and cried over it but she did not say she would not give up her child as their verbal contract stated.  It was Rumpelstiltskin who pitied her and changed the terms.  And yes, she was happy when she guessed his name but was she really happy to see Rumpelstiltskin die?  The story does not say.

What about the King?  Well, he is certainly a negative force.  "Spin this straw to gold or die" and what not does not exactly ring the tone of a paladin.  He is the driving force that continues to push Rumpelstiltskin and the girl together until the final deal is made.  If I were to pinpoint where the bad guy truly resides, I would have to say it is the King. 
Talk about being married to a prick. 

Final Class Thoughts

At the beginning of the semester my knowledge of magic was only that of common knowledge due to the representation of what has been shown through modern movies and books. Upon entering the class i had the hopes of learning why and where these beliefs and displays had originated from.  Now i have the answers to my question...I think?  As we learned in the early stages of the class magic was used by those who were in the eyes of the church, devil/demon worshipers.  How can this be since the way people view magic today is a "gift" and those who can see the future or make things disappear are paid for their services as well as almost worshiped by youth who read books such as Harry Potter and the Lord of The Rings.  As we learned this correlation is false as magic that was used in the past was not at all similar to the common form presented today.  Overall I enjoyed reading many of the stories and excerpts provided throughout the class with the exception of a few (mainly from Kors and Peters) they presented many different views on the development of magic.

In the past magic was primarily used as a form of gaining an advantage over others by destroying their crops or causing illness to suddenly fall upon an enemy.  The readings progressed and showed that people who were capable of such magic were not "gifted" as this type of magic required learning and practice, which began to cloud my understanding. This soon passed as we read the many different stories of Merlin and finally I had read about someone who was born with the “gift” of said knowledge.  Unfortunately as stated in the readings Merlin was born with his powers because of the actions of a demon and the devil which brought disappointment.  The only readings which were able to bring light to my question were actually books in which I had previously read but through reading and discussing them in class I was able to finally understand why Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings showed such need for the use of magic as a “gift”.  The need for such wizards like Gandolf in Lord of the Rings showed how those with such little power in the world like the hobbits on their journey would be lost and alone without him guiding them through their journey. And through Harry Potter it displayed that a boy who had been through so much pain and suffering, some of which he did not even know, was able to have magic enter his life and finally make him feel normal and accepted for who he is. 

A quote that my grandfather has always said to me throughout my years of schooling is that “knowledge is power, and power leads to success, so learn all you can while you can and never stop”.  This is a quote that I can greatly relate to our class and the transitions of magic which I think has helped me tie all of these different concepts.  As magic was displayed in the readings of Kors and Peters there was little knowledge in the world at this time as only those with access had power to influence those into believing the horrors of witchcraft.  As the world progressed those who were previously without knowledge were now able to learn and they began to understand what powers witchcraft actually contained changing the world view to what it has become. 

The worlds of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings may be fictional which may be why it is easy to accept them and make them popular but now I realize that that magic actually had a place in the real world which differed very much and at one time was a serious issue.  In some ways there are similarities between these real world issues and those presented in fictional stories but now I can sort of piece them together and understand how these applications have relevance and shape our view of magic’s current place in the world…I think.

Harry Potter last thoughts

The story of Harry Potter as caught on to become a large part of many lives since its creation.  As I have examined the story alongside the multiple other readings we have read throughout class it has become clear that there are many things that relate to the past presented by reading Kors and Peters. The first thing i began to notice is that although it seems like magic is good as displayed in Harry Potter they must still hide in secrecy, why could this be? Could it be that they are feared and that the world will shun them to the point that incidents of witch hunts and the overall ban of magic similar to what was presented through the views and pushes of the catholic church? Or could this secrecy be a view of those in control of  the people in the world of Harry that the separation of "Muggles", witches and wizards  is necessary for protection  as those who cannot use magic are vulnerable and weak to those who can. This could be because there is the possibility of wizards to use such great power as displayed by "You know who" that could easily over power the weak which would cause the world to drop into chaos.   The second connection I have seen throughout our readings is that the common denominator of magic is that it requires learning (Except for the one special exemption: Merlin).  This is displayed in many examples such as our reading in Kors and Peters which shows that magic requires precision and learning for their rituals to work properly and give the correct results as well as in The Tempest where Prospero's books were his source of power and knowledge.  The setting of a school in Harry Potter clearly carries on this view as some come into the school with slight knowledge of magic and some have none whatsoever but once they attend school they are taught everything through the use of books and procedures to ensure that they achieve perfection of their rituals and  verbal annunciations. So in summary why are these readings so similar in context but the disapproval of such things as magic in the past versus the acceptance of the world of Harry Potter so different?

Looking back on the semester

The last question that Dr. MB asked us in class was something like "Why do we still keep coming back to magic?" As in literature and movies and such.  And I think that it is because it gives us somewhere else to go.  These stories we have read that have had magic in them have been in completely different "worlds."  Somewhere hidden from us "muggles." Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings series are perfect examples because it is like they are in a world of their own.  They seem far off and hidden and we can only wish to be there.

People came up these places as a means of entertainment from everyday life. There is no "magic" in real life.  Nothing really miraculously changes on command, you can't talk to animals, you can't use spells.  So we created a place where we could.  And we use this place to get away to.  Theres nothing like being able to do something that takes your mind off of everything that stresses you out or is monotonous.

These magic realms are the perfect place to go where something heroic and mighty can happen.  Somewhere you wish you were at, right next to the main character helping them on their quest.  People always want to get away, go on vacation, and having these stories with magic in them is like a temporary vacation.  People keep coming back and writing about it and make shows or movies about it because they want to create their own magical world like others have done.  Hopefully others can use it to get away in.

Looking Back

In my British Literature class, I did a post where I looked at the influence map we made at the beginning go the semester, and thought about what images I would change from what I learned over the semester. That post was helpful for in me reflecting on the semester, and in getting ready for finals, so I'm going to do it for this class too.

On my first influence map for this class, I had a lot of images that referred to types of magic ideas and beliefs like alchemy or voodoo. I had images from movies like The Witches and Harry Potter, and The Wizard of Oz, which showed that many of my ideas of magic came from popular entertainment. Through the semester, I have found that some of my ideas of magic have changed.

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On my first influence map, I included an image of the Disney version of Sword in the Stone. I would still include an image of Merlin on my map, but what I've learned over the semester is that Merlin is not just a ridiculous old man, he is a character that has evolved and changed over time. I've learned that there are multiple versions of Merlin, and while the version from The Once and Future King is the version that closely matches my idea of Merlin, other stories have given Merlin different powers, which influences the way he lives his life. In Geoffrey of Monmouth, Merlin has the power to see the future,which causes him to eventually leave civilization and move to the woods. In the Prose of Merlin, Merlin is able to see the past and the future because his father is a demon and he inherited his powers and God gave him the power to see the future. In the Sword in the Stone, his magical powers included talking to animals. In the BBC Merlin, the character is able to move objects with his mind, and is young instead of old. Merlin would be included in my map because his character and survived since at least 1150 AD. His magic has evolved, and is still a major influence in how we view a magical person. When thinking of one I still think of an old man with a cloak and hat with white beard. Merlin would be necessary to keep on my map because he does represent a magical person.

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Another image that I knew about, but never considered for my first map, was the history of witch trials. The extent of the knowledge I had for witch trials came from Salem without even thinking about Europe. I learned from the Witchcraft in Europe text about religious views, and how they influenced the view of magic. When we looked at text like The Hammer of the Witches there were intense misogynistic views that would make claims about traits that meant a woman was a witch, but then also noted that if the woman could do the opposite of the trait they could still be a witch. It was the ultimate "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario. I also found this text to be interesting because it described the trials for witches, where I was able to draw parallels from our own court systems. It was scary because instead of our "innocent until proven guilty system", they relied on a "guilty until proven innocent". I feel this would need to be included on my map because it refers to the history of magic and witchcraft, and carries a lot of importance in understanding how views of magic have changed.

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On my original influence map, I included an image of a Grimm's Fairy Tales book cover and an image of "Hansel and Gretel". If I were to redo this assignment I would include a picture of "Cinderella" similar to this. I think I tend to forget about the magical element of "Cinderella". In the tale "Cinderella" talk to animals and nature, and in turn they support her in her goals, helping her to eventually marrying the Prince. The other aspect of Grimm Fairy Tales that is important to note, is the dark tone of the tales like the stepsisters cutting off their toes and heels. It questions who the true audience of these tales were suppose to be? If they were for older people, how come we have gotten to the point where we view the stories as innocently recreational? and Why have they bee censored?

The last image I would include that I hadn't is Lord of the Rings. This text included many different ideas of magic by using different characters like hobbits, elves, wizards, dwarves, and men, and seeing how these character use magic. This text goes beyond magic, but includes political views through the different races, and also focuses on a magical element. Ultimately, this text showed how magic was used in a battle between good and evil, and the difficulty to es on a magical element. Ultimately, this text showed how magic was used in a battle between goodd evil, and the difficulty to not cross that line.



Post 5/5

Final thoughts

           At the beginning of the semester, my blogs were a bit jumbled in thoughts. As I reflect back on the semester I can see clearly now that my blogs are still just as jumbled, go figure! For this last blog, I wanted to collect my thoughts and discuss how I felt about the things we learned throughout the classes. I actually really enjoyed the class, I am a history and archaeology major, and most of the classes I take are standard lecture and note taking classes. We never read anything like fuzzy baby Merlin. However, I did not enjoy some readings at all.

Granted, it did take up the entire first half of the semester, but when we were done with it, I wanted to toss Kors/Peters into the fires of Mount Doom. That darn Aquinas. With the exception of the Malleus Malificarum, I thought the readings were painful to read. I liked the Hammer of Witches because it was utterly ridiculous. I mean, witches cannot cry but some can. Witches cannot lie but some can. It was very humorous to read…. However, I do not think I will never look at birds’ nests the same way again…

But, I think my all time favorite readings in this class were the Grimm fairy tales. In addition, I was very happy that one of the stories we had to read for class happened to be my favorite Grimm tale (Godfather death). A bit of a dark story, I know, but the guy totally had it coming. 

The last class we had Dr. Mitchell-Buck posed the question why do people still believe in magic, and why do we continue to write about it? I think it gives us an escape from reality. In many of these stories, it is an ordinary person who happens to stumble upon something fantastic and gets to go on an adventure. Well, who wouldn’t want that? In reality if we were Harry Potter, it wouldn’t be Hagrid showing up at the door it would probably be child services. But who wouldn’t want a letter rubber stamped with the message YOU’RE MAGICAL!  Plus I’d totally be down with a pet owl. Magic lets us tap into our imagination and see things in a different way. 

Blog 5 of 5

Lord of The Rings...Final thought...

As I began to analyze Harry Potter a little more, I too began to wonder as to why Lord Of The Rings didn't catch on as much. In my personal belief, I absolutely love Lord Of The Rings. I love reading the books and watching the movies and seeing how intense they got. They certainly made the movies so well and remember first reading them and getting so hyped to read them! I even remember how Legolas was and still certainly is my favorite character. Legolas is just so badass and makes any situation seem that much more hardcore and diehard. However, when I was analyzing I did of course forget to realize the obvious, Lord Of The Rings books and movies were not made necessarily with the intention of having readers and viewers as young as the Harry Potter stories. But believe it or not, I found that Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter share a lot of the same qualities.....in the sense that they both have "underdogs" or small characters that end up doing great things and taking on big, they are written in a fictional work that is easy to tap into and understand, and there is huge and apparent theme of good versus evil- with good always triumphing in the end. Yay or nay, thoughts on this one guys?

Who likes Harry Potter? I DOOOOOOOOO!

After looking at series of passages in Harry Potter, I've come to the final conclusion that everyone seems to truly love Harry because he's considerably a underdog throughout the plot and people love to "exist" in a world other than the real world. A world of fiction. It allows you to temporarily escape your "current world" and focus on the plot of the story that let us say something that is going on in your life. Many people actually cherish the opportunity to escape to another dimension or realm. I know myself, I certainly loved and cherish books by Nicholas Sparks and I remember getting so heart-felt and mushy feeling when I read novels like The Lucky One or The Notebook. It was great to able to kind of transport myself into a different realm and feel happy and content when I had to endure a hot and boring day at work haha! Mainly, what I think is absolutely outstanding is the fact that Harry seems so timid and apprehensive, yet his true courage, bravery, and heroism shines through in the scary situations he encounters like when he was in The Forbidden Forest and he sees Lord Voldemort drinking the blood of a unicorn or even when he goes through all the "traps" to protect the Sorcerer's stone from Lord Voldemort who we later find out "inhabits" the body of Professor Quirrell. Does anyone feel the same about Harry?

"Tougher" Books

When I was very young, the adults in my life were often just absent enough to keep me relatively alone, but not absent enough for me to wind up electrocuting myself with a fork in an electrical socket. It wasn’t until I was a little older, maybe seven or eight, that my mother finally started coming home from work with enough energy for us to do things together. We wound up reading together, taking turns at some “tougher” books that she thought I would like. Of particular merit and interest was, of course, Harry Potter. With the announcement earlier this year that there would be more movies set within the Harry Potter universe, the potential for the setting to continue well into the foreseeable future.

Was Harry Potter a family activity for you when you were younger? Is it something that you would want to share with your children? What sorts of inspiration would you like to see be utilized by the writers as the setting continues to grow in popularity and scope? Do you think the Malleus Maleficarum, or any of the texts that we’ve read for class, could or will be referenced? If so, how?

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5 of 5

Magic

Near the end of this semester, Dr. Mitchell-Buck asked us why magic in books is so well liked? Why are Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter so important to society? Well after taking this class I feel the reason magic has such a big impact on literature nowadays is the escapism that it gives off. Magic has this idea behind it that it is unobtainable in our own world, and being the greedy society we are we all want that which we cant have. Its common psychology, like when you give a ball to one child, the other will want that ball just because the other has it. Then when the child gets the ball he doesn't even want it anymore. That's what magic is to us, we want it because we cant have it, but if we did get it we would tire of it very quickly. Magic has always been this great thing that seems to be so fantastical, but I think that is only because we don't have it. there are many things we do have in the world that are pretty fantastical them selves but because we can see them every day they don't seem so great. Take a rainbow for example, do you even know how a rainbow is made? Light refracts off of rain drops thus producing every color of the visible light spectrum. If you don't think that is one of the most magical things then something is wrong. But of course, since rainbows happen all the time most people just pass by them with out a second glance. Only things that are out of the ordinary are seen as special, and thus seen as better than the ordinary. That is what magic gives to these books, they give a look into an out of the ordinary world that people can imagine they live in. People want to escape to these worlds to change up the mundane life they are living. Magic, the final frontier.

Was Dumbledore Really Needed? o.O

First, I want to start off by saying that I do adore Dumbledore as a character.  The wise old man with crescent spectacles did hit a soft spot with me.  There is just something about an elderly man watching over you that gives a sense of peace and I think that is what J.K. Rowling was going for, which made him an important character within the story itself. 

However, I have doubts about whether Dumbledore was truly needed for Harry's development.  We discussed that Dumbledore was a guiding figure for the Hogwarts student, much like Merlin was for King Arthur or Gandalf was for Frodo.  Yet throughout the books and movies, he does not have much interaction with him.  He is there at the beginning, occasionally in the middle, and at the end he provides a final conclusion for the events that took place under the school.  Otherwise, at least in the first book, you only ever see him during dinner time or at a quidditch match. 

From my perspective, he does not truly aid Harry.  At least, not in any way that another professor would have.  Take McGonagall for example.  She could have easily replaced Dumbledore for most of his scenes.    Like when he was explaining the mirror.  Professor McGonagall would have been able to tell the young hero the same things he needed to know. 

If you put that in comparison to Gandalf, it is easy to tell that no one could have replaced him.  The only character mentioned with equal power as a wizard was Sauron and he was needed as a bad guy!  Gandalf was needed to find the ring initially.  How would a hobbit even know of the rings of power?  He was needed again to fight the Balrog.  None of the other heroes could have done that.  And again, he was the only one who could have gone off to find the riders of Rohan in time because of his connection with the horse, Shadowfax.  Likewise, with Merlin there was no one who could have taken his place.  How many educated, politically connected prophets do you honestly think could be walking around the earth at one time?

 
Now, I know a counter argument for this will be that Dumbledore was needed for his power.  He is built up as a powerful wizard through out the story, what with his picture being a collectible card and him having the elder wand.  And yet, he rarely uses it.  We do see him use it in the Order of the Phoenix as he duels with Voldemort to save Harry; however, again I have to say that someone else could have stepped in.  It is stated that the aurors are on their way.  Had they interceded instead, the same conclusion could have been reached. 

But what about his knowledge of the horcruxes?  This might be one of the hardest points to counter.  Yet, the author could have made Hagrid know since he went to school with Tom Riddle.  That development was at the authors discretion and that is really the only way to counter that. 

So, if Dumbledore is not the guiding figure...who is?  That is answered by looking at the people Harry surrounded himself with: Ron and Hermione.  It is often said that a person's friends help morph who they are and what they can accomplish.  In this case, I think it is very true.  They are his support, his foundation.  It is evident in the last book just how fundamental they are; Dumbledore is dead and they persevere together.  If any characters are Harry's guiding light, it is those two.

To sum it up, I believe Dumbledore was not integral to the story.  He was put in for feel goods and nothing more where as Gandalf and Merlin are needed.  There is no story without those two but with the Harry Potter series, he could have been left out. 

...Again, not saying I do not love Dumbledore.  :)  

This may be a little late, but finals week is coming, so give me a break.

Lord of the Rings is not what I expected it to be. I actually enjoyed reading it and discussing it in class, which was a very big shock to me. I am usually not really into science fiction and fantasy things, but Lord of the Rings kind of made me change my mind.

My favorite discussion we had in class was about why a ring was chose as the object of magic rather than a person. The theory I agree with most is that a ring is a very generic object, and it is easy to view it as encompassing all temptation rather than just one. If the story depicted a person as possessing all the magic, first of all, the name of the story would make no sense, but that character would also most likely have one fatal flaw, and that one fatal flaw would correspond with one specific temptation. Having a ring be the magical object makes it easy to align it with any temptation, and not just have it focus on one temptation in general.

I think the use of the ring also plays an important role in human decency as well. People do not want to believe that another person can be inherently evil like the ring it, and giving someone the powers the ring has would make that a true case. Instead, the story has someone who is meant to destroy the ring. Giving someone the mission of destroying something evil paints humanity in a better light than having the person be the thing that is so evil.

I also like that the story has a very clear cut view of good and evil. It is so easy to see who is good and who is bad, and I think that is one of the reasons the story is so popular. People like having someone to root for, an underdog that they hope will be the victor at the end of the story. This concept of good and evil can also translate to the real world because people want to believe that if they do the right thing and make the right decisions, good things will happen to them and they will live a happy life. I think these concepts are what have kept this story going for so long and why it is so popular. At least, they are what won me over.

When Reviewing Brothers Grimm...

When I started my review for the exam, I wanted to go back over the stories from Brothers Grimm and partially because they were absolutely entertaining to read. As I re-read Rumpelstiltskin, I though it was insanely interesting to analyze the weird contrasts between the Brothers Grimm version and the version from Once Upon A Time. First, of all, can we just acknowledge the creepy and sketchy Dark One is in the Once Upon A Time version and how much of a freaking jerk he was. That was so rude and disrespectful making Rumpelstiltskin kiss his boot and practically bow down to him in front of his son. I would be so ashamed and unbelievably embarrassed. It is really crazy to see the difference in the stories as well....one is somewhat like a Disney type, where there is a problem presented and someone prevails in the end. While the Once Upon A Time version is all hardcore and medieval- they oddly enough complete very different tasks or "adventures" to gain what they want in the end. As well, Rumpelstiltskin ultimately wants different things in both stories. In the  Once Upon A Time version he is seeking to gain absolute power to protect his son and in the Brothers Grimm version Rumpelstiltskin only wants to take the child away from the miller's daughter. I did however, love re-reading the story, The Mouse, The Bird and the Sausage. It was certainly a cute story to say the least but very sad in the end. I was absolutely heartbroken that essentially because the other stupid bird tried to convince the main bird that he was carrying most of the weight- thus leading to a disagreement about the balances of work. Ultimately leading to the swapping of tasks and because none of them knew what to do in their new tasks they either got eaten or killed. What a horrible way to end a story because for a majority of the story it definitely seemed like they had a good thing going for them. We seem to see an apparent theme of death in Brothers Grimm, at least from my perspective..... In the story, The Riddle, the princess is very adamant about being able to crack and solve any riddle thrown her way. With everyone who told her a riddle that could be solved, would eventually lose their head. The princess was also ready to go through extensive lengths to figure out the answer to a riddle by sneaking in on the prince who told her the final joke while he was sleeping and covering herself in a robe so she could disguise herself. Too bad, she was caught when she though she would get away with it.....haha serves her right. Overall, it is definitely refreshing to see a twist in simple short stories that you would completely expect a sappy, happy ending but that is not what you get at all. Prime example, Brothers Grimm version for Cinderella.....enough said.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

 I’m attempting to put a study guide together of sample passages from each of our readings on the exam; it’s a work in process. Reading over all of the past things, it just has me thinking about how much my thought of magic has changed from the beginning of class to the end. At first I really didn’t think of the in-depth thought of actual magic throughout the ages. Of course Harry Potter and Gandalf were the first two people I thought of when I heard magic, but they’re only characters in a more modern version of magic. Just from reading from Khors and Peters or of the four mystics, my perception has changed. Could magic just be a science that we don’t understand yet? If that is the case I definitely think we have already started to understand it more and more. The technology and medicine that we have in today’s world is seriously magical. It may not seem like to us, but if you honestly think about it there is something there. Just imagine going back to the time of the massacre in Trier Germany and bringing one of our IPads with us. There is no doubt we would have been burnt at the stake instantly with such witchcraft. What if we told them we had a cure for numerous diseases that usually kill off thousands? They wouldn’t believe our “satanic” lies.

We have so much magic in our daily lives from technology, science, or even the power of a higher being. I never really acknowledged it until this class. Whenever I get the chance I brag about this class because it is honestly the coolest one I’ve ever heard of. Most people are so jealous to hear that I got to read Harry Potter for a college level class, which of course was COMPLETELY awesome. However, the thing the people won’t understand is the absolute thought that went into this class. We did indeed read some tough pieces, but I think we mastered it. I’m sad that the class is over because fantasy is something that is one of my top interests when it comes to books and movies. But you better believe I will be using this class as a hot topic for my next job interview.

“All we can do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us.”

–Gandalf, Lord of the Rings

This was my quote in my senior yearbook. It is by far my favorite quote ever.

Warning: Feminist rant below

It's what I do best!

After talking about why there is no real female equivalent to the bearded male wizard who is more powerful than everyone else and acts as a mentor to the hero of the story, I wanted to find some sort of character archetype that could match. Unfortunately, almost every powerful female magic user in the most famous stories of magic seem to be evil. It’s unfortunate, but I guess it goes back to misogyny (doesn’t everything, really?) and is a reflection of just how far society hasn’t come since the days of accusing random women of being witches. Sorry to go off on a feminist rant, but no, I’m actually not sorry.

I tend to prefer fantasy books, but I’ve unfortunately been disappointed by most fantasy novels intended for adults, because they typically tend to feature male protagonists. No offense to male characters or men in general, but to be honest…God, I am sick of you. I’m not being completely serious but it seems like authors who write fantasy novels with female protagonists are encouraged to write only young adult fiction, not adult fiction, because of the mistaken belief that women don’t read fantasy or science fiction (both of which are, incidentally, my favorite genres. Hmm.). It’s kind of sad that even in fantasy, where magic is an equalizer, when theoretically, anyone can be powerful, even if they lack physical strength, women are still seen as somehow lesser. It’s fantasy, and yet even in fantasy it’s hard to find someone to identify with. I’m not saying I can’t identify with male characters, because I’ve had to my entire life, but it’s because I’ve had to identify with male characters my entire life that it frustrates me so much to be unable to find female representation.

Hermione is great, but she’s not the lead. McGonagall is amazing too, but she’s not Dumbledore. And this is a young adult series. When I do find even young adult series with female protagonists in a fantasy environment, there are almost always stupid love triangles, making the book primarily a romance novel, rather than a book of fantasy. Even my favorite author falls victim to the dreaded love triangle sometimes (although she’s gotten way better about that over the years; there is still romance, yes, but at least the love triangles are gone). Women like romance novels, I guess? Is that all we’re supposed to read? I don’t understand that mindset. Men are expected to have diverse interests and are encouraged to be enthusiastic about “nerdy” things, and women…we like pink. And…romance. I like pink, but there is way more to me than that, and I’m not a fan of romance novels at all. 

This isn’t a problem exclusive to fantasy, but it is a problem with society, that there is a double standard even in novels. Authors are, of course, under no obligation to write something they don’t want to write, but it makes me really sad to think of how easily a male protagonist could be changed to a female, with no distinct differences between them, and how rarely it actually happens. And it seems especially unjust in a genre featuring magic, where all genders should be equal…but they aren’t.

(And if my math is correct, this should finally be 3,000 words)

Dumbledore and Gandalf

In my opinion, Dumbledore was a much better wizard than Gandalf.  I'm not saying Gandalf is a poor wizard though, he just isn't on the same level as Dumbledore.  Gandalf's main role in The Lord of the Rings was as a leader during role.  He pretty much directed troops on when and where to go.  He also fought along side with them.  But he never seemed to really use that much magic.  I mean shouldn't a wizard be use a good amount of magic? He did use his powers much more in the first movie than in the second and third movies.  In the second and third movies he played more of a war leader role.

But Dumbledore was always ready to use his magic.  He used his magic to defend Harry from the inferi, defeat Grindlewald, when he defended himself against the five ministry of magic workers in the fifth book, and he could defend himself from Voldemort unlike everyone else apart from Harry.  Dumbledore was also a great leader in battle and out of battle, just like Gandalf.

My decision is not made purely on use of magic though, leadership plays role but they are pretty much even in those categories.  I think that Dumbledore is more wise than Gandalf.  He was able to guide Harry to the right answer and give him the right piece of advice more often than Gandalf was able to give to Frodo.  Dumbledore did not blatantly tell Harry things though.  He would make riddles out of it or tell Harry stories or show him memories and Harry would have to find the answer from them.  Whereas Gandalf pretty much told Frodo he had to go to mt. doom in Mordor to destroy the ring and good luck doing it.  I do recognize that Gandalf could not escort Frodo all the way there and help him more but if he did that would ruin the story line.  So Dumbledore wins there.  And that is why I think Dumbledore is the better wizard.  What do you guys think?