-
Essay / The role of magical animals in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Although JK Rowling's Harry Potter series was an instant hit in modern culture, it is full of themes consistent with the literature of the Middle Ages and from the classical era. The shared relationship between humans and nature is the most obvious of these themes, and throughout the series, characters have been hindered and helped by animals in equal measure. Humans have always had bonds and relationships with animals throughout history, but these are often mundane and uninteresting, unlike those in Rowling's novels. In the magical world of Harry Potter, animals have a greater role, importance and connection with people. In JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the magical nature of animals evokes Rowling's world where animals communicate with humans in unusually magical ways. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayA magical creature that stood out in the story, that helps bring awareness to the magical qualities that Harry possesses, is the serpent. The boa constrictor at the zoo Harry's family visited understands Harry and talks to him. When Harry sees the boa constrictor and sees the sign that says, "This specimen was bred at the zoo," Harry asks the snake if it has ever been to Brazil and mysteriously "the snake shook its head." The snake then suddenly slides down to the ground, away from its cage in which Harry also hears the snake say to him in a low, hissing voice: "Brazil, here I am... Thank you, amigo" (Rowling 28). Only a creature with magical and mythical qualities can thus communicate with a human being. Additionally, this talking boa constrictor helps Harry become aware of his own magical qualities, such as his ability to communicate with a snake. The boa constrictor represents animals capable of communicating their feelings with humans in a fantasy world in the same way that the biblical Adam communicated with the serpent. Rowling's depiction of the boa constrictor in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is from a "human". point of view” (Fettke 20). According to Fettke, this style is akin to the "comic inaccuracy" common in medieval and medieval literature, where moral significance was attributed to non-human species. Harry also has "snake-like" abilities, as evidenced by his ability as a Parseltongue, a wizard with the ability to converse with snakes. With this incidence, Rowling establishes that although humans and wizards have long viewed snakes as simple animals, they are capable of rational thought. This could not be more evident in the conversation between Harry and the boa constrictor, where he thanks Harry for his help after being released from his prison, stating: "Brazil, here I am...Thank you, amigo" (Rowling 28) . Magical creatures also serve as messengers in this novel. The owls in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone demonstrate magical intelligence and wisdom. These owls, including Harry's owl Hedwig, are good at identifying their owners as well as delivering their packages and more. For example, before the day's meal, "a hundred or so owls had suddenly scurried into the Great Hall during breakfast," dropping letters and packages intended for their owners directly into their laps. At one point, six owls carry a long bundle and "drop it right in front of Harry, knocking his bacon to the ground" (Rowling 164). Hedwig also delivers important secret messages to whom she is invited to pass them on. These owlspossess a supernatural ability, in which they can magically and precisely pinpoint the location of their owner. Indeed, this is an example of high magical intelligence, as it is unusual for any ordinary animal or owl. There is also a group of magical creatures that would only appear in mythologies with unusual and strange physical characteristics. First, the magical being who closely resembles in appearance the mythological three-headed guard dog Cerberus. Hagrid's loyal three-headed guard dog named Fluffy, who guards something that is targeted by Voldemort (Rowling 192). According to Hagrid, Fluffy was bought from a "Greek chappie" he met in a pub. Hagrid lent the dog to Dumbledore to guide something he couldn't tell Harry and the others about (Rowling 192). The unknown object kept by Fluffy is the Sorcerer's Stone or the only item that can resurrect Voldemort so that he can wreak havoc at Hogwarts. Fluffy's role here is to guard and protect the area and not let anyone, including Voldemort, through the trapdoor where the stone is located. However, what explains Fluffy's magical quality is that he has three heads instead of just one. Nonetheless, the appearance of three heads communicates threat and fear to any human who sees it. Another mythological creature that appears in the novel is the dragon named Norbert. Although legends say that dragons are fierce and destructive creatures, especially because they possess abilities such as breathing fire, etc. Norbert is a dragon who aroused compassion in each of the characters in the story. In fact, Harry and his friends, including Hagrid, saw Newt hatch from an egg. Norbert is a dragon whose existence is protected at all costs by Harry and his friends from those who want to kill him, in which Harry and his friends also try to protect Hagrid from the violation of possessing such a destructive creature. Although the dragon plays a minor role in the story, it garners sympathy from Harry and his friends in protecting a weak and kind creature that everyone in the magical world considers dangerous. Nevertheless, the dragon nurtured the friends' compassion and made them see things differently from others. Unicorns appeared in ancient Roman and Greek art, and in the Harry Potter series, students learn that their horns held magical healing and healing abilities. purification. As a creature with a generally harmless and gentle personality, unicorns are described in history as possessing blood that can give someone immortality. Harry and his friends find a dead unicorn because Voldemort feeds on their blood for his immortality. They have the beauty and grace spoken of in popular legends, as well as the great quality of immortality through their blood. Therefore, anyone who came into contact with the unicorn in history received the gift of immortality through sacrifice. This is probably why Voldemort kills a unicorn for its blood in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. One of the many reasons for the resounding success of Rowling's books is the way she masterfully blurs the line between the familiar and the new and merges themes from the classic. and the Middle Ages with elements of modernity and popular culture. Indeed, animals in Rowling's world play a larger role than simply reinvigorating the fictional world she has constructed. These animals are above all characters and play a crucial role in the plot. Additionally, Rowling uses animals and mythical creatures to make tangible much of the abstract that is at the heart of her work. Although Rowling..