My Hero: Naco! =)

Harry Potter is not the average hero. He is scrawny and humble. He fits the perfect description of an anti-hero. I like how he does not fit into the typical hero category. If I created an anti-hero, the story would be something really strange like this:

• Anti-hero: Naco, a scrawny little terrier dog who lives with two bigger and stronger dogs. He is less than a foot tall with black fur, white feet, and tan markings on his face. Also, Naco has a short, stubbly tail, rather than a long tail like the other dogs. His teeth are smaller than the other dogs' and his bark is more high-pitched. He is a "mama's boy."
• Master: Chusma, a hairy purple troll that visits him at night when everyone is sleeping and tells Naco how to be a more manly dog. This troll stands about three inches tall and hops like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh.
• Villain: a robber that comes to break into the house
• Supporting Characters: Loco and Gorda (the two big dogs), Charlina (Naco's owner), Lee (Charlina's sister), Mommy, and Daddy
• Setting: A house in North Carolina that has too many pets

Similarities Between "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter"

While watching Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in class, Jeni and I noticed that the series has some similarities to the Harry Potter series. Here are some parallels I have thought of:

• The heroes: Frodo and Harry both are not the typical big, strong, confident heroes in many stories. Frodo is a hobbit, which is considered kind of wimpy, and Harry is scrawny and wears glasses. They are both surrounded by characters that would better suit the hero guidelines. However, they both prove everyone wrong by saving everyone.
• The masters: In both stories, Frodo and Harry have masters that guide them in becoming heroes. Gandalf and Dumbledore are both wise, old wizards. They are very prominent in the beginnings and kind of disappear towards the end. Also, both Gandalf and Dumbledore die and reappear. Gandalf comes back to life, while Harry meets Dumbledore again when he dies. 
• The objects of evil: In both stories, there are objects that sustain evil forces and have to be destroyed. In Lord of the Rings, the ring has to be destroyed to finally kill the evil king. In Harry Potter, Harry and his friends have to destroy horcruxes for Voldemort to finally die. Both of these objects cause stress to the bearers. Frodo gets cranky with the ring, and Harry and his friends get cranky when they wore the necklace horcrux.
• The obvious: Magical worlds and creatures!

Bibliography:

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. London, Bloomsbury. 1998. Print.

Tolkein, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Ballantine Books, New York. Copyright 1954-1974. Print.

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

I was sooooo excited to read and watch Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets this semester! I never would have imagined doing this for a class, and it gives me a fresh new perspective on literature classes. The Harry Potter series is by far my absolute favorite series, and I have been interested in it since third grade when it became popular. I have always enjoyed reading it and getting lost in this magical world Rowling so brilliantly created. It is just amazing. The movies are really good, but they do not do the book justice. The two main "pet-peeves" (Harry Potter pun! :P) I have with the movie are when they switched Dumbledores and how Harry is portrayed as kind of egotistical in the movies. I liked the original Dumbledore because he seemed more mysterious to me. I did not notice "Movie Harry" being cocky until the fourth movie when he opens the egg from the dragon challenge in the Triwizard Tournament in the common room in front of everyone. I am SUCH a Harry Potter nerd!!!

"Lord of the Rings"

I was excited to watch Lord of the Rings in class. I always enjoy seeing all the magical creatures, especially Legolas (played by Orlando Bloom ;) hahaha! Nobody tell my man, but I have thought Orlando Bloom is absolutely gorgeous since the first Lord of the Rings movie came out! If he is in a movie, I watch it just because he is in it. Hahahaha. But anywaaaays, I like watching Lord of the Rings because of the magical creatures, creative costumes, and excellent acting. I also enjoy the music and the setting. The rolling hills and mountains in the earlier movies before all of the death and destruction are so beautiful. The only dislike I have about the movies is that they are sooooo LONG! It is just too much for my attention span to sit and watch one of those movies, especially at one time. Haha.

"Alice in Wonderland" - the Movie

I remember watching Alice in Wonderland when I was little and really liking it. It was the Disney cartoon version. I liked how it was a whole new world, and everything in the movie was spontaneous. However, I really do not like the new version of Alice in Wonderland. I thought it was strange, and I just do not like it when movies are re-made. I liked the original cartoon version, so I do not understand why they had to make another one. Also, something just creeps me out when Johnny Depp appears in movies for children, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

"Alice in Wonderland"

In my opinion, Alice in Wonderland is kind of the turning point in literature. It takes place in a magical world, which was daring for Lewis Carroll to write. He created a whole new world intended for adults to read about, but it turned out to be for kids. Also, the main character and "hero" of the story is Alice, who is a female. The villain, the Queen of Hearts, is also a female. Lewis Carroll's time period was defined by patriarchal views, so it was very daring for him to use females.

"Frankenstein" II

Mary Shelley's inspiration for writing Frankenstein came from a dream she had. Sometimes we have dreams that affect how we live after them. For me, I have dreams I think are influenced by September 11. I have had many dreams where I'm standing outside with my family or friends, and all of the sudden an airplane starts flying very low. In some dreams the airplane crashes, and in others it just hovers there. Since these dreams, I have a fear of airplanes that fly low to the ground.