When I think of freedom, I usually always think of birds.
They can fly wherever they choose and whenever they choose – they have the
power to change their circumstance easily. Whenever I think about a character that
has that sort of freedom – I think of Harry Potter. Both symbolically and
literally, he has the freedom to fly wherever he chooses. His arrival to
Hogwarts is the beginning of his journey to being who he really is meant to be.
Like the scene where his teacher buys him a really great room because she
really believes in his potential to be great – that also is a turning point for
him. I mean, from the get go he was sort of this victimized person because of
his past, but that changed once he started to do things that made others notice
him. Like when he joined the team and everyone depended on him to catch that
little flying ball that would win the game in Gryffindor favor – he did. After
that he was cheered and applauded as one of them and that changed the path that
he had been on dramatically. I think that that was probably a rite of passage
for him, but then again, he went through so many. As a person, he has this sort
of aura about him that draws people toward him. He emanates a lot of the characteristics
that people would like to see in themselves. He’s an extremely selfless person
who will go to all odds to protect those that he cares for and see that the right
thing is done. Back to the sports – I think this is the area in which Harry learned
how to truly thrive, escape hardships and be free. Quid ditch is a perfect
example of something that takes all people (no matter how different) and their
best efforts to succeed. All the positions of this sport represent something
fundamentally different that plays a significant role in Harry’s growing into a
free person. For one, you have to be a confident leader to keep up. Not only do
you have to be able to give orders for the betterment of the whole group, but
you also have to trust instincts when it matters solely to yourself. Second, it
teaches you how to watch out for those who may be in harm’s way or danger in
general. It takes all of the players to realize that one thing may cost them
the game and for them to have a mutual understanding of what needs to be done.
Then, the game can be played more effectively than it would be if the others weren’t
working alongside one another. Lastly, you have the positions that cater to the
most gifted of the students. Even though they may all be strong on their own,
they work much more efficiently as a team.
So, in short what I’m trying to convey is that in Harry
Potter learning all of these different lessons – they have made him much freer
than he had ever previously been. With all of these, he has the ability to
choose freely – and fly wherever he may.
