The Courageous Harry Potter

J.K. Rowling creates the magical world of Harry Potter. However, she does this in a way where there are still problems in Harry’s world that magic can’t solve. All of the characters in this series need the same virtues that we muggles need in order to make decisions, they just have an extra tool, magic.

Virtues are an essential part to the Harry Potter series. Each house at Hogwarts was founded on a certain virtue; bravery, wisdom, hard-work, or ambition. Harry and his friends get put into Gryffindor, the house of bravery, yet J.K. Rowling still acknowledges the fear that Harry has about certain things.

Courage is the ability to act in the way of greater value even if there is a substantial risk. Aristotle says that Courage is not the opposite of cowardice. If this were so it would lead to rashness. Aristotle says that we need to find a happy medium between cowardice and rashness. Harry Potter develops five steps to overcome his fear with courage.

The first step to courage is to prepare for the challenge. Preparation can lead to self-confidence and taking effective action towards what is right. The second step is surrounding ourselves with support. Friends like Hermione and Ron can cheer us up and give us advice along with Dumbledore and Hagrid. Harry also tries to talk to himself in a positive attitude so that he reminds himself that he is courageous. The fourth step is to focus on what’s at stake so that we have no choice but to help others. The final step is to take appropriate action and do what is right.

The final portion about the courageous Harry Potter is that he takes leaps of faith. At some point reasoning and thinking can only take us so far. It is at this time that we need to remember the momentous value at hand and get into action. Harry Potter is a great example of how a fearful young man can take certain steps to becoming courageous.