Harry Potter vs. Twilight: Harry Rules All! | Teen Ink

Harry Potter vs. Twilight: Harry Rules All!

December 17, 2008
By StarlingChild PLATINUM, El Cajon, California
StarlingChild PLATINUM, El Cajon, California
23 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill


Since 1998, J.K. Rowling has captured the hearts of millions with her incredible Harry Potter series. For nearly a decade, each of her seven books have left the reader anticipating the next adventure; but, for some reason, even some of the most fanatic Harry Potter fans have sunk their teeth into Stephanie Meyer’s best-selling Twilight series, and have all but forgotten the magic their previously favorite series had brought them.
What is it about either of the series that has drawn so many fans, that causes them to immerse themselves in the many paged fantasy novels? For Harry Potter, the answer is complicated yet simple in its own way: the story is much more intriguing and well-thought out compared to the vampire love story that some claim to be the best all around.
What is so amazing about the Twilight series? Oh, just the fact that Meyers provides deliciously graphic adjectives and ten-page-long descriptions of how “gorgeous,” “perfect,” and yet incredibly “dangerous” dear Edward Cullen is. This and, of course, the tragically wonderful love story between Bella and her two true loves Edward the vampire and Jacob the werewolf. Just looking at those words, anyone in their right mind would think it’s the type of
story that only silly, sentimental fools would read.
Harry Potter actually has a story, with a goal and developing plot that lasts our hero’s youth. He faces difficult times -- much more than just a lovesick dilemma -- and struggles with both insignificant and exceedingly crucial topics that all people face when growing up.
Harry has a love story as well; between the third and fifth books, he has a crush on Cho Chang, just like any other teenager. But J.K. Rowling reveals it in a different manner. Instead of going on about it, she merely hints it with Harry’s behavior around Cho, and occasionally talks about it. She also includes a lot of clever humor, so that the story is not focused on Harry’s far-off love, but rather on him and other characters. Plus, when it turns out that Cho is not the right one for him -- because normal guys are generally very uncomfortable around girls sobbing over their dead boyfriend -- he begins a crush on Ginny Weasley, but refuses to be with her for a long time because he is loyal to his best friend, Ron Weasley.
Besides that, the series has many different characters that affect Harry’s life in both good and bad ways. The Weasley’s are a second family to Harry, seeing that the Durseley’s treated him worst than a muddy dog around the immaculate house. Ron befriends Harry on the first day, and Mrs. Weasley is the mother he never had. And of course, there’s Hermione, who remains true to Harry even during the few times Ron begins to fade away. Then, there’s jovial Hagrid, wise Professor Dumbledore, and many other friends. Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy, and other
Slytherins provide the list of Harry’s school enemies, and provide most of the plot, because realistically, a story is never a good story unless there are some “bad guys.”










Furthermore, Rowling’s humor is used to let the pages pass by quickly and sometimes even be used to mock something more serious. Fantasy is meant to be a metaphorical way of presenting a theme, idea, or opinion.
But most important of all, Rowling alludes to controversial topics, that Harry and his friends become involved in as the series goes on. The Ministry of Magic intervening in Hogwarts’ education in Order of the Phoenix is a huge example of government becoming so corrupt in their own power, it’ll do anything to save their reputation, as what the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, tries to keep Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore from telling the world that Lord Voldemort has returned. Also, the prejudice that Rowling describes between the pure-blood families and the muggle-borns (called “Mudbloods,” a derogatory term towards people like Hermione), and how people treated house-elves as no more than inferior servants that do not mind working hard all the time. These topics are highly significant, for it describes the class-warfare that goes on today, and what turncoats people can be, as the books describe Harry’s rises and falls from popularity at Hogwarts.
It is said by certain fans that Bella in Twilight is the more realistic heroine than Harry, perhaps because she doesn’t have magical powers. She also acts like any other troubled teenager who thinks she’s madly in love, but it is just an infatuation. Harry, at least, has flaws like any normal human being, while at the same time preserving the traditional traits of any other literary hero: he’s noble, brave, willing to face death when in danger, willing to save his friends, and tries to discover where he belongs.
Also, within the wizard series, there’s the question of creativity. How can anyone, who has read the series, think that Stephanie Meyer portrays a better example of fantasy? Last time anyone checked, there are no words within Twilight that are similar to “Wingardium Leviosa,” or “Hogwarts,” or even “Albus Dumbledore.” Not that anyone is judging against Stephanie Meyer’s lack of creativity, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that there is nothing to compare when people go on about how Twilight is way better than Harry Potter.


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This article has 74 comments.


Keeper6 GOLD said...
on Nov. 1 2011 at 4:23 pm
Keeper6 GOLD, Buffalo, Minnesota
16 articles 0 photos 39 comments

Favorite Quote:
Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak, sometimes it just means you are strong enough to let go.

Harry Potter wins hands down. Nuff said.

on Sep. 29 2011 at 5:33 pm
Artemis--Sherwood GOLD, Hemet, California
16 articles 0 photos 41 comments

Favorite Quote:
"We're all stories in the end."

Harry Potter easily gets first place, i think. I love how in your article, you didn't make your reasoning a simple "Because I like it". You offered substantial proof that Harry Potter was a better story than Twilight. However, I will admit that I am being bias because I happen to be in love with the harry Potter series and don't really favor Twilight.

on Aug. 8 2011 at 12:16 pm
Bookworm1998 GOLD, Brampton, Other
17 articles 2 photos 118 comments

Favorite Quote:
Preserve your memories, keep them well; what you forget, you can never retell.

AMEN! i can't put up an argument from both sides because i haven't bothered with Twilight becuz of my girl friends that have become obsessed with it (i'm like one of the only 5 girls that don't read the series in my grade). but Harry Potter really is amazing and i'm sad to see the series end. the movies are nothing compaired to the books with such amazing detail, but i'm still going to miss reading never-ending chapters and watching the never-ending movies

bedbug BRONZE said...
on Jul. 7 2011 at 12:03 am
bedbug BRONZE, Seoul, Other
1 article 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
\"If you come to a fork in the road, take it.\" Yogi Berra. Also, \"Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.\" Courtesy of Hedy Lamarr

LTA? Phoenix Queen? Just a warning, but it is dangerous to say things like that here.

on Jun. 26 2011 at 8:11 pm
abnormal PLATINUM, Jonesboro, Georgia
24 articles 8 photos 44 comments

Favorite Quote:
Truth is eternal. Knowledge is changeable. It is disastrous to confuse them.

-Madeleine L'Engle

Harry Potter all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!

Archy said...
on May. 9 2011 at 5:10 pm
Archy, Honolulu, Hawaii
0 articles 0 photos 41 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone, it's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone"
~Robin Williams

Harry Potter wins hands down.

 


ravneet said...
on Apr. 16 2011 at 12:56 am

n i first read twilight i liked it but a few weeks later i gave it a deep thought and realised that i had been a fool there was nothing in the book. i get it that when your loved one dumps you one feels sad, heartbroken and angry but no one goes to commit a suicide. bella is a weak person. edward is a control freak who feels that he can force bella to do anything by breathing over her. pathertic.. in breaking dawn in the end they let the voltuiri go and do not even fight because they did not want to harm their body gliter. in harry potter , harry and his friends were not afraid to fight for something better. when ron left hermione in deathly hallows hermione cried for a week but still saved harry from nagini and tended to him. hermione did not give up living.  harry potter series is far better and the best book series ever. harry too had to break up with ginny in half blood prince for her won good. ginny was heartbroken but did not commit suicide.. she believed in harry.. harry too felt lonely in deathly hallows ... 

 


ianfrederick said...
on Apr. 6 2011 at 11:59 am
I really don't understand how you can compare the two stories. As much as I have enjoyed the movie interpretation of Harry Potter the story itself is, in my view rambling with points being made almost as fast as they disappear. Characters come and go like the wind, red herrings abound. I've never seen so many loose ends. Whereas twilight is tight and you always know where you are in the story. Seems Rowlings could have done visiting this website... http://writingforchildreninfo.com but then again...perhaps not.

on Mar. 18 2011 at 8:37 am
bassclarinetist12 BRONZE, Sugar Land, Texas
1 article 0 photos 1 comment

I love Harry Potter much more than Twilight. I have read most of each series multiple times each.

 

But I feel like the real plot of Twilight is being unrepresented here. The driving conflict of the whole novel is that Bella wants to become a vampire. Each novel, like in HP, there is a smaller storyline that ends up dragging Bella closer to an end. In Harry Potter the main conflict is ridding the world of Voldemort, yet each story also has a trial that Harry must endure in order to get closer to the end and his fate.

Although the love triangle is a major part of Twilight, it isn't the main focus; it just allows for many times to happen. When Edward left, Jacob was there. It is realistic. Girls, I know that you know the feeling you have after you get dumped by a guy you really like. It sucks. Why can't she feel that way and want to lock herself up in a room? Jacob is there and is able to comfort her, which is something that is normal for a teenage girl. From there comes the love triangle. And it is this love triangle that allows further development of the novel.

The Triangle ends with Edward and Bella married - you know that legal matter that tends to resolve in children after the honeymoon? Having Renesme is normal, almost expected. It could be possible, it could not, but Stephenie Meyers got to decide that because as far as I know, we on earth today don't know of any vampire-human children. It is FICTION. Renesme can turn out SM wants.

The way I see it, SM used the excessive description of Edward as a way for her reader to understand how captivated Bella was. Normal girls may not sit there spend pages talking about the guy they like, but every time a girl starts gushing over how hot a guy is.... Well it is the same thing, they just aren't getting paid for it.

As for typos? Editors fault. They should have caught it.

I believe that both Twilight and HP took a long time to plan out. Granted, I find HP more intriguing and complexly webbed together, but there are part of the Twilight series that brings it all together. Breaking Dawn put an abrupt halt on the books and wrapped, I believe, a lot of things up - which led me to not like it. It was a abrupt ending, I agree, but it was an ending with the biggest plots worked out and with detail. All the smaller plots of each book were wrapped up.

Don't give SM junk about how she uses too much detail - it was all to show how meaning the described person was to the onlooker.

And yes, her other books are great. The Host was unable to be pryed from my hands. Keep giving her chances; authors have ups and downs. Does JK Rowling have other books? Has anyone read them? For all those who haven't, they could be trash.


Medusa said...
on Feb. 23 2011 at 7:15 pm
I totally agree with this article. But one thing in Twilight a lot of people miss--I didn't notice myself until someone pointed it out to me--but Edward Cullen is really controling. I mean, watching your girlfriend while she sleeps every night? Even before he and Bella had a "releationship"! (Can't spell) And, I don't know if anyone has noticed, but Edward always seems to get miffed when Bella's out with someone else. (Not that Bella's really any better, but I thought I'd point it out.)

on Jan. 11 2011 at 8:11 pm
Writer4Life_21 SILVER, No Where, Maryland
5 articles 2 photos 41 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If you don't know where your going, you will end up someplace else." - Yogi Bera

harry potter is nothing but the awesomest thing in the world. it is an amazing journey

on Dec. 17 2010 at 9:38 pm
Harry Potter is awesome, Twilight is junk. I finished Harry a while back, and I was in love. You spoke about how dumb Twilight was, and I agreed.

on Dec. 2 2010 at 8:53 am
They-call-me-Twon, Onsted, Michigan
0 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It always gets better and truth is it's hard to know who you are no matter what." Kimberly Nicole Barton

I agree with you that Harry Potter is better because it most def is. I just would like to point out that Twilight does have a storyline. It's a romance between two beings, one immortal and one mortal, that defies the laws of nature and all kinds of other supernatural laws. Then Jacob enters the love triangle because Bella is looking for some sort of relationship with another being because Edward has left because he knows it breaks the laws of nature. I agree that the descriptions are way to long and in depth. you have to let the reader come up with an idea of what the characters look like instead of just forcing them  to think of Robert pattinson, which is what she described. Granted Daniel Radcliffe fit my image very well I still imagined some slight differences. I just wanted to point out some things because I have read them both, but I will always be a proud Gryffindor! :]

KellyR GOLD said...
on Nov. 23 2010 at 1:05 pm
KellyR GOLD, Richmond, Virginia
14 articles 0 photos 258 comments

Favorite Quote:
We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.

AAAAAAAAAGREED!

schlage GOLD said...
on Nov. 21 2010 at 6:17 pm
schlage GOLD, Erie, Pennsylvania
10 articles 0 photos 37 comments
Thank Tou so much!! Like you said, harry potter actually has a storyline. When the characters did fall in love, it was actually realistic. Edward and Bella like each other after they talked for about 2 min. Are you really about to give up your soul for this dude? Harry Potter has everything and will be remembered for years.

SuperSaiyan said...
on Oct. 23 2010 at 6:02 pm
Harry Potter is way better than Twilight. I've read the first few pages of twilight and it was completely alien to me, yet all the girls in our class go crazy with Twilight. It's kind of stupid when they say oh Edward is so hot and all that stuff. HP is way better than some crazy romance book. Seriously, if Twilight didn't have any romance, no girls will probably read it.

on Oct. 15 2010 at 3:06 pm
StarlingChild PLATINUM, El Cajon, California
23 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

LOL!!!! That is brilliant!!!! Thank you so much, everyone, for your posts!!! :) I really appreciate it.

Don Draper said...
on Oct. 15 2010 at 2:30 pm
Two sisters are arguing about whether Santa is real. One is 16 and the other is 8 years old. The youngest one still believes in Santa. The oldest tells her that Santa isn't real. In response the younger one says "Oh yeah? Neither is Edward Cullen!"

Big D said...
on Oct. 15 2010 at 2:27 pm
i think that harry potter is the best movie ever made becuase it keeps you wanting more because of the fact that its so intriging and how they portray the magic they make it loook so real and they are so cute espcialy harmony i think thats how you spell her name

on Sep. 5 2010 at 4:48 pm
Phantom_Girl GOLD, Ft. Carson, Colorado
14 articles 0 photos 279 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If it comes out of the lion's mouth...it will be on the test."
-Mr. Bala

I agree. Especially the part about how Stephanie Meyer goes on forever about how "gorgous" Edward is. Seriously, I get it. He has wonderful golden-brown hair and sparkling white skin. I read it the first time. You don't need to say it thirty more times. And I totally agree with the part about how Harry is more realistic because he actually has flaws. Everyone in Twilight it just so PERFECT. Or they're a bad guy. Last time I checked, the world isn't black and white. Good guys have flaws too.