I'm tired of repeating myself and other HP fans repeating themselves constantly so here is my opinion on why Harry Potter is better. So you don't think I'm being biased, let me tell you: I read Harry Potter when I was 5 and have been a fan since (and that shuts down the comment that little kids can't read it by the way) and when I was 13, I read Twilight (before the bandwagon) and loved it. Then just recently, I got off the Twilight High. So I know how it is to have liked Twilight and to like Harry Potter.
First, we can look at the authors. JK Rowling is the epitome of Rag to Riches. She started out in poverty, got a brilliant idea and wrote it on napkins and had a daughter to support. She was rejected multiple times and worked 17 years on the background of characters, places, and names. She did that so well, you can picture it perfectly and make a whole series off of another character! Finally with a lot of hard work made it to her status and one of the highest paid women of today's time.
Meyer, on the other hand, had a dream and wrote it down. She spent 3 months on it and it barely got rejected before it became a hit with girls everywhere. Now she has money. It shows. It really shows who put more time into it.
Now, on the moral of the stories. Harry Potter. Wow, I can write a book on everything someone can learn off of that! First it teaches about Friendship. I think that is the one thing I wish I had was friends like the trio. It teaches you how real friends are always there and should be loyal. It teaches you about life and how important it is. How one person can make a change in others. And death. How important death is. How heartbreaking and how to deal with it. After all "To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure." It shows how important choice is, and how fate and destiny can be changed by one action. If only Voldemort didn't view Harry as the threat, Harry's future could have been changed and Neville would be in his place. Your future isn't always up to you, but you have the choice to change it for the better. Harry grew up in the same environment as Tom Riddle, yet Harry chose to love instead of hate. And the act to forgive. Harry forgave Pettigrew for being a traitor, Voldemort for not loving and killing everyone, and others. Do you know how much strength that takes to forgive your enemies who are the reason why you grew up miserably? It shows what that simple act can be so strong. And prejudice. Remus is the prime example. He's a werewolf and accomplished so much. He had a family, a job, a life, and friends. It's telling people to get over it. People are different. It doesn't mean they're bad!
And most of all. Love. It's not "I need a boyfriend" love. No. It's the type of love that saves a life. Lily gave up her own life to save her son when she knew the chances of him surviving were slim. James gave up his life to give his wife and son a chance. PLUS Lily had a choice to move aside and she didn't. That's love in it's rawest form. There is love of sibling like figures (The Trio), and love for parent-like figures (Sirius, Remus, and the Weasleys). Love is even looked down upon (Remus and Tonks) but it was strong and prevailed even into death. And there is unrequited love (Cho Chang and Harry). Stalker love (Romilda Vaine and Lavender Brown.) And boyfriend/girlfriend type love that is more natural (Harry/Ginny, Hermione/Ron).
In Twilight there is unrequited love and "soul mate" forms. But it's not natural (at all) and it's mainly boyfriend girlfriend type. There is no parental love really shown. Especially not in the Swan family. The Cullens, yes you could say that, but not really. They never really SHOW the acts of love.
Another thing Harry Potter improved upon in the "showing" area is good and evil. They show you how the boundries form. Why the characters become good or why they become evil. How people can change sides. Examples: Dumbledore became good because of guilt of what happened to his sister. Voldemort became evil because he grew up in the orphanage and without love. And he hated his father and being only a half-blood. Pettigrew went to Voldemort's side because he feared for his life. His fear beat his loyalty thus killing James and Lily. Harry Potter blended the line of Good and Evil.
In Twilight, you don't get an insight as to why James is the way he is. You don't get to see why Carlisle had the control not to eat humans. The REAL reason as to why he chose to go after deer. Or why others stayed with them. You don't see why people went to the side they did. And if you do, it's a really shallow reason. Why did James, Victoria, and Laurant (aka Black Eyed Peas. haha) get together?
Now, let's look at plot. Harry Potter brought on a whole new concept. A simple boy who becomes a chosen one because of an unbelievable accident. The plot had so many hidden plots beneath it like the Hallows that was there the whole time (Invisibility Cloak, Gaunt's Ring, and Elder Wand were all in the books before they had significance). And mini plots. Plus each book had a new essence to it. New enemies brought up, new friends, new information, and new areas in the magical world were viewed. YOU GAINED KNOWLEDGE WITH THE TRIO!
In Twilight, you gain that Edward is a vampire from the back of the book. It takes out a lot of the suspense. And the plot is basically how Edward and Bella will get together. It wasn't until Breaking Dawn where Meyer tried to throw in a real plot and ruined it terribly.
Now for the realistic appeal. Harry, Ron, and Hermione weren't friends right off the bat. Harry and Ron were. But they made fun of Hermione and hated her. It wasn't til the middle of the first book that they befriended her. Even then Ron and Hermione had love/hate friendship going on. And their relationships don't start off like a snap of the finger. It starts as awkward or with hate and then progresses to a crush and love. It took Ron and Hermione 7 years (Harry and Ginny too). And they had others they saw too. Harry had Cho. Ginny had Dean. Ron had Lavender. Hermione had Viktor. Not only that, but with social classes too. The Weasley's are poor, The Dursley's the average family, The Malfoy's are the wealthy. It even has status quo's like Sirius being a criminal. And Remus is a pariah!
And War. It's not just one person or one side that dies. Rowling had everyone going that Harry was going to DIE after the Prophecy was made. Especially when he walked to his death as a sacrifice (another moral and another sign of love). He did live, but look at who died:
Good: Tonks, Remus, Hedwig, Mad-Eye, Sirius, Dumbledore, Snape, Creevy, Fred, George's Ear (there are injuries in war too!), The Longbottoms, The Potters, The Original Order.
Bad: Voldemort, Pettigrew, Snape, Death Eaters, etc.
This makes it realistic. And yes, Hedwig counts. The characters were written so well people CRIED when Hedwig died (I know I did).
Stephenie has Edward and Bella be their first couple and it's right off the bat that they like each other practically. You see the same social classes... everywhere in forks. Yes even in small towns, there are social classes. And most of all WAR. Or lack there of. Irena dies. That's it. She was leading to a war and backed out too afraid to offend anyone. And if characters died, they weren't written well enough that a lot would cry over them. Pity yes, but not cry. (If a Cullen died. I'd feel bad for their mate).
Feminism. I'm all about the whole "Girls can do whatever guys can do" stuff. Believe me. And Bella Swan does not cut it. She relies on the men in her life and spends her time at home cooking and cleaning. Meyer claims Bella is smart and reads a lot but doesn't show it. Bella reads about 1 book the entire time and it's stated once she was in advanced classes. That's not enough.
Instead, look at Hermione, Luna, Ginny, and Tonks.
Hermione: Her strong points are her flaws. She's intelligent. She read Hogwarts: A History before even going to school as a Muggle-born. She also knew spells ont he train when going to her first year. She's loyal and caring. She stuck with Harry in DH even when Ron left because of her Promise. And helped with Neville finding his toad. Yes, she can be bossy with her confidence, but she does have confidence and she is an outcast.
Luna: Marches to her own beat. She doesn't care what others think. She says what she thinks.
Ginny: Isn't mentioned as much, but she sticks up to Harry when he is a git and doesn't go all zombie when he leaves. She starts rebellions at Hogwarts and even goes as far as trying to get Godric Gryffindor's Sword.
Tonks: A female Auror. She backtalks to Moody when no one does that. She has guts and humor and is the sore thumb because she's a Metamorphmagus and uses it to her advantage. The first scene with her shows how positive and how in charge her presence is when she snaps at Moody's behavior and also makes a 'butt' joke.
Even the quotes. Harry Potter quotes have so much more meaning. I could make another article for those! One of my meaningful quotes happens to be from Dumbledore: "Time is making fools of us again." I love that.
Twilight had "And so the Lion fell in love with the Lamb." It's rather shallow compared to anything Dumbledore has ever said.
And look at the thinking aspect. Harry Potter had to questioning and forming theories the whole time: Who is RLB? What side is Snape?! What would have happened if Harry died in the end? What would the world have been like? I wonder why Kreacher had that necklace? What happened to Fluffy? What's the veil really about? How did Lily and James get together? What about the Marauder era?etc. It's a thought provoker.
Twilight asks you what side Bella should choose.
And the audience. Harry Potter reaches out to all ages and genders. Twilight reaches out to preteens and girls.
OK... there were other points I had but forgot while going off about the War aspect. But hopefully you all catch my drift. If you have any comments, additions, or want to debate please comment or even to give your opinion.
Oh and if that doesn't convince you. One word will show how epic Potter is:
Quidditch.
First, we can look at the authors. JK Rowling is the epitome of Rag to Riches. She started out in poverty, got a brilliant idea and wrote it on napkins and had a daughter to support. She was rejected multiple times and worked 17 years on the background of characters, places, and names. She did that so well, you can picture it perfectly and make a whole series off of another character! Finally with a lot of hard work made it to her status and one of the highest paid women of today's time.
Meyer, on the other hand, had a dream and wrote it down. She spent 3 months on it and it barely got rejected before it became a hit with girls everywhere. Now she has money. It shows. It really shows who put more time into it.
Now, on the moral of the stories. Harry Potter. Wow, I can write a book on everything someone can learn off of that! First it teaches about Friendship. I think that is the one thing I wish I had was friends like the trio. It teaches you how real friends are always there and should be loyal. It teaches you about life and how important it is. How one person can make a change in others. And death. How important death is. How heartbreaking and how to deal with it. After all "To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure." It shows how important choice is, and how fate and destiny can be changed by one action. If only Voldemort didn't view Harry as the threat, Harry's future could have been changed and Neville would be in his place. Your future isn't always up to you, but you have the choice to change it for the better. Harry grew up in the same environment as Tom Riddle, yet Harry chose to love instead of hate. And the act to forgive. Harry forgave Pettigrew for being a traitor, Voldemort for not loving and killing everyone, and others. Do you know how much strength that takes to forgive your enemies who are the reason why you grew up miserably? It shows what that simple act can be so strong. And prejudice. Remus is the prime example. He's a werewolf and accomplished so much. He had a family, a job, a life, and friends. It's telling people to get over it. People are different. It doesn't mean they're bad!
And most of all. Love. It's not "I need a boyfriend" love. No. It's the type of love that saves a life. Lily gave up her own life to save her son when she knew the chances of him surviving were slim. James gave up his life to give his wife and son a chance. PLUS Lily had a choice to move aside and she didn't. That's love in it's rawest form. There is love of sibling like figures (The Trio), and love for parent-like figures (Sirius, Remus, and the Weasleys). Love is even looked down upon (Remus and Tonks) but it was strong and prevailed even into death. And there is unrequited love (Cho Chang and Harry). Stalker love (Romilda Vaine and Lavender Brown.) And boyfriend/girlfriend type love that is more natural (Harry/Ginny, Hermione/Ron).
In Twilight there is unrequited love and "soul mate" forms. But it's not natural (at all) and it's mainly boyfriend girlfriend type. There is no parental love really shown. Especially not in the Swan family. The Cullens, yes you could say that, but not really. They never really SHOW the acts of love.
Another thing Harry Potter improved upon in the "showing" area is good and evil. They show you how the boundries form. Why the characters become good or why they become evil. How people can change sides. Examples: Dumbledore became good because of guilt of what happened to his sister. Voldemort became evil because he grew up in the orphanage and without love. And he hated his father and being only a half-blood. Pettigrew went to Voldemort's side because he feared for his life. His fear beat his loyalty thus killing James and Lily. Harry Potter blended the line of Good and Evil.
In Twilight, you don't get an insight as to why James is the way he is. You don't get to see why Carlisle had the control not to eat humans. The REAL reason as to why he chose to go after deer. Or why others stayed with them. You don't see why people went to the side they did. And if you do, it's a really shallow reason. Why did James, Victoria, and Laurant (aka Black Eyed Peas. haha) get together?
Now, let's look at plot. Harry Potter brought on a whole new concept. A simple boy who becomes a chosen one because of an unbelievable accident. The plot had so many hidden plots beneath it like the Hallows that was there the whole time (Invisibility Cloak, Gaunt's Ring, and Elder Wand were all in the books before they had significance). And mini plots. Plus each book had a new essence to it. New enemies brought up, new friends, new information, and new areas in the magical world were viewed. YOU GAINED KNOWLEDGE WITH THE TRIO!
In Twilight, you gain that Edward is a vampire from the back of the book. It takes out a lot of the suspense. And the plot is basically how Edward and Bella will get together. It wasn't until Breaking Dawn where Meyer tried to throw in a real plot and ruined it terribly.
Now for the realistic appeal. Harry, Ron, and Hermione weren't friends right off the bat. Harry and Ron were. But they made fun of Hermione and hated her. It wasn't til the middle of the first book that they befriended her. Even then Ron and Hermione had love/hate friendship going on. And their relationships don't start off like a snap of the finger. It starts as awkward or with hate and then progresses to a crush and love. It took Ron and Hermione 7 years (Harry and Ginny too). And they had others they saw too. Harry had Cho. Ginny had Dean. Ron had Lavender. Hermione had Viktor. Not only that, but with social classes too. The Weasley's are poor, The Dursley's the average family, The Malfoy's are the wealthy. It even has status quo's like Sirius being a criminal. And Remus is a pariah!
And War. It's not just one person or one side that dies. Rowling had everyone going that Harry was going to DIE after the Prophecy was made. Especially when he walked to his death as a sacrifice (another moral and another sign of love). He did live, but look at who died:
Good: Tonks, Remus, Hedwig, Mad-Eye, Sirius, Dumbledore, Snape, Creevy, Fred, George's Ear (there are injuries in war too!), The Longbottoms, The Potters, The Original Order.
Bad: Voldemort, Pettigrew, Snape, Death Eaters, etc.
This makes it realistic. And yes, Hedwig counts. The characters were written so well people CRIED when Hedwig died (I know I did).
Stephenie has Edward and Bella be their first couple and it's right off the bat that they like each other practically. You see the same social classes... everywhere in forks. Yes even in small towns, there are social classes. And most of all WAR. Or lack there of. Irena dies. That's it. She was leading to a war and backed out too afraid to offend anyone. And if characters died, they weren't written well enough that a lot would cry over them. Pity yes, but not cry. (If a Cullen died. I'd feel bad for their mate).
Feminism. I'm all about the whole "Girls can do whatever guys can do" stuff. Believe me. And Bella Swan does not cut it. She relies on the men in her life and spends her time at home cooking and cleaning. Meyer claims Bella is smart and reads a lot but doesn't show it. Bella reads about 1 book the entire time and it's stated once she was in advanced classes. That's not enough.
Instead, look at Hermione, Luna, Ginny, and Tonks.
Hermione: Her strong points are her flaws. She's intelligent. She read Hogwarts: A History before even going to school as a Muggle-born. She also knew spells ont he train when going to her first year. She's loyal and caring. She stuck with Harry in DH even when Ron left because of her Promise. And helped with Neville finding his toad. Yes, she can be bossy with her confidence, but she does have confidence and she is an outcast.
Luna: Marches to her own beat. She doesn't care what others think. She says what she thinks.
Ginny: Isn't mentioned as much, but she sticks up to Harry when he is a git and doesn't go all zombie when he leaves. She starts rebellions at Hogwarts and even goes as far as trying to get Godric Gryffindor's Sword.
Tonks: A female Auror. She backtalks to Moody when no one does that. She has guts and humor and is the sore thumb because she's a Metamorphmagus and uses it to her advantage. The first scene with her shows how positive and how in charge her presence is when she snaps at Moody's behavior and also makes a 'butt' joke.
Even the quotes. Harry Potter quotes have so much more meaning. I could make another article for those! One of my meaningful quotes happens to be from Dumbledore: "Time is making fools of us again." I love that.
Twilight had "And so the Lion fell in love with the Lamb." It's rather shallow compared to anything Dumbledore has ever said.
And look at the thinking aspect. Harry Potter had to questioning and forming theories the whole time: Who is RLB? What side is Snape?! What would have happened if Harry died in the end? What would the world have been like? I wonder why Kreacher had that necklace? What happened to Fluffy? What's the veil really about? How did Lily and James get together? What about the Marauder era?etc. It's a thought provoker.
Twilight asks you what side Bella should choose.
And the audience. Harry Potter reaches out to all ages and genders. Twilight reaches out to preteens and girls.
OK... there were other points I had but forgot while going off about the War aspect. But hopefully you all catch my drift. If you have any comments, additions, or want to debate please comment or even to give your opinion.
Oh and if that doesn't convince you. One word will show how epic Potter is:
Quidditch.
