Mrs. White
English 12A Pd. 6
Comparison/Contrast
There have been many influential written works in the last hundred years, and with each of them a dedicated following willing to go to any lengths to defend it. From classic books like The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird, to more recent works like the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series, written works have brought generations of people together on a common interest and love. Sometimes, though, individuals take the influence to a whole different level, and some may say they take it ‘too far’, as with the ‘Twi-hards’ with the Twilight series, or the ‘Beliebers’ with Justin Bieber. Each of these groups have distinct similarities, but they also have big differences setting them apart.
One example of someone being heavily influenced by a work is Mark David Chapman. He was so influenced by The Catcher in the Rye that he was driven to shoot and kill famous and also very influential musician John Lennon. Chapman took it so far as to believe that he actually was Holden Caufield, the main character in the book. In a statement a few hours after he killed Lennon, Chapman said, “Then this morning I went to the bookstore and bought The Catcher in the Rye. I’m sure the large part of me is Holden Caulfield, who is the main person in the book. The small part of me must be the Devil.” At one point in his life, once he decided to kill Lennon, Chapman would pray to Satan using Beatles and Lennon lyrics, quotes from The Wizard of Oz (another one of his obsessions), and quotes from Catcher (McGunagle 6). After he murdered Lennon, as shown in the film Chapter 27, based on the incedent, Chapman sat down and began reading out of his copy of Catcher, which he had inscribed “To Holden Caufield, From Holden Caufield”. Mark David Chapman took his influence from Holden Caufield so far that he thought he actually was Holden, and let the book drive him to murder, which is a rare case, and most people certainly don’t take written works that far.
Another huge influence by a written work is the Harry Potter series, written by J. K. Rowling. I’ll use myself as an example-I first read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone when I was 7, and it got me into reading, in fact Harry Potter is the main reason I learned to read by myself, and at such a high level. I instantly became very dedicated to the series, going to see each of the films multiple times and sitting up late at night reading the new books. I had all of the t-shirts and other merchandise, and I adopted the morals of the series for my own. “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light”, said by Professor Dumbledore in Prisoner of Azkaban (the film), got me through some of the hardest times of my life, and “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live” (Rowling 265) from Sorcerer’s Stone helped me remember to go out and really live my life. I have always looked up to the characters in the series, and modeled myself after their traits and qualities, mainly Neville Longbottom, who was always considered the underdog, and was teased and bullied for not being smart or athletic or having a lot of friends. In the end, he showed that friendship was the only thing you needed to really get by. I always identified with Neville, and he inspired me so much. In Sorcerer’s Stone, Dumbledore says about Neville, “There are all kinds of courage… It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends” (Rowling 381), and that helped me make a lot of decisions I otherwise wouldn’t have the heart to make. I learned an important lesson with Harry from his godfather Sirius Black, when he told Harry “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals”. I was comforted when I felt alone when Dumbledore said “Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it”, and later, “Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who deserve it”, and especially when he said to Harry in Deathly Hallows, “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” (Rowling 723), because I felt like there was a reason to endure all of the bad things in life, and there was a thing that made me special-I had all of these memories and friends and experiences with so many great people because of Harry. No, I don’t believe that I am Harry or Hermione or Ron, and I wouldn’t go and kill Jo Rowling because she killed off one of my favorite characters, Fred Weasley, but I do have one of the first beta accounts on Pottermore (which I stayed up for almost 48 hours for), and I sleep with my wand under my pillow every night, and clearly Harry Potter has had a huge impact on my life, and it always will, and I’m proud.
A good (and certainly relevant) example of a group who has been heavily influenced in a different way is the following of the novel and film series Twilight. In the media they are considered some of the ‘most dedicated’ (read: crazy) fans out there. In my experience, most of them bash other series, mainly Harry Potter, and their fans, but cannot defend Twilight with any real facts or reasons. A specific example of their dedication is the premiere for the most recent film, Breaking Dawn, where fans began lining up to support the actors five days before the premiere took place. They had tents galore, underneath several huge tents set up by the film company, all of which wasn’t so bad to me, but it was the people there and their comments which I found very strange. “I’m just hoping we actually get to see Robert and Kristen and everybody... We’d probably pass out and faint” said one fan. Another fan at the premiere “claims to have already made a name for herself in the Twi-fan community, most notably for shaving her head with popular Twilight jargon” (Murphy, “’Twilight’ fans line up…”). Most of the ‘Twihards’ are considered rabid and vicious even, and they truly believe that Edward Cullen is real and that if they move to Washington he will find them and fall in love with them or something. The criticism of the series is large and widespread, pointing out that much of the lead characters’ relationship is based on how attractive the lead female finds Edward. The comparisons between Twilight and Harry Potter have become a target discussion in the media, and author Stephen King said “the real difference [between Rowling and Twilight author Stephenie Meyer] is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer, and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good.” The Twilight fanbase is a scary place, and they do truly believe that all of the stories are real, and I think that one day one of the ‘Twihards’ may actually take it so far as to kill someone over the series (in an incedent during one of the films at a movie theatre, someone was stabbed because they were disturbing a group of fans during the movie).
Another popular and relevant example of a group of people influenced by a work is the members of the religious group of Scientology. It began when science fiction/fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard created Scientology as a successor to an earlier self-help book called Dianetics (Wikipedia). Many celebrities joining the church of Scientology church of Scientology
Works Cited
J. P. Schafer, Dir. Chapter 27. Artina Films Production, 2006. Dvd.
McGunagle, Fred. “Mark David Chapman: The Man Who Killed John Lennon”. trutv.com. TruTV, n.d. Web.
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York
Alfonso Cuaron, Dir. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Warner Bros., 2004. Dvd.
Mike Newell, Dir. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Warner Bros., 2005. Dvd.
David Yates, Dir. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. Warner Bros., 2011. Dvd.
Murphy, Shaunna. “’Twilight’ fans line up FIVE DAYS before ‘Breaking Dawn’ red carpet premiere” popwatch.ew.com. Entertainment Weekly, 10 Nov. 2011 . Web.
“Scientology.” Wikipedia.com. Wikipedia, n.d. Web.
