Potter "hate mail" rant

My new obsession this month is Harry Potter. Okay, well it’s been an obsession for a while now, but it always resurfaces full-force upon the release of a new book or movie. My recent new cause being to get the word out that Carrie Ann Moss has to play Narcissa Malfoy in the next movie, I found myself at Mugglenet.com where this little gem of hate mail stood out to me:

HOw DARE you compare one of the best pieces of litature to a little kids movie, and devote a whole website to it? ok there may be some things alike between the lord of the rings and harry potter but thats because the writers of harry potter ripped some things off. … honsetly all that harry potter is a piece of crap that is a lord the rings rip off.

Let us assume the writer meant Lord of the Rings as one amongst the best pieces of literature as numerous Google searches for ‘litature’ have come up negative. My argument to this grammar enthusiast (note the sarcasm) is that, to compare - by simple definition - is to point out the “some things“ that are “alike” between two or more subjects. After his scathing acceptance that there are indeed some things alike between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings he states that HP is a rip-off of LOTR. This is a statement that screams: “I have not read the books I mentioned in this letter, nor have I seen the movies. I am, in fact, a complete nincompoop.”

The Harry Potter series and Lord of the Rings are alike mostly in that they are stories about people in which things happen. That being said, I think it is pretty obvious that every book ever written is a blatant rip-off of the bible. No, no, I am kidding.

There are bound to be similarities between any story that centers on magic and LOTR because JRR Tolkien invented, defined or elaborated on almost everything we know about the magical world. Much like how Shakespeare is credited with inventing many words of the English language, Tolkien created a magic so realistic that we are forced to use it because people wouldn’t believe it otherwise. An author would be opening themselves for contemptuous letters with comments such as: “Elves don’t use battle-axes, dwarves use battle axes. What are you, stupid?”
Actually, one would be surprised by the lack of rip-offs in the Harry Potter series. It certainly doesn’t mirror Tolkien’s Middle Earth the way that Eragon or Wizard of Earthsea do, and yet both of those books are still very good and unique to boot.

A new similarity presented in the most recent installment of the series, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. has Harry learning that in order to kill the all-time worst baddie, he must first destroy an object (or objects). This is a lot like the ‘One Ring’ I guess, but the theories, reasons, motives, still very different. Despite any similarities I haven't pointed out, the two stories are completely different. Take it from someone who has read both the HP series and LOTR and loves them exceedingly.


Thanks for reading. If you don’t agree with me, good; It takes all kinds to make a world.
But if you don’t agree that Carrie Ann Moss should play Narcissa Malfoy then kiss my ass.