Initial Artifact Analysis From Harry Potter - Essay Example

Fandoms put into view the idea of being a fan of something, a concept or an individual. Fandoms tend to influence the manner in which we interact with others. The idea of fandom social groups is quite common especially when it comes to virtual aspects such as films and music artists (Gray 205). The concept includes the aspects of fans and fanaticism whereby the former refers to individuals who like certain items because they please them or make them happy while the latter includes liking something until it becomes an obsession (Gray et.al 205). The analysis puts into view the Harry Potter artifact and explains how it relates to the course theme of "Rhetoric of Fandoms" concerning fundamental and rhetorical analyses while highlighting the relationship between fans and fanaticism.

First, the analysis involves the identification of the artifact which, in this case, is a scene in the Harry Potter artifact. The creator of the artifact is J.K Rowling who includes plenty of fiction, magic, and fantasy in the artifact. The artifact is a collection of seven books whereby the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was released in 1997. The release of the first book resulted in its popularity whereby the rest of the books released similar publicity after their release. The books prompted the release of movies to have a virtual perception of the content (Vezzali et.al 106).

The artifact has more than twenty main characters, but the most popular characters include Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. The story behind the artifact includes a boy who, when he turns eleven years old, discovers that he was the son of two powerful sorcerers who were deceased. The boy has a mark on his forehead which makes it easier to identify him as the son of the wizards. The boy then discovers his special magic abilities. He is beckoned from the life of an orphan where he lived with cruel foster parents to study in Hogwarts which is a boarding school for the wizards. At the school, he makes several friends who assist him to identify the cause of his parents death and why he had to grow up as a normal human being (Vezzali et.al 106).

The analysis focuses on the scene where Harry Potter faces Voldemort who is the antagonist in the whole story in the last film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (YouTube). The scene is described as the final battle where Harry finally manages to put down Voldemort. The scene includes music that depicts war in addition to plenty of slow motion on the events associated with the battle. A good example is Voldemorts snake trying to attack Hermione and Ron when one of their friends cuts its head. The color of the scene can be described as dull whereby the grey color overshadows the colors of clothing of the characters and surroundings.

The next step is employing a fundamental analysis of the artifact by highlighting the patterns of frequency, patterns of contrast, anomalies and moments of intensity. On the patterns of frequency, the colors that repeat themselves include grey, white and orange. Grey overshadows the scene to align with the context of the story. The green and orange colors are repeated and used to distinguish the abilities between Harry Potter and Voldemort. The sound that repeats is the background music that depicts war but later softens after Voldemort is defeated.

On the patterns of contrast, the use of green and orange lighting from Voldemorts and Harrys wands respectively indicate differences in views. In this case, Harry is the good wizard while Voldemort is the bad wizard. The scene of the snake versus Ron and Hermione also depicts contrast whereby the snake focuses on attacking them (YouTube).

An anomaly in the scene is the fact that Harrys glasses do not fall off despite the falls and the intensities associated with the battle. They remain intact even after being pushed aggressively by Voldemorts power. On the moments of intensity, the scene includes the major battle between Harry and Voldemort whereby Voldermort, from the beginning of the story, has always been after Harrys life. Plenty of grey and dull colors are used to align with the battle context. Also, a loud part of music is used during the battle but later softens after Voldemort is defeated.

The next step is employing the rhetorical analysis of the artifact by highlighting the use of logic, emotion, credibility, and the rhetorical situation. The scene increases the interest in being a fan of the film as it includes a battle that had been developing from the time that first story was released. On logic, the artifact uses the main characters to highlight the final defeat of Voldemort. Everything appears to be against him including the death of his snake. His death illustrates that fact that the good always wins.

The artifact uses emotion through the actions depicted by the main characters. One becomes excited when the snakes head is chopped off before it attacks Ron and Hermione. Also, the destruction of Voldemort also results in excitement whereby Harry wins the battle.

The artifact uses credibility as it aligns with the scene described in the book. It does not exaggerate any area but rather presents a visual of how the battle took place. It is interesting watching the scene after reading the book.

The artifact fits into the rhetorical situation whereby through the use of logic, emotional appeal and credibility, an individual continues being a fan of Harry Potter. The claim in the scene includes marking the end of Voldemort whereby Harry Potter and his friends engage in a serious battle to defeat him. The colors, the music and the events in the scene all contribute to the context of a battle and hence putting into view the rhetorical situation.

Fandoms are a big part of the society particularly when it comes to social connections. The Harry Potter artifact is among the films with large fan bases in addition to fanatics. Further research that may be done on the topic includes the influence of culture on fandoms and the factors that contribute to shifting from one fandom to another.

Conclusion

As stated earlier, the analysis puts into view the Harry Potter artifact and explains how it relates to the course theme of "Rhetoric of Fandoms" concerning fundamental and rhetorical analyses while highlighting the relationship between fans and fanaticism. The Harry Potter artifact can be viewed as a fandom because of its large number of fans. The scene on the battle between Harry Potter and Voldemort presents a good illustration on the rhetoric of fandoms.

Work Cited

Gray, Jonathan, Cornel Sandvoss, & C. Lee Harrington. "Fandom, Second Edition: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World." New York: NYU Press.

Vezzali, Loris, et al. "The greatest magic of Harry Potter: Reducing prejudice." Journal of Applied Social Psychology 45.2 (2015): 105-121.

You Tube. "Harry Potter Vs Voldemort [Final Battle] [HD]." Youtube, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9kP6XYW7gA.