How Hermione Granger Influenced Me by Melanie

How Hermione Granger Influenced Me by Melanie - April 2014 Scholarship Essay

How often is it that you read a book and feel so deeply connected with a character, that that very character can change your life for the better? How can a person relate so strongly to a character that the character can help influence how that person acts and reacts to certain situations? For me, that character is Hermione Granger from the wildly popular Harry Potter series.

For as long as I can remember, I have had a passionate love for reading. As a child, fantasy and science fiction were always go to genres. I was always mystified by the action and adventures in these stories, that I couldn't wait to find another that I would love as much as the story I was currently reading. As anyone can imagine, in these stories there is never often a character that has as deep a love for books as the child reading the story. The stories were always about the brave hero and the dastardly villain, and the adventure that forces the two to meet and the battle to save the world and end the story.

Imagine my surprise, while reading the Harry Potter series, when Hermione Granger is introduced. A spunky little girl with a great love of magic and an insatiable thirst for knowledge; Hermione reminded me so much of myself in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone that I immediately fell in love with her character. In the books, Hermione, much like myself, could always be found in the library with her nose stuck in a book. As a result of her pursuit of knowledge, Hermione could almost always give you the answer to a question and explain exactly why she had given you that answer.

As the books progressed, I saw Hermione grow along with me. When faced with bullies, Hermione never resorted to violence, save for the instance where she punched Draco Malfoy in the nose, and defended herself in a way that encouraged me to face my bullies in later years. Like Hermione, I have studied hard and the fruits of my labor have been shown through exemplary grades and high test scores that I, myself, am proud of. Hermione also taught me that while not being the most gifted, magically or otherwise, there is always some place where you can shine.

Near the end of the series, Hermione had to make hard choices. Ones that took her out of her comfort zone and threw her into a world that she had not initially planned on entering. Hermione, with her friends Harry and Ron, left Hogwarts to embark on a journey that could very well get them all killed. On this journey, Hermione proved that brains were a great alternative to brawn. Her knowledge of magical and non-magical occurrences and objects helped her and her friends to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, and defeat Voldemort. Hermione taught me to be brave in the face of danger, and to know that knowledge is indeed power.

While reading the Harry Potter series, I saw so much of myself in Hermione, that I felt connected to her on a personal level. We shared similar viewpoints and I felt that I could follow her example and be a model students and even better friend. Hermione always found solutions to problems concerning her and her friends and I mimicked that aspect of her character. Hermione Granger was indeed a great role model for me, and for future generations of girls just like us.