J.K. Rowling

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  "Anything's possible if you've got the nerve" (Rowling). These wise words were once spoken by British author of the celebrated Harry Potter series, Joanne Rowling. Born on July 31, 1965, she began her life in a small town called Chipping Sodbury near Bristol, England. Soon after college, she was married for about a year and until they decided to separate. She went through a terrible divorce, having to juggle raising her daughter and suffering from a serious depression. Rowling's writing helped her get through this horrendous time. Her best-selling novels have won an innumerable amount of awards, and have sold over 400 million copies. Rowling's ability to push though tough times to do what she believes in is a massive part of her success. J.K. Rowling is an inspiration to people world-wide not only because she wrote one of the most successful book series of all time, but also because of her ability to be persistent, industrious, and compassionate.

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     Rowling's persistence played a key role in several defining moments in her life. She showed her incessantness while battling her depression: "Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than I was and began diverting all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me" ("J.K. Rowling" J.K. Rowling). Rowling's melancholy attitude and low spirits made it hard for her to muster up enough strength to continue with the rest of her life. She overcame her depression by doing what she loved, creating the Harry Potter novels. Rowling had enough strong-will to help herself overcome her mental illness and she demonstrated to others that there is a way to overcome your impediments in order to get your life back on track. This persistence makes her a hero because when others would have given up, she realized she still had work to do, and that has made an enormous impact in the world. Rowling was able to become successful, although when she started out, it was not easy: "In 1996, while its author was working as a French teacher in Edinburgh, Bloomsbury published Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, having picked up Rowling's manuscript after several other publishers rejected it" ("J.K. Rowling" Encyclopedia). Although Rowling was denied after multiple attempts to get her book published, she refused to give up until she got what she wanted. This tenacious characteristic shows once Rowling set her mind to something she wouldn't quit until she conquered her setbacks. Carrying on shows her commitment and will-power to finish what she has started, and not a lot of people have this quality. Rowling's drive to not give up gives her the character trait of persistence, defining her as a hero who will always keep trying.

     The fact that Rowling stopped at nothing to finish her books makes Rowling seem very industrious. Her Harry Potter novels were not popular with everyone, and almost got in the way of the award-winning author's goals, as "some conservative Christian groups in the United States attacked the Potter books as bordering on sacrilegious or devil worship" ("J.K. Rowling" Encyclopedia). Rowling has revealed through her decision to ignore this criticism that hard work pays off. Despite their opinions, she showed that she would always work hard for what she wanted, even when others told her she could never succeed. She continued striving for what she believed to be right and ended up becoming a humongous success. Rowling kept writing even when another group of people questioned her work: "While critics continued to debate the books' merits and decipher their appeal, Rowling's series continued" ("J.K. Rowling" Encyclopedia). Even when others were putting Rowling down, she continued to do her job as though her problems did not exist. This reveals that she strove to achieve her dreams and worked diligently to get there; qualities like this are crucial for a hero because it shows that they will help others on the path to success and teach others that they can be successful if they work hard. Rowling shows that she is an honorable role model through her stubbornness to keep writing her novels and proves to the world the hard-work leads to great things.

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     Rowling's compassion makes her a true hero. Her generosity has had a momentous impact: "Rowling has given a great deal of her money to charities, particularly those involving children's welfare and literacy. In 2007, Rowling created seven handwritten and illustrated copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. This book was a collection of seven wizardly fables that were referred to throughout the Harry Potter series. Six of the handwritten copies were given to friends. The seventh was auctioned off for charity" ("J.K. Rowling" Encyclopedia). Rowling didn't want to keep all her newly-found fortune to herself, and desired to help others who were not diligent readers to continue their education. She generously donated an extremely valuable book to an auction for a literacy charity, greatly benefiting the association. Her desire to help did not stop. Eventually, Rowling also helped found a charity to help children in Eastern Europe: "Together, we can ensure that all children. will be raised in a family environment and will get all the love they need and the future they deserve." (JK Rowling: This Is Lumos). Rowling co-founded this charity to find families who could take care of kids without nice homes and give these children the tools they need to have more ambitious futures. Rowling was very giving to her community and wants to help others be successful. Her compassion enabled her to aid her world become a better place and allowed her to give kids a fresh start at a happy childhood, unlike the one she led. She chose to touch the lives of unfortunate children around her and help them become prevail like she has. Rowling has exemplified herself as a compassionate hero through many different charities that she has helped throughout her fame and success.

     Rowling's talent for enduring hardships, capability to strive for her dreams, and desire to help others makes her a true inspiration to people everywhere. She demonstrated persistence through her battle with depression and will to get her books published. Her hard work was revealed through her stubbornness to do what she wanted and believed, and Rowling's compassion was established through her multiple cases of charity work. Rowling's hard work has received much praise from critics today, "Fans who have been anxiously awaiting the return of Harry Potter will be amazed afresh. Rowling might be a Hogwarts graduate herself, for her ability to create such an engaging, imaginative, funny and, above all, heart-poundingly suspenseful yarn is nothing short of magical" (Rowling, J.K. and Mary GrandPré). J.K. Rowling inspires me and people around the globe because she showed that, even at the lowest part of her life, she didn't give up on herself or her dreams. She prevailed over her depression and ended up becoming a very successful author. Rowling proved through her actions you should never give up because you can always achieve your dreams in spite of the obstacles in your path. Although it may not be as drastic as a world renowned book, the impact you can make on your society can really make a difference to our world because anything is possible, and any impact you can make on your society can in turn make a positive change in the world, but you will never know it if you don't try.

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"J.K. Rowling." J.K. Rowling. TM and J.K. Rowling, 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012..

JK Rowling: This Is Lumos. Perf. JK Rowling. Lumos. Lumos, 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2012..

"J K Rowling Biography." Essortment. Demand Media, 2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2012..

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'Harry Potter.'" Fox News. Fox News Network, 23 Mar. 2008. Web. 9 Dec.
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Rowling, J. K., and Mary GrandPré. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. New

York: Arthur A. Levine, 1999. Print.

Rowling, J. K. "Anything's Possible If You've Got Enough Nerve."

Goodreads. Good Reads, 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2012. .

Willoughby, Elizabeth. "JK Rowling Is Saving Old Forest From Clear Cutting."
Look To The Stars . Look To The Stars, 22 Sept. 2011. Web. 9 Dec. 2012.
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