Saturday, September 5, 2009

Lord of the rings Vs Harry Potter
















1> Frodo Baggins and Harry Potter
Useless characters who make it to the end mainly by the virtue of having more talented friends and protectors.When they are finally done,you have a feeling that a donkey in their place would have sufficed.Two ordinary boys who have responsibility and power thrust on them.
My opinion:I liked neither much.
So LOTR -0 HP -0

2> Samwise Gamgee and Ronald Weasley
Equally useless friends of the useless main heroes described above.Again,two ordinary boys who do nothing but stick close to the main heroes right till the end and get to enjoy the limelight.
My opinion :I think the character of Ronald Weasley is better written than Samwise Gamgee..
So LOTR-0 HP-1

3> Gandalf (the grey and white) and Albus Dumbledore
Old 'know it all' men.These are perhaps the characters who know the end of the story even before the author does.When you reach the end you have no choice but to wonder "Why didnt these old men act when they had time!!!".But anyway the main purpose of their existence is to look after our useless heroes and guide them and make sure they are well protected right till the end.
My opinion : Gandalf the grey is kinda boring but Gandalf the white is equally charismatic as Albus Dumbledore.
So LOTR -1 HP-2

4> Aragorn and Sirius Black
Young men who have been wronged in the past but have never left the good side.They have sworn their lives to the protection of our useless heroes.Now these are perhaps the best characters of both the books.And you feel that they are actually capable of "doing" something.
My opinion : Sirius is no match for Aragorn.
So LOTR -2 HP -2


5> Merry and Pippin and the Weasley twins
Characters introduced for humour.Dont do much right till the end but do manage to entertain you.
My opinion : Merry and Pippin are a tinge funnier than the Weasley twins
So LOTR-3 HP-2

6> Sauron and Lord Voldemort
The two "BAD men(?)".By direct comparison you realise that they would shoo away our useless heroes like a fly on a tea cup.Both surprisingly dont appear in physical form for a very long time but exist as spirits for a major portion of HP and the entire LOTR.
My opinion : Sauron shouldn't even be allowed to stand before Lord Voldemort (\m/)
So LOTR-3 HP-3

7> Other possible comparisons :
Saruman the wise and Bellatrix Lestrange
Legolas and Gimli and Lupin and Weasley
Boromir and Snape
Gollum and Dobby
(All are more or less equally well written)

As far as the books are concerned,LOTR wastes 50 pages on absolutely boring and useless characters like Tom Bombaddil and long songs.HP on the other hand is written quite to-the-point.From readers point of view HP goes way easy on eyes and brains than LOTR.
But when it comes to movies the tables turn completely.HP movies are disappointing.LOTR movies on the other hand are must-watch. (Specially the war sequences)

I assure you that inspite of my criticizing the characters the way I have,I love both the books!
And I am sure many will have completely different opinions.As always ,they are welcome in the form of comments !
Happy reading !

17 comments:

  1. i agree with all the opinions except the last one !

    mala voldemort nahi awdat !! Sauron is better :)

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  2. I havent been able to complete a single novel till date :-(

    I prefer non-fiction, but may be I might inspired by your posts!

    P.S: This is not a non-sense anymore :P

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  3. Nice comparison.
    1. Agree
    2. Disagree
    3. Agree ... Although, I prefer "Albus is as charismatic as Gandalf the Gray" :P ... Mines of Moria, anyone?
    4. Agree, hands down.
    5. I think they're equal.
    6. Agree
    7.1 Bellatrix :)
    7.2 Legolas with Lupin ?? No comparison! Legolas wins! :P
    7.4 Gimli and Arthur Weasley ... tough one
    7.4 Boromir and Snape ... again a tough one, but Boromir wins (Snape is sick!)
    7.5 Gollum Gollum Gollum!

    LOTR and HP were written in completely different eras and hence their writing styles are completely different. I am an LOTR fan and sa a whole, LOTR wins!... (with all due respect to HP fans) HP is a no-brainer :P

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  4. @Amod...For me it HAS to be Voldy...Methinks thats the best character of HP

    @Mr.MS..Thank u :)

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  5. @Adi... Legolas vs Anyone from HP...Legolas wins.. Agreed..

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  6. 1) Disagree completely. The fact that Frodo and Harry have no power compared to the mighty Gandalf/Dumbldedore means that there is something power alone cannot achieve. The naive willpower and the good in ones heart wins aganist all in the most mysterious of ways.

    3) Gandalf is Maiar for God's sake. He is VERY powerful. So is Sauron. Sauron is also a Maiar. To just comprehend how powerful and *awesome* they are, you must read Silmarillion. Dumbledore is a no-one compared to them. Saruman: Again a Maiar

    @gollum: Dobby is more of a superficial character. Gollum's character is awesomely portrayed.

    @tom bombadil: No LOTR discussion is complete without Tom Bombadil. He is the most mysterious character of LOTR. Probably a Maiar, probably a Valar. Or even a form Of Iluvtar.

    IN summary, LOTR-10, HP-0 :D
    you must read the other Tolkein books!

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  7. @ Guide ... All accepted..no arguments :D

    Btw m completely zapped...mala watlela tu fakta linux related stuff itka man lavun wachat asshil :D

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  8. I agree with aruna about master yoda :)
    I just wanted to say that I have read LOR a long time back (summer vacations before tenth started i think) I liked the book but I dont remember much. On the other hand I must have read every HP book thrice atleast.
    So as far as I am concerned, HP wins hands down.

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  9. @Shweta... Finally some HP fans coming up !! Glad to c support :)

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  10. More and more HP fans showing up !! Good good !! :)

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  11. i agree with jitesh... although i would say LOR - 10 HP - 6.5 ... HP is not as bad as zero ... ( this is a general LOR vs HP comparison not based on the points in the post )

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  12. Come on ya...there really iz no comparison between LOTR and HP! HP is written for adolescent Americans...lil kids waving wands around and saying big words. Ok...maybe that is a liitle offensive...i did enjoy reading potter, too...but LOTR is in a wholly different bracket.
    a. Tom Bombadil can NEVER be called a useless, unnecessary character. The gentle, slightly off-centre old guy isn't at ALL what he actually is...
    b. Gollum's character has WAY more depth than Dobby's, ya! Comparison?
    c. Plus, yes. LOTR is heavy. That's how it's meant to be. Every character, symbolically, represents real-life traits...it's not just light HP entertainment ya!
    Maybe you guyz don't agree....but for me-HP-5, LOTR-0ff the charts! :-P

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  13. Oh, and one more thing, no offence but the long songs and rambling style of LOTR was really cool, too...those books are an epic ya! The original epic. You know how many books in contemporary fantasy are inspired by LOTR?

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  14. Looks like flame wars here.. :D
    No offence meant to any of the LOTR fans ( or HP fans for that matter ).But i know a number of casual readers who could not complete LOTR coz its too long and boring.HP (Tho i completely agree is a no brainer compared to LOTR and is written in a completely different era as Adi pointed out ) can be read a number of times over.
    Yes, I do agree that the story line of LOTR is way more interesting than HP.But i still find Tom Bombaddil a lil too boring !

    @All..PEACE !

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