The LS Essay Challenge: Discussion and Concrit

We've got quite a few interesting and thought-provoking entries. Discuss them here. You're welcome to explain your preferences, the theories presented in the essays or fangirl the authors. :yuhup:

Ok first to comment :D

Congrats to all of those who wrote the five entries in the 500-1000 words category. It must have been tough to make time for it and you guys have done well :) This is just my take on the essays :)

Essay one: Gryffindor House: Streaks of Gray
I thought this was well written without being confusing or overdone. But the essay and what was brought through it was something I already knew quite well. So in that sense it wasn't telling me anything new. However, simple, clear style of writing :tu:

Essay two: What is so great about Harry, or is he just an ordinary boy?
Again, a very neat, crisp style. Fun to read and a very nice flow of thoughts :)

Essay three:How Fawkes bonded with Dumbledore!
This one is beautifully written. Great style, subtle emotions and a neat way of bringing out ideas. I voted for this! :) :tu:

Essay four:In defense of Dolores Jane Umbridge!
I almost voted for this one :lol: It is an impossible topic to take and explain but kudos for a job well done :clap: This has a casual, witty style of writing which always makes the essay easier to read. Good job :tu:

Essay 5: Harry Potter: An Epic Hero?
We had one essay about Harry being an ordinary boy and this one about him being a hero. This was also well written and I liked the analysis :tu:

Ok now BEST essay was without a doubt Merope: A Feminist Perspective. It has an original topic, very well written, critical and in depht. Excellent work.

As for the others, there were all good. I thought that 3 (Fawkes and Dumbledore) felt more like a fanfiction than an essay though. Then the topics of 2 and 5 seemed similar, though I voted for 5 because it explored the comparision of Harry Potter to a whole genre or type (epic hero).

Do the authors accept concrit on their essays?

I'm very impressed with the essays, and it was very hard to decide who to vote for! Good job to all of you!

I liked all the essays. The best IMO was Merope - A Feminist Perspective. That was beautifully written. In the other category, I liked all the five, but voted for Umbridge, since that was a daring essay and brought out positives (:wow:) about the most negative person in the HP series. :)

I just read Merope: A Feminist Perspective and I agree with Guad that it was downright awesome! Very well written and a beautiful analysis :tu:

Well done everyone :D

Merope: A Feminist Perspective was wonderful. Very well thought out and presented.

I voted for the entry that presented me a viewpoint that I hadn't considered before :)

Those were all very interesting. :tu:.

Blimey, this is a tough call, as they all have great strengths and they're all so diferent.

1. is so beautifully written and structured (if I were still teaching I think I'd be issuing this to my students as a model example of how to write an academic essay, and for that reason that's the one I finally voted for)

2. is so personal and has such a strong sense of argument

3. is creative, original, imaginative and moving

4. has wit and verve and argues brilliantly on a fun, totally different and challenging topic

5. takes an informed, literary, generic approach and handles it well.

Well done, everybody.

Well done to the essay writers for their hard work! :tu:

My favourites were:

Merope: A Feminist Perspective
Very perceptive and beautifully written and argued.

Gryffindor House: Streaks of Gray
Analyses the morality of the Potterverse with great sympathy and intelligence, arguing persuasively for a three-dimensional analysis of Rowling's rich characters and against a simplistic black-and-white interpretation of her world, whilst fully recognising the role and significance of the House within the saga. I really liked this. :tu:

What is so great about Harry, or is he just an ordinary boy?
Clear, accessible and persuasive. I agree 100% with the author's analysis and conclusions :D and s/he argues them very well. :)

First of all, thanks a lot to everyone who submitted an essay! :huggles: It would have been great if more members had participated but the essays we received are all impressive and interesting and I enjoyed reading them very much.

Ok now BEST essay was without a doubt Merope: A Feminist Perspective. It has an original topic, very well written, critical and in depht. Excellent work.
I agree. I think this piece is the best developed because the word limit allowed it to be the most in depth. The other essays are wonderfully written, but I feel they are stunted because of the length regulations. I think all of the essays would have benefited from more detail and support, save for the Umbridge essay, in which the author seemed desperate to reach the required length. :lol:

Overall, I was very impressed by the essays. I did not expect the topics that were chosen, and was very surprised that two users picked Harry with fairly similar emphasis.


Gryffindor House: I felt this essay had an original point that was illustrated excellently, though more depth and examples would have certainly been beneficial. I found the layout a little too forced and set (i.e. My first point, second point, etc.), and smoother transitions would probably have helped. Overall, though, this was my second favorite essay in this category.
Harry, just an ordinary boy: This was a fairly simple essay, but its style was effective and got the point across. The author used great reasoning and support for the topic, and I feel the essay is very persuasive.
Fawkes/Dumbledore: Like guad, this reminded me of fanfiction instead of an essay. I think the author captured Albus' emotions perfectly, though, and it seems very realistic of how Albus would have felt after the fiasco in Godric's Hollow.
Umbridge: This is a very unconventional style for an essay, yet it worked for the chosen subject. The author incorporated his/her voice into the work, which made the argument seem very real. I enjoy the daring the author had to choose such a topic, and the points that were made are very relevant. I feel this essay had the most impact and was the most persuasive, partly due to the argument of an unpopular subject.
Harry, an epic hero: I like how this essay compared Harry's tales to an epic - an argument I do not see enough. And I feel the author was successful in arguing that Harry should be considered an epic hero. Like the first essay, this piece had a fixed style, which lost some of the impact for me, but the original topic more than compensated for this.

Oooh, these are terrific; they were all so much fun to read! An excellent job by everyone who entered.

1. This is a very well-written essay with an excellent choice of topic. The discussion of Houses is always one I've found intriguing, and you did a great job conveying your point, exploring Gryffindors I had never really considered while thinking about House traits. I think the last sentence of your opening paragraph is very important, because when we're defending our favorite characters it's so easy to forget that they aren't black and white, and therein lies the brilliance of JKR's work - I love that that's what you really wanted (and certainly managed) to achieve in your essay.

2. This essay is simple, making it easy to understand your beliefs, but very well-written and effective. You explained yourself well and were able to persuade me on a topic I've always been back and forth on.

3. This is such a unique and beautifully written essay. You have a great writing style, and you were able to creatively explore an aspect of the novels I had never considered.

4. I admire you more than you can imagine for choosing such a difficult topic and arguing it so well. There are very few characters I actually say that I "hate", and Umbridge is certainly one of them, but you were nonetheless able to defend your point very effectively. I like the way you lead the reader through your line of reasoning for each positive quality of Umbridge that you mentioned; you explained yourself very well. I voted for this one, despite my resentment of you naming James as a most-hated character. ;)

5. I really enjoyed reading this essay, because I feel like I actually learned something from it - I certainly never knew what qualified someone as an epic hero before. I've always been taught in school that a good persuasive essay leaves no doubt in the reader's mind that the author is right in their argument, and you did this extremely well. You chose a good topic and did a great job making a clear, concise point.

Not many entries, and not many people voting! What a shame, well I voted for my favorite. I simply love # 1. It is a very well written essay and it makes some very good points, specially for those of us who are biased upon Gryffindor.
I really like it. Congrats to whomever wrote it.

Merope : A Feminist Perspective is a beautifully written and very insightful essay. It reads like a an article written by a professional! Kudos to the author :tu:

Among the 500-1000 word essays, I voted for Gryffindor - Shades of Gray because it was very well thought out, very well structured and very interesting.

I also really liked the Dolores Umbridge essay, for its wit and sheer originality. Great job, whoever wrote it really put in a lot of effort!

I think essay #4 is admirable and instructive in regard to false preconceptions. I will use it in my classes.

*drum roll*

:D And here are the results! :D

In the category 2000-2500 words the winner was clear and easy to find: Melaszka wrote the excellent essay Merope: A Feminist Perspective!

In the category 500-1000 words we had a neck-and-neck race. Essay #1 won by one vote. The winner is USNAGator91 with Gryffindor House: Streaks of Gray.

Congrats to you both! :clap:


Please also cheer for the other participants:

What is so great about Harry, or is he just an ordinary boy? was written by Montse

How Fawkes bonded with Dumbledore! was written by The Green Woods

In defense of Dolores Jane Umbridge! was written by guad

Harry Potter: An Epic Hero? was written by xhanax315


Thank you all for participating! I greatly enjoyed reading your essays!

Yay! Congrats Melaszka and USNAgator91. Both essays were brilliant. :clap: :clap:

Thanks a lot to those who voted for my essay. :)

Congrats to the winners! :clap: Everyone who entered did an excellent job!

Congratulations guys! I loved reading them all! I was too busy to participate, but I really adored reading them!!

:clap:!!

Congrats to the winners and thanks all for participating! :D

Well done, USNAgator91 on a well deserved success, and to everyone else who entered the 500-1000 category - I really enjoyed all of reading them.:clap:

It's not hard to win a contest where you're the only entrant, but thank you to everyone who said nice things about my essay - it really cheered me up and made my day. :love:

Congrats to the winners! :clap:

Congrats to the winners!!!
Usnagator91 I really liked yours , ( I voted for it) I am glad you won!!!

To all 7 people who voted for mine, Thank you!!!
I never dreamed I would get more than 1 vote , cause I am not that good at writting , so I am quite pleased. Thanks again!!!

*drum roll*

:D And here are the results! :D

In the category 2000-2500 words the winner was clear and easy to find: Melaszka wrote the excellent essay Merope: A Feminist Perspective!

In the category 500-1000 words we had a neck-and-neck race. Essay #1 won by one vote. The winner is USNAGator91 with Gryffindor House: Streaks of Gray.

Congrats to you both! :clap:


Please also cheer for the other participants:

What is so great about Harry, or is he just an ordinary boy? was written by Montse

How Fawkes bonded with Dumbledore! was written by The Green Woods

In defense of Dolores Jane Umbridge! was written by guad

Harry Potter: An Epic Hero? was written by xhanax315


Thank you all for participating! I greatly enjoyed reading your essays!

WOOT to the winners!!! :clap: All the other essays were an interesting read as well. :agree: :tu:

Congrats to all the winners and all the essay writers! :)

A very fine job all round. :agree:

It's not hard to win a contest where you're the only entrant, but thank you to everyone who said nice things about my essay - it really cheered me up and made my day.

*says more nice things* Your essay was my favourite. (I can say that now, mkay? :p) You had a thought-provoking thesis, a sound argumentation and you chose a character that is all too often overlooked.

*says more nice things* Your essay was my favourite. (I can say that now, mkay? :p) You had a thought-provoking thesis, a sound argumentation and you chose a character that is all too often overlooked.

:love:
Thanks. And thank you for blatantly pimping it with the Merope Poll of the Week!

USNAgator's was my favourite, but I really liked them all, in very different ways - and guad's really made me laugh.