Maegan Davis's Essay Submission
A Woman of Inspiration: J.K. Rowling
Sprinting through the trees in the Forbidden Forrest, longing to get to the safety of Hagrid’s hut, I was no longer a normal nine year old girl; instead I was Hermione Granger, fighting evil alongside Harry and Ron. I waved my wand violently shouting incantations. As soon as I picked up any one of the books from the Harry Potter series, I was instantly transported into a world where students spent the days practicing enchantments and brewing potions. Nothing could have been better. J.K. Rowling not only brought to life the world of magic for me through her books, but also the world of reading in general. She created characters so dynamic and scenes so extraordinary that it was easy to get engulfed in the novel, gobbling up every sentence. However, she was not always the literary “superhero” she is today. She had circumstances she had to overcome in order to follow her dream- writing the Harry Potter series.
Although J.K. Rowling has created a dynasty for herself with her fictional books of wizards and witches, she was not always in the best of circumstances. The death of her mother, a divorce after a short marriage, and raising her daughter alone almost defeated her. She battled depression and contemplated suicide. However, she beat these thoughts when put all of her energy into her dream, writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Still struggling-living on welfare and government housing- she followed her passion of writing until the book was completed. She sent the book to twelve different publishing companies, and finally, in 1997, the book was published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books. Shortly after, she wrote two more installments, and all three of the books were at the top of the New York Times Bestseller List. The Harry Potter books are now a seven part series, all of which have been made into major motion pictures. According to Forbes, J.K. Rowling’s net worth is currently one billion dollars.
J.K. Rowling made herself into a success. Without perseverance, determination, and courage, the Harry Potter series would not be impacting the lives of children today. J.K. Rowling possesses two of the best leadership qualities: learning through failure and empathy for the less fortunate. She embodies the term “self-leader”. She learned to push herself. To me, this means everything. If a person has the ability to push themselves, anything is possible. She rose to greatness from nothing, and she now gives back to various charities with what she has earned. An excerpt from a passage in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has stuck with me throughout the years. It states: “It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” I think J.K. Rowling’s life truly embodies it this quotation. She is a woman who went through various trials, but she chose to persevere and accomplish her dream- this makes her a truly inspiring woman.