Marrie Koch's Essay Submission
A Woman of Inspiration: J.K. Rowling
Women are unlike any creature on Earth. Not only do we possess a unique, feminine beauty, but we have the intelligence, strength, and confidence to go with it. Women have been instrumental in shaping the world we see today. Through history we have played the role of warrior, like Boudicca; intellectual, like Florence Nightingale; and visionary, like Eleanor Roosevelt. All of these women are inspirations in their own way, and we can learn much from studying them. For me, however, no woman has been a greater inspiration than the author J.K. Rowling.
J.K. Rowling has had the most profound influence on the way I view the people around me. In her and book Harry Potter the Goblet of Fire she wrote, “It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be”. In life we are faced with a variety of people. Some may be like us, others complete opposites. What we see on the outside does not always define who that person is. Rowling has been teaching this to children and adults alike since her books first came out.
The lesson she teaches is especially important in today’s world of fear and paranoia. It is all the more important that we look to see the similarities between ourselves and other people, rather than the differences. As a leader this is especially important because during life we will be forced to work with people that we have nothing in common with. We have to be able to find common ground with them so we can lead effectively. When I think about this, another quote from her book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire comes to mind, “Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.”
As a young child the fantastical stories of the young wizard Harry Potter and his struggle to overcome the great, dark wizard Lord Voldemort, captured my imagination unlike any other book. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that J.K. Rowling had a deeper message to pass on to her readers. To this day, J.K Rowling remains one of the greatest inspirations in the way I treat and lead those around me.