Harry's sacrifice

[annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 58608

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, rayheuer3 at a... wrote:
> runningbecky2002 at y... writes:
Annemehr:
This is me, actually, although Becky posted a reply:
> 
> > You say that Harry hasn't sacrificed, but that he has risked life 
and 
> > limb often enough.  To me, they are pretty much the same thing -- 
> > Harry puts his life on the line; it's just that he hasn't actually 
> > lost it (yet).  So, yes, I think we can say that Harry is willing 
to 
> > sacrifice his own life and see his friends sacrifice their own in 
> > order to save the WW or even one young witch (Ginny).
> > <snip>
> > And yeah, Harry did lose that last Quidditch match in PS/SS by his 
> > deliberate choice to go after the Stone and winding up unconscious 
in 
> > the hospital wing -- or are you looking for him to deliberately 
throw 
> > a game? ;-)
> 
> You're confusing "risk" and "sacrifice".  "risk" implies *possible* 
> consequences, and young folk like HRH never believe these 
consequences apply to them.  
> Harry has more reason than anyone to believe that he is immortal and 
> invulnerable.  "Sacrifice" implies the certainty of loss, even as 
small one (such as in 
> baseball, when you "sacrifice" an out to score a run or move runners 
up a 
> base).

I wasn't confusing them, exactly.  I'll try to explain as clearly as I 
can.

Harry has not had the situation come up where he would have to 
knowingly sacrifice his life or powers.  This is not under his 
control; it will either happen or not.

He has had plenty of situations come up where he has had to risk his 
life, and those times he did it willingly.  As it happened, he was not 
killed.  He certainly did try to succeed in his undertakings while 
staying alive, but the outcome was not entirely in his hands -- 
despite his best efforts, he may still have died.

  
> To follow along with Buffy, which was the original example, she has 
twice 
> sacrificed her life to stop an apocalypse.  The first time, at the 
end of Season 
> 1, she goes to fight The Master, even though her death has been 
foretold.  She 
> chose to fight, even though she expected to die (which, technically 
she did, 
> but she was revived)

I see what you're getting at now.  I don't watch Buffy, so I didn't 
realise what you meant at first.  Yes, there is some difference 
between *risking* your life and facing *certain* death, and the only 
time Harry did the latter, there was no sacrifice to make, just to 
stand up straight and die fighting like his father rather than 
cowering behind a headstone.
> 
> I don't want to get into a long OT discussion of Buffy (well, 
actually I 
> *do*, but I won't). I'll just mention that both Buffy and Harry have 
sacrificed a 
> "normal life" to be what they are.  However, in Harry's case, I 
don't think 
> was very much of a loss.
> 
>   --  Ray
> <A HREF="www.buffycon.org">www.buffycon.org</A>

True: Harry did realise he'd rather live at Hogwarts and face a dragon 
rather than go back to the Dursleys.  And if Harry ever does face 
"certain death" to save the WW (or even just one person), then we can 
discuss some more!

Annemehr
"Certain Death" would be a lousy name for a band, even if it sounds 
cool.