In an inspiring speech where she reflected back on her own graduation, her early failures and struggles as a single mother before achieving success with the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling noted that “Poverty entails fear, and stress, and sometimes depression; it means a thousand petty humiliations and hardships. Climbing out of poverty by your own efforts, that is indeed something on which to pride yourself, but poverty itself is romanticised only by fools. What I feared most for myself at your age was not poverty, but failure. ”
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“However, the fact that you are graduating from Harvard suggests that you are not very well-acquainted with failure. You might be driven by a fear of failure quite as much as a desire for success. Indeed, your conception of failure might not be too far from the average person’s idea of success, so high have you already flown academically.
Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it. So I think it fair to say that by any conventional measure, a mere seven years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless. The fears my parents had had for me, and that I had had for myself, had both come to pass, and by every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew. “
You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default. Failure gave me an inner security that I had never attained by passing examinations. Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way. I discovered that I had a strong will, and more discipline than I had suspected; I also found out that I had friends whose value was truly above rubies.
The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift, for all that it is painfully won, and it has been worth more to me than any qualification I ever earned.”
Jo continued on to note that post-graduation, working for Amnesty International was “one of the greatest formative experiences of my life” and “it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books. ” She recalled one powerful incident as she reflected saying “I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland. He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him. He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child. I was given the job of escorting him to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.
And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since. The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her. She had just given him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country’s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.”
J.K. Rowling then went on to emphasize how important imagination is in overcoming failures horrors like the story she recalled and how it can impact the graduates she was addressing. Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s minds, imagine themselves into other people’s places.
Of course, this is a power, like my brand of fictional magic, that is morally neutral. One might use such an ability to manipulate, or control, just as much as to understand or sympathise.
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I think the willfully unimaginative see more monsters. They are often more afraid. What is more, those who choose not to empathise may enable real monsters. For without ever committing an act of outright evil ourselves, we collude with it, through our own apathy. One of the many things I learned at the end of that Classics corridor down which I ventured at the age of 18, in search of something I could not then define, was this, written by the Greek author Plutarch: What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.
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If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped transform for the better. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.
I have no doubt, barring the presence of Voldemort, if Harry, Ron and Hermione and the rest of their cohort had completed their magical education at Hogwarts, THAT would have been exactly the kind of speech Dumbledore would have given on their graduation day.
Moving, witty and inspiring indeed. I laughed at the start of the speech, teared up near the middle of it and felt tremendously grateful for having had the chance to listen to this her, by the end of it.
Who else, but J.K. Rowling can do all that to you within the space of 23 minutes?
The Harvard graduates of 2008 are the kids who grew up with Harry. They were around the same age as Harry, 11, when the first book came out. Unlike someone’s earlier comment, my guess is that many of the students there were/are avid readers of the series. The fact that several of them have already checked out the speech on Leaky and made comments, I think bares this out.
Ms. Rowling’s speech today made it sound like her success came about entirely through her own efforts after learning from her failures. She did not mention the people who helped her become so successful or the fact that she was just downright lucky that her books were popular and sold so well. Her lack of humility surprised my circle of friends, and we grew up with the Potter books. The speech was uninspiring, to say the least, which was disappointing coming from an author we had liked when we were kids. I guess she is better at writing novels than speeches!
So inspiring. Even though I’m a Rowling fan, I was still surprised by how moved I was when I read the transcript. Commencement speeches normally don’t do that! Mine a few weeks ago was…good, I think. Actually, it was pretty good now that I think about it, but I was watching it from home while holding my week-old baby, so I was a little preoccupied. :]
‘Cambridge coed’, I’m absolutely sure JKR has been more than thankful to all the people in her life that have helped to support and encourage her and I am absolutely sure THEY know it, even if YOU somehow feel neglected to have been privy to it. She has mentioned them in many interviews and documentaries. And in case you missed it last year, she literally hand-wrote 7( or was it 6?) copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, had their covers encrusted with semi-precious stones and said that she dedicated and gave them to the same people you said she should be thankful to. One of those books was sold for charity at the highest ever price in history for a modern manuscript, in case you think its no big deal.
In accordance with your own opinion, if those people (presumably her immediate and closest family members and friends) who helped her become so successful even feel that they NEED to hear her acknowledge them, then they ought to be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.
And finally, on your jab that she was just ‘downright lucky’, luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get. It is something that occurs when preparation and opportunity meet. One-half of life is luck; the other half is discipline – and that’s the important half, for without discipline you wouldn’t know what to do with luck. So by your standards, ‘Cambridge coed’, J. K. Rowling has got to be the most disciplined person in the world as well. I’d very much like to see how YOU would handle it, if something as big as Harry Potter ever came down your alleyway…
Well, I’ve watched it twice and read it once. It was a brilliant and moving speech. I particularly liked how her speech touched all the humanities: English literature, history, politics, economics, psychology, classics and philosophy.
And I swear I could put a name to both the Trolls with us tonight.
I love J.K. Rowling. She is my hero! Her speech was charming, brilliant, profound and so personally relevant. It made my cry. I carried her words around with me today as my own personal cheering section.
Come on people, we should at least be grateful to see a few new JKR haters venting on these boards. I was getting fed up of the same ones (where are you kitkat,secunda etc? lol.)
J K Rowling is the most blazingly honest person I know. She was probably the most famous person at that gathering and possibly one of the richest, and has been the recipient of many awards and several honorary doctorates, yet she stood there and admitted that she had been terrfied by the enormity of the task she had been asked to perform. She does not put on a performance, she is herself and speaks from her heart, without pretention or airs and graces and with humour. It is these qualities that imbue her writing with its power to move us to joy and laughter, indignation, curiosity, breathless anticipation and tears. This is why her books sell in vast numbers to people of all ages across the world, and are read, re-read, analysed, discussed and read again. Her work has brought fortune and employment to many, many people, and bitterness and envy in the hearts of some shallow people. She puts her money and fame to very good use by supporting or founding charities who causes she cares about. I can think of no-one better to inspire new graduates at the commencement of their careers,
A very inspiring and heartfelt speech, it has left me rather thoughtful and contemplative. I think that this speech can reach anyone – I’m only 14 and it has really got through to me. I am now thinking of getting a job at Amnesty International when I am older.
Thank you very much for such an excellent speech Jo!
Bono is a singer, also started charities when he didn’t have to.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. earned his PhD in Philosophy, not in civil rights but that’s what he moved to inspire.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi a.k.a. Mahatma Gandhi was a lawyer, who spoke of peace and non-violence( 2 things he never saw in his life time, but spoke of them anyway).
John Lennon, also a singer, always spoke of peace, love,and understanding.Bill Gates is a Harvard dropout who now gives Scholarships so people can go to collage, would you call him a hypocrite.
I once heard a speech by General Colin Powell, at U of D, it was about a childrens charity, are we now saying that he can’t do that because hes a General , not a social worker.
It really is amazing how many people do things other than what they are trained for and famous for. its people like her and the ones i mentioned above that we need more of in the world.
To quote a line from a Nicholas Cage movie,”...Those who have the ability to take action, have the responsibility to take action.”
I would rather her have explained her Characters sexual orientation after the fact than trying to explain it to my 8 year old what it means to be gay.
You sit there and say shes a one hit wonder when that all she said she ever wanted to write was this series.Not to mention she spoke of something that i am almost positive that no one has ever done before, FAILURE, most speeches of this nature are pointed at success and looking to the future, it is a part of everyday life that, like she said most of them have not had to deal with before, and now that they are going out there on their own(in the real world) it was a good word of warning, not everyone can bursh off failure like dandruff.
Being an American vet i can say for a FACT that even hearing some of the things she heard second hand, and viewing some of the tapes that she has seen(not the chopped up ones they show idiots like you on the news) can be Very unnerving. You have no idea what frame of mind anyone other than yourself can draw from any situation.
now we have to deal with you 2 ignorant **cks, you say shes got gall, why don’t you look in the mirror.
ootp sucks balls, who ever agues against me prepare for a beating, because i will win, this is wat a lovely man had to say before:
whats the point of including insignificant characters like the carrows in the sixth film, there names most likely will not even be mentioned in the film, they just be there for the sake of the fans, normal movie goers wont have a clue who they are plus why is lucius malfoy included in the slughorn memory scene. he wasn’t ther in the book. ow lets just put him in for the sake of it. the bigger the cast the better the movie, yeah. also why put regulus black in this film they could easily have placled him in the fifth,showing his family tree, a quick explanation is all thats needed. another thing, whats with the costuming and make up, the trio look like there ment to be on the cover of some designer teenage magazine. the film is supposed to be set in 1995 or 6. another,is why is harry’s hair so neat, the third and forth film captued the essence of the what the character really was. now we have this short haired neat looking boy. it the most “un-Harry-like” hairstyle so far. theys are small thins so why change them. if you look at the 5th film and then look at the other four, costume, music, make up, editing, acting and everything wise its completely different. to say the fifth film was the best is to say the rest of them were total rubbish. ow and the locket, wat are they going to do about the locket. are they going to just try to fit everything into the last 2films. the movie goers are going to have a head ache trying to remeber everything. the way the fifth film was made, was so that only fans could understand it. you dont make films for that purpose alone. please wb, you still have time, rethink on your decision, of yates for the last 2 films. i’m Ed Tom signing off.
Now i have been challenged before by someone tryin to deconstruct my evr point, but totally avoided what my points really infact. this is what Mugglethai had to say:
Seriously, what’s with all these complaining? It seems like some people enjoy complaining so much. First they complain about the lack of picture, now when new pics come out and they can’t find anything wrong with the pics, they just start complaining about other movie stuff completely unrelated to this news. I bet next month they will complain that there are too many pics.
Ed Tom, at least DO SOME RESEARCH before start your nitpicking:
- “plus why is lucius malfoy included in the slughorn memory scene. he wasn’t ther in the book. ow lets just put him in for the sake of it.”
The actor has already said that he will appear in an old Slug Club photo. That’s it. It is called ‘attention to detail’.
-“also why put regulus black in this film they could easily have placled him in the fifth,showing his family tree, a quick explanation is all thats needed.”
The actor gave an interview that he will appear in a photo in Slughorn office. By introducing him this way, the audience will know who he is and also GET TO SEE HIS FACE. You complain about the movie confusing those who are not fan. Well, THIS IS ONE WAY TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM. If they just introduce Regulus the same way as in the book, movie goers will just forget about him by the time we get to DH. Now that they also show his face in the movie, it is likely that the audience will be less confused.
-“whats with the costuming and make up, the trio look like there ment to be on the cover of some designer teenage magazine. the film is supposed to be set in 1995 or 6.”
I don’t know about your taste in fashion. But to me, those clothes look like something you can see normal teenagers wearing everyday, which is what the kids are suppose to wear outside school (Harry and Hermione grow up in a muggle family, and it is mentioned in GOF that Weasley kids wear muggle clothes at home). We don’t even get a proper look at Ron and Harry’s clothes in that burrow pic, and Hermione’s clothes the same one (or the similar one) she wore in one deleted scene of POA.
-“why is harry’s hair so neat, the third and forth film captued the essence of the what the character really was. now we have this short haired neat looking boy. it the most “un-Harry-like” hairstyle so far.”
To me, it look far more messy than in the first 2 films.
-“whats the point of including insignificant characters like the carrows in the sixth film, there names most likely will not even be mentioned in the film, they just be there for the sake of the fans, normal movie goers wont have a clue who they are”
They are included in HBP because the have bigger role in DH. Yes, normal movie goers wont have a clue who they are BECAUSE THEY DON’T NEED TO. They just have to see these two characters as Voldemort’s minions and that’s it. Filmmakers need a bunch of Death Eaters for the battle at the end anyway. Why not include characters from the book instead of just a bunch of extras???
-“to say the fifth film was the best is to say the rest of them were total rubbish”
Just because two things are different doesn’t mean you can’t like both of them. I like both POA and OOTP for different reasons. I also like both HP and Narnia although they are different. I think HP is better, but that doesn’t mean Narnia is rubbish.
Now if you look closely to what im saying and what moron face is saying, her/his retaliations don’t make sense. they miss the point. Far better arguements could be made. oh and Suzy can stop sucking up to Muggletai, “Have you ever considered a career in law?”, God u r doing some over time on your ball sucking.
By the way this is not Ed Tom. Challenge me Muggletai. Challenge me!
“no Ed Tom” please note, this comment section is for, and only for commenting on the new article it is attached to. take your irrelevant arguements to leaky lounge, not the new comments for a article that has nothing to do with your views of OotP and HBP.
I have to agree, when she started talking about failure, i was a little unsettled for a moment, as usually comencement speeches are suposed to talk about more uplifting things… but then she continued and it all made sense to me. I feel it was a brillent move, to break the mold, and ultimately end up being more poigent then any comencement speech I have ever heard.
I have no doubt, barring the presence of Voldemort, if Harry, Ron and Hermione and the rest of their cohort had completed their magical education at Hogwarts, THAT would have been exactly the kind of speech Dumbledore would have given on their graduation day.
Moving, witty and inspiring indeed. I laughed at the start of the speech, teared up near the middle of it and felt tremendously grateful for having had the chance to listen to this her, by the end of it.
Who else, but J.K. Rowling can do all that to you within the space of 23 minutes?