The Power of one - What Do You Think of by the Term Power?

What do you think of by the term power? Many movies portray strong characters, which have power over others. Is it a strength, or maybe an advantage over others? The Macquarie dictionary online, describes power in two ways. Firstly as the great or marked ability to do or act, a strength, might and force. Secondly it can be a possession of control or command over others. This refers to having authority or influence over other people. Although these definitions come from the one word, they are quite different. One means the power over one's self, whilst the other definition refers to the power over others. In fact, power can be good or evil. With power, comes responsibility. Good morning everyone. As the deputy head of year 10, I will be speaking to you today about power. I will be using, 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' to demonstrate how power can be used for good and not for evil. In this book, the main character, Harry Potter, reveals that he has power in many ways. The powers that I will be focusing on will be magical, mental and physical.

Since Harry is a wizard, the first power that I will focus on is magical power. Harry Potter clearly displays magical power because he discovers that he posses talents, which others do not seem to have. When Harry finds out that he is a wizard, he gets on his broomstick to attempt his first lesson. Although he has never flown before, he discovers that he is quite considerably better than most people. ''Catch it if you can, then!... Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. He leant forward and pointed his broom handle down... wind whistled in his ears, mingled with the screams of people watching - he stretched out his hand... and he toppled gently on to the grass with the remembrall clutched safely in his fist.'' (pg 111). This reveals that you can be really good at something, without actually being aware of it. Examples of this can occur in real life. For instance, if there is something new that you wish to try, instead of attempting it with a negative attitude, if you go in with a positive attitude, then you will get more out of it. You might be surprised because you may actually like it.

Another power that Harry possesses is mental power. This is a unique quality because you can't see it. Harry's mental power is not a physical object. Therefore it is difficult to determine if it is or is not there. An event where Harry exhibits his mental power is when he finds the Mirror of Erised. 'A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving... "Mum?" he whispered. "Dad?" (pg 153) Harry longingly wanted to be back with his parents. He mourned their loss and this image would be more than most could bare. '....said Dumbledore quietly. 'It shows us nothing more or less then the deepest, most desperate desire of