Kelli Doyle 1/20/14 Logan Bearden ENC1145 Paper 1 Draft 2: Remix Remixes can be found all around us.

The music we jam to, the clothes we wear, the food we eat. Everything is a remix (video citation). In particular, the Harry Potter franchise is a prime example of a remix; theres movies, merchandise, a theme, park, fan art, fan fiction, and a musical. Even Harry Potter as a book series is a remix, crafted from any wizarding story ever told, from Latin spells to mythical creatures. However, each remix differs in the way they are presented and interpreted. Remixes are made up of the different modes and media, interpreted by the creator and the consumer. For example, I chose a piece of fan art to compare and contrast with a particular scene in the book series. Specifically, I noticed a difference between the depictions of Harry, Voldemort and their shared connection, displayed by the different modes and media of visual art and the written word. In the piece of fan art I chose, I interpreted the image as the connection between Harry and Voldemort. However, from my perspective, Harry has already died, the connection is broken, and Harry has learned of what he must do to defeat Voldemort. I was able to correlate this image as a visual representation of Harrys realization in the Kings Cross chapter of the Deathly Hallows. To better understand how the depiction of Harry and Voldemorts connection differs, we must first establish how Harry and Voldemort differ individually between the two forms of media. In the Kings Cross chapter, Harry is depicted as confused and puzzled, impatient and angry, yet accepting by use of imagery, ellipses, and dialogue. Dialogue best helps the reader to understand what is happening in this scene, because we are able to hear the banter in our heads. However, the

conversation would be left vague without the use of ellipses and punctuation, italics or bolded words for emphasis and a running side commentary filled with imagery and the characters personal thoughts. Harry is depicted as confused or puzzled by the use of ellipses in the middle of his speech. Ellipses make the reader stop and pause with the character, giving us room to imagine him stammering while he thinks and tries to understand what Dumbledore is telling him. We also get a sense that Harry is becoming impatient and angry with Dumbledore, mainly because Dumbledore withheld the truth from Harry and seems to be taking him on a bit of a goose chase in the process of allowing Harry to discover the truth for himself. The confusion, anger and impatience helps to paint a very human picture of Harry. He first appears in Kings Cross naked and vulnerable. He becomes angry and frustrated as he pieces together the puzzle. He is crippled by human emotion as is any being on this planet. However, in the piece of fan art, he is depicted as Harry, the Hero. He stands: tall, proud, strong. The expression on his face is stern and determined; he knows what he must do to triumph over Voldemort. His hair and cloak are gently windswept, as is any image we have of a superhero. Harry is clothes in his Quidditch uniform, symbolizing the strength and power he possessed during the games. On the right side of his face, we see a difference in the shading color, as if the sun or some great light is shining upon him; the light of destiny. His wand is ablaze, poised and ready for action. His body is positioned so that his right side is angled more forward, and his chest is puffed up, giving off the air of superiority and power. However, a look of worry is painted in his eyes. His brows are slightly furrowed and his eyes are wide with apprehension. No matter how strong or powerful he may feel, that doesnt mean he isnt scared of what will come next. Harry doesnt know how the final duel will pan out, and he worries of who else may suffer to save him. Even though he is depicted heroically in the fan art, there is still the human quality of fear and worry apparent in his eyes, making him still relatable.

Back to Kings Cross: The part of Voldemort that was inside of Harry is depicted as a pathetic, shameful, dying, agonized creature. Even more interestingly, hes also given a childlike size and appearance. Even though this creature is only a piece of Voldemorts soul, it gives a different view of the Voldemort that is still alive and murdering. Imagery helps the reader to visualize what a seventh of Voldemorts soul must look like. Rowling describes the creature: its skin raw and rough, flayedlooking, and it lay shuddering under a seat where it had been left, unwanted stuffed out of sight, struggling for breath. Like the orphaned child he is, hes abandoned to suffocate and shudder for eternity. In the dialogue between Dumbledore and Harry, Dumbledore even calls Voldemort emotionally handicapped and arrogant, making him ignorant and foolish to his own mistakes. These descriptions differ vastly from own preconceived views of Voldemort before this point. He is now pictured as a foolish little child, lusting for power which is entirely beyond his comprehension. He is weak and desperately clinging to his last strokes of life; his demise is inevitable. To contrast, Voldemort is much more evil and dangerous. His nose is crinkled, sneering, seething. His entire head is painted larger than Harrys body, takes up much of the square, making him seem more menacing, looming in the background. However, hes painted to look ghostlike; a wisp of a memory. The rest of his body is lost among the gray-brown smoke that swirls behind Harry. Though Voldemort may be weakening, hell do everything in his power to win the final battle. He struggles, holding on to the last bits of his power. Voldemorts smoky body symbolizes the broken connection between him and Harry; they are no longer tethered, though in the book the point is made in the conversation between Harry and Dumbledore, that Voldemort is unaware of this loss of connection, unaware even that Harry was the seventh accidental horcrux. The connection may have been invaluable to Voldemort, it now will lead to his inevitable demise. In the book, when Harry first stumbles upon the agonized creature that is Voldemorts soul, he felt a bit sorry, wishing he could someway help, but also repulsed. Eventually, Harry stops paying

attention to the creature, ignoring his cries, barely disturb*ing+ Harry anymore. The creature, the connection, Voldemort is a mere disturbance now; Harry no longer feels any pity and realizes exactly how he must conquer Voldemort. Had Harry failed to become the Master of Death, he truly would have been dead. When Voldemort took Harrys blood to selfishly regain power, he also stole the blood which also contained Lilys protection and love, strengthening the bond they already shared. When Voldemort killed Harry the first time, he also killed the part of himself in Harry. Only two horcruxes remain, and if Harry successfully shatters those horcruxes, the last bit of soul within Voldemort himself will become so instable that he will simply die. The thing about media and modal differences in different contexts, is that one could not have gathered this much information about the connection Voldemort and Harry share from just the fan art. The written word allows for a world of description, imagination and elaboration. Words can create stories, memories and emotional connections. However, in ways where written language fails us, visual images can make up for it. In images, we can actively see what the author is describing. Yet, image is created according to the artists own perspective. This is true for all forms of art, across all forms of media; the art is up to the interpreter. As individuals, we capture, create what we see, what we feel, what we know, and share a piece of that with the world. Thats why remixes are so important and vital for society; we arent stealing from one another, but building upon what we have learned and experienced. The fan art I chose gave me a different perspective to read the Kings Cross chapter, and in return I viewed the image through different glasses. Though these two works of art may differ in how they are created and what is used to create them, together they paint a more complete picture.