I'm actually not familiar enough with Arthurian legend to reply on that count, did he have Merlin leaving a trail of crumbs to follow and only act when presed into it? If so, then no, he's not a hero either.
Actually defining the traits of heroism sounds like a better course... My contension is that to really be a hero, you:
a) Notice a crisis of danger/injustice/etc. without having your nose rubbed in it.
b) Strive to gain the skills/strength/etc. needed to redress such problems, usually at least partly proactively but not necessarily since responding to a crisis is part of the defining features.
c) Actually do something about the problem, without having to be driven to the wall before you act.
d) Succeed in making a difference even if fully rectifying it is impossible.
The only one of these that you can even argue HP vaguely fits outside the troll incident and 2nd Task is D, and then only when you consider Voldemort himself rather than the social factors that produced him as the problem. Why and how he fails at the above was the basis of my argument from the first post.
- CD
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
Actually defining the traits of heroism sounds like a better course... My contension is that to really be a hero, you:
a) Notice a crisis of danger/injustice/etc. without having your nose rubbed in it.
b) Strive to gain the skills/strength/etc. needed to redress such problems, usually at least partly proactively but not necessarily since responding to a crisis is part of the defining features.
c) Actually do something about the problem, without having to be driven to the wall before you act.
d) Succeed in making a difference even if fully rectifying it is impossible.
The only one of these that you can even argue HP vaguely fits outside the troll incident and 2nd Task is D, and then only when you consider Voldemort himself rather than the social factors that produced him as the problem. Why and how he fails at the above was the basis of my argument from the first post.
- CD
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows