Both the spells, primarily because of the connotations they have.The first because it lifts things up into the air.The second coz it drives dementors away. The second one i find particularly interesting.Dementors are these faceless, soul-less, creatures that bring with them everything thats dark, gloomy and sad.And then they suck your soul out..so you're left a soul-less forever. They take away with their presence everything happy, pleasant and worth looking forward/back in life. So akin to some people we meet in life. "Patromus", now is a very difficult and at the same time powerful charm to produce. One needs to concentrate wholeheartedly on a particularly happy memory and create with the swish of his/her wand a silvery creature that drives away these harbingers of darkness. Again so akin to things we do. Dont we muggles( non-magic, common population of the world) also do the same? Concentrate on the good to block out the not-so-good.
I've always maintained that the Harry Potter series, inspite of being very magical is not meant only for the 'kids and retired' like someone once said. Throughout the journey, through several complications the magical story draws several parallels to life. One who understands nothing but hatred and victory never in history has understood or overpowered those that understand the powers of love...thats again a basic theme of the series.Though Harry Potter i have lived a major chunk of my childhood. Sirius Black has been my first ever superhero fantasy (though my superhero eventually dies, unlike most traditional ones). The movies i think made an entire mess of the magnanimity of his character. I remember one night when i was in my early teens, my mum rushing to my room at 3:00am because she heard me howling...only to find out that i was reading the chapter where Sirius dies, and hence was (only) lamenting the great loss to the magical population.Sigh...
Harry Potter, in its several magical ways has always been very close to reality for me. Its also been a way of living several fantasies, very contradictorily though :) The bonds, the love, the friendships, the goodness, all hopes of an utopian world that we've all had at some point in life or other, found not only cinematic but also breathing space through the series. I think thats one of the major USPs of the book. Every book comes with some or the other disappointment, both to Potter and to the reader. The books are not hopelessly optimistic.
But each book in its lill ways, through its victories and disappointments tells the reader that life is not perfect and more essentially leaves the reader hooked onto hope. Hope for a better situation, better world, better tomorrow; hopes that we all have anchored within us sometime or the other...I do not know if in life magic exists but like Mrs Weasely once said, "It just needs a lill magic"...
Harry Potter, in its several magical ways has always been very close to reality for me. Its also been a way of living several fantasies, very contradictorily though :) The bonds, the love, the friendships, the goodness, all hopes of an utopian world that we've all had at some point in life or other, found not only cinematic but also breathing space through the series. I think thats one of the major USPs of the book. Every book comes with some or the other disappointment, both to Potter and to the reader. The books are not hopelessly optimistic.
But each book in its lill ways, through its victories and disappointments tells the reader that life is not perfect and more essentially leaves the reader hooked onto hope. Hope for a better situation, better world, better tomorrow; hopes that we all have anchored within us sometime or the other...I do not know if in life magic exists but like Mrs Weasely once said, "It just needs a lill magic"...
