As I read about Voldemort's childhood, I couldn't help but to feel inspired by his work. He's awesome, he chose a goal in life when he was 10, and he stuck with it for like 50 years until he finally reached some success. And all the work he does to reach his goals, nothing short of inspiring!

Of course he is a bad guy, but a pretty cool one.. Kind of makes you feel sorry for him, like Darth Vader in Star Wars. Anyone else feel that way?

Ummm, sure... and there was a lowly (make that obscure, with no noteworthy accomplishments) German Corporal in WWI that rose to the position of dictator. Took an utterly defeated country and turned it around to a powerful, technologically and united country by WWII.

But I really don't think that Hitler should be admired anymore than Voldemort.

See, there is perseverance and hard work to attain your goals, and there is cruelty, stepping on people, and sacrificing others to achieve them. One is right, one is wrong.

Personally, I admire the Weasleys. They don't have much in the way of material things... so what. They are honorable, knowledgable, loving, hardworking... and good. That is more important to me than power and wealth. I value people based solely on the quality of their character, not on what they have, the power they have or who they know... but I seem to be in the minority in this.

(just to be clear... Voldemort is NOT to be admired or inspired by. At least I don't want to ever encounter anyone that is.)

Well, I agree with you . You're absolutely right. Voldemort certainly showed single-mindedness in attaining his goal, and perserverance to see that goal through - well, almost. But his goal was, and is, loathsome. Just because he's shown determination to complete his mission in life doesn't make him a character worthy of inspiration. His methods are deplorable, his mission evil. The fact that he's successful is just frightening to me.

Darth Vader is a different character altogether. Anakin's heart was in the right place, but he used entirely the wrong methods to do what he thought was right. And then he fell in with Palpatine (the more Voldemort-esque of the two). Ultimately, though, there was something redeemable in Anakin, something that his son, Luke, was able to bring out in him. We've seen nothing of Voldemort to lead me to believe that there is anything worth redeeming there. Even as a child, he was heartless and cruel.

No, I definitely don't feel inspired by Voldemort, just disgusted by him.

(That said, it is interesting to try and view Voldemort from this perspective, I just can't seem to do it...)

Well.. I dont wholeheartedly agree about being inspired by Voldemort. he did have a lot of Determination though, which is good.. but bad if you kill people haha.

but i do feel bad for little Tom Riddle as a kid.. you have to think about the things in his childhood that made him that messed up. I mean not every orphan can be Anastasia you know find out that they have relatives that are royal and good people.. his family was just.. well dead. and his father was a muggle... which he didnt like, who also walked out on his mother.

he also didnt have an authority figure to tell him what was right and wrong, he felt superior to the adults at an early age because of his powers... it makes you think what would Tom Riddle have turned out to be if he had had a proper family.

but dont get me wrong... like Islwyn13 said even as a kid he was heartless and cruel... he had that thing about him in the pensieve that made you want to slap him upside the head like a redheaded step child haha im jk about the redheaded stuff.

Heh. I don't feel sorry for Darth Vader, and I especially don't feel sorry for Voldemort. The time is coming for all of us to choose.....you can go with what is easy, or you can go with what is right.

I have to second that sentiment. I would much rather be the Weaselys, and obtain what I have through honest hard work, and determination, than by stepping on people, destroying and/or killing them along the way. The Weasley's inspire by love and honor. Voldemort inspires by fear and hate. Which do you think is better?

Love and honor is always the better way. Not as easy, and the road will be harder, because it is never easier to do the right thing than the easy thing... As DD once said, it is not our abilities that make us who we are, rather it is our choices.

I think that there is a problem with setting a goal at ten, and just driving on with determination - never revising it. It leads people to bad decisions, and bad consequences, usually for others. A good example is women who decide to have say 6 children, and don't revise it as they go along - to see if they actually like children.

Well, I agree with you guys in that Voldemort is a bad guy, I never said that he was a good guy. He just seems like a really cool character, a bad guy with class, so to speak.

I mean, if Harry had that kind of willpower and determination, he'd be running the joint. Instead, he's always upset about something silly and childish, always whining. He wastes his energy fretting about something that Malfoy or Snape said, or he wastes his time chasing girls, when he should be preparing for battle.

Not so with Voldemort. He knows what he has to do, and he does it, and doesn't let anything stupid get in his way. And he does everything himself. But Harry? He wouldn't stand a chance if he didn't have Hermione to read books for him.

Don't get me wrong, Harry's cool, but he's nothing when compared to Voldemort. I mean, look at all the things Voldemort could do by the time he was 16. When Harry was 15, his primary concern in life was Cho.

LOL. Yes, by 16, Tom had strung rabbits from rafters, tortured fellow orphans, bewitched a diary to corrupt someone in the future to let loose a rabid Basilisk, and, oh yes, killed his father and grandparents. He's such a sweetie .

But I think I see what you're saying, I just don't agree that the type of single-mindedness LV displays is something to be inspired by. Harry is distracted by what might be considered trivial things, like crushes and Quidditch, but overall, I think Harry has a much better, overall picture of what the world is like, what's really important. And part of our strength as human beings is that we are communal, we do rely on each other. At least, we're at our best when working together, adding to each other's strengths and making up for each other's weaknesses. And I think we'll see Harry much more focused in book 7, now that he's aware of the prophecy and LV's horcruxes. And he has that vendetta with Snape, too.

I think we can all feel sadness for young Tom Riddle and the lack of parenting and love that he must have felt. Not all children from that kind of background turn out to be sociopaths; Harry Potter is a good example of that.
Voldemort is not my idea of anybody with class. He murders without discrimination, except for Mudbloods, of course. He enjoys torturing and his big ambition is to be more powerful than anyone else and to be immortal as well. This does not bear emulation. He is beyond fixing. Not the sort of person to be a role model for anyone...except, of course, other psycopathic serial killers.

Dumbledore is my idea of a wizard with class!

I'll second that!

All Harry wanted to be was a ordinary boy wizard with ordinary problems and concerns; girls, quidditch, lessons, friends and homework. He arrives in Hogwarts having just found out that he is special (and later The Chosen One), but he doesn't want to be special. Unlike Voldemort, he is longing to be more like Ron and Hermione or Seamus and Dean, though in the last two books, we feel that he is divided from them, like they are living in a different world. "He was, and had always been, a marked man."

This is what makes Harry a good man too. But Voldemort was power-hungry from the beginning. He found out he was special too, and he groped it with both hands! Harry was in fact more special than Voldemort from the beginning, he had no choice. Voldemort had the choice, but chose the evil and selfish way. "It is not our abilities that makes us what we really are, it is our choices."

So no, Voldie is not my idol.

Lord voldemort would of been an inspiration had he chosen a better career path than wizard world ruler. Imagine the awesome things he could of done had he known the power of a mothers love. As he is now no I don't think for one moment he is inspirational. Also I agree that the weasleys are much more inspirational as the show that money and pureblood don't buy love and happiness and family or honour and intergrity and loyalty and love.

Well most sociopaths are pretty single-minded so that makes sense. The thing is that Harry's friends are his strength, his love for them and their love for him. I believe that's the whole focus of the series, is it not? That normal every day love overcomes extraordinary evil and power and we are stronger with others rather than only depending on one’s self.

[quote name='Halma' date='Jul 15 2006, 04:09 PM' post='884854']


Not so with Voldemort. He knows what he has to do, and he does it, and doesn't let anything stupid get in his way. And he does everything himself. But Harry? He wouldn't stand a chance if he didn't have Hermione to read books for him.

I have to disagree with this. Harry absorbs a lot more in classes than is obvious and he is able to "pull rabbits out of his hat" when necessary and does well on his OWLs without Hermione being there to help him. He may be one of those kids who doesn't do well in the scholastic atmosphere or just relates better to to practical application. He is no slouch.

One has to realize that in spite of his upbringing, Harry is a normal teenage kid with normal feelings. There is the difference between Voldemort and Harry; Harry HAS feelings.

But Harry happens to be human and Voldemort has been trying to suppress his humanity since he was a teenager. Harry wants a normal life, Voldemort wants to rule. Harry is not afraid to put his own life on the line for what is right, Voldemort though, has no problems killing people, including children for what he wants. Harry has friends, Voldemort has followers.

Frankly, I find this kind of perspective disturbing. Voldemort had ability and he had determination; it would be absolutely ridiculous to deny that any of his acomplishments were great ("he-who-must-not-be-named did great things... terrible, yes, but great") but great does not necessarily equal good or right. Voldemort was driven by the worse kind of impulses, with the worst kind of motives with terrible consequences. He is not a role model, is not a source of inspiration of any kind. Voldemort is an example of how being driven towards your goal without any kind of moral judgement can have terrible, terrible consequences. He is an example of humanity at its worse; when it becames so twisted and suppressed that he can no longer be called human...

Voldemort shredded his soul to get to where he wanted. He was going to shred it even more by killing a baby who might have stood in his way. A baby. I'm sorry, but there really isn't any class, as you put it, in that.

Harry isn't nothing compared to Voldemort. Harry is everything that Voldemort isn't, which is why he couldn't bear trying to posess Harry. Harry would never split his soul to stay alive, nor would he kill someone because of their lineage. He doesn't bully people into serving him; he befriends them and offers his loyalty which they return; he trusts his friends and they trust him.

"It is our choices, rather than our abilities, that determine who we are." Looking at Voldemort and what he became and looking at the person Harry is becoming, despite the life that he has due to Voldemort's greed and ambition, who is better? Who is greater?

(and I agree, no1sandwitch. Dumbledore is definitely the wizard with class. And if anyone is looking for role models, as has already been mentioned, look at the Weasleys, look at Hagrid, who was born with all the odds against him, look at Lupin and his continued survival, look at Sirius' loyalty or Lily's sacrifice for her son. Look at those characters and decide what you like about them and how they inspire you to be a better person)

Harry came from lolwy circumtanceses, like Voldemort did and he turned out good. Harry chose the high road and Voldemort picked the low road. Voldemort is inspiring like Hitler was inspiring; abitious and power hungry and evil.

The only thing that anyone could possibly admire about LV is his determination. That's it. He shows no love and no mercy, he is typical bad guy.



I agree Darth Vader turned only to the Dark Side to save his wife. He was desperate to save her, his strong love for her forced to do anything to keep her safe. He is truly a good person, who was suduced into thinking the Dark Side was good, but at the end he realised that he was wrong, and he came to the right side and helped vanquish the bad.

I don't even admire his determination the guys deplorable. And can you seriously say that Voldy's got class. I think L.V has no class or style at all. I totally agree that DD was a wizard with class as is harry and I feel totally more inspired by DD than I would ever be by LV. And because LV has no class and is such an egocentric maniac he will never be sucessful in obtaining his ultimate goal and therefore will be a failure anyway(which I totally think he is already).

To live your life based on hate, how much power you have, how many times you can split your soul, and how many people you can destroy just because they agree with you... Well that just goes beyond the pale. There is nothing to admire about Voldemort. He is evil exemplafied, plain and simple. Anyone who could admire that scares me. I do not admire him, I pity him for the sad lonely hatefilled person he really is. He is afraid of living, he would choose immortality instead. Life is all about love, and giving.

It isn't what you get in this life, it is what you give. Harry understands that, and that is what makes him powerful. He loves and is loved, and those he loves stand with him. He won't be fighting this battle alone. He never has.

So what is worse than death? Life without love. A life alone, bereft of the comfort of knowing that someone out there cares about what happens to you. That is what Voldemort doesn't understand.

Smiles!

definitely.
voldemort makes me want to go prance through a field of daisies...
um sike about that one.
but that one person had a point,
he went way beyond a 5 to 10 year plan!
congrats ol' chap!

The only thing that kind of tenacity proves is insanity, IMO. There is nothing to admire or call inspiring about such tenacity. Anyone willing to destroy so many people's lives to gain power is pure evil, plain and simple.

Agreed Hermione II, while having a life plan is good and noble especially at such a young age. A plan involving murder and attrocities is one that at that age shows at the very least, a deep chasm where morality should be.

I prefer peoples company who hasn't got a plan, atleast not one that extends for more than say three years or so. Those people are much more interesting to talk to.

This is an interesting topic... I have to admit that I find all these 'Lone wolf' types, those who want to rule the world, inspiring, but in a way that makes me more fascinated in how people end up that way. These people have so much energy, and I am always amazed by paragons, both of good and evil, because they could have gone the other way.

Potential is channelled into different things, and if Tom had made different choices, he could have been an incredible good person. If DD had made different choices, he could have been a formiddable dark wizard.

They both became outstanding in their own ways, and that's what fascinates me about EVERY person who ends up outstanding and also those who are able to rally people... because they prove they have so much there that could be destructive, or it could save alot of people. It's all in their hands and they have to make the choice.

So those who make the wrong choices are not good role models, but they do inspire me to think about how NOT to end up wasting all your energy.

Voldemort is like the Hindu Ravana or the Christian Lucifer. You can see their evil while still marveling at their skill, dedication, and passion -- and both the Ramayana and the Bible make note of the stellar sides of these beings while still unequivocally condemning them. It's good to be inspired by Voldemort- learn from his strengths so that you can accomplish good works.

I just had to laugh out loud when I read this topic title.


I think you make some good points.

Even the most evil man has some admirable qualities. Not enough to offset the bad, maybe, but still there.

I find it interesting how vehemently most posters are in their hatred of Voldemort. Dumbledore himself didn't hate him. He opposed him totally, but he didn't hate him. I firmly believe this trait of seeing the good in people was what made Dumbledore great, and also that it was something he was trying to teach Harry. Dumbledore knew that Harry would be far more likely to defeat LV if he understood him instead of just blindly hating him.

So.. according to Celastina we're supposed to learn from Voldemorts strengths.. lets see. well he's a good manipulator, he's very good at putting great fear into everyones mind.. and id say hes pretty good at killing people.
Okay guys.. ill be back in 2 hours im going on a murderous rampage.
im just kidding and im not trying to be mean but honestly theres only one seemingly good attribute for Voldemort and thats his will power..

haha i love how we're comparing Lord Voldemort to Darth Vadar.. haha Rock ON!!

I am very much opposed to Voldemort, and do not find anything in him to admire, but I certainly do not hate him. I can only pity someone who is so mire in hate and destruction for himself, that he carries it over to those around him and further, in order to attempt his own immortality. To me, that is a trait to pity, not admire.

Yes, Voldemort has strengths. His ability to lead through fear. His ability to kill without remorse. His ability to seek, singlemindedly, the destruction of one particular person to the point of total obsession. His inability to accept his own mortaility and therefore to push the beyond the limits of decency in his attempts to become immortal. His Hitler like quality of wishing to destroy those he feels are inferior.

No insult to the author of this post is intended, so please accept appologies to that effect. It is more to the point that I pity a person such as this, because IMO it is a state of total self hatred that would cause such a person to do the things they do.

Those are not his strengths. His strenghts are intelligence, dedication, and passion. These skills, put to good use, can do enormous good.

As hideous as LV is I really do only pity him. he has missed out on all the good things there are to being human and having emotions. Pity definately, inspiraton definately not.

I see where you are going Celastrina and I would have to agree with you. I think we get caught up on the word "strength". Sure, Voldemort is strong (or good at) killing people and putting great fear into everyone's minds, as whitestag says, but I think when Celastrina talked of strengths, she was talking about attributes. I don't think anyone can argue the fact that Voldemort is extremely intelligent, incredibly dedicated and immensely passionate about reaching his goal. Intelligence, dedication, and passion are attributes. In and of themselves, they are neither good nor bad. Intelligence is not admirable in and of itself - it is only to be admired, in my opinion, if one's intelligence is used for good. Dedication is also not admirable in and of itself. When one is dedicated to justice and truth and good will, I consider this to be a very good thing, a very admirable thing. But when one is dedicated to greed, power, and destruction, then obviously, this is a very bad thing. Same goes for passion. It all depends upon how one uses the attributes they are equipped with.

Ironically, as Harry and LV seem to be polar opposites, it is interesting to note that they share many of the same attributes. The reason they are so different is because they use their attributes in entirely different ways. This is precisely what Dumbledore refers to when he says it is our choices that make us who we are, far more than our abilities. Harry uses his dedication, his passion, his intelligence (yes, I do think he is quite intelligent, perhaps not book savy, but definitely street smart and quick thinking) to fight evil. Voldemort uses his dedication, passion and intelligence to fight good. Harry is to be admired. LV is not. And not for his lack of abilities or strengths or attributes or whatever else you want to call them, but for the choices he has made. I think, or at least I hope, that the starter of this thread was not so much admiring LV as a person, but perhaps in awe of the amazing power LV encompasses?? He had such potential to do great and noble things... but instead he chose to do great and horrible things. The greatness might have been admirable had it not come packaged with evil. Correct me if I am wrong, please.

Yes. But I also think that he does have good qualities. I wouldn't agree that you can go so far as to say things like intelligence and dedication are neither good or bad.

I believe that Voldemort, like Dumbledore, is a very powerful and knowledgable wizard, and that is in itself, a huge achievement. It is what he does with his power, and his goals that make him a bad wizard. But as with any enemy, once we set aside our hate and pride, we can analyze him and learn from him. Not learn his evil ways, but we can learn his techniques, his way of getting what he wants, so that we can: 1. Possibly learn some things which we can use against him and other enemies, and 2. Learn his ways, so that we can be better prepared to defend ourselves from him.

It's pretty common to lose respect for your enemy, and come to believe that "they're just stupid". This is a big mistake. This is pride, and aside from being dangerous because we would underestimate our enemy, it results in us forgetting what we are fighting for. We are not fighting because we don't like the other side. We don't fight because of hate; that would make us just like them.

You can't fight a war just hating your enemy, and believing he is rotten in every aspect. That would make you proud, and result in your failure. You have to know your enemy, know his strengths, know his weaknesses, understand him. You must respect his strengths, otherwise you would underestimate him, and that would lead to your destruction.

I believe Voldemort has attributes we can all learn from. Dedication, the will to do what he decides to do without letting fear control him, careful short-term and long-term planning, the presence of backup plans, these are all important aspects of Voldemort's strength and were crucial to his success. These are things we must learn if we are to become successful in whatever we attempt. Voldemort is not lazy, Voldemort does not let his emotions interfere with his work, again these are great strengths. (I know many would say he doesn't have emotions, but hungering for power, hate, anger, these are also emotions.)

strength: an asset of special worth or utility.. okay haha you got me there with the special worth i guess.. BUT
utility: the qualitity of being of practical use


hmmm... voldemort kills people with practical use i would say. and he is a MAJOR manipulator which works to his advantage in horrific ways.. to us it may not be the normal strengths youd like to see in people, like kindness, but to him its a strength.

i could be completely wrong about ^^^ that but. my mind may have processed it differently. but yeah feel free to shoot it down, im alright with everyones opinions. so now i will freely discuss mine if you dont mind..

so, yes.. i do agree that intelligence, dedication, and passion are some of his strengths.. but the fact that he has been trying to deny his humanity for years makes me kind of believe that they're not the same.

his strengths cant be good if he uses them for bad things.
and also why would you want people to learn from his strengths?? i mean.. id rather choose
a better person to learn from than the villian of a book that has been compared to lucifier.. like jesus for example.. everyone should
try and find the light of christ in themselves. Jesus dedicated his life to have people believe in God, and do whats right. he also had knowledge beyond anything that we can comprehend.. though not earthly, and he had the passion for doing whats right. He never questioned his father.. do you really think he wanted the atonement?? do you think he wanted to bleed from every pore and experience every pain and suffering everyone has felt? do you think he wanted to be crucified? no but his father asked and he replied, "thy will be done." i think..
haha and theres an LDS thought.. a.k.a mormon..
but yeah im done.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that you can't learn from a person's strengths or abilities. You can only learn from what that person does with their strengths. You can't learn from LV's intelligence and dedication... but if a person wanted, they could learn from what LV does with these strengths. And I completely agree... why would you want to learn or gain inspiration from the choices LV has made??


Well said, and I completely agree.

yay someone agreed with me! haha thanks!

i have to say that harry and voldemort have many similarities. their determination, their intelligence, and their power. the only difference is that harry has people who love him, while LV was never loved. He has never experienced the feeling of it at all. He probably wasn't as a kid because he was strange and was without parents. I believe his choices were greatly affected by his parents. Since his father was muggle born and LV took his name, Voldemort changed his name and also detested muggle borns because his father abandoned his mother. This hatred started at a young age, which caused his goals for power to affect him in not the best of ways. His actions are like rebellionism (sp?) against his father who's love he needed. Harry, I think would have experienced the exact same fate if he had not heard of how his parents really dyed and found out about Hagrid. I think they really did save his life. The Dursley's hate towards him probably would have affected him immensely. So I think the difference between LV and Harry is that Harry experienced love just in time before he would have faced difficulties.

If you think about it, Harry and Voldemort began their life the exact same way. Orphans, feeling left out of their world, the hopelessness of never getting out of their life, and not knowing what their purpose in life was. They both were bullied also. Harry had the feeling of hatred, and still does towards his relatives (the Dursleys), just as Voldemort does to the people at the orphanage. It is just their experiences which were very different and the paths they had taken. LV, the person who had always tried to prove himself to everyone by doing deeds that would leave people in shock. Harry, who had tried to prove to people when he went to Hogwarts that he could do something other than be famous, but doing deeds that benefitted others. Especially when he became friends with Ron, Hermione and Hagrid.

I think the nothing that Voldemort has done is admirable. The choices that you make are admirable, but not the way you were born or how smart you are.

ok done my piece of the day

I think that Lord Voldermort is a brilliant man, if you can call him that, because he has taken major steps to achieve his goal. And not only is this his life goal, but he chose this goal very early in life. I am greatly inspired by Lord Voldermort because of this and becuase he does things that other people won't do to achieve their goals. He is bold, brash, and brave, this is something that is very intimidating, but all the same inspiring. I kind of see him as a role model.

I do feel very sorry for Voldemort. He was driven to evil because he desired power. The reason he desired power was because he felt worthless as he had lived his life in an orphanage.

But then again, he is essentially a racist. He's a bit like a nazi. A wizard-Hitler. His view that muggles are worthless is simillar to the nazi belief that Jews, black people, disabled people, gypsies etc are worthless.

And I despise Racism to an almost insane degree.

But maybe his hatred for muggles is partly because of the fact one of his parents was one.

If Voldemort wasn't such a wizard-nazi I would greatly admire him. He is an extraordinary wizard. I still admire his knowledge, power and intelligence, but I could never admire anything he does.


~*~ RockinRavenclaw ~*~

Yes, Harry and Voldemort started their lives the same way, as orphans, but I think that's where the similarity ends. Yes, Harry was bullied by Dudley and his gang, but the only think he ever did to escape was flly himself to a chimney on the school. I don't think Voldemort was ever bullied, he did the bullying. The other children were afraid of him. And I also don't think that Harry hates the Dursley's, they are not his favorite people by far, but I also think we'll see something in book seven to change his views of Aunt Petunia at least. Voldemort should never be admired, he is a pathetic person who used powers that could have helped people to hurt people and in my book that's not right at all.

In the immortal words of Eddie Izzard:

I don't think the comparisons between Tom Marvolo Riddle/Lord Voldemort and Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader have much merit. Riddle never loved, while Skywalker loved to the point of being a fault. In my opinion, Voldemort is more like the Emperor than like Vader. As a result, I think the possibility of Voldemort ever repenting is almost nil.

I have avoided the Snape debate for ages. However, if there is going to be a Vader-esque character it may well be Severus Snape. I believe that Snape probably started off as being good, then turned sour. If he is bad, there is a chance that he can repent in the end. If he is good, then I don't think there is anyone in the HP books that can be like Vader. Peter Pettigrew isn't strong or bold enough to fill the role of the penultimate villain, and Bellatrix is too evil to repent, at least she is in my book.

For whatever reason, JKR elected to have Harry, not Dumbledore, be the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord. Absent Harry's status as the chosen one, I would have thought Dumbledore would be the anit-Voldemort. He is certainly good and powerful. But it is Harry who has that which the Lord Lord cannot comprehend -- love in abundance.

Harry may not have acquired a skill set equal to Voldemort in power, but he is certainly more of an inspiration. Tom Riddle was obsessed, not driven. He was totally consumed, not highly organized or strongly motivated. Tom Riddle started out as a bully, and ended up as a demon. He is the embodiment of evil, and I simply can find nothing in his nature, or in his behavior, worth emulating.

The comparison to Lucifer is much more apropos. Lucifer counted equality with God something to be grasped. He personifies the sin of Adam and Eve, by thinking he can taste of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For those of us who are not biblical literalists, the story of the Garden of Eden is symbolic of man's greatest temptation -- to become equal to God -- to be the person who defines what is right and what is wrong.

For Voldemort, there is no good or evil -- only power. Harry Potter, on the other had, does not seek power. In fact, he often wishes he were normal, not gifted with extraordinary powers. He doesn't want to be the chosen one, just like he didn't seek eternal glory in the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

Harry Potter could easily have been tempted to seek the same things as Voldemort. Instead, his greatest wish was to be in a loving relationship with his family. By the time Tom Marvolo Riddle was admitted to Hogwarts, he had already tortured and tormented his peers. He despised his Muggle father and grandparents. He was filled with hate and desired revenge. We are not allowed to see what Riddle would have seen in the Mirror of Erised, but I don't think it would have been a reunion with his mom and dad!

Like Hitler, who was almost certainly part Jewish, Riddle came to hate who he, himself, was. Like Riddle, Harry is a half-blood, but his choices are totally different. Riddle wanted to rid the world of all who were not like the person he wanted to be, a pureblood wizard. In contrast, one of Harry's best friends is a Muggle-born witch. The other is a pureblood wizard. Harry is open to all people, wizard or muggle -- pureblood, half-blood, or even mixed races.

Well, this post is getting scattered and potentially off topic. Suffice it to say that I see much to cause inspiration in the HP series, but none of it ties back to Voldemort. How much worse is it to have attained all the power in the world, only to use it solely for evil?

It's really ironic. Nicholas Flammel found the key to immortality without resorting to horcruxes, which require that the maker's soul be ripped by murder. But, when he saw that the Sorcerer's Stone/Philosopher's Stone could be stolen and used for evil purposes, he chose to destroy the stone and forfeit his immortality.

If Voldemort could end up making the same choice, then, and only then, would I see anything inspirational about his character. Until then, I see nothing worthy of merit.

The Potterverse is full of people with characteristics that can be equated with those of Voldemort -- with more similar characteristics shared by Dumblefore than any other single wizard. Now, there is a person who instills feelings of inspiration.

Harry is very smart and uncommonly brave. Hermione is remarkably intelligent and hard working. McGonagall, too, is quite smart and very powerful. The list goes on and on. Each has something in his or her nature to inspire others to greatness. Tom Marvolo Riddle? No.

I get the impression that there's some confusion in this thread about the meaning of 'inspired by' as opposed to 'feel admiration for'. You can admire a person without being inspired by them. I will grudgingly admit that Voldemort has some admirable traits, but to be inspired by him suggests you admire the way he uses them, because how else could his strengths (which other characters have, by the way) inspire you to do anything you aren't already doing?

EDIT: personally, I can't help slightly admiring somebody who can throw the word 'thwart' casually into conversation.

Spinks, I don't know that people are misunderstanding the question. I can acknowledge that Adolph Hitler was a talented speaker, who was able to motivate people to embrace his causes and execute his plans. I could use words like "acknowledge", "recognize", etc. However, I cannot be inspired by his speaking. In fact, I am repulsed every time I see an old film of this murderous maniac.

I certainly don't want to start pulling definitions of the word "inspired" from various dictionaries. I will only say that I acknowledge that Voldemort did powerful things ... terrible, but powerful.

See, in my mind, JKR had Olivander say "great things, terrible, but great" in order to leave the reader confused as to his feelings about Voldemort. Indeed, as I recall, Harry left the wand shop feeling a bit creeped out by Olivander. Then, in HBP, he goes missing from Diagon Alley, and no one knows whether he left voluntarily, or was hauled off by force -- whether he is good, or a sevant of Voldemort.

I guess it is possible for someone to be inspired to do terrible, heinous things.

The original poster in this thread acknowledged that Voldemort was evil, but also has used words like "cool" and "awesome". Voldemort was also called "...a bad guy with class...."

So, the technical definiton of "inspired" is not the issue. It is the fact that Voldemort can be admired for strong character traits that were used for evil purposes.

Now, Spinks, I admire many of the ideas you post on these threads, and may even be inspired by some of them. I would never want to thwart you in your efforts to expound in any way, shape or form. Nevertheless, it is my opinion that the recognition of perverted talents does not instill inspiration in me!

Aarrgghh, I used another smiley! Not inspirational!

Voldemort is actually very inspiring. He came from being a poor orphan, to perhaps the greatest (aside from Dumbledore) wizard's in the world. I think the way to understand his power is the way Ollivander describes it to Harry in ss. Voldemort did great things. Terrible, but great.

Oh, now I have to agree with everything you said.

I think we're on the same line, here. I was referring more to the original question than the replies. I expect more people could agree if it was a question of recognising his strengths, but I'm definitely hesitant about 'inspired'. I hope nobody is really inspired by Voldemort, because he uses his good points in a very bad way (and having some good points doesn't make an evil person more awesome).

I think that people who want an inspiration would do better to look for those traits in less evil characters. Unless, of course, Voldemort inspires you to be a better person because you specifically don't want to be like him.



But evil. Really, really evil.

He's powerful, but he completely misuses his power. I don't think I could be inspired by that. I also don't think I could agree that coming from an orphanage and becoming a powerful wizard is really his great achievement if it messed him up so badly. That's the way not to survive a bad childhood.

Actually, I think that this shows how uninspiring Voldy is when compared with DD. Voldy had the benefit of schooling, opportunities handed to him in pity, stealing things from others. DD however, comes from a family where he could be unread, and truly unsingular.

DD however, is self taught - a genius - but he didn't fall back on his talents or laurels, rather making himself better than others, pushed himself and strived for things. Everything DD did, he did by hard graft, generosity of spirit and master strategy. Voldy, however, bullied others weaker than him to do his bidding.