When was J.K. Rowling commencement speech?
2008
In 2008, J.K. Rowling delivered a powerful graduation speech at Harvard University. It was, in many ways, absolutely spellbinding — and quickly became the most-viewed commencement address on Harvard’s website (it’s even now available as a book!).
What is J.K. Rowling’s biggest fear?
Rowling identified her greatest fear as the fear of failure. She goes on to recount that seven years after her university graduation she was, by any objective measure a failure. She found herself divorced, unemployed, a single parent and quite poor. In other words, her greatest fear had become a reality.
Who delivered the commencement address at Rowling’s own graduation ceremony?
The commencement speaker that day was the distinguished British philosopher Baroness Mary Warnock. Reflecting on her speech has helped me enormously in writing this one, because it turns out that I can’t remember a single word she said.
How does J.K. Rowling define imagination?
“Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation,” Rowling said. “In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity; it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.”
What was the purpose of J.K. Rowling’s commencement speech?
As Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling prepared her Harvard commencement speech, she felt a deep responsibility to deliver words of wisdom that would resonate with some of America’s most elite university graduates. So she considered the advice she wished someone had bestowed onto her as a young graduate.
What was J.K. Rowling commencement speech?
“Half my lifetime ago, I was striking an uneasy balance between the ambition I had for myself, and what those closest to me expected of me,” she said. At her Harvard commencement speech, author JK Rowling moved many by explicating the worth of failure.
What is J.K. Rowling first book?
She wrote her first book at the age of six – a story about a rabbit, called ‘Rabbit’. At just eleven, she wrote her first novel – about seven cursed diamonds and the people who owned them.
Why is it called commencement?
Despite meaning “beginning”, commencement may be mistaken to mean “ending” due to its association with the end of one’s studies. Its usage originated with students finishing their studies and being awarded a degree, thus commencing as bachelors or masters in a subject and enjoying new privileges within academia.
What is the purpose of a commencement?
The purpose for the commencement exercise is to acknowledge the students who have successfully met the requirements for high school graduation, usually with the presentation of a diploma. Graduation requirements differ from state to state and from school district to school district within a state.
How did J.K. Rowling create Harry Potter world?
Jo conceived the idea of Harry Potter in 1990 while sitting on a delayed train from Manchester to London King’s Cross. Over the next five years, she began to map out all seven books of the series. She wrote mostly in longhand and gradually built up a mass of notes, many of which were scribbled on odd scraps of paper.
What does J.K. Rowling say about failure?
A thought on JK Rowling’s 2008 Harvard commencement address. “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.”
Was Hogwarts filmed at Harvard?
Oxford University, England The Harry Potter saga used the place to recreate the magical world of Hogwarts: Christ Church College was the perfect “Great Hall”, and the Bodleian Library and New College Tree were also sets of the most memorable scenes.
Where did commencement originate from?
commencement (n.) late 13c., “a beginning, act or fact of coming into existence,” from Old French comencement “beginning, start” (Modern French commencement), from comencier “to begin, to start” (see commence).
Is commencement different than graduation?
Commencement is often referred to as “graduation,” but it is different. The commencement ceremony is just that, a ceremony. It is a celebration for students projected to successfully complete all degree or certificate requirements by the end of the academic year.
What’s the difference between commencement and graduation?
Did J.K. Rowling suffer depression?
In the past few years, J.K. Rowling has spoken about the difficult time in her life when she was depressed, even considering suicide. During an interview with a student journalist in 2008, Rowling revealed that she had suicidal thoughts while she was a single mother struggling to get her work published.
When did JK Rowling give the Harvard commencement speech?
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling gave the commencement speech at Harvard University on September 16, 2011. Read the full transcript of her speech here.
What do you know about JK Rowling?
J.K Rowling talks about things she wishes someone told her, back when she was a graduate. K. Rowling is a bestselling novelist and a philanthropist, author of the Harry Potter series. There is no person on Earth that does not know about J. K. Rowling and her Harry Potter books.
What did JK Rowling learn from Plutarch’s quote?
She spoke of lessons learned from her own discoveries – of personal failure “on an epic scale,” – and quoted Plutarch, saying, “What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.” Speaking to an attentive crowd, J.K. Rowling was forthright with her audience, about the nerves she’d felt prior to giving the Harvard Commencement Address:
Who was the commencement speaker at Oxford?
The commencement speaker that day was the distinguished British philosopher Baroness Mary Warnock. Reflecting on her speech has helped me enormously in writing this one, because it turns out that I can’t remember a single word she said.