Harry Potter is better than the Twilight saga.

When I say better, I mean better in the sense of plot, characters, development, messages, etc. On with the argument. The first reason why I believe that the Harry Potter series is better than the Twilight series, is the characters. It is only fair to compare the two main female characters, and the two main male characters from each series. I present to you, Hermione Granger. In the Harry Potter series, Hermione is presented as a confident, strong minded, intelligent girl, who sets a great example for young female readers. For example, in the first three books Hermione shows nothing less than bravery, level-headedness, and utmost bravery for her new friends. She knows how to stand up for herself when bullied, as shown in Chamber of Secrets. Although she has male friends, she in no way relies on them at any point during the books (they often rely on her, in fact!) and is always fully capable of taking care of herself. Although she does battle with Harry and Ron, they never need to protect her or save her; she is shown as equal. Bella Swan, the lead female character from the Twilight saga shows quite a different personality altogether. From early in the book, Bella needs to be saved by Edward, and this requiring for a man to save and protect her is a continuous theme throughout the books. She shows both physical and emotional weakness through the story, and she evidently needs Edward to aid her in both aspects. This is sexist, and although young girls may see this as "chivalrous", it is subconsciously showing that the girl is weak, and a man must rescue and protect her. In New Moon, Edward breaks up with Bella. It is only natural for her to be heartbroken, but what I found distressing while reading it is how she consciously puts herself in danger to "see" him again. (In one instance I believe she wants to dive off a cliff) This has blatant suicidal overtones, and shows that Bella is unhealthily obsessed with Edward (and yet this is still perceived as the perfect relationship!) Girls reading Harry Potter see a strong independent lead female who thinks and defends for herself, whereas when reading Twilight, they see a lead female who requires a man to protect her and make all of her decisions, and is incapable of standing up for herself. Now, progressing on to the lead characters. Edward Cullen is a vampire who lures a teenage girl into a relationship with him. Throughout the relationship he makes all the important decisions, such as what she should do, who should protect her, where she should go and when they should break up. This is domineering and disrespectful, and yet he is perceived as the perfect boyfriend!? Thanks to Twilight's influence, girls will be looking for a boyfriend who is like Edward- selfish and dominating. This is just a bad example for girls reading the book. In New Moon he leaves her without giving her a full explaination, which shows a great deal of disrespect for his girlfriend, and shows how he believes he is the decision maker in this relationship. Isn't that sort of attitude a tad 1950s? In New Moon, Edward gets his family to protect Bella, without even asking her if this would be okay! This shows how he believes that his girlfriend is too weak to defend herself. Even though she is just a human and Edward is a strong, fast Vampire, this just emphasizes the fact that he is better than her; and, doesn't making the man excessively stronger and faster than the girl seem a little sexist? And after all, he is shown as the "perfect boyfriend". I don't want to sound like an extreme feminist, but Edward is so "chivalrous" that he doesn't allow Bella to do anything herself! As the book's message includes showing how perfect Edward is, Stephanie Meyer is simply showing that the perfect boyfriend is dominating, sexist, presumptuous and more powerful than the girl. Harry Potter shows quite a different personality regarding women altogether. In the Harry Potter books, he shows a great deal of respect for Hermione's intellect, and never tries to protect her or fight for her. This is shown for example, near the end of Philosopher's Stone when Harry tells Hermione that she is much cleverer than he is, and feels unhappy facing Voldemort without her. He doesn't try to win her over, but sees her as a friend who is equal to himself. Throughout the series, Harry discusses his problems openly with Hermione, and they try to come to a solution together. In Twilight, Ed makes the decisions himself and rarely has a conversation with Bella where he takes her opinions into account. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry gets his first girlfriend, Cho Chang. Unlike Edward, however, he didn't just get the perfect girl at the snap of his fingers- but he fought for her for an entire year! This shows a great deal of respect for girls on his behalf. I conclude that the lead characters in HP are much better role models than those in Twilight. (I will present more arguments in future rounds)