Negative Aspects Of Harry Potter

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Harry Potter is perhaps the most important series of books in this generation. It has shapes the lives of countless children as it shaped mine. JK Rowling wrote the world that I lost myself in during my utterly terrible middle school years. But as I grew older I realized the glaring inadequacies of this world I loved so dearly. Some are just mild annoyances but others reveal problematic aspects of the Harry Potter universe and JK Rowling herself.
The gaps in the wizard education system are seriously concerning. While it is funny that Arthur Weasley doesn't understand what a rubber duck is, there are some important aspects of Muggle education that wizard children ought to know. Is there a version of wizarding sex education at Hogwarts? Do the younger girls know to expect their periods? Does the school provide sanitary products or is there a magical way to deal with that. Arithmancy isn’t a required subject, so does most of the wizarding population not have basic math skills? How do they calculate their finances or taxes? Why aren’t there any English classes at Hogwarts? Do wizards not understand complex sentences, subject-verb agreement, or how to analyze texts? If students are turning in essays full of grammatical errors and incoherent sentences it would explain why Snape is perpetually grumpy. If there are magical paintings all over the school, why aren’t there any art classes? Why aren’t wizards taught the physics behind their magic. If they were taught about velocity or gravity maybe they would understand why a spell as simple as “wingardium leviosa” is so extraordinary. Surely chemistry would be useful in Potions. The pH scale could be vital in teaching students the difference between eat-your-face-off acidic and mild-irrit...

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...izard supremacist tendencies. Rowling simply had to turn Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s correspondences from simple letters to letters with romantic undertones. Hermione, brilliant Hermione, would have instantly read through the subtext evident in the letters and informed Harry of Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s relationship. Maybe it would have helped Harry forgive Dumbledore sooner. Who else would understand the compelling and overarching power of love better than Harry Potter (maybe Snape?). Out of all my criticisms of the Harry Potter universe, this is probably the greatest. Rowling knew (at least by the seventh bestselling book) the enormous influence she had on children of this generation. She knew the positive influence she could have had on a segment of her readers and she chose not to use it. Rowling shaped my childhood, but I cannot forgive her this mistake.

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