Assessing the Educational Value of Harry Potter

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Position on Potter How Pharr off is Mary Pharr on the significance of the novel about Harry Potter? I believe very far off. I think the argument Pharr makes is not connected to the educational benefits of Harry Potter. Rather she argues the morality presented throughout Harry Potter by saying this is what all readers crave. “In Medias Res” by Mary Pharr is a response to critics’ critical analysis of the Harry Potter (HP) series’ ability to educate readers. After thinking and reading Mary Pharr’s text about the ‘educational value’ has concluded with few, if any educational benefits through Harry Potter. Though these lessons exist they are typically taught by parents not school, not quantitative skills or tools that are typically taught in schools, …show more content…

While Ruth Nanda Anshen brings up an interesting thought, I believe that the answer to a question, creates more questions. When presented with a problem mankind has always wanted to answer the question and to be right in their answer. Possibly as a sense of pride, a sense of self-worth, a sense of accomplishment, the reason could be anything. The irony of it resides in that the answer to why we desire to obtain knowledge (as listed as above) is followed up then by a generic question of why? This circle of an original question with an original answer followed another question or questions. This directly correlates to my opinion on knowledge. I believe that knowledge in its broadest form possible exists as it did in Genesis, Knowledge of Good and Evil. As knowledge is obtained it sparks fear because we learn consequences. Because life can be lived in fear due to a sense of right or wrong, knowledge can act as a chain against free will. In chapter 17, Dumbledore speaks profoundly in his response to Harry, “Fear of the name increases fear of the thing itself,” ironically this ties in very well with my thought of fear above (Rowling, 298). Harry Potter in the eyes of Mary Pharr, is J.K. Rowling setting a prime example of our quest for free will. However, I believe we have an innate free will, and that our pure composition is at the mercy of free will. This contrasts with Pharr’s belief in a quest for free will as if we did not already have it at

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