Since the first segment of the series was released in 1997, Harry Potter has been challenged by churches and parents due to the practicing of magic by children found within the books. The books have been removed from school shelves, discouraged by churches, and censored by parents. It is claimed that Harry Potter is devilish, satanic, and encourages children to practice the occult, damaging their religious views (LaFond). Therefore, many parents keep their children from reading the book series. Yet, Harry Potter has been such a positive influence on my so many lives. Evident through the movies, theme parks, stores, and much more, J.K. Rowling’s series has been an overwhelming success for many reasons (“Because it’s his…”). In order to encourage …show more content…
parents to allow their children to read Rowling’s novels, I propose to research the topic of the Harry Potter book series and its influence on children. I would like to not only research the negative ideas surrounding the books, but to argue that Harry Potter is indeed a positive influence on children and may even contain some aspects that Christian parents would like to instill in their children. The reactions of parents and the church versus Harry’s fans raise these questions: What effect did Harry Potter have on literacy rates in children?
How did Harry Potter effect children in a positive way? What elements found within the series could be factors of this influence? Are there Christian elements to be found within Harry Potter? In order to answer these questions, I plan to research interviews with the author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, the views of the church, and those of Harry’s supporters. The two central sources that I plan to use are The Bible and Harry Potter itself. The Bible will mainly be used in order to portray the views of the church, while Harry Potter will provide the basis of the entire argument. Some other sources that I plan to utilize include books by John Granger such as “Looking for God in Harry Potter” and “The Hidden Key to Harry Potter,” which analyze Harry Potter, and interviews and articles from several different viewpoints. I also plan to research how literacy rates have changed since the release in the series, and teachers’ views on the influence of Harry Potter on their students’ reading. The only problem that I can foresee is the fact that the Bible states that witchcraft is of Satan, but with logic and research on the subject, I should be able to dispute this
viewpoint. To complete the research and argument required, I endeavor to follow the following schedule: September 21- Research Proposal due September 25- Research complete, all sources put into MLA format October 2- Annotated Bibliography due October 9- Rough outline of research argument complete with evidence from sources October 26- Rough draft of research argument complete November 6- Research Argument due Through this research, I hope to answer any questions or concerns parents may have in regards to their children reading Rowling’s novels. My purpose is to convince parents, Christians, and those opposing Harry Potter to let their children read the books so that they can experience the same love of reading and magic that I did, to be a part of this phenomena transcending all age groups and inspiring its own music genre, movies, fan created conventions that take place all around the world, a theme park, and even other books. The topic of Harry Potter is one of much significance due to the passion that so many, myself included, have for Harry and the magical world. It’s been such a positive influence on my life- I want children all over the world to be able to share in the beautiful magic of Hogwarts. All children should get the opportunity to experience a little bit of magic, especially when it contains so many Christian values and inspirational themes, and can possibly be tied to a rise in children's literacy rates (Petre). Hopefully this research argument will make parents change their minds’, and make a real, tangible impact on children’s lives.
The books Redwall by: Brian Jacques and the Harry Potter Series by: J.K. Rowling share many similar and different character traits, themes and symbols. Redwall takes place place during a medieval time in an abbey and the characters are woodland animals. The Harry Potter series takes place in modern day England primarily in school of magic where teenagers learn how to harness their magical powers and abilities. The two may not be similar in terms of plot, but Redwall and Harry Potter both share the themes and symbols of courage, compassion and evil.
Many people debate whether the Star Wars or Harry Potter series is better. My friends, my family, and even I debate it. The two series are very different, but many people still love them both. Some people have negative opinions about one or the other. Star Wars is about an ongoing war between light and dark. While Harry Potter is about magic and fighting evil. They have their differences in the details of the series. They have similarities in the plots of each series.
Heroic Harry Potter battles prejudice in the second volume of Rowling's wizard series. Retur The second Harry Potter book begins at the Dursleys – Harry’s Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Cousin Dudley. Harry, who is “home” for the summer holidays, desperately misses Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He misses the castle, and Hagrid, and Quidditch. But all his wizard stuff is locked in the cupboard under the stairs. The Dursleys, being non-magical Muggles, hate everything having to do with magic. Today is Harry’s 12th birthday. Not only have the Dursleys ignored it, they are focused on a dinner party to be given for a business prospect of Uncle Vernon's that night. Harry is expected to sit silently in his room during the party. Out
...ave evolved about the subject matter of these books. The greatest controversy, though, centers on the series’ religious references, which have caused many parents to despise the “immoral” concepts of the stories and forbid their children from reading these books. Such people feel that Rowling promotes paganism through the magic performed by the characters, and promotes evil through various connections to Satan. Still, Harry Potter does not reflect the practices of Wicca and good always overpowers evil in the end; therefore, we should not be concerned with the effects of the series on children, or even adults. After all, readers have been enjoying stories containing magical references for centuries and humanity has not suffered because of it. Harry Potter is just another magical story and should be enjoyed, rather than judged because of its controversial references.
Disney promotes sexisim by forcing young girls to live in a patriarchal world. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The little mermaid, Aladdin, and Snow White are all examples of popular Disney movies that encourage young viewers that they need a man to save the day. Yes, it’s true that there are recent movies such as Moana and Frozen that prove otherwise, but how long will it take to completely get over the fact that women are mainly viewed as secondary citizens compared to the men? There are countless examples of how Disney movies influence this theme, and how much the female characters’ actions, ideas and thoughts are not included in a Disney movie.
All kids love the "Harry Potter" series. But they don't know that by reading it they are "indulging in sinful and Godless acts" or that these books are putting them on the fastest train to Hell. I own A Clockwork Orange, Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird, Twelfth Night, and Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, all of which have been or are banned. What's going on here?
One of the most distinguishing characteristics of children's films is the centrality of the moral. Although Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone teaches children many lessons, but the main one is that good will always conquer evil. Right from the beginning of the film, audiences are shown how poorly Harry gets treated ...
Rowling’s writing sparks controversy with readers. Rowling has dealt with criticism about how her books teach children about witchcraft and evil powers (Kirk 103). To shield children from these teachings, schools and libraries across the world banned the books and occasionally, a book burning. “It conflicts with the values I’m trying to teach my children,” reports Ken McCormick, a father (qtd in Cannon and Cataldo). Evidently, the series’ plot teaches children revenge, and parents and teachers across the globe agree that banning the books will protect them from harmful lessons. However, her works have encouraged children read more. Today, fewer children and teens read for pleasure, causing a great drop in test scores, vocabulary, and imagination (Hallet). According to U.K.-based Federation of Children’s Book Groups, fifty nine percent of kids believe that Harry Potter enhanced their reading skills, and forty eight percent say that the books turned them in to bookworms (Hallet). In other words, Rowling’s books became children’s, in this day of age, video games. She published Harry Potter at a time where children, teens, and young adults were starting to consume their time with technology instead of reading. Without these books, generations across the spectrum would diminish in terms of reading skill. Rowling not only helps children improve their skills, she gives back to them through her
The Harry Potter phenomenon had its humble beginning all the way back in the 1990s, when the first book, written by J. K. Rowling, came out in the shops. The main protagonist, a scrawny, young child wizard, who wore round glasses, had an immediate appeal to the readers, but no one at that time knew that the young boy would turn out to be the literary icon of the last decade. The popularity of the book resulted in it being translated into various language...
In November 2001, one of the worlds most beloved book series, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone (By J.K. Rowling), was shown in movie theaters from around the globe. Almost anyone who watched the movie loved it, and it quickly became a sensation for children and adults who had obtained a thrill from this fantasy novel. But, when the book was released to the U.S. in 1999, The Sorcerer’s Stone was the most frequently challenged book when it came to banning it. Those who approved of this banning stated that the books encouraged kids to glorify magic and the occult, possibly even push kids out of their family religions. On the contrary, those who opposed banning the Harry Potter series state that fantasy and magic is a good thing for children,
girl’s adventure story and a boy’s adventure story. Boys normally have more fun, get to go on actual adventures and engage in fights with the bad guys, while the girls are either stuck at home or tag along as support. The article is broken up into several parts, where it looks at gender in terms of numbers, characteristics, behaviours and appearance and depicts the roles of the female characters, as well as the stereotypical image and traits of the male characters. I plan to use this article to help analyze the female characters in Harry Potter and better understand their roles as weak and feminine characters through their actions and appearances. However, this will not be one of my main sources because it focuses on several texts, rather than
Harry Potter the boy who United I believe in Harry Potter. Not in Harry Potter himself, but two very prominent themes throughout the series. Unity and Friendship. Mystic, magic, world alliteration, Some might ask; how does a book, something that most of the time you read alone, bring people together?
One of the most read series in all literature is Harry Potter. The seven-book succession has sold over 400 million copies and has been translated into over sixty languages. What is it that makes this series so wildly famous? What is it about the boy who lived that makes frenzied readers flock to their local bookstore at midnight on the day of the release to buy the latest installment? How is a story set in a world that doesn’t exist about wizards, witches, magic, and mystical creatures so popular? The series has been able to earn its spot on the New York Times Bestseller list and has granted author J.K. Rowling multiple awards because it is relatable. It is not the setting or the events in the plot of the story that we relate to. We relate to what Harry, his friends, mentors, teachers, caretakers, and even enemies feel. Harry is in a lot of ways exactly like us. He represents some of the good characteristics that all of us have as well as the bad. The series as a whole, is about one thing that is stressed over and over again in the novels, love. The Harry Potter series is one of the most read sequences of novels because the central theme is love and self-sacrifice, and readers are looking for a novel that shows them just that.
I feel that this question was not made to me as a hobbit, but to my experience-- my life’s adventures in the agony and sweat of the spirit, not so much for glory and profit, but to find from the materials of the spirit something which was not known of before. One tragedy of our day is a general and universal physical fear of death that has caused many to fear adventures. Death will come anyway therefore we should not fear it. For this reason, there should only be one question: How shall I live?
Throughout my life I have read many books, however none have had such a lasting impact as the Harry Potter series. Each book touched me in a different way and taught me several things about life, but the one of my favorites of the series is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It is the first book in the series and sets the reader up for a roller coaster of trials and emotions that Harry, Ron and Hermione will have to endure the next seven years.