Is Harry Potter evil? Harry Potter has been one of the most enjoyable books in which people have liked, but within the past few years it has been banned for multiple reasons. Many religious figures think so with franchise having to deal with topics of Warcraft, dark-magic, etc and relating those topics to Satanism. With many adults fearing the book as a bad influence towards kids/young adults they have requested any types of these books to be taken out of the classrooms and school libraries. In the book it is shown that there are different blood groups “magical blood” and human blood, but people use discriminatory remarks calling the ones mixed with “magical with normal blood” mud bloods and the people who were on the dark arts side wanted …show more content…
The propaganda in which Judy Blume, is to manipulate is the young kids, and teens, into thinking the Harry Potter franchise is just a cover up for practicing Satanism, for topics dealing with “witchcraft” and “dark-arts”. Satanism has played a major role within these books due to all the witchcraft and the power in which Harry has. In an online article, “Is the “Harry Potter…” series truly harmless?”, states that in a fantasy world, “children are understandably fascinated with the kind of power that Harry and others in his world possess”. Through this we are shown that in the dark arts it could be evil and causes curses which can be good or bad. The term “evil” is where Satan is involved and is known as the bad guy. The term “witchcraft” is where Harry had gone to school to learn how to …show more content…
The first step in which arose within the Harry Potter books was that they wanted them banned so their children wouldn’t engage in with the text. In Blume’s article, “If children are excited about a book, it must be suspect”, clearly means that once the child gets engaged with the book they will never put the book down. Seeing that it may be a “suspect” we see that they may pick up some bad habits in which the book will portray. Growing up I remember reading Harry Potter so much that my mom began to see a drastic change within my behavior and it had reflected off these books. Although I did find these books very interesting I did not complete reading them because I wasn’t engaged into the books as I was before. In an article online “Harry Potter Banned”, by Shmuel Ross, illustrates that “I believe it is confusing to children when something wicked is being made to look fun” therefore, the term “evil” was not expressed to them because they are young and do not need to be learning about anything that’s evil. As the years had progressed parents joined together and wanted to ban all the Harry Potter books. The reason being is because they did not want their children to be learning about “witchcrafts” or anything that indicates “evil” in any type of book because they want their children to be raised in a positive aspect rather than
...etter than ignorance. Book censorship should not limit the amount of knowledge a child can receive, instead, books should be used to benefit children in their education and future career.
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
Harry’s frequently experienced injustice is witnessed since the very beginning of the novel. His alienation from both the wizarding world and muggle (non magical) world cause Harry to long for the acceptance of his truthful story. Since Voldemort’s return occurred at the end of Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts, his summer at Number 4 Privet Drive has been far from enjoyable (Chappell). If anything, it caused Harry anxiety, frustration, and anticipation of the horrible events to come (Chappell). Harry’s alienation first stems from the Ministry of Magic. When two dementors (magical hooded figures who guard the wizard prison, Azkaban) wandered into Harry’s neighborhood, he used magic to defend himself and his cousin, Dudley (Rowling 17). Because of this, the Ministry of Magic accused Harry of breaking the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery (Rowling 27). They made sure to enforce the “illegality” of Harry’s actions when they threatened to confiscate and destroy his wand (Rowling 62, 27). Harry, who had done nothing except defend himself in a life-threatening situation, felt alienated when the Minister of Magic himself would not believe his
...Potter Evil?” New York Times on the Web. 22 October. 1999. 31 March. 2003 http://www.judyblume.com/article/harry_potter_oped.html
The first main controversy of the Harry Potter series is the argument that Rowling’s stories promote paganism, which is against Christian beliefs. The Bible specifically states in Leviticus 20:26, “You shall not practice augury or witchcraft” (“Reading Matters”). Furthermore, the Bible supports the resentment towards paganism in Deuteronomy 18:10-12, stating that those found practicing witchcraft, casting spells, or contacting spirits are a disgrace to the Lord and will be driven out (qtd. in Mahoney). In Rowling’s book, witchcraft is an alluring practice. For instance, Hogwarts is described as a magical place one might wish to visit if the school existed. Consequently, many parents fear children who read these books will become intrigued by wizardry and attempt to learn these practices (Wilder Gish). Even J. K. Rowling has admitted that some readers are so convinced by the books that they believe the wizard world is real. These readers have sent...
...in high school and are normally subjected to crude language and sexual content throughout the day, so this would also give them a better understanding of the book. Banning of certain books help protect children from the evil ways of the world that they should not see until an older, more mature age. The cruel language and violence within this book may influence children to act out and may possibly alter their future.
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?
Typically, when someone thinks of religion, they think about worship of a higher power, compassion for all living things, and a general love of the world. Satanism, while a religion, does not fit these conventions. The faith holds no belief in a higher power, is rather selfish in nature, and paints a bleak picture of the world and its workings. In addition, Satanism has controversy riddled history dating back to the seventeenth century. Due to the religion’s unconventional nature, it is often looked down upon and its principles and values are ridiculed. To better understand a faith like Satanism, it helps to look at it alongside a more familiar and commonly understood religion like Christianity.
Many have come to know and love the stories of Harry Potter, the boy who lived, but what most may not realize is that Harry Potter can have a bad influence on young children and adults. Though the Harry Potter series is a children’s book that is meant to enlighten the imagination of young viewers, it can be misguiding to those cannot comprehend the difference between imagination and real life. The beloved story of Harry Potter can have a negative influence on young children and adults for a variety of reasons.
Just to quickly run through the two previous books; Harry Potter is a wizard, who’s parents were killed by the worst dark wizard ever known. The reason why Harry Potter is still around, is because Lord Voldemort failed to kill Harry. His spell hit Harry, but then backfired on Voldemort taking all of his powers with him. Harry is so famous for two things. Withstanding the powers of Lord Voldemort, and, taking him back in to the underworld in hiding. In the first book, Harry receives a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He’s eventually allowed to go, and spends the next six months there learning magic, getting into trouble, and trying to solve mysteries of his past, and the school. In the second book, Harry goes back to his second year at Hogwarts, and gets into more trouble, figures out many astonishing mysteries and learns loads more magic. His best friends in the two books consist of Ron and Hermione (two of his fellow wizard students) and Hagrid the gamekeeper who was expelled from Hogwarts but allowed a job as the gamekeeper.
Next, Satanism is misunderstood for many reasons these include: the way in which the media portrays it, false accounts of Satanic Ritual Abuse, and people who claim Satanc status without knowing what exactly Satanism is. There have been numerous accounts where the media exaggerates certain cases. For example in Hammond, Louisiana there was a man named Pastor Louis Lamonica Jr. He was pastor of the local church in town, he also happened to be a psychopath and a rapist. The media claimed the man was a Satanist because he had raped children in a church when in fact he thought that was what God wanted of him. The Pastor was not alone in these horrid crimes his accomplices included, his wife Robin, Austin Trey Bernard, and Austin’s wife Nicole Bernard. The group raped numerous babies and supposedly slaughter animals in the name of Satan however, there is no evidence proving the latter ever occurred. The only reason the case got misinterpreted as a case of Satanic Ritual Abuse was that Lammonica described the youth room where they committed such terrible crimes as black and as everyone knows The Church of Satan runs out of The Black House. This case became so publicized that it even got an episode of HBO’s True Detective made about it. Of course, in the show it was far more gruesome and demonic than the real event which did not involve the devil or Satanism in any form. It was just an average psychotic Pastor who will spend the rest of his years in jail which is far from unseen within the Church of God. Another example of the media over exaggerating Satanism and turning it into a cult is the incident in Johannesburg, South Africa where a girl was murdered. The victim was only seventeen and she was murdered by her fellow classmates. Th...
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 ...
Wolosky, Shira. "Harry Potter’s Ethical Paradigms: Augustine, Kant, and Feminist Moral Theory." Children's Literature 40.1 (2012): 191-217. Project MUSE. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. .
the bad. The main characters on the good side are Harry Potter and his two friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and on the bad the main character is Lord Voldomort. Harry Potter is a courageous, brave, and kind person. The whole series revolves around Harry Potter and Lord Voldomort. Ron Weasley is Harry’s closest friend and is not always the brightest but he is a good person who always stands with Harry no matter the situation. Hermione Granger is a book worm, straight A student who turns every assignment in on time and always does whatever her teachers tell her to do, and because of her skill and knowledge she has helped the trio out of several tight situations. Lord Voldomort is the most evil of the evil. His goal is to rule the world, kill every muggle (non magical people) so that only wizards are left and, most importantly, to conquer death. Through out the entire series Voldomort has tried to kill Harry a total of eight times but has failed all because of his short-sightedness and un-willingness to admit to his weaknesses.
...ck and a potential pitfall. Someone full of hate and greed, such as Tom Marvolo Riddle, who has never known it even once in their entire life, cannot understand its full magical power. Love is one of the hardest and strongest kinds of magic and is perhaps the fabric that holds the wizarding world of Harry Potter together. Dumbledore says to Harry “Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love” (Harry Potter and the Deathly Halllows 722). The series stresses that it is important to love. It is obvious throughout the series that Harry embraces his history and duty by accepting the soul-purifying act of practicing self-sacrificial love. It is no surprise that the Harry Potter series is so widely in a time of fear, uncertainty, and unrest. Harry defeats evil not by fearing it, but by embracing it and overcoming it with love.