Afraid Of Harry Potter

Afraid Of Harry Potter

"For the past several years, parents and politicians alike have complained that our schools have not managed to make all our students fluent, eager readers. Doesn't it seem strange, then, that when books come along that kids read eagerly and pass on to their friends, adults try to ban them from schools and libraries"(Block 9)? Critics of the Harry Potter series have attacked the content of the books, attempting to ban them from school. Has the series been made out to be more than just an entertaining novel, which has brought kids back to reading? Is this controversy regarding censorship for the sake of Christian morality necessary? Many Christian groups attack the series calling it "anti-family" and "evil." They fear the possibility of witchcraft and paganism. Others say it doesn't teach their children good values. Is banning the books from school libraries the answer to all of this nonsense?

JK Rowling is an incredible author who has brought children all over the world back to reading. Her books should stay in schools. JK Rowling simply wanted to write a good story. A good story has to have conflict. Usually conflict involves a struggle between good and evil. The evil contained in this book drives the good of the story. Rowling exaggerates the evil in order to glorify the importance of good conquering evil. Ever since the brilliant ideas developed in her imagination while on a long train ride, she was determined to get her ideas down on paper ("About the Books: Meet JK Rowling").

Harry Potter is about a young orphan boy trying to succeed in school. The story takes place in a magical society parallel to the "muggle" world. A muggle refers to anyone who does not possess magical powers and is unaware of any sort of magic taking place around them. In Harry's world, magic and wizardry constantly interact with his life in the muggle world. Due to his parent's deaths as a baby, Harry lives a dual life. His parents were wizards killed by the book's antagonist and evil wizard Voldemort. Harry was placed with his muggle aunt and uncle until he was ready to enter wizard school. After each school year Harry returns to them for the summer break. When he goes off to his wizard school called Hogwarts, he enters his magical world. All wizarding children leave home for the school year and live in dormitories. In this world everyone possesses magical powers. Harry takes classes such as Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, Transformations, and Spells. After seven years at Hogwarts he will be a trained wizard and allowed to use his magic in the muggle world. By no means is any wizard allowed to use their magic in a negative manner. This rule is stressed strongly in the book. There are harsh consequences for misuse of magic. The people in the wizarding world want to remain as inconspicuous as possible with little impact on the muggle world. In no way is there a battle between wizards and muggles. They are meant to coexist.

Having read the books, I find it funny that someone would call them a work of the devil. They are a fun filled fantasy, which sparks my imagination and expands my creativity. Harry Potter land is a place I can escape to, when my world seems overwhelming. Harry has so many close friends that he has genuine fun with. He also has many role models that he looks up to who give him confidence in himself. For example, one of his teachers named Hagrid is portrayed as more of a friend to Harry than a teacher. Harry always goes to him in times of need and in times when he is looking for a buddy to hang out with. Hagrid was the one who came and rescued him from his aunt and uncle, therefore Harry really looks up to him and considers him one of his best pals. I see very positive child to adult relationships in the books. The strongest positive surrounding the story of Harry Potter is the constant battle of the wizard world against all evil.

The series has also been labeled "anti-family" by those who oppose it. I assume this interpretation comes from the negative relationship Harry has with his aunt and uncle. They resent him because he has magical powers. How is Harry expected to like them when they are nothing but rude to him? Not all families are always happy and content with their lives. In fact in society today, I often feel lucky to be a part of a strong family. In reality the number of happy families seems to be shrinking all the time. Harry's situation is not unique and neither is Rowling's story of an orphan. When commenting on this aspect of her stories she says, "Many classic and contemporary tales beloved by young readers (and fondly remembered by today's adults) feature orphaned boys and girls who usually triumph despite their often difficult lives. Some of them are: Dorothy in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, James of James and the Giant Peach, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (Harmon 82). So what is it that is anti-family? How do we define family in the first place? There is no true definition. These people have no room to say anything about families, considering the diversity of family problems that go on every day. The critics that feel they can define family and therefore call the series "anti" are thinking under a misconception that every family situation is perfect. In reality sometimes a mother favors one child over another. Parents can be abusive alcoholics. There is mental, physical, and sexual abuse. Kids run away from home. Kids kill themselves. These things happen in "families." These things are real and seen everyday by our children in the news. They are not pretty but nothing even close to these tragedies of reality ever happen in the families in the fantasy series of Harry Potter.

Rowling never meant to offend anyone with her writing. She admits that parts of her storylines may not be pleasant. In fact the heaviness lies in death. She believes that these deaths are necessary. If children can experience loss on a fantasy level, it may prepare them to cope with a loss in reality. For example, in book IV, one of her characters is killed in a brutal way by the main evil character. When commenting on this evil character she says, " We really are talking about someone who is incredibly power hungry. Racist, really. And what do those kinds of people do? They treat human life so lightly. I wanted to be accurate in that sense... This is how people die in those situations, you're in my way and you're going to die" ("A Good Scare"). Anyone who reads the book becomes attached to every character in a way that relates to attachment to real people. We lose real people in life.