Harry Potter

Hello friends,

We live in society. We are doing something to pass our lives. Myth and ritual can satisfy individual needs in everyday life. Whether we are conscious of it or not, you have certain personal myths and shared myths concerning your own identity and you perform certain rituals to enhance these myths. Daily living is filled with mini ceremonies (ritualistic acts), that bring us out of the ordinary and connect us to ourselves and the world. By expressing these otherwise unexceptional actions with purposeful awareness and affection, our life gains meaning.

Reading is so important in everyday life: when driving, we need to be able to read road signs; in a restaurant, we need to read the menu; when shopping, we need to read ingredients; we receive post, such as bank statements and communications – the list is endless and it’s clear that reading is more important than ever.

Our ancestors had very little need to read things. They could interact and communicate solely through talking and not being able to read wouldn’t necessarily limit you. These days, it’s possible to communicate only with the written word: sending texts or emails, reading and writing articles or posts means we actually never need to speak out loud ever again!

When encouraging reading, we generally tend to focus on how reading can broaden your horizons and improve your imagination. We also look at how being exposed to language can support learning vocabulary and grammar – all of which are incredibly important. 

“Reading and even watching is dual most important skill necessary for a happy, productive and successful life.”

The importance of reading, watching – or, how Harry Potter really is magic!

If we jump down to popular fiction like Harry Potter, then it itself becomes something to be given worth! This can be truly believed and experienced only if one urges to read and watch this series!

 One more interesting thing needs to be pondered upon for Harry Potter is,

Parents who feel guilty about letting their young children watch too many fantasy movies on TV can relax. Researchers have discovered that youngsters who watch films like Harry Potter improve their imagination and creativity. This is believed to be the first attempt to study whether there any educational benefits in exposing children to magical content like witches and wizards, Santa Claus, the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy.

Here is the list of all parts of the Harry Potter series and it will help you to expand more about this.

(1)Harry Potter and Philosopher's Stone

Lord Voldemort was defined by his fear and anxiety of death, and devoted his life to conquering and worrying about it. This is no way to live, says J.K. Rowling. We must treat death as not something to be cheated, but as a natural part of life. Take her lesson on what it really means to be the Master of Death:

 ‘It is not about striving for immortality, but about accepting mortality.’

You see the birth of this theme in Philosopher’s Stone. Compare Dumbledore’s attitude towards death with Voldemort’s, for example. When Dumbledore told Harry that the Stone must be destroyed, therefore condemning his friend Nicolas Flamel and his wife to die, he reacted to Harry’s dismay with: 

‘To one as young as you, I’m sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.’

It’s this attitude, and this wisdom, which will guide Harry right up until Deathly Hallows, where he must confront death himself, with a focused mind and a brave heart. And that, ultimately, is why he won, while Voldemort lost.

(2)Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets

It turns out that Ginny had opened the Chamber of Secrets under the guidance of Voldemort, who controlled her through his enchanted diary. Gilderoy Lockhart is revealed as a fraud. Dobby is Lucius Malfoy's elf and was trying his best to protect Harry from harm. Dumbledore puts to rest any suspicion that Harry is Slytherin's heir and makes his famous comment:

 "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." 

Harry could not have wielded the sword of Gryffindor if he did not truly belong to that house.

 

(3)Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban

Simply by introducing the element of time travel, Prisoner of Azkaban naturally raises questions about time travel that many stories do--namely, what the rules of time travel are and when or if "changing time" is ever appropriate. By comparing the novel's two uses of time travel, the first being Hermione's using it to take a double course load and the second being Hermione and Harry's trip back in time to save Sirius and Buckbeak, the novel suggests that while time travel is a tool that can be used for many reasons, it's best employed for purposes that seek to right moral wrongs rather than for an individual's personal gain.

(4)Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire

In The Goblet of Fire, Rowling depicts for her readers the bureaucratic side of running the magical world, which is embodied by Ministry wizards, primarily Percy Weasley, a recent graduate of Hogwarts and a new hire in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, who obsesses over the tedious work of regulating magical goods. 

For instance, in the beginning of the book, Percy talks nonstop about his report aiming to "standardize cauldron thickness". And while attending the Quidditch World Cup, Barty Crouch Sr. (Percy's boss), discusses the issue of a wizard from a different region of the world attempting to import magic carpets, which, apparently, have been outlawed in England. Percy and his boss Bartemius Crouch place all of their trust in the rule of law without considering the consequences of those laws, regardless of whether they are net good or net negative. While this depiction of bureaucracy begins as a humorous character portrait of Percy, as the book progresses, Rowling demonstrates how bureaucracy can damage the moral fiber of those who govern and paralyze effective governance.

(5)Harry Potter and The Order of Phoenix

Knowledge is absolutely crucial to Harry’s survival, and, fittingly, his experiences as a boarding school student provide the most prominent narrative arcs in the series. Unlike contemporary students, who have access to computers and other knowledge-accelerating technology, Harry’s education must happen slowly and carefully over an extended period of time, often via trial and error. 

For Harry, the acquisition of knowledge is explicitly and often painfully linked to the passage of time. For example, Harry must live with his last remaining blood relatives, the hideous Dursleys, for eleven years until Dumbledore finally decides Harry is ready to experience life as a Wizard. Likewise, Harry must wait until he is no longer an “underage wizard” before he is allowed to safely use his magic outside of Hogwarts. 

Harry must also wait nearly sixteen years until he is allowed to know the truth about his scar and hear about the prophecy that was made before his birth. He must wait for Dumbledore to finally explain Harry’s kill-or-be-killed link to Voldemort. He does not learn the mission of the Order of the Phoenix until he discovers it himself.

(6)Harry Potter and the Half Blood Price

In our world, the war between good and evil is widely acknowledged philosophical idea. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the dire rivalry between Harry and Voldemort is a parallel to the theme of good and evil, with Harry in the position of good and Voldemort in the position of evil.

The nature of identity exerts a powerful thematic force over the entire book. The most obvious case, of course, is the wealth of background information on how Voldemort became Voldemort in the first place. The passages showing the evolution of Tom Riddle are arguably the best in the entire series.

Equally obvious and ultimately every bit as important as Tom Riddle discovering the nature of his identity is the mystery of the Half-Blood Prince which is intensified with the genuinely shocking disclosure of the true nature of Snape. Punctuating the novel’s obsession with secret nature of identity is Dumbledore’s instructions to Harry about the power that lies in fearing the name that lends someone their identity.

(7)Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1

Harry has been plagued by loss throughout the entire series. Deathly Hallows most notably explores the effects of losing someone and the legacy that a lost life leaves on those who loved them. For instance, Harry in the seventh book is still dealing with Dumbledore’s death, but the impact of Dumbledore’s living memory continues to aid Harry even after Dumbledore is physically gone: 

“I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help.”

Instead of being held back by the death of Harry’s greatest mentor, Harry uses the memory of Dumbledore as a motivator to continue his quest to destroy Voldemort. Moreover, Dumbledore’s death in book six does not mean he is not present in book seven. 

The trio receives help from Dumbledore even after he’s gone:

(1)The Deluminator that led Ron back to Harry and Hermione, 

(2)The Tales of Beedle the Bard that revealed information of the Deathly Hallows,

(3)the snitch hiding the Resurrection Stone that brought back Harry’s parents in his time of greatest need.

Similarly, it was the memory of Harry’s parents that provided Harry with the final strength to sacrifice his life for the greater good of destroying Voldemort. Even though his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore, and Lupin are physically gone, they transcend death through Harry’s mind. In the end, memory is a much more powerful tool than the body. Though our loved ones may be physically gone, they never truly leave us.

(8)Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

The main theme running throughout the novel is good versus evil. Harry Potter represents the good, whereas Voldemort is evil personified.

Harry's upbringing as the oppressed foster child raised by relatives in a very conventionalized English household forms him into an unspoiled and compassionate adolescent who knows what it is to suffer and be treated unfairly. He is very grateful for the friendship, love, and community he enters into in Hogwarts—the simple nurture and caring that he receives in the wizarding world is new to him. He is, as a result, a well-balanced individual who does not have an inflated ego or high self-opinion despite his importance in his new world.

Click here to go on two worksheet Ruchi Joshi prepared on Harry Potter film series, one is individually prepared and  one is prepared in pair by Kavisha Alagiya and Ruchi Joshi. 

Click here to go on google site to see discussion on various questions regarding Harry Potter series. 

During the early years of one’s life is when one has the broadest imagination. Harry Potter helps expand that imagination even greater. Even though Harry Potter has witches and warlocks doing witchcraft, it is all just fantasy and is like any other fantasy movie or book, except better. Things like a three-headed dog, a flying broomstick, and an invisibility cloak allows the reader to leave the reality world and go into a different world of their own.

In conclusion, Harry Potter films do not teach people witchcraft and they do not encourage them to become witches or warlocks. The films actually give characters for children to learn and relate to, expand their imagination, and allow them to read more. If one could just try to be more considerate, they can enjoy and actually learn a few things from the books.

Thank You.