On Harry Potter and His World

[TCO]

Originally posted by Locutus
As Imran said, one of the absolutely key themes in the Harry Potter series is that of discrimination and prejudice. Not only is this obvious from reading the books, Rowling has been very outspoken on this issue in interviews and on her website and the like. The constructs of 'pure-bloods', 'half-bloods', 'muggle-borns' etc are merely inventions of certain people who consider these terms important (see Rowling's website), just as the Nazis created an elaborate system to separate Aryans from other 'races' and to decide who is and isn't a Jew based on ancestry. There is absolutely no evidence that these distinctions actually exist in the HP world, that magical ability is in any way based on bloodline (although obviously there is some kind of correlation since some families produce far more wizards than others). The entire premise you've based your essay on (including the timeline of interbreeding) is merely the self-proclaimed pure-blood's point of view.

I think it's a bit of hypocrisy from Rowling as she does (I agree with you) have a very standard anti-prejudice argument...along with having several examples of "blood telling". Or maybe she is sophisticated enough to think that blood does tell...but not infallibly...and that regardless, one should not be prejudiced anhow. In addition, you have to mix in her own tendancy to be a bit wild in pulling rabbits out of hats (she does not always play fair, be consistent).

[TCO]

Originally posted by Locutus
I for one do not consider anyone primitive ever. Technology can be primitive, people aren't.

You're just being PC. Don't like the connotations of the word, so don't use it.

[TCO]

Originally posted by Solver
Well, witch-burning exists in the HP universe. And persecution isn't necessarily physical. Pure speculation - at one time the mages tried to live openly, not hiding their nature from the rest. In the end, they were excommunicated, people wouldn't want to talk to them and give them services and would otherwise avoid and shun the mages. I'd say that even that, without any physical persecution, would be enough to make the mages decide that they should not be open about being magical.

There are Arabs who consider Salem their favorite part of America. I kid you not. Because of the burning of the witches. (But the Arabs are quite capable of believing seriously all sorts of silly things.)

[TCO]

Originally posted by aneeshm
Is nobody interested in the next part? Is it too non-controversial?

No...it's just trite and not well-developed enough to make us look at it. Mr. death of creativity.

[TCO]

I don't see how you would call this anything other then literary criticism. I did not mean that you are doing it for a class, by that. I still think that your essay will be more powerful by having more direct evidence. Also the exercise of going to the source to come away with quotes will help you find things you did not expect to and will sharpen your thoughts.

[aneeshm]

The next part of the essay is up:

3) Harry


Harry is the endearing protagonist of the books. He is very human, and therein lies his allure. He, however, does not fit the prototype of a conventional hero, nor does he show the characteristics expected from a hero. This is not really his fault, given the nature of his world. Let it be seen how.

Has greatness thrust upon him

There is a scene in the Half-Blood Prince where Dumbledore demonstrates to Harry the difference between being compelled to fight due to a prophecy and circumstances beyond your control, and choosing to fight out of conviction, even if in both cases you had no choice. Now this is an easy thing to deal with if you had no choice in the first place (your conviction becomes a justification), but is much harder if you actually had a choice. If Harry had been a perfectly normal child, with both parents alive, the choice of whether or not to hunt the Dark Lord would have been an extremely tough one, and not already made for him.

For a book whose premise is “choices make the man”, it seems contradictory that in the most vital of matters, the protagonist is offered no real choice – he has to choose between fighting willingly or unwillingly – but the larger decision – of whether to fight or not – is made for him. The choice he is offered is purely academic. It can be thus concluded that in truth, Harry has greatness thrust upon him.

Never faces any truly complex moral dilemma

The fact that, no matter the dilemma Harry faces, there is always a “right” and a “wrong” way, shows us a world where Harry never has to make any truly “tough” choices. Here, by “tough”, the reference is not to choices in which Harry faces a conflict between what is “easy” and what is “right”, to use the terminology of the books, but to a choice between two equally bad, or almost equally bad choices. To take a hypothetical example – he is forced to choose one person to save, out of his two closest friends, Ronald and Hermione, knowing that no matter who he saves, he will never be forgiven by even the person he saved for letting the other die (given the nature of the relationships between the three at the end of the sixth book).

But this is not fully Harry's fault, either. The lack of true moral ambiguities is a failure of the world he inhabits, and not him personally. This point will be covered in the fourth sub-point in greater detail.

Reacts instinctively, not consciously

Harry's actions during crises reveal his ability to perform in a tense environment, but do not display the same coherence or strength of purpose the Dark Lord's do. Most of the times, Harry's goals are instinctive – 'defend', 'survive', 'stop them!', and the like – whereas the goals of the Dark Lord, and his actions, both are well-defined and premeditated.

In the first book, for example, Harry has no idea precisely how he was going to defeat a professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, yet he was saved because of the Dark Lord's inability to touch him. In the second book, they (the heroes) have no plan to battle the Basilisk, yet they press on. Without Fawkes, Harry's tale would have ended in tragedy right there. The examples can be multiplied, but this is more properly addressed a little later.

In all these instances, it is instinct that both propels and saves Harry. Though it may be too much to expect complex plots and plans from a child Harry's age, he is still far too willing to “wing it”. This reliance on instinct is not a positive trait for a hero.

No real ascent to herohood

The climaxes of the six books, then viewed impartially, look far too reliant on luck and do not form a logical progression that a hero is supposed to undergo.
In the first, “the power of love” and Dumbledore save the situation. In the second, all would have been lost without Fawkes. In the third, the plot device of the time-turner is very conveniently used. In the fourth, the co-incidence of the wands, and the advice of the shade of his mother are what act as Harry's salvation. In the fifth, the Order of the Phoenix intervenes at just the right moment to save the day. The sixth book is not really under consideration, as the author herself has indicated that the sixth and seventh books are parts of a larger whole, and that the sixth is not complete in and of itself.

As can be seen in the above paragraphs, nowhere in these “trials” do we find the material required to turn Harry into a hero. This is obviously not Harry's fault, but his excessive bravery would have cost him his life had it not been for some Deus ex Machina swooping in and saving the day. This is a great weakness for a hero.

A set of trials, each greater than the last, would have been fitting for Harry to undergo. What he has gone through only serves to undermine his herohood. It also weakens him considerably. But again, this is not only his fault, it is also partially the fault of the world of which he is a part. The power disparities between an experienced and a new magic user are so glaring that there is no trial which Harry could have convincingly passed in the first few books.

[TCO]

I think there is something in what you are saying here, but would not go quite so far as you do. I agree that HP never seems to have to overcome previous acts of cowardice as we expect from a schoolboy hero (Dink Stover in the Lawrenceville Stories for example). However, I think the level of fear that he has when confronted is realistically portrayed as internal thoughts. In addition, he does show typical heroic traits in having to endure stoicly the Umbridge writing, the lack of belief in him by classmates, etc.

I'm sure someone will mention the sorting hat and other times when he is approached to befriend the Slytherins.

[TCO]

You Brahmin *****, you.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by BeBro


I applaud you for enlightening us about the evilness of Harry Potter books or fantasy in general. Your next essay could be about children betrayed by their dads in red clothes who give the kids the idea that there is a real Santa and not just guys in red clothes. The consequences for entire generations:

- The view that there is a real Santa
- An inability to comprehend reality, since they'll never figure out the truth
- A belief that everything would be given to them as a gift
- Therefore the complete inability of these kids to work for their own good

Not to mention the idea that charity is a virtue. Kids need to read Malthus first.

[aneeshm]

Originally posted by TCO
You Brahmin *****, you.

WTF?

[TCO]

Originally posted by aneeshm


WTF?

[aneeshm]

Originally posted by TCO

No, seriously. What are you trying to say? I didn't get you.

[TCO]

http://isteve.blogspot.com/2006/04/watership-down.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,979606,00.html

http://larison.org/archives/000817.php

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/003201.htm

http://www.isteve.com/Film_Harry_Potter_and_the_Sorcerers_Stone.htm

http://www.isteve.com/Film_Harry_Potter_and_the_Chamber_of_Secrets.htm

http://isteve.blogspot.com/2005/11/harry-potter-and-goblet-of-fire-and.html

[TCO]

Originally posted by aneeshm


No, seriously. What are you trying to say? I didn't get you.

Just teasing. You aren't actually a Brahmin are you?

[Impaler[WrG]]

I belive he stated such when explicity denouncing genetic racial superiority, so even if he is you cant (easily) pin anything on him.

On the subject matter in general, I havent read Harry Potter (after reading LotR, the Hobbit AND the Silmerilian I doubt it would be very impressive), it reminds me of an article I read on Salon.com by David Brin (one of my favorite Sci-Fi authors) in which he contrasted StarWars with StarTrek and noted the new genetic characteristic of the force in Episode I (only prequil yet released at that point).

Here is a link to it, a nice read by any account and it may prove usefull as well.

http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/1999/06/15/brin_main/