Hello Readers,
This blog is a part of my classroom activity on Web Quest on Harry Potter series in we have to search three best online sources and give argument and illustration for given point by Dr. Dilip Barad. To know more about Web Quest task click here to read professor's blog.
We had film screening of 8 parts of Harry Potter at the Dept. of English MKBU. Before this screening, I thought that why and what is doing this kind of children fantasy novel in our syllabus but after that I came to know that this novel is not just for children but beyond than that. In other words we can say that Harry Potter novel is one of the classic literary novels in literature. So, we have following points to ponder like:
1. Feminist reading of Hermione's Character in Harry Potter:
Ans. There are many feminist critics who have different views about feminist reading of female characters of Harry Potter especially in the character of Hermione Granger. Some critics say that Hermione is much intelligent and capable than Harry and Ron whereas some say that the novel is anti-Feminist because Hermione and other female characters portrayed weak as compare to male character. In many parts Hermione is very strong and very intellectual and also very good in magic in compare to Harry and Ron, we can see in many circumstances that Hermione teaches how to do magic to male friends. It is clear that Harry and Ron would not have survived without her but it feels like she is being used more as a useful tool than a real person. We not find deep character development of Hermione. It is hard to understand what her ambitions are. Family background of Hermione is also not depicted. She belongs to Mud Blood it means lower cast in Magical world.
Female characters are not ambiguous. They are either solely on the good side or the bad side. Mrs. Weasly, Tonks, Professor McGonagall, Aunt Petunia, Luna and Hermione are all placed firmly on this good side. Although they are distinguished characters, they are by no means ambiguous. So, in this way Hermione is very intelligent and knowledgeable but slowly and steadily she become emotionally attached with friends and much careful about relationship whereas Harry looking for his destination and work rather than emotional attachment.
2. Discourse on the purity of Blood and Harry potter
Ans. "You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!" - Albus Dumbledore's stance on blood status.
There are some kind of racial discrimination in the novel like casteism, racism and class conflict. There are three kind of class Mud blood, Pure blood and Half blood. Blood status also called purity of blood is a concept in the wizarding world that distinguishes between family trees that have different levels of magically-endowed members. It often results in prejudice towards those who have a large numbers of muggles in their families. As Sirius black informed Harry Potter, almost all wizards of their time have Muggles in their family trees, though some claim not to. The concept played a key role in both the first and second Wizarding wars. Families that claim to be pure, to whatever extent they ever really were are dwindling in number.
Muggle-born
Half-blood
The families whose ancestors are all magicians are known as pure blood. If one of the parents knows magic and other don't, that child is known as half blood. If person belongs to non magical family that person is called mud-blood. In magical world non magical people are known as muggles and for some of them they are inferior. Some magical families hate mud-blood and believe that they should never be allowed to learn magic. In novel Malfoy family hates and insult mud-blood. Hermione experiences this insult several times. Salazar Slytherin made a chamber of secrets to kill mud-blood students at Howgarts. So, there are politics of races in Harry Potter and it plays important role in the novel.
3. Confronting reality by reading fantasy:
Fantasy narratives are normality used to stand for a peculiar world that is present and seeable in the society. As one of the best-selling fantasy novels in history J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the philosopher's Stone introduces one of the most loved and traditional hero in the character of Harry Potter. Harry is an ordinary orphaned male child who is first unaware of the complicated hereafter that awaits him in Howgarts' school of Witchcraft and wizardry.
In the series of Harry Potter, J. k. Rowling introduces the fantasy universe of Howgarts but the novel also beyond that fantasy because Rowling gives message of real universe like good and evil, love and death and adulthood, morality, power and politics. The fiction character of harry Potter is an 11 year old orphan life with his typical tough of a cousin Dudley Dursiey together with similarity cruel aunt and uncle. Petunia and Vernon Dursley. His charming destiny begins when he is summoned to the Howgarts's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by the school master Albus Dumbledor. As he grows up faces his journey and adventures with his friends Hermione Gramger and Ron Weasley and learnt life lesson through different circumstances and also Rowling used many real things and event in the novel so we can see reality with fantasy elements.
4. The discourse of power and politics in Harry Potter: How does ministry of Magic control the resistance? How do they prosecute the 'Other'?
There are politics, court and their influences also introduced. In chamber of secrets Malfoy says that Daily Prophet don't print about attacks because Dumbledore must have settle it down. This happen in our world also. Powerful institutions and persons can control media also and right news never known to people. There is ministry of magic who control everything. They make laws and punish them who break them. Ministry of magic interrupt school also, they appointed Umbridge to the post of Howgarts high inquisitor to control Howgarts from inside. When Harry told Voldemort has returned ministry of magic don't believe it and tries to stop students from learning magic. So, politics is present in the novel and it affects school affairs.
5. Children's literature and Harry Potter:
Harry Potter is one of the classic works in children's literature. J. K. Rowling's sharp wit, humour and imagination are unrivaled in children's literature. Rowling's Harry Potter is masterpiece children literature, she used magic and fantasy because it is said that we can explore many life lesson from children literature. Rowling explored reality through fantasy. We can connect our day today experiences with the characters of the novel. How to make our own decision, how to overcome our emotional attachment and be ready to tackle ever problem of life. So, in this way we can say that Harry Potter series is for children to old age people.
6. Speculative literature and Harry Potter:
Speculative fiction is an umbrella genre encompassing fiction with elements that do not exist in the real world, often in the context of supernatural, futuristic or other imaginative themes. This includes, but is not limited to, science fiction, fantasy, superhero fiction, science fantasy, horror, utopian and dystopian fiction, supernatural fiction as well as combinations thereof. Hence, Harry Potter series also a speculative fiction we can say because it is full of imagination and fabtasy, there are imaginative world of magic which are do not exits in the real world. There many scientific elwment like many kind of liquids are used to change look. So, we can say the novel is best example of speculative fiction.
7. Self help culture and Harry Potter:
The characters of Harry Potter series are struggling to gain something. In a way all are helping themselves with some ideologies. Harry is treated very badly in his guardian home. He learns to stay strong in terrible situation in the life. He fights with the obstacles of the life without other's support. When he lives all alone in he dangerous situation then face all the problem with his ability. There is one scene in the last part when Sirius is killed then Harry saves his body and himself and also from the Dementors, same case with other character like Hermione, Ron who are constantly struggling for their identity. Hermione wants to show her talent that she is best from all the pure blood students. She is intelligent and with her knowledge she defeated everyone and in this way help herself. So, in this way we can get the idea about self-help and how overcome all the problem of life by our own self so from children to man all can learn this from Harry Potter series.
8. Christianity and Harry Potter:
Harry Potter series directly have no relation with Christianity. Many critics say that the novel is anti-christianity because there are many thing in the fiction are ant Christian like magic. Magic js abondon in Christianity so Rowling written an anti christian work. In addition, there is not any kind of church for prayer even the good fights with powerful evil force though they do not pray to God for survival. All the characters fights and save themselves without any divinity power. But there are couple of scenes which somehow connected with Christianity like Christmas celebration and after the death of Albus Dambledor we see the view like heaven. So, at last we can say that Harry Potter is ant Christian fiction.
9. Theme of Love and Death:
Love and death are the major themes in J. k. Rowling's fantasy novel and she also said that these series all about death and love. She justifies her point by presenting the characters of Ron and Hermione who are in love from the very beginning even they are fighting with each other. Further, the love between Harry and Dumbledore, Lily's love for Harry, harry's love for his friends, etc. In the other death also a crucial element in the novel. At the very beginning of the story we heart that Harry's parents have died, and in due course both we and Harry learn that they were murdered. The Shadow of death hangs over Harry; he learns that he, too, was intended to be a victim, but spared in a way no-one can explain. He narrowly escapes death again at the close of the first two books, and third is concerned with his pursuit by an escaped murderer. At the end of the fourth book, a school friend is killed before his eyes, and he himself barely escapes again. In the fifth book he loses his newly regained godfather, and in the sixth even his great and seemingly indestructible mentor, Dumbledore. Yes, death is a constant visitor to Harry's world.
10. theme of choice and Chance:
Harry Potter novel says that in life chances and our choices both are important. First, it was only chance that Harry lived. When he needed help, help is always there. He gets invisibility cloak when needed. In Chamber of Secret Phoenix comes to hlep Harry. There are fortune portion alos. When Harry can't find way the fortune potion works. But choices have given same importance. Sorting hat puts Harry in Gryffinder because he wanted. Harry doubts that sorting hat may have put him in wrong house but in answer Dumbledore tells him that it is not our abilities that make us, it is our abilities who define us. Sirius Black also says same things. There are good and bad inside us but what path we choose determine us. In the final part, king cross station chapter when harry meet Dumbledore, Dumbledore says Harry that it is your choice to return or not. So both choice and chance are important in life.
11. Moral and Philosophical reading:-
Harry Potter series i all about moral lessons and Philosophy of life. Dumbledore used to teach morality and philosophy to Harry Potter. There are many moral lesson that teach us how to become a moral being. The characters like Dumbledore and Harry Potter themselves moral being and philosophers. For instance, we see that Harry Potter who used to help bad people like Malfoy and many others.
12. What is your opinion on this:-
As per the Mitchel Foucault's theory "Power and Knowledge. J. K. Rowling similarly conveys the message that question the power because what is written is not always true in the post truth era. These lines by Rowling is also relevant in the present era, we see in many political leaders and media who keep on speaking lies for remaining in the power and also there are many speeches or write fake history. So, we have to cross check everything rather than follow blindly.
Works Cited
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