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1. Feminist Reading in Harry Potter
Portrayal of female character in Harry Potter series is very significant. J.K Rowling has minutely observed and portrayed real life characters. There are so many female characters in the series which are different from each other. Like some are strong, some are soft, girlish ,fearful etc.
i) Hermione Granger
- Not Static
Hermione is one of the main female character of Harry Potter series. She is intelligent, fierce and a loyal friend The portrayal of her character is not static in all series. The character is changing from very beginning to the end. Like in the first part most of the tasks were done by Harrry only and she remains behind the wall. Then suddenly her character change in the third part where most of the task performed by her. Or she supports Harry and Ron in every task. Her presence is significant without her it becomes difficult to reach to the conclusion.
- Look Conscious
When Hermione visit past through her time locket than she saw herself from backside and think of her look for a while. Whereas Harry did no think aboout his look. In this way the difference between girl's and boy's thinking came out.
Other female characters like Professor Mcgonagall, the strict but fair teacher, Molly Weasley the caring yet brave mother, Ginny Weasley for transforming from a shy little girl to a fearless warrior etc scattered throughout the series.
The author's context and intensions are completely irrelevant and are considered only to the extent to which they confirm negative position of women within the patriarchal structure of power. Instead of the author's context it is the reader's context that is examined from the feminist perspective(Paul 1999)
2. Discource on the purity of blood and Harry potter
"No one asked your opinion you filthy little mudblood", he spat
This is the comment of pure blood boy over mud blood girl. Draco commented on Hermione that she is mudblood. The concept of racism, casteism and class conflict is common in Harry potter series. Three types of caste based on blood Idea, Pure blood, half blood, mud blood. Harry is half blood because his father is pure blood but his mother is a Muggle.Likewise Ron's parents were also Muggles. Mudblood is very impolite term in Wizarding circles(Pottermore). It is some witches and wizards' attitude towards non-magical individuals that form the basis of Voldemort's pure blood Ideology.
Barrett says that "across the wizarding world, attitude towards muggles include egalitarianism, disregard, avid curiosity, paternalism, and outright hatred"(Lund University).
3. Confronting reality by reading fantasy
In the world of fantasy J.K Rowling highlights some serious issues of the real contemporary society like class conflict, politics of power, racism, corruption, injustice system etc. She has covered each reality with fantastical world but if someone looks deep down into it then they will find the hidden message. Rowling books are not conventional fairy tales, her success show the continued power of the form and the archetypes that those long-ago Germans perfected. Harry's situation contains many of the inchoate fears of childhood, not just the parental abandonment fear. Harry is skinny and weak and wears glasses patched together with tape, and in this sense he stand in for the vulnerability, the powerlessness that children feel. The rest of the story shows Harry assuming his true identity, gaining the courage to overcome obstacles and winning a battle against the adversaries of his ancestors(critic's notebook, Richard Bernstein).
4. 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 awkward situations in life. His life battle is fought by himself without any kind of support. When he left all alone in the dangerous situation then with his own power he fought with the death eaters. There was one scene in the last part when Sirius is killed then Harry saves his body and himself also from the Dementors. Same is the case with other characters 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 defeats everyone and in this way help herself. The children or even adults also learn things from Potter series about self help culture.
5. The discourse of power and politics
"Imagine that Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are, you don;t know who's working for him who isn't; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able stop themselves. You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing...The Ministry of Magic's in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere...panic...confusion..that's how it used to be."
Children's literature is largely written, produced and consumed by adults. Therefore an author should advance some political message under the guise of children's literature(Rajendra kumar das, M.Phil)
Rowling has presented power dynamics from the very first part to the end. There is fight between Harry and Voldemort, in which Harry stands for the voice of suppressed and Voldemort is in the evil power who wants to rule. Ruling over other, dominating other, killing innocent, these all things is a part of the corrupt political system. In the fifth part "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, new rule came into the school of Hogwarts. Fudge appoints Umbridge as High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, giving her the authority to inspect all faculty members and evaluate their skills. However, Umbridge misused her power as like common corrupt leaders and started dominating others. Harry raised his voice against her and formed a community in which he trained the students for the defence against the dark art. Later on, truth wins and she is discarded from her post. In this way Rowling presents the power conflict in Potter series.
6. Children's literature
Harry Potter series is full of fantastical, supernatural or magical elements which put it into the category of Children's literature. Normally in Children's literature we found a quest of Hero, Hero rescuing his princess, Magic, fantasy, happy ending, good vs evil, ideal hero etc. In the second part, "Chamber of secrets" Harry rescued Ginny in the end like true ideal hero. In all the parts there is quest or adventure, fight against the evil Voldemort, virtue rewarded and vice get punished.The magical world fantasise children and gives immense pleasure. But harry Potter series is not fall under the classic children literature because of its deep moral and philosophical lessons, political meaning.
"When you first start reading the books, they're just kids. But as she(JK Rowling) develops them through happy and sad moments, they feel more and more real," says Marine Davidson.
7. Speculative Literature
Speculative fiction encompassing fiction with certain elements that do not exixt in the real world(wikipedia). There is more imagination than the reality. Harry Potter series is full of imagination, supernatural things which doesn't exist in the real world. Like magical wand, Dementors, hoarcruxes, Sorcerer's stone, liquid luck, invisible caps everythings is just an imagination. In the third part there is one werewolf charcater Prof. Lupin who turned out as werewolf in full moon night. There is nothing like werewolf, all these is exist in fantasy world only. There is no truth behind this. Therefore Harry Potter series is fall under the genre of speculative fiction.
8. Theme of Choice and Chance
"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abbilities."
-Dumbledore
There is choice of Harry Potter to stay with his guardian even if they are cruel. Harry got his magical power but still he didn't left his guardian home. Harry also chose to save humankind from the evil creature Voldemort. He chose to fight for other. There is chance for him to escape but he didn't and stand as a true ideal hero. In the end when everyone is fighting to protect Harry from Voldemort, then Harry realised that because of him many Innocent are killed by Voldemort. Therefore he decides to surrender himself. He has choices to make in his life that whether he become as cruel like Voldemort or good like Dumbledore. These all harry Potter series plays vital role in between Choices and Chances. Harry Potter is by chance becomes a part of horcrux that should be destroyed at the end. But he comes to life after death because Rowling wants to make happy ending and this could only done by making Hero alive.
9. Theme of love and death
There is death of Harry Potter's parents by Voldemort, after which the revenge motive came in the mind of Harry. From the very beginning he is in search of finding the truth and in search of Voldemort. He wants to destroy him and that is possible only if he destroyed all the horcruxes. In between this process of destruction, many innocent people dies. In the triwizard tournament Harry lost his friend. He lost his godfather Sirius when he is fighting with Voldemort. He lost his mentor Dumbledore who is killed by prof. Snape. In this way many dies in Harry Potter series, specially the close ones of Harry.
Theme of love is also going parallel. From the very beginning we can see the interest of Ron in Hermione, the way he get jealous with the partner of Hermione in Ball party clears the illusion that Ron hates Hermione. Inspite of it he loves her a lot. Harry when steps towards his adulthood tehn he develops starnge affection for Cho. Later on Ginny and Harry becomes love birds. In this way Death and love theme is significant in Potter series.
10. Moral and Philosophical Reading
Entire Harry Potter series teaches us very important life lessons. The popular book series urges us to accept our mortality so we can fully experience human virtues, partcularly the virtue of love. Accepting death can be seen as an important philosophical lesson. Harry Potter is not like all ordinary man who fears of death and wants to be immortal like Voldemort. He is happily and calmly accept death as it is. He is not reacting in each and every situation. In most of the places he stays calm. He follows the moral principles which were taught by Dumbledore. He always remains on the sideof truth. He doen's allow the evil side to win over his good side. He contantly struggling with is inner self. The philosophical speech about the life after the death of Harry by Dumbledore is very significant in the end.
"Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and above all, those who live without love."
- Dumbledore
11. Christianity
The idea of Christianity is very much challenged in Harry Potter series. The debate is based on occult or Satanic subtexts. The Novel has anti-Christianity elements like witchcraft and Wizardry because these practises are abandoned in the Christianity. These considered as pagan worshipping. There is no any single Church in the series of Harry Potter and no one can ask help to God to fight with evil forces. So, in this way we can say that The Novel has anti-Christian elements.
Rowling rightly states that her book is highly significant for the young readers who learns to questions the authority, power status. To believe in any system without doubting is not the fair way of living life. Someone should raise his/her voice. Michel Foucault's theory of Power and Knowledge is significant under this context. There is social control through societal institutions on common man.
To see my webquest activity click here
To see my rubric of evaluation of my blog click here
Works Cited
1. Feminist Reading in Harry Potter
Portrayal of female character in Harry Potter series is very significant. J.K Rowling has minutely observed and portrayed real life characters. There are so many female characters in the series which are different from each other. Like some are strong, some are soft, girlish ,fearful etc.
i) Hermione Granger
- Not Static
Hermione is one of the main female character of Harry Potter series. She is intelligent, fierce and a loyal friend The portrayal of her character is not static in all series. The character is changing from very beginning to the end. Like in the first part most of the tasks were done by Harrry only and she remains behind the wall. Then suddenly her character change in the third part where most of the task performed by her. Or she supports Harry and Ron in every task. Her presence is significant without her it becomes difficult to reach to the conclusion.
- Look Conscious
When Hermione visit past through her time locket than she saw herself from backside and think of her look for a while. Whereas Harry did no think aboout his look. In this way the difference between girl's and boy's thinking came out.
Other female characters like Professor Mcgonagall, the strict but fair teacher, Molly Weasley the caring yet brave mother, Ginny Weasley for transforming from a shy little girl to a fearless warrior etc scattered throughout the series.
The author's context and intensions are completely irrelevant and are considered only to the extent to which they confirm negative position of women within the patriarchal structure of power. Instead of the author's context it is the reader's context that is examined from the feminist perspective(Paul 1999)
2. Discource on the purity of blood and Harry potter
"No one asked your opinion you filthy little mudblood", he spat
This is the comment of pure blood boy over mud blood girl. Draco commented on Hermione that she is mudblood. The concept of racism, casteism and class conflict is common in Harry potter series. Three types of caste based on blood Idea, Pure blood, half blood, mud blood. Harry is half blood because his father is pure blood but his mother is a Muggle.Likewise Ron's parents were also Muggles. Mudblood is very impolite term in Wizarding circles(Pottermore). It is some witches and wizards' attitude towards non-magical individuals that form the basis of Voldemort's pure blood Ideology.
Barrett says that "across the wizarding world, attitude towards muggles include egalitarianism, disregard, avid curiosity, paternalism, and outright hatred"(Lund University).
3. Confronting reality by reading fantasy
In the world of fantasy J.K Rowling highlights some serious issues of the real contemporary society like class conflict, politics of power, racism, corruption, injustice system etc. She has covered each reality with fantastical world but if someone looks deep down into it then they will find the hidden message. Rowling books are not conventional fairy tales, her success show the continued power of the form and the archetypes that those long-ago Germans perfected. Harry's situation contains many of the inchoate fears of childhood, not just the parental abandonment fear. Harry is skinny and weak and wears glasses patched together with tape, and in this sense he stand in for the vulnerability, the powerlessness that children feel. The rest of the story shows Harry assuming his true identity, gaining the courage to overcome obstacles and winning a battle against the adversaries of his ancestors(critic's notebook, Richard Bernstein).
4. 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 awkward situations in life. His life battle is fought by himself without any kind of support. When he left all alone in the dangerous situation then with his own power he fought with the death eaters. There was one scene in the last part when Sirius is killed then Harry saves his body and himself also from the Dementors. Same is the case with other characters 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 defeats everyone and in this way help herself. The children or even adults also learn things from Potter series about self help culture.
5. The discourse of power and politics
"Imagine that Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are, you don;t know who's working for him who isn't; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able stop themselves. You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing...The Ministry of Magic's in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere...panic...confusion..that's how it used to be."
Children's literature is largely written, produced and consumed by adults. Therefore an author should advance some political message under the guise of children's literature(Rajendra kumar das, M.Phil)
Rowling has presented power dynamics from the very first part to the end. There is fight between Harry and Voldemort, in which Harry stands for the voice of suppressed and Voldemort is in the evil power who wants to rule. Ruling over other, dominating other, killing innocent, these all things is a part of the corrupt political system. In the fifth part "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, new rule came into the school of Hogwarts. Fudge appoints Umbridge as High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, giving her the authority to inspect all faculty members and evaluate their skills. However, Umbridge misused her power as like common corrupt leaders and started dominating others. Harry raised his voice against her and formed a community in which he trained the students for the defence against the dark art. Later on, truth wins and she is discarded from her post. In this way Rowling presents the power conflict in Potter series.
6. Children's literature
Harry Potter series is full of fantastical, supernatural or magical elements which put it into the category of Children's literature. Normally in Children's literature we found a quest of Hero, Hero rescuing his princess, Magic, fantasy, happy ending, good vs evil, ideal hero etc. In the second part, "Chamber of secrets" Harry rescued Ginny in the end like true ideal hero. In all the parts there is quest or adventure, fight against the evil Voldemort, virtue rewarded and vice get punished.The magical world fantasise children and gives immense pleasure. But harry Potter series is not fall under the classic children literature because of its deep moral and philosophical lessons, political meaning.
"When you first start reading the books, they're just kids. But as she(JK Rowling) develops them through happy and sad moments, they feel more and more real," says Marine Davidson.
7. Speculative Literature
Speculative fiction encompassing fiction with certain elements that do not exixt in the real world(wikipedia). There is more imagination than the reality. Harry Potter series is full of imagination, supernatural things which doesn't exist in the real world. Like magical wand, Dementors, hoarcruxes, Sorcerer's stone, liquid luck, invisible caps everythings is just an imagination. In the third part there is one werewolf charcater Prof. Lupin who turned out as werewolf in full moon night. There is nothing like werewolf, all these is exist in fantasy world only. There is no truth behind this. Therefore Harry Potter series is fall under the genre of speculative fiction.
8. Theme of Choice and Chance
"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abbilities."
-Dumbledore
There is choice of Harry Potter to stay with his guardian even if they are cruel. Harry got his magical power but still he didn't left his guardian home. Harry also chose to save humankind from the evil creature Voldemort. He chose to fight for other. There is chance for him to escape but he didn't and stand as a true ideal hero. In the end when everyone is fighting to protect Harry from Voldemort, then Harry realised that because of him many Innocent are killed by Voldemort. Therefore he decides to surrender himself. He has choices to make in his life that whether he become as cruel like Voldemort or good like Dumbledore. These all harry Potter series plays vital role in between Choices and Chances. Harry Potter is by chance becomes a part of horcrux that should be destroyed at the end. But he comes to life after death because Rowling wants to make happy ending and this could only done by making Hero alive.
9. Theme of love and death
There is death of Harry Potter's parents by Voldemort, after which the revenge motive came in the mind of Harry. From the very beginning he is in search of finding the truth and in search of Voldemort. He wants to destroy him and that is possible only if he destroyed all the horcruxes. In between this process of destruction, many innocent people dies. In the triwizard tournament Harry lost his friend. He lost his godfather Sirius when he is fighting with Voldemort. He lost his mentor Dumbledore who is killed by prof. Snape. In this way many dies in Harry Potter series, specially the close ones of Harry.
Theme of love is also going parallel. From the very beginning we can see the interest of Ron in Hermione, the way he get jealous with the partner of Hermione in Ball party clears the illusion that Ron hates Hermione. Inspite of it he loves her a lot. Harry when steps towards his adulthood tehn he develops starnge affection for Cho. Later on Ginny and Harry becomes love birds. In this way Death and love theme is significant in Potter series.
10. Moral and Philosophical Reading
Entire Harry Potter series teaches us very important life lessons. The popular book series urges us to accept our mortality so we can fully experience human virtues, partcularly the virtue of love. Accepting death can be seen as an important philosophical lesson. Harry Potter is not like all ordinary man who fears of death and wants to be immortal like Voldemort. He is happily and calmly accept death as it is. He is not reacting in each and every situation. In most of the places he stays calm. He follows the moral principles which were taught by Dumbledore. He always remains on the sideof truth. He doen's allow the evil side to win over his good side. He contantly struggling with is inner self. The philosophical speech about the life after the death of Harry by Dumbledore is very significant in the end.
"Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and above all, those who live without love."
- Dumbledore
11. Christianity
The idea of Christianity is very much challenged in Harry Potter series. The debate is based on occult or Satanic subtexts. The Novel has anti-Christianity elements like witchcraft and Wizardry because these practises are abandoned in the Christianity. These considered as pagan worshipping. There is no any single Church in the series of Harry Potter and no one can ask help to God to fight with evil forces. So, in this way we can say that The Novel has anti-Christian elements.
Rowling rightly states that her book is highly significant for the young readers who learns to questions the authority, power status. To believe in any system without doubting is not the fair way of living life. Someone should raise his/her voice. Michel Foucault's theory of Power and Knowledge is significant under this context. There is social control through societal institutions on common man.
To see my webquest activity click here
To see my rubric of evaluation of my blog click here
Works Cited
Editor of faculty salisbury. Fantasy and Science
Fiction. <http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~elbond/408fant2.htm>.
Editor of shmoop. HARRY
POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS THEME OF CHOICES. <https://www.shmoop.com/harry-potter-7-deathly-hallows/choices-theme.html>.
Editor of women's web.
Women's web. 29 July 2016. 2018
<https://www.womensweb.in/2016/07/feminism-in-harry-potter-books-or-lack-of-it/>.
Kotarba, Polly L.
"Honors Program." Harry Potter: A Link to the Fantasy Genre.
<http://www.uh.edu/honors/Programs-Minors/honors-and-the-schools/houston-teachers-institute/curriculum-units/pdfs/2003/twentieth-century-novels/kotarba-03-kid-lit.pdf>.
"Psycho
Babble." 25 April 2015. Harry Potter Self Help.
<https://psychobabblechat.com/2015/04/25/harry-potter-self-help/>.
Rajendra Kumar Dash,
M. Phil. "Chasing the Shadow:Is the Harry Potter Series a Political
Discourse?" LANGUAGE IN INDIA (2012): 467.
Spilsbury, Paul. Love
and Death in Harry Potter. 3 april 2006.
<https://www.hp-lexicon.org/2006/04/03/love-and-death-in-harry-potter/>.
Vise, Daniel de. Is
Harry Potter classic children’s literature? 16 july 2011.
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/college-inc/post/is-harry-potter-classic-childrens-literature/2011/07/16/gIQA0RS1HI_blog.html?utm_term=.1ef2b0eae875>.
wikipedia
contributors. Talk: Blood Purity (Harry Potter). 7 October 2018
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk%3ABlood_purity_(Harry_Potter)>.
well worked ...
ReplyDeleteVery well written, especially with the pictures and their captions to go with. I like the fact that you pointed out the variety of female characters in HarryPotter, and their different aspects. For example, Ginny Weasly is a generally a shy character, but at times a fearless warrior. J.K. Rowling has pointed out female characters in every shape and detail and described them well.
ReplyDeleteYes absolutely right Alicia James, Thanks
DeleteCritically deep observation didi👌
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time i visit here. I found so many interesting stuff in your blog especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the enjoyment here keep up the good work Harry Potter shop
ReplyDelete