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The Boy Bigger than PokemonOct 12 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Books
The Bottom Line Harry Potter taught children to love books. The novels have replaced the backs of Pokémon cards as the things kids love to read. And he rightly deserves the hero-worship.
Seeing as the Harry Potter movie is about to be released (cue the stampede of hyperactive children with lightning scars) I thought I should pay homage to the great wizard himself. Now, Harry Potter is a severely hyped up character. He has found himself on everything from board games to pocket diaries. He was even going to be the face of Coca Cola, before JK Rowling intervened and said we should ‘respect children’s imaginations’. So what exactly is the deal with Harry Potter? And how come Coke are so keen? This was going to be an argument – the sort of essay my English teacher would love me to write. I was going to list the pros and cons of Harry Potter, all summed up in a nice round conclusion. However, I have a feeling that that would be difficult. You see, I am hard pushed to find any cons, and the pros are probably too numerous to name. Please bear with me while I sing Harry’s praises, and feel free to disagree. If you can. Harry Potter was the boy who helped kids love books. For many children, a book is a useless invention, either to be confined to school libraries or given to their gerbils to chew up. If they do read, it is likely to be something off the back of a Pokémon collector’s card. This was the case until Harry Potter came along. Nowadays, every kid I know could describe Hogwarts (Harry’s school) to the last square inch. Many previous book-haters devoured Book 4 (all 600 pages) like a particularly satisfying chocolate bar. If your child takes some encouragement to read, then gently point them in the direction of Harry Potter and they’ll be hooked. It looks like JK Rowling has struck gold. She’s found the perfect formula for world-wide success. So why is this? What factors have made Harry Potter such a hit? Firstly, it’s a good, imaginary story... And yet it’s ironic. In the days before Harry, many critics thought children needed realism. They needed gritty, true-to-life stories with characters they could relate to. Harry has proved this hypothesis vastly wrong. The situations he finds himself in are hardly everyday experiences. Here, it resembles Roald Dahl and the Narnia books – a fantasy story that allows you to use your imagination. Surely that what childhood’s all about? Exploring your own creativity? Imagining strange and wonderful worlds that lie beyond what you know? When I was younger, I spent half my time playing ‘imaginary’ games and I found them a whole load more satisfying than skipping. Who cares if there’s no such thing as a Veela? In a parallel universe there might be. It’s intensely moral... Now, I know some Christians have protested against these books because of the whole witchcraft idea. However, I would recommend they read them before protesting. I am also a Christian, and I found the Harry Potter stories intensely moral. They uphold everything strong and beautiful. Lord Voldemort, who represents the force of evil, puts in a brave fight, but ultimately good triumphs time and time again. The very reason Harry survived Lord Voldemort’s curse was because of the love of his mother, and if that is a ‘devil-possessed’ idea then I’m a purple chicken. They don’t patronise children... Children are a lot smarter than we like to think. When I was younger, I used to read adult novels because most kids’ books were so patronising. The plot lines always seemed tame for fear of scaring or upsetting the readers, and the writer was careful not to use too many ‘big words’. (I promptly learnt the word ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocius’ just to show off my vocab skills.) Harry Potter, on the other hand, has a pretty complex storyline that can baffle many adult readers. Some of the themes are dark, sad or scary, and yet kids are generally resilient enough to take it. They are funny, and yet full of suspense... Despite the length, the books are hard to put down and impossible not to finish. There are things on every page to keep you interested; jokes, amusing incidents, satire and exaggeration. The books also keep you in suspense. The plots are well thought out and everything in the books is in there for a reason. Every chapter contains little pieces of mystery that add together to form unexpected and often horrifying solutions. The characters are just like you and I inside... OK, so they do have magical powers, owl post and Transfiguration classes, but deep down Harry, Ron and Hermione are just like you and I. Hermione is based on JK Rowling herself – on the outside, a clever, hard-working teacher’s pet, but underneath, very vulnerable. Ron is the sixth child in a family of high-achievers, and constantly overshadowed by Harry. He's the character for anyone with an inferiority complex. And Harry himself is a hero. He is a character children can look up to and admire, without being some impossible goody-goody. (Katy in ‘What Katy Did’ was one of these – I began to wonder when her ascension to heaven would be. A good character has to have a spice of something not that nice.) So he doesn’t have a halo but he is brave, courageous and tough. He has been through a ridiculous amount but has come out the other end with sense of humour intact. Plus, he has the added glamour of that famous lightning scar. I’m sure there are a hundred other reasons for the Harry Potter phenomenon, but what I suggest is read the books and you’ll see what I’m talking about. We all know what’ll happen when the movie comes out – it’ll end up being one of the highest grossing blockbusters of all time. Star Daniel Radcliffe will change from regular 12-yr-old boy to a member of the Hollywood brat pack and Chris Columbus will rival Spielberg as the most in-demand director in the world. This is easy to predict. Remember, we are talking about one of the greatest fictitious characters of all time. Harry is in the same league as Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan; Charlie Bucket; or … erm … Peter Rabbit. In 100 years time, students will study Harry Potter as one of the best examples of pre-22nd century fiction. And for now, the merchandise is raking in the profits. This is my 21st epinion, so I suppose as an epiniac, I have now come of age. I’d welcome comments whether you agree with my tribute or not, because a girl needs her encouragement! Thanks for reading, Abi (a self-confessed Harry-Potter-ophile, even though at 15 I should be more sophisticated…) (PS - I have no idea why this is displayed as being 1 star. Believe me, that is not what I'd rate Harry.  |
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by dandj
by texas-swede
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