Don't Diss Harry Potter.
Something that genuinely upsets me is the popular underestimation of the Harry Potter series, and the overly-common generalisation that the series is nothing more than a "book about magic". What's more upsetting is that these [false] judgements originate from the people who have never picked up a Harry Potter book in their entire existence-- nor any proper novel, for that matter. Someone recently said to me "you can't love a book, it has nothing to do with your heart".
So, as a person who has picked up many books in her existence- especially many Harry Potter books- I will explain how a novel can shape not only somebody's heart, but the way they have/will live their entire life.
The first time I ever read a Harry Potter book, I was 7 years old. My friend James* had been reading it, and suggested that I, too, give it a go. Being a child that spent all her time with books and with a mother who had spent all of her time with books, I was more than open to the suggestion. As a 7 year old, I had to read it a few times over before it set fully into my mind-- it was a lot to take in, but it had definitely made a mark on me.
I think the first thing that Harry Potter taught me was love. Love goes beyond death, and love is powerful. Lily's love had saved her son the night he would've otherwise been murdered. Even after she had died, her love was powerful. Even after they both had died, Harry's love for them was strong; love doesn't die. I grew up with the partly naive belief that love can conquer anything. Obviously, as you grow older you realise that there is a lot more to it than just that,but the underlying meaning that Jo sends through her words are definitely a huge part of my life.
Another of the first things that Harry Potter taught me was acceptance. I think that Jo teaches this mainly through showing non-acceptance. The Dursley's with Harry, the kid's at the muggle school with Harry, the pure-bloods with the muggle-borns, the Malfoy's with the Weasley's lack of money, and further on, even the way the Marauders treated Severus. Harry and Ron have no prejudice toward muggle-borns, and through the acceptance of Hermione they gain a life-long friend, and even romantic love (Ron). Dumbledore's "our hearts beat as one" speech has stuck with me since I first read the words. There are million of examples in the series of the importance of accepting people, and reasons to accept people for who and/or what they are. I have never in my life neglected or mistreated anybody simply because of how they were born, or what they believed in, or their circumstances and I seriously believe that reading the Harry Potter series has played a big part in how I see people.
I remember sitting in the library when I was about 9, listening to a speaker that came into our school to tell the story of J.K's life. This may not have been in the Harry Potter series, but it's part of the Harry Potter story. Never give up on your dreams, is one thing I remember learning from this speech. Never, ever think that bad times will last forever. And, through both Jo and her books, I learnt that life is not easy, and there is always something worth fighting for. These things in particular, I think, have definitely helped me through my depression.
In life, it is so important to know that you are never truly alone; that there is always somebody who loves you, or somebody to give you a helping hand and stand up for you. I think this one is really important, because in my life there has been times where I would have believed I was alone (and possibly would have given up), if I had not believed so strongly that being alone was not only determined by the obvious things. Harry quite often felt alone, however he was proven wrong multiple times by his friends, his teachers, and even his un-known family (Sirius). I was also taught never to be afraid of seeking help. Help is something I have accessed several times throughout my life, and I would have been too afraid to seek it if it had not been told to me that there will always be at least one person willing to help.
Helping others, and always seeing the good in people. Dumbledore was a humble, wise man who always remembered, and reminded, to 'turn on the light'. This is not only in metaphorically dark situations, but to me it also ties in with the acceptance theme. When there is dark in a person, you must always remember to turn on the light. The way he sees the good in Draco, and not only the bad. He tries to help him because he accepts that Draco lives in fear, and accepts that Draco was taught nothing but the darkness that he knows. Harry fights for the wizarding world, for the muggle-borns. This also ties in, in another sense, of not being alone. The world is big, you are small. It is not all about you, everybody is in this world with us.
Choices are another thing. "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities". This is so insanely relevant to the "non-fantasy world". I believe that the choices you make for yourself are the most indicative thing of who you are. Things like taking drugs, smoking, etc show me that someone is insecure of themselves, or doesn't respect themselves, or wasn't taught how to properly deal with emotions. The choices you make in how you treat people will show me what kind of person you are. The choices you make in how you talk, or the things you participate in, will show me what kind of person you are. Contrary to the status quo belief of this society, your abilities are not who you are.
The last, but definitely not least, thing I will talk about here is confidence. The Harry Potter series has taught me that every body is different, and just because you are not the same as someone else is does not mean you are less important. Ron feels he is worth less than Harry. Not everyone is a Harry Potter. Hermione has her brains, Ron's funny, stubborn and caring, Luna has her unique & interesting personality, and Neville has his bravery. Everybody contributes something different to society and each thing is just as important as the other, because without it, things just wouldn't be the same.
Of course you can learn these things from other places; I am not saying that Harry Potter and Harry Potter alone is what has taught me these things. But Harry Potter plays a huge part in how my mind was set up, and it was the only thing in my crazy childhood which backed-up the things my parents tried to teach me, and made everything they taught me more valid and strong. Without it I would have thought my parents ridiculous, as I didn't have any other examples to look to.
So, as a person who has picked up many books in her existence- especially many Harry Potter books- I will explain how a novel can shape not only somebody's heart, but the way they have/will live their entire life.
The first time I ever read a Harry Potter book, I was 7 years old. My friend James* had been reading it, and suggested that I, too, give it a go. Being a child that spent all her time with books and with a mother who had spent all of her time with books, I was more than open to the suggestion. As a 7 year old, I had to read it a few times over before it set fully into my mind-- it was a lot to take in, but it had definitely made a mark on me.
I think the first thing that Harry Potter taught me was love. Love goes beyond death, and love is powerful. Lily's love had saved her son the night he would've otherwise been murdered. Even after she had died, her love was powerful. Even after they both had died, Harry's love for them was strong; love doesn't die. I grew up with the partly naive belief that love can conquer anything. Obviously, as you grow older you realise that there is a lot more to it than just that,but the underlying meaning that Jo sends through her words are definitely a huge part of my life.
Another of the first things that Harry Potter taught me was acceptance. I think that Jo teaches this mainly through showing non-acceptance. The Dursley's with Harry, the kid's at the muggle school with Harry, the pure-bloods with the muggle-borns, the Malfoy's with the Weasley's lack of money, and further on, even the way the Marauders treated Severus. Harry and Ron have no prejudice toward muggle-borns, and through the acceptance of Hermione they gain a life-long friend, and even romantic love (Ron). Dumbledore's "our hearts beat as one" speech has stuck with me since I first read the words. There are million of examples in the series of the importance of accepting people, and reasons to accept people for who and/or what they are. I have never in my life neglected or mistreated anybody simply because of how they were born, or what they believed in, or their circumstances and I seriously believe that reading the Harry Potter series has played a big part in how I see people.
I remember sitting in the library when I was about 9, listening to a speaker that came into our school to tell the story of J.K's life. This may not have been in the Harry Potter series, but it's part of the Harry Potter story. Never give up on your dreams, is one thing I remember learning from this speech. Never, ever think that bad times will last forever. And, through both Jo and her books, I learnt that life is not easy, and there is always something worth fighting for. These things in particular, I think, have definitely helped me through my depression.
In life, it is so important to know that you are never truly alone; that there is always somebody who loves you, or somebody to give you a helping hand and stand up for you. I think this one is really important, because in my life there has been times where I would have believed I was alone (and possibly would have given up), if I had not believed so strongly that being alone was not only determined by the obvious things. Harry quite often felt alone, however he was proven wrong multiple times by his friends, his teachers, and even his un-known family (Sirius). I was also taught never to be afraid of seeking help. Help is something I have accessed several times throughout my life, and I would have been too afraid to seek it if it had not been told to me that there will always be at least one person willing to help.
Helping others, and always seeing the good in people. Dumbledore was a humble, wise man who always remembered, and reminded, to 'turn on the light'. This is not only in metaphorically dark situations, but to me it also ties in with the acceptance theme. When there is dark in a person, you must always remember to turn on the light. The way he sees the good in Draco, and not only the bad. He tries to help him because he accepts that Draco lives in fear, and accepts that Draco was taught nothing but the darkness that he knows. Harry fights for the wizarding world, for the muggle-borns. This also ties in, in another sense, of not being alone. The world is big, you are small. It is not all about you, everybody is in this world with us.
Choices are another thing. "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities". This is so insanely relevant to the "non-fantasy world". I believe that the choices you make for yourself are the most indicative thing of who you are. Things like taking drugs, smoking, etc show me that someone is insecure of themselves, or doesn't respect themselves, or wasn't taught how to properly deal with emotions. The choices you make in how you treat people will show me what kind of person you are. The choices you make in how you talk, or the things you participate in, will show me what kind of person you are. Contrary to the status quo belief of this society, your abilities are not who you are.
The last, but definitely not least, thing I will talk about here is confidence. The Harry Potter series has taught me that every body is different, and just because you are not the same as someone else is does not mean you are less important. Ron feels he is worth less than Harry. Not everyone is a Harry Potter. Hermione has her brains, Ron's funny, stubborn and caring, Luna has her unique & interesting personality, and Neville has his bravery. Everybody contributes something different to society and each thing is just as important as the other, because without it, things just wouldn't be the same.
Of course you can learn these things from other places; I am not saying that Harry Potter and Harry Potter alone is what has taught me these things. But Harry Potter plays a huge part in how my mind was set up, and it was the only thing in my crazy childhood which backed-up the things my parents tried to teach me, and made everything they taught me more valid and strong. Without it I would have thought my parents ridiculous, as I didn't have any other examples to look to.