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In a typical hero’s journey, there is often a mentor who guides the hero to their destiny. Commonly possessing powerful abilities and a mind full of wisdom, the mentor teaches the hero to become a better version of themselves. Rather than directly interfering at the most pivotal moments, the mentor prepares the hero for when…
Although the Harry Potter series centers around the main battle between Harry Potter and Voldemort, Harry makes plenty of additional enemies along the way. Hogwarts may be the safest place for Harry to stay, but he can’t escape some of his enemies if they reside within school walls. Harry does his best to avoid professors…
After the release of the final Harry Potter novel, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, J.K. Rowling stated in an interview that the Hogwarts Headmaster, Dumbledore, was in fact gay. This certainly shocked fans as throughout the book series Dumbledore never proclaimed or even hinted at his sexuality. Nonetheless, Rowling defended her statement and even…
What sets Harry apart from the rest of the wizarding world is his selfless nature. He is willing to carry the torch and go on. He continues to fight a battle when all seems lost and finds hope when there doesn’t seem to be any. Harry Potter was “chosen” by Lord Voldemort, but despite the…
“Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” – J.K. Rowling It was tough being a thirteen-year-old. I couldn’t seem to do anything right. I was trying to navigate a new chapter in my life, all while prioritizing my friends over my parents (I never heard the end of it) and making sure my…
Since I talked about Voldemort in my last blog, my curiosity about the villain was completely aroused. Why are they the bad guys? What are the bad means? Why they are so attractive to readers? And so on. Thus, in “Further Discussion Part I”, I would like to say something about the first two questions.…
TW: Mental illness and childhood neglect From the moment I started reading Harry Potter, and especially visualizing his character in the movies, I had a theory that Voldemort (or Tom Riddle) was not quite normal. There were behaviors he had that pointed to specific psychological disorders that I learned about in my Abnormal Psychology class.…
I’m sure many of you have probably taken a standardized test at one point in your life, whether it be high school end-of-the-year examinations or the dreadful SATs that are used to examine one’s level of college preparedness. However, it seems that many of these standardized tests are criticized for their accuracy. Mostly, it seems…
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix You would think that the biggest threat to not only the wizarding world, but all life itself, would be cause enough for the Ministry of Magic to take swift and decisive countermeasures to avoid it. Alas, you would sadly be incorrect. In the wake of the tragic…
I would rather be a villain. Born to be enemies, heroes and villains continue their war for decades, even centuries. Someone claims that they only exist because of the other one exists. I do not agree. It should be: Without villain, hero is not hero; While without hero, villains are still villains. In the long course…
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire It’s the beginning of Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts, and with the introduction of the Triwizard Tournament it is arguably the most thrilling one yet. In a rare display of unity, the entire school will be coming together to look forward to an exciting year at Hogwarts. Although…
Something that I really thought was interesting after reading the Harry Potter series was J.K Rowling’s commentary on slavery and classism. She uses a very interesting medium in house-elves in order to display her beliefs around the subject and to also make commentary on current systems as well as similar ones of the past. We…
Perhaps no character showed more growth throughout the course of the Harry Potter series than Neville Longbottom. Initially a shy, forgetful eleven-year-old, Neville’s transition into a character who regularly opposed the Dark Wizard regime at Hogwarts and ultimately destroyed the last Horcrux necessary to kill Voldemort appears surprising at first thought. However, Rowling drops hints…
In children’s books and fairytales, many aspects of life are presented as clear-cut, especially in regard to good and evil. However, in reality, things are much more ambiguous, with the lines depicting what is good and morally righteous and what is evil and morally corrupt becoming more and more blurry with time and age.…
Blog 3 People are universally shamed if they watch the film before the books because the general populace claims that “the film is nowhere as accurate as the books! The books are better!”. While this may be true for some film depictions of books, the Harry Potter film franchise has been relatively close due to…
Blog 4 “TOO SCARY FOR TWEENS! Unclear if you haven’t read the book!”, “It was so dark, and frightening!”, “Someone loses an ear, masked figures flying through the sky and killing people, non-magical people harassed and tortured, SOMEONE LOSES A LITERAL PART OF THEIR STOMACH!”. These were all kid and parent reviews from the famous…
It only makes sense that so many people love the House of Godric Gryffindor. After all, some of the most powerful, heroic, and important characters, including Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter himself, were sorted into Gryffindor. However, the house that champions bravery and perseverance receives an excessive amount of glorification from enthralled readers and Harry…
I remember reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the first time as a child and feeling instant fear at the introduction of Dementors. Dementors are magical creatures that guard the prison Azkaban and feed on joy and happiness, leaving their human victims with nothing but negative, dark emotions. As I’ve reread the…
Doesn’t that image look absolutely terrifying? Right in the middle of the ocean with a dark and isolated environment? That is only part of what makes the incarceration system in the Harry Potter series extremely horrifying and ultimately, unethical. The point of incarceration is rehabilitation, that is, to become a better person by reflecting on…
By Julian Portis-Escoto The Hogwarts Housing System is one of the most beloved and celebrated traditions within Hogwarts. Fans of the series love to participate in the system as well, assigning themselves to a specific house based on their own personality traits. The Housing System provides a great way for students to bond with each…
When beginning to dive into the world of magic, I simultaneously stumbled upon another American classic enjoyed by teenagers around the nation—Avatar: The Last Airbender. While reading and watching these two stories, I noticed many similarities between the two tales. In both series, there are four groups that are crucial in understanding the storyline and…
Draco Malfoy is one of the main antagonists in the Harry Potter series. He is the son of Lucius Malfoy, a Deatheater and one of Voldemort’s most trusted servants. Draco Malfoy is known for his unrelenting bullying of main protagonists as he often picks apart their vulnerabilities. He bullied Hermoine the most for being a…
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS Another year at the prestigious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry brings another set of great dangers that places everyone in jeopardy. And for a young Harry Potter returning for his second year of school, this only means that many more rules are going to be broken. In…
As someone who is a part of the Christian community, I have learned throughout the years that the members of the Church many times have something to say about popular TV shows and movies. Maybe it’s a new Netflix series that has characters that embody the Christian values, or a movie that Christ followers should…
The power of death over even the most magical and powerful creatures become the most evident in Rowling’s Harry Potter Series, it is one of the few themes present throughout the whole collection of books and is impossible to go unnoticed by any reader. In the world of Harry Potter, our villain, Voldemort, seeks power…
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE It is quite evident that from the outset of the series in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry will become the wizard with the greatest responsibility. He is renowned throughout the wizarding world as “The Boy Who Lived” and “The Chosen One.” He is the only one to…
One subject that I am rather interested in (as it is my major) is Psychology. I enjoy applying psychological concepts and theories to everyday life and in this particular scenario, to one of my favorite childhood book series, Harry Potter, but more specifically, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Thus, by taking this approach, I…
In a classic “hero’s journey” story, there is often a wiser, much older character who serves as our hero’s guiding moral compass for the duration of the journey. Dumbledore, of course, is arguably the most famous example of this role. While earlier novels in the Harry Potter series portray Dumbledore as a fairly one-dimensional mentor,…
Aaliyah Patel I’ll have a look inside your mind And tell where you belong! — Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling The Sorting Hat plays an influential role in the Harry Potter series. But Rowling’s use of this tool could be considered erroneous – in other words – the Sorting Hat…
Blog 1 The Time-Turner was first introduced in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. As the name suggests, this powerful magical device could let the wearer go one hour back in time and allows them to have control on where they want to appear in the advent. It was given to Hermione…
It feels like I’ve been talking about Harry Potter forever. Do I get tired of it? Yes? Do I think that there are some seriously problematic aspects of the entire universe (not the least of which is the original author herself)? Of course. But I find Harry Potter, and the phenomenon attached to it, incredibly…
Growing up probably the first aspect of Harry Potter that stuck out to me as in need of a fix was the ritual all incoming first years at Hogwarts have to undergo, the Sorting. The first years walk in, all in awe at seeing Hogwarts for the first time. After they are lead into the…
The Weasleys are a courageous and brave family with all of the members, including the parents, sorted into the Gryffindor house. Fred and George’s presence at Hogwarts and in the Weasley family adds some of the most whimsical and funniest moments to the books. Teachers, classmates, family, and friends enjoyed years of laughter from the…
According to the Mirror of Erised, Harry’s deepest desire was to be with his parents. Harry’s family should have been a place of security, but instead was a place of abuse and trauma. Even as a young adult, his attachments were shaped by his early childhood experiences. Before Hogwarts, Harry didn’t have anyone he could…