Witches, wizards, wands, magic, three-headed-dogs and flying broomsticks, why is the Harry Potter series so appealing to multi generations? J.K Rowling began this series June 1997 when she released the first Harry Potter book. The first movie was released November 2001. The final book was published July 2007. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II was released July 2011. This series was around for fourteen years, more than half of my life. Growing up, I could never get into the series like a true Harry Potter fan. I would watch the movies, but the made up fictional vocabulary of the books turned me away at a young age. This is my story of reentering the Harry Potter world with an open mind and seeing where the wizard world takes me.
"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm the keeper of keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."
"Er - no," said Harry.
Hagrid looked shocked.
"Sorry," Harry said quickly.
"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where her parents learned it all?"
"All what?" asked Harry.
"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"
He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.
"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy - this boy! - knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?"
Harry thought this was going a bit far. Be bad been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.
"I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."
But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."
"Er - no," said Harry.
Hagrid looked shocked.
"Sorry," Harry said quickly.
"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where her parents learned it all?"
"All what?" asked Harry.
"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"
He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.
"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy - this boy! - knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?"
Harry thought this was going a bit far. Be bad been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.
"I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."
But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."
"What world?"
Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.
"DURSLEY!" he boomed.
Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something like "mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.
"But yeh must know about yer mom and dad," he said. "I mean they're famous. You're famous."
"What? My - my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"
"Yeh don't know... Yeh don't know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.
"Yeh don't know what yeh are?" he said finally.
Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.
"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"
A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.
"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you kept it from him all these years?"
"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly.
"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.
Aunt Pentunia gave a gasp of horror.
"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry - yer a wizard."
In this scene, we are introduced to a young boy. This boy has been invisible his whole life and was just told he is a wizard. In this wizard world, his name is known by every witch and wizard for surviving the dark wizard, You-Know-Who (Voldemort). Now everything he has known in his 10 years of life will be literally turned up-side-down.
Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.
"DURSLEY!" he boomed.
Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something like "mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.
"But yeh must know about yer mom and dad," he said. "I mean they're famous. You're famous."
"What? My - my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"
"Yeh don't know... Yeh don't know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.
"Yeh don't know what yeh are?" he said finally.
Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.
"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"
A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.
"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you kept it from him all these years?"
"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly.
"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.
Aunt Pentunia gave a gasp of horror.
"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry - yer a wizard."
In this scene, we are introduced to a young boy. This boy has been invisible his whole life and was just told he is a wizard. In this wizard world, his name is known by every witch and wizard for surviving the dark wizard, You-Know-Who (Voldemort). Now everything he has known in his 10 years of life will be literally turned up-side-down.
(work in progress)
The first sentence seems a little awkward to me. Maybe you should just put, "Witches, wizards, wands, magic, three-headed-dogs, and flying broomsticks. Why is the Harry Potter series so appealing to multi-generations?" I just feel like they don't fit in the same sentence.
ReplyDeleteI like how you share the dates relating to book and movie releases, but I feel like the way you did it is awkwardly written. It just doesn't seem to flow smoothly (it feels choppy).
Make sure to look over your book excerpt and fix the typos. Also, at the end you should put a citation saying "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Pg ..." just so that people know.
I like your hook and how you explained why Harry Potter didn't appeal to you at first. I'm personally not an avid Harry Potter fan so it helped me relate to why you're writing this paper.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mikaela about the book and movie releases sounding choppy. Maybe talk about yourself, then the books, then the movies individually so the reader can follow the lapse of time easier?
Also I recommend elaborating on Harry's status with his family before he finds out he's a wizard in the second paragraph. I think it would make the reader understand just how miraculous the scene before really is.
--Christopher