[HPFGU-OTChatter] Gifted stuff, again!

[Laura Ingalls Huntley]

Shaun said:
>The following are a coupl of thoughts on if, and why, Harry Potter appeals to gifted 
>children. 

Well...Harry Potter seems to appeal to *all* children generally...Also, the HPforGrownups list probably isn't the most unbiased sample space.

I mean, I classify myself as a book junkie.  Most (although certainly not all) of the gifted kids I know are also book junkies.  And, so sorry to generalize...anyone who is an active participant in this list is most likely also of the book junkie variety *ducks* I don't mean to call names here, but there it is.

So I guess I see a natural connection between being a junkie/HP fan on this list and being gifted.

>It's hard to be precise but Harry Potter was a big thing in the gifted 
>community almost the instant it was released - I saw discussion of the Philosopher's 
>Stone on gifted discussion lists well before I saw it elsewhere. 

This also seems perfectly natural to me -- *cough* smart *cough* kids are obviously going to be the first to pick up on the wonderousness of HP.  They're more likely to try the books when they hit the shelves (cause they've already read everything else in the small-town bookstore near their house) and they are more likely to recognize the books as something special when they read it.  


>Hermione. I have to put her first. Here we have a character who is smart, and 
>doesn't seem to be afraid to show it. Indeed her intelligence is a very significant part 
>of her character. As many children tend to like books that have characters they can 
>identify with, Hermione's presence is something that a lot of gifted children do relate 
>to. Especially as Hermione is not a one trick pony. She isn't defined by her 
>intelligence alone. She is courageous, resourceful, etc. She is multidimensional - 
>not a stereotype. 

Yes.  I love Hermione.  *nuzzles*  She's one of the few people I think I could really trust -- I mean, if she were real.  As for identifying with her -- I definitely feel that.  Not that we're exactly alike -- in alot of way we're complete opposites...but for some reason, something about her speaks to me.    

>She also faces a problem of not fitting in - and is isolated because 
>of it. 

And this is why I could trust her -- she is very, very strong.  She doesn't crumble under peer pressure -- which isn't just some vague afflicition, BTW.  It's a very real, very evil thing *glowers*.  I can't count the number of people I've seen hurt other people or themselves in its name.  And they don't even realize it.  They just go about destroying each other and screwing themselves up in the process.  It makes me sick to watch it.  I wish everyone would just leave each other alone, you know?? And leave themselves alone.  *is straying* Drat..okay..onwards.


>Unfortunately, this too is something that many gifted children can relate to. 
>Hermione's intellect is not shown as being a wonderful gift with no negatives 
>attached to it. We see the negatives - we also see that she is able to overcome 
>them, and that her friends - true friends - will see past the superficial first 
>impressions to the real person underneath. For a gifted child in a situation where 
>they lack friends - as it all too common - this can be very comforting.

^_^ Very true.

>I'm on a lot of e-mail lists - over 50. I tend to join them in the hope of finding 
>intelligent conversation - something I can get my teeth into. HPFGU, and its sub 
>lists, certainly fits. People who join these lists want to do more than just read - 
>there's nothing wrong with just reading, but they want more for some reason. And 
>they get it through these lists.

^_~ Which is why I love it so much here.  I'm sick to death of trying to engage in useful debate on lists or message boards with people who would be just as happy to spend all their time posting things like "i luv hary potter soooooooooooo much i think he is 2 hott i want 2 have his babies" and getting into raging flame fights in which one party accuses the other of being a ****sucker and the other party retaliates with accussations of sexual inadequcies.

Growl.  Admittedly, my own punctuation sometimes leaves a bit to be desired... <<<like that...I use these darn ellipses far too frequently.  But honestly.  There is only so much I can take.  Ultimately, that's why I decided subscribe to HPFGU when I decided I wanted to join a HP list...I'm a little younger than HPFGU's "target audience"..but I knew if I joined a more general HP discussion list, I'd probably not get what I wanted -- which was intelligent discussion of the books.

Plus, the FAQ pages associated with this list were just incredibly amazing ^_^.  I had to discover for myself the list that created such marvelous essays.


laura


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