Harry Potter and the Quest for reading

[Saitaina]

No: HPFGUIDX 43407

Alright, I wrote this for a message board regarding the 20/20 (American news magazine telly show) segment on Harry Potter.  Most of it has been said over and over again but I felt the need to share.----

I will admit right now, I am a Harry Potter reader. I am also a woman in my early twenties. Just getting those two facts out there right now. 

I've have been a reader since just after GoF (Goblet of Fire) and have seen the height of this controversy and been caught in the crossfire. 

To get right to the point (yeah right), I don't see how the banning of books, ANY books, not just Harry Potter, could be helpful to children. I understand the concerns some have over the element of magick in the books, but banning a child from reading something just for what's inside that does not help their development. 

Yes it would be wonderful if our children would grow up with the same beliefs and morals and common sense we have, but that's not always possible. Children pick up things from every media, books, television, movies, radio and just general human interaction. Blocking them from that which offends us will not stop them from learning about it. 

I believe in giving children equal opportunities to allow them to make their own choices of what they believe in and what morals they hold to. Allowing a child to read Harry Potter will not make them witches (wizzards, sorceress, warlocks)any more then reading the bible would make them a Christian, but giving a child the opportunity to read both would give them a better view of the world. 

Now before the Harry Potter fans start yelling, I'm not touting the series as handbook for witchcraft. Far from it. The series has nothing to do with the religions of wicca/Satanism. In fact the books have nothing to do with religion. Period. 

Many will argue that if you ban Harry you must ban Naria, Lord of the Rings, Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty (er, basically ANY fairy tale), The Mists of Avalon (Again, the whole series would just have to go), and many, many more. 

Almost any of us as a child has read this books. Many of us have read several or all of them. I would hate to think that we were all Satanists running around pledging ourselves to the devil just because of a children's book. 

Harry Potter is much more then just a book about witchcraft. It's a story of growing up. And all the travails that comes with it. It's a story of moral choices. Voldemort himself is a great example of what hatred can do to someone and the choices one can make. 

Discrimination is a big theme. Hagrid and Draco Malfoy both show sides of this as does Hermione Granger and the Dursleys. 

Abuse and escapism are themes I most identify with. Every abused child out there dreams of one day being free of their abuser and they can relate to Harry going off to Hogwarts, going home. 

Friendship and courage are granted themes. One cannot think of Gryffindor House without knowing of their bravery. Our three (or four or five) favorite Gryffindors show that not all friendships are perfect, but it's something you can depend on when in need. 

Past mistakes is a theme any adult can relate to. How many of us see ourselves in Severus Snape? We all have made bad choices and wish we could turn back the clock to change them. Not many of us have gone so far as to do something as severe as becoming a Death Eater but we still regret what we have done and can relate to Severus who is still trying to make it right. 

There are many other themes, Betrayal, Greed and terrorism. So many more that I won't go into here but they are there, if you look beyond the magick. 

To cut children off from such lessons of life, even if they are just between the two covers of a book, is to deny them all of which shapes and creates our world. There is a great kaleidoscope of humanity here, much more then just Accio and The Draught of Living Death. 

Saitaina
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Gandalf dead. Everyone morose. In attempt to cheer up Fellowship, Legolas took off all his clothes and performed scenes from Silmarillion: The Musical. Everyone still morose. Legolas ponced off to have 3,000-year-old elf prince sulk. 
-Peregrine Took's Very Secret Diary
Oh hell, someone wake me when my happy ending starts... I wouldn't want to miss the flying pigs and ice skating demons.   


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