Adults know best?

[meriaugust]

No: HPFGUIDX 101883

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "davewitley" 
<dfrankiswork at n...> wrote:
> I don't think anyone has commented on the subject of yesterday's 
> Leaky Cauldron article:
> 
> http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/MTarchives/004817.html
> 
> It relates to an Entertainment News item here:
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/2lwuz
> 
> A PhD student at James Cook University at Cairns in Australia, Ms 
> Giardina, claims that childrens literature has a 'pro-adult' 
agenda 
> (my words):
> 
> "On the surface the text seems to say, 'Look kids! This is your 
> culture. We're on your side, especially against adult authority 
> figures'," Ms Giardina said.
> 
> "But a closer analysis demonstrates that the writer is merely 
using 
> this strategy to sell adult ideas such as: 'adults know best', 
> and, 'parents are a source of security when things get tough'," 
she 
> said.
> 
> I'd be interested to know what you all think, insofar as this 
> applies to the Harry Potter series.
> 
> David

Well, IMHO, these themes are initially presented in the books. Harry 
finds a home, a family and love at the Burrow, and surrogate parents 
in Molly and Arthur. This is, of course, something that he never 
experienced before. He also comes to see Sirius as a dad/best 
friend/older brother, and this is, of course, the reason why LV 
plants those memories in his head in OotP. Sirius becomes the person 
Harry turns to when he needs advice or help, and it can be argued 
that if Harry had used his mirror properly, then the end of Order 
would also be very different. His own parents died to save him, and 
their shadows protected him from LV, when he most needed them, in 
GoF. And as to the adults know best theme, this is also present in 
the begining. Harry comes to believe in the first two books that DD 
can fix anything and can solve any problem, and Harry doesn't 
question DD further about why LV wanted him dead in SS. Harry trusts 
DD implicitly even after PoA, when he can't, I believe the line is 
pull some magical solution out of thin air, or something to that 
effect. 

On the other hand, and there always is another hand, these themes 
are also refuted in the books. Harry survives ten years of abuse at 
the hands of the Dursleys because his parents aren't there, and must 
very much rely on himself in many situations. Sirius makes some 
mistakes dealing with Harry in OotP (though Harry didn't see them 
that way) and now even Sirius isn't there with him anymore. And to 
top it all off, Harry finds out that DD has been withholding some 
major truths from Harry for the last five years, namely the 
prophecy, and even DD admits that if he had told Harry the truth 
from the begining then things would have been very different. It 
remains to be seen how these revelations will affect Harry's 
relationship with DD, but add the other authority figures in Harry's 
life who give him little reason to turn to them for help and who is 
he left with? Molly-coddling Molly? Not always the best option. The 
only two people Harry trusts right now are Ron and Hermione, and 
what with Ron and his assertations that Snape is evil and Hermione 
surely being set up for a big fall information-wise, our poor lad is 
in quite a state. This is actually one of the reasons I really like 
the books, the kids get to do what they want without much 
interference with growups (I mean, who wouldn't want to have 
adventures in a medieval castle with magic wands and such!). Anyway, 
interesting theories, nonetheless, though both sides seem to be 
presented in the novels. 

Meri - who can hardly believe that the one year anniversary of Order 
is upon us...when oh when is book six?