Category: Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’S Stone

Gabriel and Young (2011) tested the hypothesis that experiencing a narrative may lead to feeling like you took on the identity being depicted. For example, those that watch Harry Potter psychologically become wizards just like those that watch any movie or show about vampires psychologically become a vampire.

This study used a correlational method because the researcher looked for associations among naturally occurring variables. Participants were 140 undergraduates (72 men, 68 women; 79% White; mean age was nineteen years. The main independent variable was the subject’s passage to read from Harry Potter and the Twilight series. The independent variable displayed how the dependent variable was affected, which was the implicit and explicit score they received that showed the identity they take on. The dependent variable was measured by the test and what they may have answered.

The protocol was as follows: Participants were advised that the purpose of the study was to analyze people’s reactions to books and films. Next, participants read a passage from either Twilight (Meyer, 2005) or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling, 1999) with the suggestion they would read for their own enjoyment. Participants advanced to the next part of the experiment when they finished the assigned passage or when thirty min had elapsed, participants read 25.5 min on average. They performed an identification Implicit Association Test. After the respondents had finished reading, the scores from which became our key dependent variable. Participants were told in one crucial frame to categorize the terms ‘me’ (myself, mine) and ‘wizard’ (wall, broomstick, spells, potions) using the same answer key and to categorize the words ‘not me’ (they, theirs). Both pairings have been inverted in the other essential frame. They then provided an implicit indicator of collective assimilation, which they termed the collective assimilation level of Twilight / Harry Potter. Embedded between filler questions are three items designed to measure the collective assimilation of Twilight vampires (‘How far would you think you can climb compared to the average person is an example.

The results of this study confirmed the hypothesis. The suggested theory of collective assimilation was confirmed by evidence for both explicit and implicit measures; respondents reading the Harry Potter chapters were identified with witches, while those reading the Twilight section were associated with vampires. In contrast, the results are moderated by the degree to which respondents appeared to meet their needs for belonging by collectives for both measurements. This observation confirms the claim that collective assimilation is linked to the desire to belong to a group.

Critique:

Overall, this examination was all around structured. The given theory that experiencing a narrative may lead to associations to vampires and wizards was confirmed. The strategy for utilizing various articles to actuate a given reaction is fundamentally effective. In order to view if this study was indeed valid or reliable, we must first know what these two words mean. Validity means the degree to which the calculation of the test instrument was supposed to be calculated. Reliability relates to the degree to which scale performs reliably if multiple measurements are conducted. I believe the study is reliable and valid because no other factors, like interpersonal self-constructive, were important moderators of the book reading impact on the direct scale, and the association between mutual story assimilation and life satisfaction remained relevant once mood was introduced into the equation, and the Sobel test was not significant. It was tested multiple times with different participants.

There is one major problem that should have been discussed. The population used in this study is generally not a good individual portrayal, because it includes people that are undergraduates and only of one race. People of different race and people of different ages may be able to respond to the assessment differently. Adults are often considered more in touch with their reality and do not have the same imagination as those that are younger in age. Along the same line as the previous issue, a follow-up study could more carefully look at the effect between what people read and how they feel or depict themselves afterwards. I believe it would include those of all ages to truly see the results. The results were stronger than they claim because it does not only focus on the narrative collective assimilation, but it also showed results in ones life satisfaction. I believe the authors could have gone more into that aspect of the study.

Brief summary

Gabriel and Young (2011) tested the hypothesis that experiencing a narrative may lead to feeling like you took on the identity being depicted. For example, those that watch Harry Potter psychologically become wizards just like those that watch any movie or show about vampires psychologically become a vampire. This study used a correlational because the researcher looked for associations among naturally occurring variables. Participants were 72 men and 68 women with a mean age of nineteen. The main independent variable was the subject’s passage to read from and the passage read from Twilight. Harry Potter. The independent variable displayed how the dependent variable was affected, which was the implicit and explicit score they received that showed the identity they take on. The method was as follows: Participants were advised to read a passage from either Twilight (Meyer, 2005) or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling, 1999) They performed an identification Implicit Association Test. After the respondents had finished reading, the scores from which became the key dependent variable. The results of this study confirmed the hypothesis. The suggested theory of collective assimilation was confirmed by evidence for both explicit and implicit measures.

What aspect of Harry Potter appeals to you?

The revolutionary book series Harry Potter has been a growing phenomenon in the world of children’s literature. These phenomena were written by J.K. Rowling, a British author, who was named one of the most powerful and influential women in the world. Rowling’s writing of the Harry Potter series has worked its magic over an entire generation of readers through her use of conveying emotional themes and delivering such simple, yet expressive details in her writing.

Harry Potter is a perfectly, ingeniously written series that takes you on a grand adventure through every part of life including love, misfortune, experience, facing your fears and enemies, growing up, and finding out who you truly are. For me, what appealed to me the most about Harry Potter was the attention to detail in which it is written. Rowling had a way of captivating magical scenes and cliff-hanging moments that eventually, it became easy to escape from the real world and dive into a whole new fantasy world that one can really immerse oneself in. The series attracts both the attention of the young and the old because of various storyline viewpoints. It turned out to be so well known with the younger crowd in light of the fact that it was magic. Each kid wishes they could perform real magic, so it was easy for them to be pulled in. However, for the older audience, the passionate and physical side of it made us all interested. As stated in the book analysis “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling: Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide,” Youri Panneel adds that Rowling’s stories are so powerful because of “the clear and concise style that makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time” (Panneel 3-4). Most of the time, Rowling makes it feel like she’s speaking directly to the reader as she grants the full range of human emotions and that’s what made this series so powerful.

Regarding the emotional themes illustrated throughout the series, loyalty was a frequent one displayed in Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone. Loyalty and friendship are what give Harry the confidence and courage that he needs to defeat the forces of evil, making it a defining characteristic of his. Stated in the article “Wizards and Wainscots: Genetic Structures and Genre Themes in the Harry Potter Series,” Kerrie Anne Le Lievre declared that “Rowling constructs imaginative engagement with the environment as a problematic practice rather than a simple cure-all for a society’s perceived deficiencies.” (Le Lievre 12). Bravery was another dominant theme conveyed in the first film when a group of Slytherin students spent their time repeatedly picking on Neville Longbottom, who was about terrified to do anything. Neville had a difficult time gaining confidence and believing in himself, therefore when he stood up for himself against Harry, Ron, and Hermione, he displayed a great deal of bravery. Even though Neville didn’t have the best time coming into Hogwarts, from this experience he did gain one of the most important qualities being that he eventually believed in himself and proved others wrong.

All that being said, everyone has their own outlook and what made this series so appealing to them. Yet, I think we can all agree that J.K. Rowling is a gifted woman for sparking imagination, creativity, and inspiring some of peoples dreams and aspirations. This series carried a great deal of clever creation and communication; therefore, it will continue to be endearing franchise that became loved by so many people for so many years.

Harry Potter is a popular book that has been criticized for many in the literature industry and from others. But not only that they also said that gives a bad message to the children to get in a commercialized culture that is nothing is enough. They think that you can not be a fan of Harry Potter without the official merchandise and other products. Parents and kids are spending a lot of money on these products, that is useless in the real world. Nothing is enough and everything is designed to make you want something else, therefore the companies are producing and making a lot of profit from it. I agree that commercialism in Harry Potter is having a big impact with the fans on a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe that it can come true by buying all the original products or accessories that is actually useless.

In “Harry Potter and the Technology of Magic,” Elizabeth Teare argues that the book of fantasy literature is been popular and making adults and children to be more into it and also making merchandise like closet and candy from these popular stories that can be useless in the real world. Teare states that “The adult readers, critics, and publishers concerned with the definition of culture, in particular, have found in Rowling’s narratives a story that allows them both to participate in the messy world of millennial commerce and technology and to hold themselves apart from it. The novels’ uneven, interesting, and compromised depiction of children and commodity culture offers a useful arena in which such concerns can be thought about, though not satisfactorily resolved”(Teare,342). The main idea here is buying for you or the kids are not good because is something not necessary. Adults and also kids are spending their money on something that is not real in our world, that only favors the companies to make more profits. And promoted the commercialism of more products and the bad use of money that people are making in order to obtain that feeling of being on the shoes of their favorite characters and demanding more from it.

In “Theme park as an interface to the wizarding (story) world of Harry Potter,” Victoria Godwin describe that the creators of Harry Potter are trying to advertise this book in the theme parks like Disney and to sell merchandise for the tourists to participate and interact in the park. Godwin said that “Yet fans often use merchandise as additional interfaces to participate actively and to facilitate immersion. For example, in WWoHP, interactive wands use technology to create specific physical ‘spell’ effects in specific locations. Both wands and spells act as a synecdoche for the story world’s magic, enabling immersion”(Godwin,1). The main idea is that these companies are creating new merchandising and building new attractions from the book of Harry Potter, therefore, the fans can feel the same experiences that they favored protagonist are going. With the fandom of this book are demanding more new things related to the objects or item clothing that are being created or updated in the series. There is nothing grown on having the fun of a theme park but these companies are using the kids to make their pares to buy more stuff from this book. Putting a gift shop after every big game of Harry implement the motivation of some kids and also adults to buy more merch and increasing the commercialism.

In the book “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J. K. Rowling, in the story introduces the son of Mr. Dursley, who is a spoiled kid and he can have everything that he wants. The author describe the scene, “The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley’s birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike”(Rowling,15). Because the parent of these kids give them all that he asks for, even if he has one already they were still pleasing him with more stuff. Dudley was another person that influences the commercialism when he was demanding more things to their parents to buy. Like in the article of Tears said that the parents are buying unnecessary things to their child’s, without knowing that is creating a bad habit for them not and in the future. Using the same article of Tears said that by buying things that are unnecessary, also kids are losing the importance of a present or a gift that is given to them. In the book by Rowling have a scene were said, “We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece. ‘That’s friendly,’ said Harry. Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence. ‘Weird!’ he said, ‘NMat a shape! This is money?’ ‘You can keep it,’ said Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron was”(Rowling,51-55). Because Harry at that moment has more money than everyone else, he gives away does pieces that his family send it to him. The mind of Harry change on the way that money was not an issue for him, he knew that he has more money to buy more expensive things. In the book of Harry Potter by Rowling, he has to go to different stores to buy the things that were required for the classes that we were going to take in the new school of magic. In the book byRowling describe Harry that when he gets to one store he was excited and “Harry wished he had about eight more eyes…Several boys of about Harry’s age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it.’ Look’, Harry heard one of them say, ‘the new Nimbus Two Thousand-fastest ever’”(Rowling,60-61). He was so amazed by all the things that they have in the stores, since the common to the newest products on the market. Like in the article “Theme park as an interface to the wizarding (story) world of Harry Potter,” Victoria Godwin, said that us Harry and any other kid get excited with all the new things and wanted to buy everything. That’s how commercialism work making a product but at the same time have updates on it that are more sophisticated that attract more their attention.

Using the same article of Godwin about creating new products or candy that is original from the book, the majority of people that are fans wants to experience all and they buy any product that the companies make without think how much are the spending. In the book by Rowling, she sees that “He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry — but the woman didn’t have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bettie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts”(Rowling,155). Harry, it was a poor kid but when he realized that his parents let him a lot of money, he did know how to control himself and wants to buy everything that he saw. He did not care how much we were spending, the only thing he was thinking is that he wanna try everything because he could not have that possibility before.

After reading the book of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J. K. Rowling and researching some articles from Tears and Godwin. I get into the conclusion that commercialism is can be bad things for kids and some adults that get to involve in the magic world of Harry Potter. They can be spoiled by making their parent to buy anything that they want, or losing the importance of a simple gift because they want something more materialism. Also, the companies are creating a new version or creating new designs of the products that all kid want, and finally the kid and adults are fascinated with the exclusive and important merchandise that they don’t care how much they paid.