Harry potter and the goblet of fire is a book that takes us through the word of wizardry where the main character Harry potters who is a fourth year student at the Hogwarts school of Wizardry, It is all magic as participants from similar schools organize an event to compete amongst themselves to find out the winner. The different teams represented in this book use different wizardry skills and abilities to attack their opponents. This represents the similar tactics that are usually used by the different nations to compete and fit in the global market. The goblet of fire is a magic cup that is used to select the candidates for the tournament. The candidates are Cedric Diggory from Hogwarts, victor Krum from Durmstrung, fleur Delacour from beauxbatons and Harry. These three teams are a clear representation of the three different countries from where the names were derived.
The titles of this teams and where they come from, tells us more about the culture and the way of the people represented. Hogwarts is a high street located in London it has accessibility to the wizardry world and is of economic importance to the country, it is clear from this statement that the people of London rely on wizardry for economic empowerment and prosperity. Durmstrung is representation of the German culture, which is revealed through the characters of the students in the team. Compared to others it places emphasis on the study of defense against the dark arts. Dumstrung is a school is a school of wizardry that is ranked among the best to offer knowledge on black magic, Krum who is a student from the school won the Triwizard Tournament” (Rowling, 2000 pp40-45). The third team, beauxbatons represents a French School where the students have to rise up as a form of respect when the head mistress enters the room. This is a representation of the French system of education and culture.
A look at the characters represented in this book, Dudley Dursley is described as wide and for his role he is put on a strict diet. Gabrielle Delacour is a young girl of about eleven years who is saved by Harry when she was among the underwater bait team. The weird sisters are described to be hairy and wearing black robes. Stan shunpike appears at the quiditch world cup and boasts of his ambitions to become the next minister for magic. He is described by Harry as not caring. Ollivander appears as an expert judge in the preliminary ceremonies of the triwizard tournament. Myrtle appears to be of great help to Harry in his second task where she helps him open the egg under water.
Relating this to the international relations we find that it is a basic form of how people from different nations of the world relate and coordinate. Despite the many barriers that may exist between nations, there will always be a meeting point where people wish to know about each other for mutual benefit. What mostly separates people is the cultural beliefs which differ from culture to culture, different languages and different religious believes. Over the years this trend has changed drastically to the rising need of international coordination. (Griffiths, 2008) argues that, there is free movement of people from one country to another. Different ideas are been exchanged and what was considered being a barrier has been adjusted. There is a variety of ways through which people come to learn and appreciate each other, media being the largest promoter of international relations. Books and video tapes are being used to clarify the many assumptions that people have concerning some cultures. Harry Potter and the goblet of fire reflect the diversity groups that exist in our society and how this is significant in our daily relations. “The three teams gathered together and a champion from each team was selected to compete for the triwizard torment”. (Rowling, 2000 pp 50-55)
In this series, Harry potter has touched the international world in different ways some which have been appreciated and accepted and others that have been highly condemned. Whether they have been accepted or not is not the issue, what matters is that he had touched on the issues that affect our society. The story has been set to display word of wizardry which is literally translated to display the kind of exploitation that exists in the world today. Through the different characters, used in the play, the social injustice practices have been displayed and how a certain group of society uses the same to their advantage at the expense of the majority who live in pain and suffering. This book is not only aimed at informing people about these malpractices but also provide insight and inspiration to the many that are uncomfortable about the state of affairs in their surrounding.
The setting of this play has laid emphasis on the world of witchcraft which has brought about mixed reactions on how the same is impacting on the minds of the people. The Christian community has especially condemned it and termed it inappropriate to be used in school as it will affect the children’s beliefs. They claim that this play will make the children to be interested in the witchcraft world which may in turn tempt them to find out more. Witchcraft and wizardry is a phenomenon used to display a culture that really exists in many society yet many have not accepted it. Wizardry here is a super power that is used by some few people to exploit others who are mostly living in ignorance. It is a form of influential leadership that clearly understands the weaknesses of the people and takes advantage of this to manipulate them. (Linklater, 2000)
Social segregation and discrimination has been touched through this play and how it has been used especially by the superior countries. They always think that they are the best and nobody can be able to compete with their superiority. This however is just a mindset and the character of Harry reveals that with determination and hard work, any body can be the best they want to be. What makes the few individuals to continue prospering is because they believe they can do better. If the same positive believe could be transferred to every body else, then, nobody is far from achieving good results. There is an emphasis on being determined and not loosing focus when fighting social injustice. The progress may not pick up real first and opposition may come even from the very people that you desire to help, but it is important not to loose hope for in the long run you can always receive support and the war finally won. Harry was selected to participate in the torment when he was young and this caused a lot of opposition from other teams. This posse a challenge to the international community that change is about believing in your capabilities and working hard towards achieving the same.
From the different reactions of this play, we also come to learn something about our society, as much as there will be people to support and commend your work, there will always be cases where others will not appreciate what you do. This is a good lesson to the many who may want to impact on the word in different ways. There should be no limiting factor of your success and one needs to keep working on whether they receive a positive response or not. When one understands his goals, he should work hard to realize them and not focus much on the challenges that come their way. (Linklater, 2000) Characters of different backgrounds displayed in the setting of the play show that we travel to other nations we get to know about the different culture of the people. Harry succeeded because of the different connections he had from the different groups of people.
The government is displayed as a group of people with their own interests at heart. Lord Voldemort is a clear reflection of the current leadership where the interests of the common man are ignored and instead political positions are used to manipulate the weak in the society. There is no balance in the society and the leadership that is looked up to ensure that things work well is the same that is manipulating its people. The characters used in this story clearly represent the behavior of the current leaders especially those who hold influential positions in the world. It has also been clearly displayed in this play that there is rarely clean and sincere relationship. Every current relationship is being maintained considering its financial worth (Linklater, 2000). What determines a person’s status in the society is not how much knowledge they have but how much they have in terms of money. There is a lot manipulation from the leaders who take advantage of the less fortunate to enrich them selves.
The story also expresses optimism that we can have a war free society. Wars are not meant to intimidate us but lessons can be learned through the effects that are caused by it. The lessons learned can help us to work our way through to happiness and unity. Movement and immigration rights should not be discriminative. Some countries place very harsh rules on the citizens of other countries and they are therefore not freely allowed to work visit or leave in other nations. These barriers should be lifted if we are to grow towards a free and just society. Capital punishment has not been proved to be the ultimate solution of those suspected to be lawbreakers (Hobson, 2000). This is because many innocent fellows may be victims of this irreversible punishment. Other means should instead be employed and intensive investigations done to clarify who the exact victim is and also to give chance to the prospective victim to change.
The play has had a greater influence on the children of the world many who have been inspired by the nature and character of Harry Potter. Different groups have been formed to commend on the different issues that have been raised. This has not only opened their minds but has also helped to cement different relationships. The story has also inspired activists internationally who use the name ‘Harry Potter’ to form alliances that are aimed at eradicating some problems in the society. The inspirational materials in the play form a basis of their strength where they believe that they can fight their way through their rights no matter their shortcomings and weaknesses. Unity and dedication is all that is needed to win such battles.
In Harry Potter story, it has been mentioned that, there is power in imagination. One will only be delivered from the poor situation only if they imagined on how it will be for them if they were in a better condition. There is a clear connection on how one thinks and how they really are. If one feels uncomfortable about his situation there will always be an inner strength that will motivate them out of it. Underdevelopment and the increased injustice in the society are because the very people that are suffering have come to accept their fate and are therefore not making any effort to lead a better life. (Hobson, 2000)
References
Griffiths M. (2008): International Relations: Routledge
Hobson M. (2000): The state and international relations: Cambridge University Press
Linklater A (2000): International Relations: Routledge,
Rowling K. (2000): Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Thorndike Press
Maya Angelou, Susan Glaspell, Paul Giovanni, and Harry Potter among others have made significant contributions in the writing industry. However, Harry Potter’s work, which forms the basis of this paper, stands out in terms of its value, popularity, fame, and level of writing. Potter’s novels have been in use for a long time. These novels are multidimensional teaching tools that have been used for education in various areas, including literacy skills, belief systems, and critical reflective skills among many others. The books are very popular in the USA, England, the United States, and around the world. In addition, besides providing a good literature work, they combine important literary values and skills, which are a treasure of world’s plays and inventions. Harry Potter’s string of books features richness of well planned literary values and interesting plots, well-developed characters, good choice of words, excellent writing skills, symbolism, themes, and most importantly the ability to make a difference in the lives of the readers. These readability aspects reveal why these books are so popular. This paper seeks to review and discuss the literary values that are available in Harry Potter’s books such as the writing skills, plots, characters, and other important literary values that make this novel worth reading and valuable as it is today. As the paper confirms, Potter’s work is a resource whose value cuts across all age groups.
Literary Values
This section offers an in-depth discussion of the literary values that are evident in Harry Potter’s series of fictional novels. These literary values are the ones, which make Harry Potter’s masterpieces worth reading. They offer the evidence of why the books are very popular across the world, especially among adolescents, as well as adults.
The Plot of Harry Potter and Its Literary Value
The first important aspect that makes Harry Potter’s books very popular and of such great literary importance is the plot, which they follow. The books can be summarised as having a great and in-depth approach to fantasy, intensely intricate depths, depth of characters, and fantastic settings, which are put together to give out a masterpiece of a novel (Blake 22). The novels’ concepts are drawn from long-standing traditions of English fantasy works. Although such works seem to be focused on children, they are deep allegories of the day-to-day human conditions in the world. Reading through the books leads one to believe that they focus on the practice of wizardry, which features prominently, as a metaphor for the development of individual’s full potential (Nel 34). Further, it is easy to note that the books are all about imagination. Their ability to thrill puts them ahead of other books. The novels follow the life of a young boy, Harry Potter, a nine-year-old orphan who discovers that he has wizardry and magical powers. However, Muggles, who lie in the class of non-magical people, surround him (Hopper 114). However, the world of wizards or wizardry that Harry lives in is secretive and is unknown to the non-magical people or the Muggles. Children with inborn abilities of wizardry are viewed as very special in the wizard world. They are usually invited to train and learn about their skills. They are shown how to practice them in an exclusive school of magic, namely Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which Harry Potter becomes a student (Nel 31).
Most of the events in the novels occur during Harry Potter’s stay in school. Each sequel follows a whole year of Harry Potter’s life. During this time, the struggles, which Harry Potter faces, easily relate to what teenagers go through and hence the reason why Harry Potter’s situation is phenomenally popular in this age group. For instance, Potter, just like any other teenager, faces many challenges such as exams, friendships, infatuations, as well as the biggest challenge of preparing himself for life after school. Such challenges are common among teenagers. The plots, which focus on these challenges, indeed make the novels very relevant to the events of the daily living in the real world, despite them being based on magic. Another important aspect of the plot is the environment that Potter creates. Although it seems more of a wizardry world, it is very closely related to the real world. In fact, it exists parallel to it. Potter’s world contains magical versions of daily experiences in real life (Lerer 66). For instance, it is easy to relate its locations and landmarks to other recognisable real locations such as London with only few other features such as palaces, concealed avenues, isolated mansions, prehistoric bars, and forlorn motherland halls. These features are imperceptible to the Muggle folks.
Like most young people, Potter was made aware of his early childhood events that shaped who he would become. For instance, he is made aware of how Dark Wizard, namely Lord Voldemort, killed his parents together with how he was lucky to survive the attack. He is told that the spell that Lord Voldemort used on him rebounded and afterwards led to the disappearance Voldemort (Hopper 113). This occurrence is the one that made Potter a living legend in the world of wizardry. Following these events and his subsequent survival where he escaped with only a lightning-shaped scar, adoptive Muggle relatives, namely the Dursleys, took him up. The relatives never revealed to him his powers and heritage, with the hope that he would grow and become normal. At this point, it is easy to note that the story relates too well with the normal real life events where people’s abilities are suppressed in the hope that they become normal people. For instance, in most families, while a talent may be evident in a child or an individual, the desire for the kids to go to school, learn, and acquire a white collar job is the most desired expectation (Nel 21). This way, people who would have otherwise become different persons by exploiting their talents never see the light of the day. They end up becoming very different people. The stories resonate well with the experiences of children, as well as adults. In other words, although Harry Potter stories are fictional, they are able to capture the many issues that face the society. Since they happen on a daily basis, he has put them into an interesting story that resonates with all people. Without such an approach, it will be impossible for the stories to create such an appeal. This observation reveals why the stories are very popular across generations.
Just like many teenagers, Potter meets and becomes friends with his schoolmates, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, who bring different wizardry skills and experiences that make their bond even stronger. During this time, the story introduces many locations where the events in Potter’s life take place throughout the novels (Lerer 41). He also meets Severus Snape who is the institution’s medicine leader, who for no reasons states that has an entrenched abhorrence towards Potter. In addition, he meets teachers of different wizardry skills, among them being Quirinus Quirrell, who lectures on the Defence against the Dark Arts. However, he is later revealed to be controlled by Lord Voldemort (Blake 32). The first sequel, namely Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, ends with the return of Lord Voldemort who is in a quest to possess the Philosopher’s Stone, which has the power to give him life forever. As they grow and travel, the life of young people gives them an opportunity to meet and make new friends and/or drop others. Indeed, through learning and education, many people meet and make new friends. This scenario is also evident to Harry Potter as he makes new friends after joining the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The friends have their unique characteristics and qualities. As such, the book captures the realities and imaginations of many readers since such realities relate to Harry Potter who could make friends and drop others along the way.
In the second sequel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and his friends are in the second year of their studies at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. During this time, they decide to unravel a long-standing secret in the school, which seems to be the reason for many evil events at the school. When Ron’s sister enrols to the school, she finds an old notebook that turns out to belong to Lord Voldemort with a recording of his school life (Hopper 117). When Ron’s sister, Ginny Weasley, opens the book, she is possessed by Voldemort and unknowingly opens the “Chamber of Secrets”, which is an ancient monster that starts attacking students at the school (Blake 45). The story and legend surrounding the chamber scares everyone in the school and makes the story interesting, as the reader is interested in what Harry will do to handle the developing story. During this time, the story brings in an innovative Defence against Dark Arts instructor, Gilderoy Lockhart, who despite his responsiveness, exuberance, and acquaintance on matters of wizardry, turns out to be a swindler and a charlatan. The main lesson from this art of the story and the existence of fraud, liars, and imposters clearly relates to the real world where it is hard to believe individuals since they can easily mask their real selves and end up defrauding others, either materially or character-wise (Nel 36). Harry Potter is taken aback when he realises that just like in the real world where there is racism in the Muggles population, it (racism) is also present in the world of wizardry. For instance, he learns that Lord Voldemort is out to finish him because he is a racist who discriminates wizards who descend from Muggles background (Lerer 74). Harry Potter later realises that he is special since he can converse using the verbal communication of serpents, namely Parseltongue, which is linked with Dark Arts and a major reason why Lord Voldemort is after his disgrace. The story culminates with Potter as a hero when he salvages Ginny by wiping out the chronicles that had caused her possession with Voldemort together with the many struggles that the institution was facing.
The other book in the sequence is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which presents the events in Harry’s life while in supernatural school at Hogwarts. During this year, unlike other times where the focus is centred on the struggles against the powers of Lord Voldemort, the focus is on Potter’s quest to unearth the mystery that surrounds the murder of his parents (Hopper 116). He is made aware of Sirius Black, who is alleged to have murdered or assisted in the murder of his parents. He (Sirius Black) is now targeting him. In his quest to deal with the revelations of the events surrounding the death of his parents, as well as the fact that now he is being targeted, Harry Potter reaches out to his third year Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin. The teacher is also a werewolf who teaches him new defence methods that are not taught to Harry Potter’s age group (Nel 38). These defensive methods are important for Potter who is now targeted by Sirius Black.
The fourth book in the series is the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that follows the life of Potter in the fourth year of his magical education. He is featured in a Triwizard tournament that he is not willing to participate due to its dangerous events that include fighting against a wizard and a witch from neighbouring wizardry schools. During this time, his friends distance themselves from him for fear that they may have some magical powers spilling over to them. The new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Alastor, turns out to be an imposter named Barty Crouch, who is a supporter of Voldemort (Blake 24). The imposter’s sinister plans with Voldemort become evident too late. He succeeds to take Potter to Voldemort, although Potter escapes. At the end of the tournament, Peter Pettigrew kills Cedric Diggory, who is the other champion participant from Hogwarts. Pettigrew was a conspirator in the death of Potter’s parents. In addition, this situation marks the point where Lord Voldemort enters the world of wizards with a physical body (Hopper 120). This sequel is important since it continues to show the progress that Potter has made since he joined the school and the escalating challenges that also require more powers and efforts, just as it happens in reality people face many challenges that require stronger and firm approaches.
In the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Potter has to fight against the physical Voldemort. The order of the Phoenix, a secret society from Sirius Black’s side of family, which fights against Voldemort, is re-activated to protect the society against the attacks and targets of Voldemort from harm, including Potter (Nel 21). However, Voldemort is very cunning. Although Potter illustrates his activities to the wizardry society, including his role in the department of the supernatural world, no one trusts that Voldemort is back. The situation effectively leaves the war against Voldemort to be fought by Potter and Dumbledore (Lerer 53). Through Dolores Umbridge’s leadership, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry experiences many transformations, including a move to dictatorship, where students are not allowed to learn new defence measures to protect themselves from the evil. Together with his friends, Ron and Hermione form what they refer to as the “Dumbledore’s Army” whose aim is to teach their fellow students of advanced defence measures that Potter has learned from his encounter with the Dark Wizards (Hopper 115). During this time, the reader is made aware of the link between Voldemort and Potter, which allows the latter to see the actions of the former. Finally, Potter and his friends fight against Voldemort’s Death Eaters from the Ministry of Magic. Despite the fact that they escape death by a whisker following the appearance of a command from Phoenix, the fight leaves Sirius Black dead. This book reveals that at times, rebellion is not such a bad thing. It can allow people to fight against the evil. For instance, the actions of the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher to disallow learning of new defence measures is unacceptable since such measures are important for the survival of the children from dark evil and wizards (Lerer 57). Consequently, Potter does not allow such evils to prevail. Potter and his colleagues revolt by vowing to teach other students how to protect themselves. Readers can relate with rebellion by drawing examples from their lives where they had to rebel to achieve a given goal.
The sixth book in this sequel is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It follows Potter’s life at a time when Lord Voldemort has declared a full-blown warfare against Potter and his friends, although his main target in Potter. Potter and his friends face many challenges of adolescents such as infatuations. Firstly, Potter falls in love and starts dating Ginny while Ron has a strong infatuation towards Lavender Brown who is also a student at Hogwarts (Nel 34). Secondly, it is the same time when Hermione develops love feelings towards Ron. However, it is unfortunate that Ron has his eyes focused on another girl. The other important event in this story is the book called “the Half-Blood Prince”, which Potter receives and contains potent spells, which are a concern to the school. It is also the time when Potter is shown the life events of Voldemort by Dumbledore where various memories of Voldemort’s life are shown on a device known as the Pensive (Lerer 58). For instance, it is revealed that Voldemort has divided his life into different Horcruxes to ensure that he is not easily destroyed and that the notebook that Ginny had found previously is just one of them. The rest of the items have to be found and destroyed to overpower Voldemort. Because of the book, Draco Malfoy who is revealed as Potter’s adversary attacks Dumbledore. Later, Professor Snape who is the supposed half-blood emperor kills Dumbledore. The readers of the book can relate well to this sequel at different times of their lives. Dating and love are important aspects of growing up. Many people, including me, have experienced these issues at one time in their lives. It is for this reason that the book captures the readers’ imaginations and realities. Consequently, they are drawn to read the pieces with fandom.
The last book in the sequel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, marks the climax of the story and events in Potter’s life at Hogwarts as well as in his wizardry practices. During this time, Voldemort successfully assumes the role of leading in the department of the supernatural world. To strategise and win the battle with Voldemort, Potter and his friends drop out of school and consequently isolate themselves from their families for their own protection. They go on to search the other Horcruxes (Hopper 115). The climax is the battle of Hogwarts where Potter and his friends come together with teachers and other students to fight against Voldemort, his Death Eaters, and other magical creatures. After a long battle where many Horcruxes are found and destroyed, Potter learns that he is indeed one of the Horcruxes. He surrenders to Voldemort in the ‘Forbidden Forest’. Voldemort casts a killing spell on Potter, although it later turns out that it did not kill him (Nel 43). Other students and teachers continue to fight even with the news of Potter’s death. Later, Potter wakes up and faces the final fight with Voldemort where Voldemort’s killing bounces off Potter to the extent of killing him instantly. It is a sweet win for Potter and the Hogwarts School of Magic. Potter becomes a hero. Every person is waiting for this climax, which is a culmination of the progress that Potter has made throughout his schooling on matters of witchcraft. The suspense that occurs throughout the other sequel on the final fate of the young boy is very interesting. It ensures that readers are keen on following the life of the young boy to know the outcomes of his interactions with the world of witchcraft and wizardry.
The events of the series resonate well with popular folklore among the English people. They represent the instance where such folklore has been put down and written in such a captivating manner, which becomes very popular. Most of the English folklores focus on the world of wizardry and magic and the fight against the evil by the good. Harry Potter represents the good while Voldemort represents the evil (Lerer 50). Like many stories in this community, the good is always the hero. All along, it is evident that Harry Potter has had sweet victories over the evil Voldemort, although such victories have come at a cost, including the death of some of his friends, enemies, exiles, and so much pain, which Potter uses as a motivation to press on.
The Themes of Harry Potter and their Literary Values
One of the main factors that make this sequel such valuable in the world of literature is the themes the stories put across. The themes of the novels relate very well to the real lives of many readers. Most importantly, they appeal to generations. For a story to be popular as Harry Potter’s work, Hopper claims that it is important for readers to not only understand it but also have the ability to relate it to many of the events in their real lives (117). The books draw their contents from people’s experiences together with some few magic additions that make them not only interesting to read, but also very influential in terms of the knowledge that they put forward. The fact that Potter’s works and setting are based on English folklore, they can easily relate to real life scenarios. The books’ strong literary value makes them worth reading.
The first theme that is evident in the books is the fight against the good and the evil. The subject of good and evil is very common in children’s literature. It extends to adult literature as witnessed in books of action. Consequently, by including the two characters representing both sides of the story, namely, Potter who represents the ‘good’ and Voldemort who represents the ‘evil’, the stage is already set for a tough contest that will culminate in the prevailing of the good over the evil (Lerer 52). The two characters are depicted as sharp contrasts of each other. While Potter is good at making friends, uniting people, embracing diversity, and other good traits, Voldemort is easy of making enemies, a racist, and a tyrant who is keen on seeing others fall (Blake 11). The theme augers well with many readers who face many situations or tough decisions in their day-to-day lives where they have to make a choice between the good and the evil. In my opinion, trying to overcome the evil is an important value for many people in the society. From an early age, people are taught how to be good and to avoid or overcome the evil. From the start, Harry Potter captures the attention of the reader with his good deeds in a world that is full of evil. Hence, the reader has to be keen and interested in knowing the ultimate results of how young Potter will overcome the evil.
The second theme that is evident in the story is ‘love and friendship’. From the beginning, it is clear that Potter survived death through the love of his mother who gave her life to him. Such an expression is very touching to readers. It glues them to follow through the story to see how Potter would turn out to be, especially now that his parents who died in the hands of Voldemort no longer protect him. Further, it is evident that Potter is a boy who is capable of establishing and maintaining friendship unlike the main protagonist, Voldemort, who has many enemies. By establishing a strong bond with his friends and his easily likable nature, which captures the reader, Potter has been able to establish a support system that Voldemort can only wish for (Blake 18). During his teenage years, Potter fell in love with Ginny while his friends developed a strong liking and attraction towards others in the stories. The power of friendship is evident throughout the stories. It is most evident during the Battle of Hogwarts where students and teachers joined Potter and his friends in fighting against the evil Voldemort and his team. The emphasis on friendship and love is very significant due to the value the two elements hold in the real societies and hence the reason why the books are very popular and of significant importance across generations. They offer imperative guidelines and lessons of why love and friendship are more preferred to enmity and antagonism (Hopper 118). Any reader will be blind not to recognise the importance of friendship and love as emphasised by the writer and the plot of the story, especially due to the evident disregard of bigotry and arrogance. The main emphasis here is the power of friendship in overcoming many challenges that one faces in real life. In my opinion, the power that Harry Potter and his friends depict in overcoming the evil that lurks in their world of wizardry and witchcraft offers good lessons that readers are keen on gaining from the experiences of the characters in the novel.
The third theme that is evident in the novels is ‘self-discovery’. From the start of the first book, Harry Potter is on a quest of discovering himself. The discovery begins with the revelation of his past, the reasons for the death of his parents, and the mystery behind his survival (Lerer 67). Once he knows his true heritage and his capabilities, which make him a wizard, Potter is set on a path that leads deeper into the world of wizardry and the discovery of his powers, which make him unique and an exceptional wizard who becomes the target of the evil for his goodness (Nel 39). By discovering his self-worth, he is aware of why and what he is against when it comes to Voldemort. It is evident that the question, “Who Am I?” is lingering in Potter’s mind. He is determined to discover himself, regardless of the hurdles. For a long time, Potter has been living in the Muggles world where he is disliked and abused, yet he has all along been unknowingly loved and viewed as a hero in the wizardry world. In this new world of wizardry, he is looked upon by fellow students, as well as his friends who want him to show the way and teach them more of his knowledge and tricks of the magic world (Blake 28). Despite the much hatred and secretive upbringing in the Muggles world, he discovers that he is not only capable of upholding friendship, but also love. He could not have known about these traits if it were not for his push and determination to set his path. He chose the path of goodness. In addition, he is also growing up into a handsome young boy who realises that he is capable of loving and dating. This claim is evident when he starts dating Ginny (Lerer 78). While he seems to be an average student in the class, he is willing to go the extra mile to learn and practice more magic. He has shown a high level of charisma that attracts people to him, contrary to what would have been expected from an orphan who was also abused as a child. He also finds a strong liking and will to help the maligned and the weak. Most importantly, he does not use excessive force towards enemies, despite the evident justifications for the same. The quest for self-discovery is an important aspect of any individual. Each person, including me, would like to know his or her purpose in life. Hence, reading this book and following Harry Potter on his path of self-discovery is a very captivating activity. The reader can easily relate to Potter’s struggles, especially as evidenced by the family members who want him to be ‘normal’ and like other children. Readers can relate to the demands of conforming to the society and not being ‘different’ as they grow up. Hence, the book is an interesting read to many people.
The lessons from the journey towards self-discovery offer important motivations to readers who regardless of their backgrounds and past situations are capable of determining their destinations (Hopper 119). Most importantly, there is no space for self-pity. Each individual can shape his or her future through sheer determination and the choices that he or she makes. He makes the choice to protect his friends and school. He also chooses to deviate and escape from the school to strategise and fight against his enemy (Nel 24). Together with his friends, he chooses to isolate himself to protect his loved ones. Indeed, it is evident that Potter is a capable young man who is also a caring individual. The lessons are very important and valuable to readers, as they reflect the moral standings and teachings in the English society where young people are taught how to be responsible and to be in control of their destiny without casting blames on the past. This observation makes the stories very popular. They have a strong literary value because they are relevant to the society and the people whom they target.
The fourth theme that is evident is rebellion and its importance in life. In the beginning, Potter is a very loyal and much disciplined boy who rarely gets into any problems with his fellow students, or with any other person in the school. He believes in being truthful. Despite his past, which was marred by secrets and pain, he decides not to follow that path. Instead, he remains in line with his character of being truthful and good (Lerer 59). He is loyal to his friends. He does not forsake them at any given time. However, it comes a time when he realises that leaders who are in charge of the school, including Dolores Umbridge among others, are not only leading through dictatorship, but also taking other people for a ride. They do not have the best interest of students in their hearts. He rebels by becoming a teacher of magic to students. This move does not go well with the school. In addition, when Voldemort becomes the leader in the Ministry of Magic, Potter is ready to fight against such leadership. He is the first to rebel and drop out of the school to lead the fight against the evil minister (Nel 31). Among many other acts of rebellion, Potter has clearly shown that it does not require one to be loyal always. Loyalty must be applied where it deserves and/or denied where it is not required or deserved. His rebellion against the mighty Voldemort is a show of great conviction, his belief in what is right, and/or his desire to fight, regardless of the repercussions. The lessons here to the reader are immeasurable. The reader is taken aback to the happenings of real life where very few people are willing to stand against the evil (Nel 33). The world does not lack evil people. However, it lacks people who are willing to rebel from the common counterproductive beliefs or leadership styles to say enough is enough and take the battle to the doors of the evil as Potter has depicted. Consequently, despite the novel being intended for the young people, the lessons here are very relevant to adults and across generations where people should be ready to fight and stand for the right, rather than taking a back seat to do nothing about it (Lerer 45). The reader can declare Harry Potter’s stories probing novels, which challenge the beliefs of many people while opening them to a possibility of being the change that they want to see in the world, regardless of whether it will require rebellion to achieve it as Harry Potter has shown.
Lastly, the story features death as a prominent theme and for good reason. Death is a key theme in fantasy or wizardry books and folklore in the world of the English people. It is the secret in the closet, which people are reluctant to talk about. Nevertheless, Harry Potter captures it very well (Nel 39). The novel introduces the reader with the death of Potter’s parents. In addition, in many of the fights that are waged by Voldemort and other antagonists, as well as by Potter, people die. To some people, death generates a lot of fear. For instance, while Voldemort is easy to kill others, he has an insurmountable bound of fear, which makes him remain in the quest for finding eternity and/or escaping from death (Lerer 81). On the contrary, Potter does not fear death. However, he avoids it at all costs. Death is depicted as a natural part of life cycle, which should not be feared. It is also depicted as having the ability to give life or purpose for those who are left living after the death of others. For instance, after the death of Potter’s mother, he lives a life that is protected from the evils of Voldemort. Through the Battle of Hogwarts, several people die. In the end, death leads to the defeating of Voldemort who thereafter exists as a shadow and vapour without his ability to harm people. Hence, by touching on such a sensitive topic, which many people in real life fail to speak about, the stories create an important literary value and hence their popularity.
The Writing Skills, Genre, and Readability
The narrative approach of the stories is one of the most defining concepts that ensure that readers can easily relate them to the common folklore approaches in the society. They are written in a friendly, yet detailed tone, which takes the reader to a path of imagination on the world of wizardry (Nel 42). This approach is deliberate since it ensures that the stories are both relevant to the young and adult readers. However, there have been criticisms that the stories are very complex for the young people. The critics argue that the themes of death, love, and self-discovery are too complex for teenagers. They point out that the novels are best suited for adults since they can easily understand the themes that have been put forward. Regardless of these criticisms, the popularity of the books can be attributed to their easy-to-read formats and wordings, as well as the use of a prose approach that keeps the reader eager to read up to the last page (Blake 69). Indeed, the fact that the novels are seven and that each of them has attracted a great readership across generations shows that Potter’s approach is both understandable and acceptable to the young and old people. Many other books have not been able to capture this quality as Harry Potter has done.
The genre of the books is controversial. While many people categorise the books under different classes, it is evident that many people accept fantasy literature for Harry Potter as the genre. References to magic, wizards, half-giants, as well as the focus of wizardry falling with families all resonate well with the common folklore in the English world (Nel 12). In a sense, the stories are just an extension into writing from storytelling of fantasy stories that are present in the targeted society. The use of mystery words such as Muggles, which are unique to the books, shows the in-depth focus of the books on mystery tales and hence their popularity, which shows their significant literary value to readers.
Conclusion
The Harry Potter’s stories form one of the most popular novels in the world and for good reasons that touch on their great literary values. Firstly, by focusing on the world of fantasy with important themes of love, death, and self-discovery among others, the readers’ interest is captured from the start. The books relate to the normal happenings in the society. In addition, the plot of the stories helps readers to easily follow through the life of Harry Potter while at the same time allowing a room for comparison between the happenings in this fantasy world and the undertakings in real life. The lessons are immeasurable. The books’ easy-to-read prose is just the icing on the cake of what Harry Potter’s work is meant to deliver. Any fanatic of Harry Potter’s work will declare them must-read and informative pieces whose message is bound to be delivered to generations to come.
Works Cited
Blake, Andrew. The irresistible rise of Harry Potter. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2002. Print.
Hopper, Rosemary. “What are teenagers reading? Adolescent fiction reading habits and reading choices.” Literacy 39.3(2005): 113-120. Print.
Lerer, Seth. Children’s literature: A reader’s history, from Aesop to Harry Potter. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2009. Print.
Nel, Philip. JK Rowling’s Harry Potter novels: a reader’s guide. London: A&C Black, 2001. Print.
The theme of a hero’s journey appears repeatedly in the narratives of many cultures. Joseph Campbell, in his 1949 book, inspired by his studies of James Joyce, sets forth his formula for the monomythological adventure, found across most cultures (Monomyth Home Page)[1]:
“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” (Campbell 30).
Books such as the Harry Potter series fit into the same mythic tradition, a feature which might explain some of the books’ massive appeal and success (Sickels 110).
Campbell’s formulation for reading legends has gained popularity because it can help readers to re-frame their own life events as stages in the hero’s process of departure, adventure, and return. This exercise can add clarity and distance to even very painful or confusing situations (Campbell 382-391)
Finding parallels between tales from widely disparate cultures, well beyond the Classical, encourages young readers from diverse backgrounds to engage with “old school” literature, some of which may be less palatable than others. As another benefit, youthful readers may identify personally with otherwise alien protagonists, in the course of discovering the hero over and over again in literature.
Likewise, in an era of disaffection for “great books”, any print publication which kids stand in line to buy (Turner-Vorbeck 329) is a welcome arrival for those who teach. That the Harry Potter books are written in a fashion robust enough to allow for close reading, for example, in the context of the monomyth of the hero, or in light of philosophical concepts, is another gift (Cline).
Additionally, the Hogwarts youngsters behave like normal kids (unlike the Dursleys, who want to think of themselves as normal (Natov 67)), and the quotidian challenges of their lives include a mass of vivid detail (Behr) . This makes it easier to reflect on personal parallels with the reader’s life.
Consider Harry Potter’s journey in light of the hero’s journey. Concealed and neglected for 10 years in Little Whinging, for his own safety, his identity concealed, he is yanked away by avalanching owl-borne letters and Hagrid’s strength. His Muggle relatives vociferously try to refuse the call for him.
Hagrid (fulfilling the role of crone) explains his miraculous infancy (Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone 35-58). The wizard world quickly alerts him that he is destined for special achievement by having survived his encounter with Voldemort merely scarred (Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone 69, 83-85, 95). How he fulfills this special destiny is the meat of the story over the next books (Rowling, Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets passim) (Rowling, Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkhaban passim).
Temptations abound, e.g., the mirror of Erised, offering a precious glimpse of his lost parents (Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone 209), the sorcerer’s stone which threatens to revive Voldemort, and the yielding up of which could save Harry from the Dark Lord’s wrath (Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone 294). Even the Marauders’ Map offers a temptation to break rules and take unfair advantage (Rowling, Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkhaban 192-194).
Challenges also abound, e.g. trolls (Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone 172-176) hexed broomsticks (Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone 189), three-headed dogs (Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone 161), the giant spider Aragog (Rowling, Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets 275) , and sentient trees.
Some of the perils come from the very teachers who are entrusted with his care, such as Quirrel (Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone 291-294), and others are perpetrated by the very guardians of order in the wizard world (Rowling, Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkhaban 83).
Sometimes they only seem to be perpetrated by teachers – Severus Snape is an ambiguous, but ever-recurring figure throughout the series (Appelbaum 93), reminiscent of the dangerous supernatural guides in the mythic tradition, who are just as likely to eat you, or turn you to stone, as to help you.
He gradually comes to realize that his destiny is try to eliminate the threat to both the wizard and Muggle worlds by Voldemort and those he influences. His career at Hogwarts – the classes, the study, the social life – all this is the surface of his life. The real thrust consists of his preparation for an ultimate conflict with the Dark Lord (Appelbaum 85).
Like the hero of myth Harry forays riskily past the threshold of the seen world into non-normal realms, often in subterranean locales, with which Hogwarts is so plentifully endowed (for example the hole into which he conveniently, and in prime archetypal fashion, slides headfirst to access the Honeydukes establishment (Rowling, Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkhaban 195-196).
He returns safely from these “places”, but often only with the skill of Madame Pomfrey’s nursing (another crone figure), or the help of the brilliant and talented Hermione Granger, an obvious stand-in for the gray-eyed Athena!
Harry also encounters father figures, just as in the Campbell formulation, and the father in himself: the unreal image of his father in the mirror of Erised, the Patronus stag that seems to appear to help him, (Rowling, Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkhaban 237-241), Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Mr. Weasley, and even Severus Snape, the character we all love to hate.
Over the course of the series, Harry must lose most of these mentors, and his idealistic picture of his real father; all are taken from him save the father within himself[2].
Whatever their attitude towards the spiritual or the religious, many people have a need to make sense of their lives. The spiraling journey of the hero that Harry follows over the course of the series allows readers to articulate a personal life narrative[3]. This can be a useful aid in reflection and self-awareness.
The availability of a hero narrative, conveniently embedded within such a wildly popular book, accessible to young readers, places this tool for reflection within the reach of a broad population of kids and adults world-wide (especially since the series has been extensively translated).
In the hands of a wise instructor, the theme of the hero, expressed so entertainingly in the Harry Potter books, can serve both as a valuable bridge to the consideration or re-examination of the ancient tales of classic literature, as well as to self-discovery.
Bibliography
Appelbaum, Peter. “The Great Snape Debate.” Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter. Ed. Elizabeth E. Heilman. 2. New York: Routledge, 2009. 83-100.
Behr, Kate. “Philospher’s Stone to Resurrection Stone: Narrative Transformations and Intersecting Cultures across the Harry Potter Series.” Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter. Ed. Elizabeth E. Heilman. 2. New York: Routledge, 2009. 257-271.
Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1949.
Cline, Austin. Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts. Web.
Cosentino, Donald J. “African Oral Narrative Traditions.” Cosentino, Donald J. Teaching Oral Traditions. Ed. John Miles Foley. New York: Modern Language Association, 1998. 183.
Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist, Or The Parish Boy’s Progress. Vol. 2. Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1869.
L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle In Time Quintet. 5 vols. Harrisonburg: R.R. Donnelly and Sons Company, 2009.
Monomyth Home Page. Ed. Michelle Delattre. Office of Resources for Area and International Studies of the Universiity of California, Berkeley. Web.
Natov, Roni. “Real Lessons From A Fantasy World.” Readings on J.K. Rowling. Ed. Gary Wiener. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2003. 64-78.
Rowliing, J.K. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phioenix. New York: Scholastic, 2007.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets. New York: Scholastic, 2007.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows. New York: Scholastic, 2007.
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire. New York: Scholastic, 2007.
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince. New York: NY, 2007.
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkhaban. New York: Scholastic, 2007.
Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone. New York: Scholastic Books, 1997.
Sickels, Amy. Mythmaker: The Story Of J.K. Rowling. 2nd edition. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2008.
The Minoan Bull Leaping Fresco. 1999-2005. Web.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Return Of The King. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1956.
Turner-Vorbeck, Tammy. “Potter Mania: Good Clean Fun Or Cultural Hegemony?” Turner-Vorbeck, Tammy. Critical Perspectives On Harry Potter. Ed. Elizabeth E. Heilman. 2nd edition. New York: Routledge, 2009. 329-341.
Footnotes
Protagonists such as Gilgamesh, Odysseus, Oedipus, Theseus, Moses, Jesus Christ, King Arthur, Oliver Twist (Dickens passim), the Bagginses (Tolkien passim), and even Meg Murry, Madeline L’Engle’s spunky heroine (L’Engle passim), exert a continuing fascination, arising, according to Joseph Campbell, from their stories’ underlying conformance with the monomyth’s narrative arc. Harry Potter is a worthy addition to this list of heroes (Sickels 110).Campbell’s model also stimulates ongoing and very lively criticism. He has been faulted for over-emphasizing universality, thereby obscuring ethnographically significant detail in oral traditions (Cosentino 183). This seems to be a quite legitimate caution. For example, the tale of Theseus and the Minotaur should be examined in cultural context, including mysterious portrayal, on Minoan artifacts, of bull-leaping (The Minoan Bull Leaping Fresco)
Although the final denouement occurs past the scope of the third book, his ultimate vanquishing of the forces of Voldemort, in company with Dumbledore’s “army”, bequeaths to the wizard world a safer future, albeit sadly bereft of dear friends. The relatively normal wizard family that he is foreshadowed to eventually build with Ginny represents the return to life that completes the hero’s journey (Rowling, Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire passim) (Rowling, Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince passim) (Rowliing passim) (Rowling, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows)
What constitutes our call to adventure, our leap into the unknown? What positive, constructive gift of insight or maturity can we bring back from a powerful experience such as illness or loss of a loved one? How can we reconcile with the progenerative parent figure or figures in our lives or within ourselves? How can we atone for our misdeeds? How can we re-integrate ourselves into the world after a transformative time of internal struggle?
“Hooters Translates in China” is a piece of literature done by Craig Simon, an American author who has done a lot of literary work in the country. Having stayed in china for a long period, Craig wanted to bring to focus the culture and the lifestyle of the Chinese.
He closely brings to focus the current culture, which he describes as liberal and compares it with the past conservative practices. To help put this into perspective, he uses a popular American restaurant, Hooters, which was contracted in China successfully.
Harry Potters and Magical Realism, what others have preferred to call Harry Potter phenomena, is a series of literature that transcends various cultural backgrounds with custom-made messages. The books have been written with some sense of mastery of different cultures across the world.
As Mims (336) notes, the author has keenly knitted his literature using materials found in the specific targeted region. From the cultural perspective to the political and religious aspects, the series brings out different societies in different ways within their right contexts. It also focuses on mass media and its role in the society.
Given a close comprehensive look, the two sets of literatures that is, Hooters Translates in China and Harry Potters and Magical Realism, compare closely not only in terms of the context but also the intent.
This essay seeks to analyze the similarities between Hooters Translates China and Harry Potters and Magical Realism.
Comparison
Literature is one of the most powerful tools used to pass a given message to a specific audience. Literature has seen some transition from the time it was just orally told (oral Literature) to the current written Literature. In both cases, Literature has always been used to express some feelings that the authors seem to realize.
According to Zipes (54), no piece of literature comes from the blues. Literature comes from within the society we live. It is what we see and the writer experiences in the society.
The process of retelling the story may involve adding a few factious aspects, but even the factious parts are real occurrences only that they are presented in supernormal manner. For this reason, many of the current world literatures compare closely, apart from a little differences that may be caused by cultural, political, and social differences.
The essays Hooters Translates in China and Harry Potters and Magical Realism compare very closely. Below are some of the aspects that make the two essays appear similar.
Culture
According to Reynolds (69), no piece of literature would go without touching on the aspects of culture. The two essays touch on cultures of different societies. Craig, in his essay ‘Hooters Translates in China’ talks about an American firm with American values gaining popularity in China.
In this essay, the director of Hooters restaurant in Shanghai once said, “Hooters isn’t just a restaurant, it is also an American culture, and that appeals to many Chinese,” (Mims 334). The author brings out the culture of American society and closely connects it to that of china. She notes that for a long time, china had been weary of the western culture but this seems to have changed.
The same idea regarding culture is also brought out in the writings of Daniel Nixon in his series ‘Harry Porters and Magical Realism’. Just like Craig’s comparison of the American culture to that of china, Nixon compares the cultural practices of the Muslims and Christians.
Basing his essays in Indonesia, Gulf States and other Islamic nations, the book has gained popularity in many Islamic societies that seem to appreciate it. As Craig notes, the culture of American people was resented in China in the past but this is changing (Mims 335).
Similarly, the Christian culture was strongly resented in among the Muslim. Although this hatred is still evident, both sides are currently tolerant to each other, with each side trying to understand the other’s way of life.
Traditionalism and Modernism
Both essays have given relevance to the current changes taking place in various societies, especially due to changes in technology. Both stories give accounts of societies transforming from traditional archaic way of living to ways that are more modern.
In the account given by Craig, Chinese current society is contrasted with what was there before. From the text, we are informed that because of relaxed attitude of the Chinese, they would now accept the American culture without much trouble.
We are also told that in 1960’s, the society in China never tolerated women who wore short skirts and kept long hair for this was considered a culture of the west. However, this has changed and women currently find it easy wearing short skirts and keeping long hair.
Xu, the director of Hooters in shanghai observes that, “The younger generation is very different from our parents” (Mims 334) This was in reference to the changes that had taken place in the society concerning cultural norms.
The account given by Nixon also reflects the changes within various societies in response to technological and social changes. One aspect of culture that has great impact on the lives of people is religion. Zipes (97) argues that the worst prison on earth is religion. Religion comes with very many rules and regulations that believers must observe.
Some of these beliefs are literally retrogressive. They are practices that have serious complications and restrictions in one’s social life. Nixon gives an overview of Islamic religion and how it related to Christianity in the past and how it relates presently.
There is a marked difference. In many societies, especially among the Muslim societies, women were denied several rights and freedoms. There were places they could not go without permission. They had to dress in a given manner as a sign of etiquette. This is fast changing and women are getting into the corporate world.
Gender Inequality
Both essays give an overview on issues relating to gender inequality within various states. In china, Craig notes that the perception of the society towards women has changed (Mims 333). However, issues relating to the use of women as a tool in marketing are still in practice.
This author observes that many companies within China still prefer associating some of their brands with beautiful women to attract sales. From the two texts, women have never enjoyed their rights in human history. Men have always used women to fulfill their wishes and desires.
In the Islamic world, women are never allowed to participate in political processes such as voting. In the western world, women are incorporated in the financial system as underdogs.
In society, women are not allowed to interact freely as compared to their male counterparts. Their culture is devalued and their opinions are not considered when major policies are made in government.
Many firms would also demand that job applicants attach a copy of their recent photo so that merit would be given based on the attractiveness of an individual.
This has been a concern as many communities have come strongly to oppose the culture that makes one gender appear to be a tool of trade. It is a sign that women are yet to realize their full freedom in a society that claims to offer the same treatment to everyone, irrespective of gender.
Intent
Both essays had a similar intent to the target audience. The message that majorly comes out from the two essays is that the world is changing and there is need for every society to realize this fact and make adjustments as would be appropriate.
Technology has dramatically redefined the way human beings approach various issues. It has turned the world into a global village. Information is everywhere. In order to realize a harmonious co-existence, there is need to eliminate the walls created in the past that defined boundaries in terms of tribe, religion or country.
We are a single family, and therefore should live peacefully. Women should be empowered economically and politically in case the society is to develop uniformly. No sustainable growth can be realized in case the society mistreats the majority of its members.
Conclusion
Literature is one of the most powerful tools that man has ever discovered. Through literature, messages have been coded in order to advise, inform, warn, or just entertain. The two essays, Hooters Translates in China and Harry Porters and Magical Realism are such literatures.
They have both successfully brought different societies into focus in terms of their culture, religion and issues pertaining to gender equality. The messages in the two essays are similar that is, we need to appreciate one another in our society, embrace the culture of unity, and work as a team in order to our aims and goals.
Works Cited
Mims, Joan. Mirror on America: Essays and Images from Popular Culture. New York Bedford Martins, 2011. Print.
Reynolds, Kennedy. Children’s literature: a very short introduction. Gosport: Oxford Press, 2011. Print.
Zipes, James. Happily ever after: fairy tales, children and the culture industry, New York: Routledge, 1971. Print.
Joanne Rowling’s books on adventures of Harry Potter in the magic world are discussed as perfect examples of literature for children. However, the series about Harry Potter is also actively read by many adults because a lot of philosophical questions are discussed in the books, and researchers are inclined to find different hidden meanings and allegories in the story of an adolescent wizard.
That is why, today there are many critical articles on the Harry Potter series in which different aspects of the books’ content are analyzed. Being an example of children’s literature, the Harry Potter series is also used the classroom.
To focus on the effective use of the books for stimulating the learning process, it is necessary to examine certain examples of the critical literature on the series in order to choose the most appropriate resource to adapt the book series for teachers’ goals and objectives.
Thus, in his article “Cryptozoology and the Paranormal in Harry Potter: Truth and Belief at the Borders of Consensus”, Peter Dendle discusses the role of the paranormal in the books. Julia Pond in her work “A Story of the Exceptional: Fate and Free Will in the Harry Potter Series” pays attention to the combination fate and free will in the story.
In spite of the fact that both the critical works contribute significantly to understanding the Harry Potter series, Dendle’s article is more relevant regarding the preparation of the books for using in the classroom because of providing the detailed analysis of issues influential for children’s development.
In his article, Peter Dendle concentrates on the role of the paranormal, especially cryptozoology, in the books about Harry Potter. This concept is analyzed in association with the role of learning and knowledge. The author of the article states the books present the story of the characters’ searching for new knowledge in order to resolve the important or life-threatening issues.
Furthermore, it is important to pay attention to the role of authority figures which can help characters find the solution and acquire the new knowledge or prevent Harry Potter and his friends from receiving the important information. Harry Potter’s adventures develop in the context of the paranormal world, and the characters seek for answering the questions about the magic figures.
Dendle states that the world of knowledge crosses the world of the paranormal in the field of pseudosciences which are described in the books (Dendle, 2011). The author focuses on discussing the aspects of the paranormal and cryptozoology in comparison with the objects and situations from the real world, applying the aspects of the magic world to the reality.
On the contrary, Julia Pond in her article is inclined to discuss the features of the books from the theoretical perspective, using the theories of Friedrich Nietzsche about will and fatalism and Joseph Campbell about the mythological hero. Thus, compared to Dendle’s approach and practical associations with the reality, Pond’s discussion of the Harry Potter series is more theoretical in its nature.
Pond claims that less attention is paid to the analysis of the balance of free will and fate in the books about Harry Potter that is why it is important to concentrate on this issue (Pond, 2010). The author of the article provides the detailed analysis of the evidences of fate in the story in the form of magic objects and the evidences of free will which is reflected in the behaviours of the main characters.
Pond states that following the theory of Campbell, Harry Potter is the typical mythological hero. However, it is necessary to distinguish between myth and fairy tale in relation to the story about Harry Potter (Pond, 2010). Pond’s arguments are convincing because they are based on the proper analysis of details and facts from the text with references to the above-mentioned theories.
Nevertheless, the analysis provided by Dendle can be discussed as more consistent and logical. Thus, the author connects the concept of knowledge with the issues of cryptozoology basing on the discussion and explanation of cryptozoology as the modern tendency.
According to Dendle, cryptozoology can be discussed as a result of combing the objects of the people’s fantasy with the culture and reality imposed by the tabloids and media (Dendle, 2011). From this point, at each stage of his analysis, Dendle uses the real evidences and apply the story’s peculiarities to the reality.
That is why, Dendle’s arguments are logical and convincing. The description of the wizard world becomes more detailed, and many aspects are examined from the perspective of the contemporary world.
Although both the articles are useful for understanding the multidimensional nature of the Harry Potter series, the work by Pond is appropriate for the discussion of the books at the higher level than the work with the series in the classroom.
The provided theoretical background does not present the practical contributions for adapting the story for children and for explaining its aspects. That is why, the article by Dendle is more appropriate for working out the plan of using the books in the children’s studying process.
To support teachers’ certain goals and objectives, it is possible to refer to the discussion in Dendle’s article and concentrate on the role of knowledge and learning in the human life. The role models of Harry Potter and his friends are interesting to be discussed from the point of their pursuing for knowledge, problem solution, and discoveries.
Dendle’s article focuses on the details in the books which can be used as illustrations to explain the role of learning to children in the classroom. Thus, the books can be appropriate to develop the discussion on the importance of knowledge and information, and on the role of authorities in the learning process with references to the positive and negative examples discussed in the article by Dendle.
Although the author pays much attention to the analysis of cryptozoology issues in the books, his implications and conclusions associated with the modern reality are important to state the connection of the books with the modern life while presenting the material to children.
Thus, the article “Cryptozoology and the Paranormal in Harry Potter: Truth and Belief at the Borders of Consensus” written by Peter Dendle as the critical analysis of the Harry Potter series is more useful in the classroom than the discussion provided by Julia Pond.
The article by Pond is based on the complex theoretical analysis which is rather difficult to use and interpret while teaching children with the books about Harry Potter as sources. The association of the Harry Potter’s world with the classroom reality is more relevant for the usage in the studying process.
References
Dendle, P. (2011). Cryptozoology and the paranormal in Harry Potter: Truth and belief at the borders of consensus. Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, 36(4), 410-425.
Pond, J. (2010). A story of the exceptional: Fate and free will in the Harry Potter Series. Children’s Literature, 38(1), 181-206.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone centers on the protagonist called Harry Potter, who realizes that he is a wizard at the age of eleven. He is always in conflict about what is right and wrong in his world of sorcery. The book’s central theme is isolation and rejection because the story revolves around the problems Harry who is the protagonist undergoes. Harry is experiencing a myriad of problems in the hands of his uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia. They make him feel as if he is not a real human being because of practicing magic. They even go further and punish him because they regard him as different from other people. His problems begin when his parents, James and Lily, who are also a wizard and a witch, die when Harry is just one year old, leaving him under his uncle’s care to raise him. He incessantly faces one problem after another in the course of his life Petunia and Vernon consider Harry’s magic a threat and decide not to tell him about his magical powers. Harry is an innocent child who does not even understand what magical powers are. However, Petunia and Vernon cannot understand that, so they want to make his everyday life difficult. When they compel him to stop his magic, the magical powers leave his body forcibly, making his uncle and aunt severely punish him. One day, Harry’s aunt Petunia decides to cut Harry’s hair by force and leave him bald. When his hair grows after some time, he is punished by remaining in a cupboard for a whole week. Harry undergoes a life of misery and torture for something he inherited from his parents. Harry is made to feel worthless and rejected at a tender age when Petunia and Vernon are supposed to support.
What do you think about the rejection Harry faced?
It has been said that J.K. Rowling has a remarkable way of discussing history, current events, and even human rights within the pages of her Harry Potter book series. As a fan of her work, I can attest to the fact that the woman writes stories that give the readers a peek into events that have historical significance. One of the sub-plots in the book is the story of house-elves and Hermione Granger’s attempt to get them either freed or at least given equal rights and wages.
As slaves, the elves in the story are the wizarding counterpart of the muggle slaves and helpers from an era we have long forgotten. Just as the human slaves were judged by race, so were the elves. They were looked upon as stupid and worthless by the wizarding family owners and were often subject to the same verbal and physical abuse as their human counterparts. The elves also came from generations of house slaves and most of them, such as Winky, the Crouch family elf, never knew anything else in life and therefore did not bother to ambition beyond her work station the way that Dobby, the Malfoy family elf did.
In a way, one might say that the elves created the enslavements themselves because they became dependent upon their masters for their everyday needs and personal well-being. Just like other slaves, they viewed their masters in an almost god-like manner. They tried to emulate their master’s attitude towards other elves whom they deemed beneath their station and oftentimes, absorbed everything in terms of their master’s negative attitude towards others. Their need to please their masters was more than their desire to develop an identity of their own so that when a chance came for the two of them to go free, both seemed at a loss as to how to lead their masterless lives.
For instance, Dobby had always had these dreams of becoming a freed elf, which is why when he got the chance, he traveled for 2 years and slowly came to realize that he was getting shafted in the enslavement method of his existence. He came to realize that it was not wrong for him to expect to be amply remunerated for the hard work he puts into activities for other people. Dobby explained the way people viewed house-elves quite clearly when he said :
But most wizards don’t want a house-elf who wants to pay, miss. “That’s Not the point of a house-elf they say, and they slammed the door in Dobby’s face! Dobby likes work, but he wants to wear clothes and he wants to be paid, Harry Potter… Dobby likes being free! ( Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, p. 378)
Dobby is portrayed in the story as the slave who has had an awakening as to his real worth and reason for existence in the world. He has come to the realization that he does not need to be a slave all his life. Thanks to Harry, Hermione, and Ron, he began to value his worth as a person and as such, demanded he is treated equally in order to show respect for his individuality and beliefs in life. Dobby embodies the new era of house-elves, those who have a sense of self-respect and demands that his rights be recognized by those who wish to have him in their service.
Winky, on the other hand, is the embodiment of the old school of house-elf enslavement. The dependent kind never wished to be anything more than that which they were told they can be. Without any sense of self-worth or self-respect, she like most often took refuge in the abusive treatments of their masters. In their minds, freedom could be the worst thing that could happen to them because, as Winky believed, she must be properly ashamed of being freed.
The message of J.K. Rowling in the book is that everyone is entitled to equal rights and opportunities and nobody is ever too beneath any station to deserve that kind of respect. Just because one is born a slave, does not mean that one cannot ambition to be more than that. On the contrary, it is of the utmost importance that they ambition to be more than they think they can be because it will help them get out of their slave-master-dependent relationship.
But it is not something easily overcome. As we can see from the tantrum that Winky was throwing in the kitchen of Hogwarts, a whole generation of house-elves exist and their mental conditioning has been the same since the day they were born. As such, it would take another generation of retraining and mental conditioning for them to realize that they are individual beings who deserve the same treatment and rights as their fellow magical beings. This is something that was best explained by Hermione Granger when she said :
I think this is the best thing that could have happened to those elves, you know, Dobby coming to work here, I mean. The other elves will see how happy he is, being free, and slowly it’ll dawn on them that they want it too! (Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, p 383)
Work Cited
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire. Dir. Mike Newell. Perf. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint. 2005. DVD. Warner Bros. 2007.
J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire. Scholastic Books: New York, 2000.
Intellectual property rights are generally regarded as the indicator of the democratic society and protected creation, for writers, inventors, playwrights, and other creators felt protected from stealing their ideas, plots, characters, etc. On the other hand, intellectual property law is the double end stick, which stronger companies and intellectual property owners may use against beginners if there is any tiny suspicion for stealing an idea. It should be emphasized that the necessity to protect the intellectual property fully depends on the aims and requirements of the intellectual property owner, and the entire policy of the company on the matters of IP protection. The paper aims to analyze the case of Harry Potter vs. Hari Puttar from the perspective of IP protection. Thus, IP cases and legal reviews will be regarded for defining the righteousness of the legal suit of the WB company against the creators of Hari Puttar. Considering the main values of IP protection, the key concepts of the case should be regarded and analyzed. Because the sues against other authors by Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling against other writers, accused in the similarity of the names and trademarks are the common thing for the recent several years, these cases will be regarded as examples of Intellectual Property protection and defense. The fact is that the necessity to protect the copyrights originates from the necessity to protect the ideas and creations from plagiarizing, nevertheless, the contemporary cases of IP protection are closely associated with the economic defense of the lot incomes or used as the reasons for scandals, to attract additional attention for the case. Thus, the paper will be also focused on the main issues and aims of the suing: whether it was an attempt to protect the copyrights and the ownership of the name of Harry Potter, or an attempt to share the incomes of the Mirchi Movies studio.
Case: Harry Potter vs. Hari Puttar
First, there is a strong necessity to analyze the concept and the plot of both movies, and emphasize the personalities of both characters. Originally, the only similarity between the two characters is the age and similarity of names. Nevertheless, the plots of the stories are different, as Hari Puttar is closer to Home Alone by the plot. The fact is that Hari is the spread Hindi name in Bollywood movies, and Puttar is translated like “son”, consequently, this name has the full right for existence. In the light of the fact, that intellectual property commission and court defined that Mirchi Movies – the company, which issued the movie, has the copyright for Hari similarly like Warner Bros. has the rights for Harry. It was stated that the proper spelling of the name is essentially different from the name of Harry Potter, moreover, the Warner Bros. company had been waiting for three years after the issuing of the movie for suing. Consequently, the court decision was definite, and the claim by Warner Bros was rejected. As it is started in Associated Press (2008): “There is absolutely nothing to link ‘Hari Puttar’ with ‘Harry Potter,’” said Munish Puri, chief executive officer of Mumbai-based producer Mirchi Movies. Hari is a common name in India and “Puttar” is Punjabi for son, he stated.”
Originally, it should be emphasized that Mirchi Movies studio argued, that the name of the movie was taken precisely from the theme, which is the basis of the plot. Thus, the storyline, the plot, and the character itself (like the actor, who acted Hari) have nothing in common with a little wizard Harry Potter. As it is emphasized by Halbert (361):
The defendants also alleged the suppression by the plaintiffs or correspondence with the Motion Picture Associated of America Inc. and claimed that the plaintiffs’ contention that there were no posters of Hari Puttar in any theater and the lack of promotion of the film was false and a cover-up for the plaintiffs’ in action during the period 2006 to 2008. Having come to know of the project in 2006, the plaintiffs took no action till September 2008 when the movie was ready for its release.
It has been already emphasized that the origin of the plot is not similar to the story of a wizard boy, as Hari Puttar’s movie tells the story f an Indian boy, who was eventually left at home in Britain, while his family has moved. From the perspective of the copyright and the Intellectual property protection laws, the idea of Hari Puttar movie is not a violation of the intellectual property, which belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner bros. Studio.
The producers of the Hari Puttar movie has also emphasized that they were not aiming to make a movie of a wizard boy – a student of a school of magicians, as this plot is not common for Indian culture, and it would not be accepted by the Indian audience., Consequently, the movie is not even an adoption for the western audience, and was released mainly for the Bollywood audience, with slight orientation for abroad watchers.
Intellectual Property
To begin with, the essence and the definition of Intellectual Property should be given. Thus, as it is emphasized by Myers (8):
Intellectual property (IP) is a term referring to several distinct types of legal monopolies over creations of the mind, both artistic and commercial, and the corresponding fields of law. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Common types of intellectual property include copyrights, trademarks, patents, industrial design rights, and trade secrets in some jurisdictions.
In the light of this perspective, the main idea of the IP legislation is the protection of a specific expression of an idea. Thus, for instance, while the idea of Superman is protected, the idea of a flying superhero is not, and the IP law guarantees the right to talk about him, parody him and even create other super heroes. The only restriction here is the name, while the concept stays the same, and is open for use. Under Kranch (349), it should be emphasized that the representation of an idea, which is protected by copyright, is the main necessity, which is pursued by the lobbyists of the Intellectual property. Nevertheless, those, who wish to be protected, often mix up the concepts of the idea, and the idea representation. The fact is that the main concept of protection is linked with the precise name of the physical representations. Thus, while Superman is protected by copyright, his suit, the ability to fly, having X-ray vision, etc is not protected like the entire idea of a superhero. Thus, as Lerner (257) has emphasized:
In practice, the line between an idea and its expression can be a hard one to draw. Protecting intellectual property is always a kind of tightrope walk between competing interests. On one side is society’s need for the widest possible dissemination of ideas and facts — indeed, all forms of knowledge. The First Amendment seems to guarantee the right to talk about Superman, parody him, and even, perhaps, base a television series on the concept of a bumbling superhero
In the light of this consideration, it should be emphasized that even if Mirchi Movies had created the movie of a magician boy, it would not be a violation of the Intellectual Property rights, belonging to Warner Bros, and Joanne Rowling, is the idea itself is handing in the air, nevertheless, the name of the character, his background, the names of his friends and magic items, which he uses, are copyrighted, and protected with the IP laws. Moreover, the essence of copyright and IP protection may be often used against young authors and writers. Thus, any young author may send the script to a movie studio and finds that his or her idea is rejected. After some time has passed, the author finds that the idea is accepted, nevertheless, it has been worked through creatively, so, the initial variant is lightly recognizable. The sues are useless, as the main concept has not been stolen (the expression of an idea), while the ideas are not protected by copyright.
By the Intellectual property considerations, the authors, creators, scriptwriters have an opportunity to create something similar to the original idea, nevertheless, precise copying is forbidden. Considering the case of Superman, only his name is protected, while his features and even clothes are not. On the one hand, it gives freedom for the creators of other superheroes, nevertheless, any superhero, which will be in the red and blue suit will inevitably remind Superman. Consequently, the concept of idea protection should be rearranged, for excluding too close similarities. Following the philosophy of Intellectual property protection, emphasized by Fawcett and Torremans (190):
The contemporary, market-driven copyright system provides authors with independent financing (through royalties). Without a feasible way to recoup investments of creative time through copyright, there would be a little economic incentive to produce and works would need to be motivated by a desire for fame from already affluent authors or those able to obtain patronage. Proponents of a copyright dispute that copyright erodes precepts for creators to be able to build on published expression pointing to concepts such as Scènes à Faire and Idea-expression divide.
Nevertheless, the essence of the Consequentialist theory claims that the main aim of the Intellectual Property legislation is to improve the life of the society, by protecting the results of the intellectual work from staling, extensive borrowing, and unconcealed plagiarizing. On the other hand, some scholars (Fawcett and Torremans, 185) emphasize that the main aim of the IP legislation is to protect the incomes of any creator, as authors, musicians, sculptors, etc often get the income from selling the results of their creation, and when someone else borrows the idea or part of its expression, he or she steals some part of the income, thus, decreasing the total income, belonging to the author of the original idea.
As for the matters of Intellectual property in movies, it should be emphasized that the original value of the IP concept here is the protection of the audience from the repeating plot and the cloned characters. Surely, companies protect their incomes in the first turn, and then the interests of the audience. Consequently, if some suspicious similarity is found in a movie, the company would first think over the expenses for the suing, and then will consider the interests of the audience.
The fashion for copyright protection and intellectual property originated in 1967 when the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) was founded. The term itself points out the necessity of protecting the copyrights, patents, and trademarks similarly with the ownership rights of the physical objects. Nevertheless, the origin of a copyright is different from the origin of the physical object ownership law. Thus, if someone has a car, he or she will not allow anyone to drive it, or at least sit at the driving wheel. Nevertheless, the owner of copyright will gladly allow millions to read his or her book, or watch a movie. The same is with the violations. Followers of the intellectual property protection implementation claim that stealing of an idea or text is not acceptable like stealing a car, their opponents claim, that if there was a possibility to copy and paste a car, they would do it, so, the owner and the “thief” would stay with a car. Surely, this sounds strange, nevertheless, it is a common view on the matters of copyright, and Intellectual Property protection. The only solution to this paradox is the implementation of an originally different concept of IP ownership, as it can not be similar to the concept of physical ownership.
Copyrights, from the ethical point of view, are often regarded as the necessary opportunity of an individual to control their lives. Thus, one of the aims of Intellectual Property protection is to create and maintain the moral basis of living. Nevertheless, the main concept of Intellectual Property rights fails to do this. As it is emphasized by Dimock (105):
To enforce copyright laws and the like is to prevent people from making peaceful use of the information they possess. If you have acquired the information legitimately, then on what grounds can you be prevented from using it? The restrictions are originated from IP laws, which restrict the personal freedoms of people, who purchase a book. It may be objected that the person who originated the information deserves ownership rights over it. But information is not a concrete thing an individual can control; it is universal, existing in other people’s minds and other people’s property, and over these, the originator has no legitimate sovereignty.
In the light of this perspective, any copying is forbidden. If people memorize any poem or novel, they store it in their brains, therefore, people have a granted law to memorize everything they wish. Though, if someone wishes to transcribe a poem on a paper sheet, owning a sheet and the sufficient amount of inks, it may be regarded as a violation of the copyright. Surely, if this sheet will be eliminated, no one will be able to sue for the violation of the copyright. On the other hand, if the sheet with a copyrighted poem will be sold, or even presented, this will be regarded as a violation of Intellectual Property rights.
Finally, it should be emphasized that the original term of Intellectual Property originates the simplistic thinking, associated with understanding the essence of the term. Under Dimock (87) the term makes people focus on the issues of meager commonality in the form of disparate laws. Thus, the IP laws create artificial privileges for restricted communities, as these laws impose specific restrictions on the general public, and the simplistic origin of understanding the term of intellectual property is closely associated with the matters of the economic approach to the entire principle of IP protection. Moreover, as was emphasized by Burshtein (204)
For many citizens, Intellectual Property is an obscure and distant domain – its laws shrouded in jargon and technical mystery, its applications relevant only to a specialist audience. And yet Intellectual Property is everywhere. Against the backdrop of the increasing importance of ideas, IP Rights, which protect their value, are more vital than ever.
Case Analysis
As it is emphasized in the case studies, J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Studio are passionate users of the Intellectual Property laws, and the values of the intellectual property rights, which are represented in this case appear to be rather aggressive. Originally, Hari Puttar is one of the numerous targets, as J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros targeted numerous authors and creators. Thus, in 2008 Rowling sued Steve Vander Ark for issuing The Harry Potter Lexicon. It was a reference book, based on the materials of a fan site.
The story of Barry Trotter was a bestseller in 2003. Originally, the plot, the names, and characters of the proponents were similar to the original Rowling’s creation. The Belorussian author created the story of grenade-launcher – Porri Gatter. Russian audience had an opportunity to enjoy the adventures of Tanya Grotter – which was called the cultural competition with the originals. Moreover, non-for-profit fan fiction is not encouraged either. Surely, these are the matters, which may be decided only by the owners of the Harry Potter names and trademarks, nevertheless, as it has been stated, the idea itself can not be protected, as well as the features of the characters. Thus, neither Porri Gatter nor Tanya Grotter may be sued from legal or ethical points of view.
Considering these issues, and getting back to Hari Puttar, the very instance of suing against the creators of the different stories signifies the inadequate understanding of the Intellectual property concept. Surely, the necessity to protect the results of the creation is necessary, nevertheless, the idea of a wizard boy is obvious, and was present in literature before the creation of Harry Potter. As for the plot, the creators of Hari Puttar have used recognizable themes, as it is common for the products, created for a wide audience. Thus, the name of the main character is similar to Harry Potter, the plot reminds “Home Alone” movie, while the full name of the film (The Comedy of Terrors) is taken from Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors. Therefore, while Shakespeare’s names and titles are the public domains, the idea of the plot belongs to nobody, and the essence of the name has been already discovered. Consequently, it is not a copy of Rowling’s work, and the sue is not legal. Moreover, it is the undeserved criticism of the movie.
Analyzing the case, it should be emphasized that Hari Puttar was subjected to such criticism and sue due to the only fact: the creators of this movie had an excellent opportunity to collect the immense box-office, as it is the largest project, among all the regarded projects and creations, which were sued by Rowling or Warner Bros. Studio, while this movie has fewer similarities with Harry Potter than any other project.
The fact is that economic issues ruled the case of Hari Puttar vs. Harry Potter. Originally, the case included all the necessary assumptions on the matters of the amount and production issued under the brand of Harry Potter. Nevertheless, the court has stated that there was no similarity, and the audience could easily differentiate the names of these two characters.
The very problem of the case, and the issues of Intellectual property, associated with it, is the fact, that the laws are becoming invisible. As it was emphasized by Long (135):
The issues of law invisibility arise from the specifics of each law—precisely what the term “intellectual property” encourages people to ignore. For instance, one issue relating to copyright law is whether music sharing should be allowed; patent law has nothing to do with this. Patent law raises issues such as whether poor countries should be allowed to produce life-saving drugs and sell them cheaply to save lives; copyright law has nothing to do with such matters.
Nevertheless, while music sharing is a matter of friendly relations and communication, stealing an idea for commercial use is a quite different thing. Again, the IP legislation slides to a different case, while the main problem stays unresolved. Surely, the lack or absence of intellectual property protection, the very essence of the free creation will be weakened, and the matters of the incomes, originated by selling the initial idea will be violated. Nevertheless, ideas are regarded as the most important input for research and creative activity, thus, if the opportunities for using ideas will be restricted, it would slow down any type of development and research.
In the light of the fact, that the use of the ideas is not originally restricted, nevertheless, the Intellectual property owners often sue against other writers, developers, creators, etc for using their ideas, it should be emphasized that the owners themselves violate the laws, which were claimed to defend their rights. Thus, while Warner Bros. and Joanne Rowling sue against the creators of Hari Puttar, the necessity to protect the ideas, originated by the Mirchi Movies is not considered. The fact is that some of the ideas were original, nevertheless, some of them were further used by Warner Bros in their movies. That will not be taken for granted by the company, therefore, the IP belonging to Mirchi Movies appears to be unprotected. In the light of this fact, it should be emphasized that the necessity to protect the intellectual property of the weaker participants of the IP market should be granted by the WIPO, while the courts regard the cases of the giants like Warner Bros. studio against private writers and smaller studios. (Posey, Dutfield, 89)
Considering the necessity to analyze the aims and values, which were pursued by J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. studio, it should be emphasized that the original values of the suing are closely associated with the reputation of these two Intellectual Property owners. On the one hand, they aim to protect the results of their work and prevent their works from plagiarizing, on the other hand, the case with Hari Puttar reminds an attempt to originate a scandal, as the other attempts appeared to be useless (Barry Trotter, Porri Gatter and Tanya Grotter). Considering the scales of the Hari Puttar project, the suing by Warner Bros against Mirchi Movies reminds the attempt of preventing losses from renting the movie globally, while the movie is mainly oriented for the Indian audience, and the story of a wizard boy is odd for the Indian culture. (Myers, 67)
The Intellectual Property protection perspective originates the necessity to rearrange the entire principle and structure of the protected premises. Originally, the protection of the Intellectual Property concept is very close to the concept of protecting the ownership of physical property, and the case of Hari Puttar vs. Harry Potter signifies this issue. The fact, that the court has decided in favor of Mirchi Movies studio, signifies that the necessary steps for understanding the concept have been already performed, and the future of Intellectual Property protection is open for further development.
Conclusion
Finally, there is a strong necessity to emphasize that the concept of IP protection and defense is close to the matters of defending the results of creation from plagiarism and extensive borrowing. While borrowing itself is inevitable, as numerous ideas are just hanging in the air, the copyrights aim to protect the names, the patents, and the trademarks. Thus, considering the case of Hari Puttar vs. Harry Potter, it should be stated that the case reminds an attempt to discourage any fan fiction, even even though Hari and Harry have nothing in common.
The aim of the analysis was also to consider, whether the sue was legislated, and whether Warner Bros and Joanne Rowling were protecting their copyrights. Surely, they were unpleasantly surprised by the similarity of the names of the main characters, nevertheless, the origins of these names are different, while the backgrounds and plots are different as chalk from cheese. Thus, the attempt to sue signifies either the improper study of the media market, along with poor knowledge of the Indian culture, or it was the direct attempt to originate a scandal and prevent the possible losses from selling the Hari Puttar movie. Nevertheless, the decision of the court was definite, and taken in favor of the Mirchi Movies studio, as the audience can easily differentiate the names of the little wizard and an Indian boy, who was left alone.
Works Cited
Burshtein, Sheldon. Corporate Counsel Guide to Intellectual Property Law (Aurora, Ont.: Canada Law Book, (2000).
Dimock, Ronald E., ed. Intellectual Property Disputes: Resolutions & Remedies, looseleaf Toronto: Thomson Carswell, (2002).
Fawcett, James J., and Paul Torremans. Intellectual Property and Private International Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Fink, Carsten, and Keith E. Maskus, eds. Intellectual Property and Development: Lessons from Recent Economic Research. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2005.
Halbert, Debora J. Intellectual Property in the Information Age: The Politics of Expanding Ownership Rights. Westport, CT: Quorum Books, 2005.
Kranch, Douglas A. “Who Owns Online Course Intellectual Property?.” Quarterly Review of Distance Education 9.4 (2008): 349
Lerner, Jack. “Intellectual Property and Development at Who and Wipo.” American Journal of Law and Medicine 34.2/3 (2008): 257
Long, Clarisa, ed. Intellectual Property Rights in Emerging Markets. Washington, DC: American Enterprise Institute, 2000
Myers, Phillip E. “Developing an Intellectual Property Policy at a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution.” Journal of Research Administration 34.1 (2003): 8
Posey, Darrell A., and Graham Dutfield. Beyond Intellectual Property: Toward Traditional Resource Rights for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. Ottawa: International Development Research Centre, 2006.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part2 is the final release of the eight Harry Potter series. This second part completes the much anticipated adventurous two full length motion film picture. The final epic “shows a battle between the good and the evil forces of using magic in the wizard world” (Schilling np).
This part continues from the fist Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows series where Harry seeks to find and ensure he destroys Lord Voldemort Horcruxes who killed Harry’s parents and also has for a very long time planned to kill Harry and gain control of the wizard world.
Its first release on Friday 15th July recorded massive revenue returns of $ 92.1 million. According to McClintock, this collection is the biggest day gross time of all time.
From overseas, the first day of the film’s opening collected $75 million in sales. Harry Potter becomes the only movie series to record the highest opening weekend record world wide with a total of $314 million breaking the record set by the Dark night series for three years internationally. Before its release, advance tickets to watch the film had recorded $32M in sales marking a new preopening record.
At the beginning of March, a series of interviews were carried out after the fist preview of the movie was done. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows first poster was released on 28th march with an interesting caption “IT ALL ENDS 7.15”depicting the last series of the movie to be produced and also the first day of its first release to the theaters.
In April the movie’s theatrical trailer was released showing footages of the much anticipated movie. A lot of efforts were put into consideration to market the movie. During the June MTV Awards Emma Watson gave a sneak preview of the movie (Silvester 50).
Harry Potter movies are based on the novels written by J.K Rowling, a renowned fiction writer. Records show that over 450 million books have been sold to children and hundreds have been borrowed from the libraries.
The movie is rated 13 making it a family genre fit to be watched by all people. The reason why the movie works is because its series has been consistent in the output or the end results from each Harry Potter movie for over a decade since its creation.
Feedback From the loyal fans of Harry Potter, the scale efforts used to produce the movies has not changed. More so the producers have tried to add more special effects making the movies even more interesting especially putting into consideration that the lead characters encounter ordinary situations have fears and their prejudices bringing out the fantasy world close to reality.
The better part of this movie is the conversion made from 2D-3D a conversion the producers noted to have used in order to make the end result a satisfying experience to its audience and to also serve as the reason why the story becomes real. The movies production excelles in the photography techniques used (Gray np).
Harry potter is a film production of the Warner Brothers Pictures. This film was produced in a number of studios including; Heyday Films, Moving Picture Company (MPC), Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. and the sets were directed from Leavesden studios, Pinewood Studios. There were several distributors who were involved but the Warner Bros was the main distributor.
It has been directed by David Yates, an English filmmaker and the director of the last four series of the Harry Potter movie. His film efforts have been recognized by the BAFTA awards where he was awarded for his excellence film directing. He has also directed a number of movies including, Harry Potter Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, the girl in the café, Sex Traffic, Yong visitors and the Minnie TV series, the way we live now, among others.
Harry Potter films makes Yates become the most influential director of the series according to the end result of the movie which has a unique sense in terms of the visual look and the style of the movie. Besides that the director, David Yates, is known to focus on character development and bringing out the emotion felt by the audience.
The actors in this series include Daniel Radcliffe , Ralph Fiennes, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman and others who have been actors of the series since its first production in 2001. By the start of the movie series, the actors were simple ordinary actors but after the 8th movie these actors have become stars (White np) .
In the box office, the film has garnered $214,887,891 around the United States and Canada by July 20th 2011 while the international markets recorded $425,300,000 making a total of $ 640,187,891 worldwide. Its first open day was recorded as the biggest open day in terms of gross revenues in several countries.
In Australia, it recorded $7.5 million, in United Kingdom $14.8 million Belgium $1.4 million, Japan $5.7 million and so forth. Deathly Hallows – Part 2 also surpassed the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 record ($1.5M) for the largest IMAX midnight launch earning approximately $2M (Lemire np).
Media interpretation of Harry Potter fantasy novels differs greatly from Joanne Rowling’s books. One of the most noticeable issues is sexuality. Those people, who have read these novels, know that this topic is not at the main focus, while the movie producers as well as actors clearly explore sexuality to appeal to the viewers. In part, it can be explained by their desire to attract a larger audience.
There are several examples that show how film-makers capitalize on sex and gender roles. First, one should mention that official trailer of the last sequel features Ginny Weasley (played by Bonnie Wright) and Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) kissing one another. More importantly Ginny is portrayed as a mature woman rather than as a teenage girl.
This portrayal is supposed to create an appeal to adolescents or adults, rather than children. It should be noted that this scene take only several seconds, but it eloquently shows that the creators of this film did not overlook people’s desire for intimacy and sex. This is one of the details catches the eye of the viewers, especially those ones, who are aged above fifteen.
Another example of sexuality is portrayal of Hogwarts students. Joanne Rowling continuously mentions that her characters wear robes which conceal figure of a person. These clothes are gender-neutral, and they can be equally suitable for men and women.
However, the directors of Harry Potter do not agree with Rowling’s perception of Hogwarts students. This argument is particularly important when we are speaking about female characters like Hermione or Ginny. The movie producers make them wear tight jeans, sweaters, low-necked dresses, and so forth.
This change proves that desexualized novel was not suitable for the needs of mass media. This trend emerged in the third sequel Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and continued in later films.
Thus, it is possible to argue that this emphasis on sexuality is an attempt to attract adults’ attention to these movies. Certainly, this change may not be noticeable to children, but an experienced viewer can see this difference very clearly.
In addition to that, there are several sexual innuendos in these films; the most notorious one is the scene featuring Harry and Hermione kissing one another in nude. Certainly, it is very blurred and viewers can hardly see the actors but it is a clear reference to sexual desires of adult audience.
It should be mentioned that many parents feel very concerned about this scene because it is not appropriate for a children film, and it was not present in the book (Wall, unpaged). This erotic scene clearly violates those standards which are normally set for children movies.
Again, one can hardly imagine Joanne Rowling including such a description in her novel. In the majority of cases, mass media always aim to serve popular demand, and this Harry Potter film was not an exception. It should be borne in mind that those people, who take interest in Joanne Rowling’s novels, are normally aged between seven and fifteen, while this film series, especially later sequels, are intended for a much wider audience.
This is the main reason why sexuality plays more prominent part in them. The key issue is that this change is driven mostly by commercial rather than artistic considerations.
There are some other sexual innuendos in this film serious. One of the examples is Bellatrix Lestrange played by Helena Bonham Carter. Some scholars and critics believe that this female character is full of desire for Voldemort (Rana, 86). Her portrayal in the film is even more sexual, and to some extent, she symbolizes female submission to male. This meaning was not implied by Joanne Rowling in her books.
Apart from that, it should be pointed out that in the fifth film of the series Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, she urged Harry to use force against her. Again, if one tries to look for sexual innuendos, this scene can signify male domination over women. Thus, one can argue that media interpretation of Harry Potter books places much more stress on sexuality than the author does.
This explicit sexuality is intended primarily to male rather than female adults who may take interest in this film. It has to be admitted that some of the sexual innuendos can be unintended but they would have been impossible if the film-makers had wanted to appeal only to children.
Certainly, one cannot expect screen adaptation of the novel cannot completely coincide with the text. However, the examples that we have discussed demonstrate that desexualized portrayal of characters was rejected by movie producers and mass media.
One should take into account that Joanne Rowling conceived this book series as a Bildungsroman describing psychological and moral development of the characters. In contrast, film-makers decided to pay more attention to sexuality.
Moreover, one should take into consideration that the actors playing the major characters have become mature and film-producers take advantage of this fact. Their sexuality is explored both inside and outside the movies. One may pay attention to the interviews given by Daniel Redcliff, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint.
These people no longer appear to be children or adolescents; more likely, they seem to be sexually mature people, who should not be associated only with fictional characters. A person, who is watching their pre-release interviews, does not think that the final movie of the sequel is intended for child audience. These interviews convey specific messages to the potential viewers and one of them is that Harry Potter and the Death Hallows will be of some interest to adults.
If we speak about the actor’s reliance on the sexuality, we should mention their participation in various commercial projects. For instance, Emma Watson represented such fashion house as Burberry and, in fact, became the face of their new collection (Topping, unpaged).
Moreover, she appeared on the cover of such magazines as Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, and People. In each of these cases, sexuality was at the forefront. The same thing can be said about Daniel Radcliffe, who exploited his sexuality while performing in the play called Equus (Wiegand, unpaged).
Those movie producers, designers, and advertisers, who make these actors exploit their sexuality, understand that these actors are familiar to a great number of people from all over the world, and that their overt hyper- sexuality can attract very large target audience, especially those people, whose age ranges between fifteen and twenty two. The thing is that during these years people pass through a period of pubescence and sexuality is a very important part of their lives.
These cases suggest that eroticism can be used to engage the viewers. This is one of the possible explanations but it is not the only one.
One should not assume that their performance outside Harry Potter is only driven by commercial interests. In this way, they try to prove to others and to themselves that they are able to play mature and rather complex roles. To some degree, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson attempt to demonstrate that they can be successful actors outside Harry Potter film series. By exploiting their sexuality, they break stereotype that links them only on Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.
This can be one of the motives which underlie their behavior. Overall, people focus their attention on the overt sexuality of these actors because they are accustomed to their idealized and slightly childish characters. Viewers are not used to their new roles and this might be one of the reasons why many people can be so concerned about their behavior.
On the whole, these examples indicate that media representation of Harry Potter books strongly relies on sexuality. As it has been identified in the previous sections there are several reasons for such an interpretation. First of all, film-makers want to make Harry Potter film series more attractive to adult audience.
Secondly, overt sexuality can be accounted by the fact that majority of actors have grown much older, and they try to break out of child roles. The most important thing is that this film series is not fully suitable for child audience. By comparing and contrasting screen adaptation of the novels and the text itself one can see how mass media transforms popular perception of adolescence and sexuality.
Works Cited
Rana Marion. Creating magical worlds: otherness and othering in Harry Potter. NY: Peter Lang, 2009. Print.