Click on the "comment" button below to leave your blog post. I suggest you type your response first in a word document, and then copy and paste it into the comment box. When using book titles in your post you should set the title off with the underscore key: _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ (as the comment box does not recognize italics). If you are signed up to be a discussion leader, your blog post should be at least 500 words of original prose (do not duplicate anything other bloggers have already said here) in which you engage with the text for the week critically AND pose an original discussion question. If you are signed up to be a responder, your post should be 250 words in length and respond to, answer, extend, or disagree with a question or thought from another student's post. Be sure to write your full name and word count at the bottom of your post. The cut-off time for this blog post is Friday, January 22 at midnight (for discussion leaders) and Monday, January 25 at midnight (for responders).Discussion Leaders: Summer and Michelle
Responders: Cassi, Carla, Vincent, and Aly F.
In J.K. Rowling’s book _Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone_, we are introduced to a child, named Harry, who has a secret life that he won’t find out about until later. In the first chapter we meet the adults who are very significant in is life. These people help guide him throughout his life, watch over him, put him in safety and protect him with extraordinary measures. The people that I am talking about are professor McGonagall, Rubeus Hagrid and Albus Dumbledore. They let us know things about harry that he won’t even know about until later on in the book. They have protected him from those events in his life and protect him from the traumatic details and the life he would’ve had if they left him in the wizarding world. You can tell from the start of the novel and continuously throughout the rest of it, that they have sympathy for him and care about him. I’ve come to the conclusion that Harry Potter is the historical sacred childhood character in the novel.
ReplyDeleteWe are first introduced with the idea that Harry is a sacred child when McGonagall, Hagrid, and Dumbledore are leaving little Harry on the front porch of the Dursley’s house. As they are standing over Harry, the narrator explains the scene to be very sympathetic and full of emotions. “For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid’s shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore’s eyes seemed to have gone out” (Rowling, p.16). These very important people in the wizarding world have placed a significant amount carefulness and safekeeping in Harry’s life. This is the first time in the novel that you get the true importance that is placed upon Harry Potter.
Years later, Harry is confronted by Hagrid and is told about his true self, his parents, his fortune, his fame and his nobility for standing up to a dark powerful person. We start to understand more and more about Harry’s life, as does he. We learned that he is the child of very well liked, excellent wizards, who also left him with lots of fortune. When he is first welcomed into the wizarding world, it’s a rare welcoming, a welcoming that only an important and inspirational person would receive. People want to meet him and are excited to meet him, people have their own impressions about him and he is given lots of recognition for an event that he can hardly remember. People see a great future for Harry and thank him for what he has already done. The wizarding world is so fond and thankful of him that we come to find out his true value to them and the hope they place upon him. This makes Harry the sacred child in many different ways, but I think it all comes down to the hope and protectiveness that is placed upon him. Even though Harry Potter’s character is absolutely a sacred child, he is still so complex and significant in this novel that he could also be examples of other models of childhood, whether they be historical or contemporary. Would you agree that Harry could also be another model of childhood? Also, what other models of childhood would he be characterized as?
Would you agree that Harry could also be another model of childhood? Also, what other models of childhood would he be characterized as? Questions posed by, Summer Gooch.
DeleteAs a reflection after reading discussion leader, Summer Gooch, I would also agree that Harry would fit other models of childhood. One in particular would be a (Miniature Adult) as presented in _Historicizing Childhood_ by Carrie Hintz and Eric Tribunella. “Children’s literature frequently depicts children as acting independently of adults and performing roles more commonly attributed to adults, such as caring for other children and undertaking journeys.” (pg. 28)
In _Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone_, one example of this was in the beginning Harry was awakened by his aunt ordering him to attend to the bacon and cook the eggs so that his cousin’s birthday wouldn’t be ruined. (Chapter 2, page 19) A second example would be when Harry had just found out he was a wizard and will be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and asked his uncle for a ride to King’s Cross. They arrived at King’s Cross where his uncle dumped his trunk on a cart and pulled it into the station. “Well, there you are boy. Platform nine-platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don’t seem to have built it yet, do they?” (Chapter 6, pg. 90) As they drove off they were all laughing at him. Harry was all alone and left to figure out where exactly he had to be. This was the beginning of his journey as a child while having to play the role of a miniature adult.
Carla Ritchie
Word Count:272
After reading Summer Gooch's interpretation of Harry being the sacred child model I would have to agree. He is practically worshiped in the wizard world, much to his surprise. I also think that he could be fits the sinful child for just the first couple of chapters in the book. I say this because the Dursley's continuously treat him like he is to blame for everything and like he can't be trusted. Like he was just "born bad". A quote from J.K. Rowling's _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ which illustrates this point is, "“I’m warning you,” he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry’s, “I’m warning you now, boy — any funny business, anything at all — and you’ll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas.”
Delete“I’m not going to do anything,” said Harry, “honestly…”But Uncle Vernon didn’t believe him. No one ever did" (Rowling pg.26). This quote made me thing of the sinful child mainly because of the last line about no one ever believing him even when he hadn't actually given them any reason to. I find it very interesting how in this book Harry goes from being this type of model to automatically being the sacred child model just by where he is living. His character doesn't change throughout the book but the way that people perceive him drastically does. I believe that this is part of the reason that makes this such a great and popular book, even if people aren't realizing it, they love to see how people's opinions of a character can change throughout.
Aly Fouts
Word Count: 265
Michelle Montgomery
ReplyDeleteIn J. K. Rowling’s, _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone_, there is foreshadowing of Harry becoming a great wizard, and expecting great things from Harry. “He’ll be famous – there will be books written about Harry…” (Rowling, 13). This is the first mention of great things to come for Harry, yet this is still just speculation based on the traumatic events that have occurred. Later when Harry visits Diagon Alley with Hagrid, a true moment of foreshadow occurs in Olivander’s Wand shop. “Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember…I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter…After all, He – Who – Must – Not – Be – Named did great things – terrible things yes, but great.” (Rowling, 85).
Once Harry arrives at school he tries to fit in, he wants to be normal, not an outcast, just to be a part of a world where he is accepted for who he is, not what he survived. However; events begin to unfold which put him into the spotlight and push him to either succeed or to fail, he is not allowed to just fit in. People expect great things from Harry, it seems his previous existence at the Dursley’s has taught him some survival skills, and his character has is strong and true. Harry proves again and again that he is up the trials and challenges that come his way. Harry stands up for Neville, and though against the rules, flies after Malfoy to retrieve Neville’s remembrall. His moral character is strong, and through this it is discovered that Harry is a natural at flying. Instead of being punished, Harry becomes the youngest seeker in a century. Harry goes on to excel at the position winning two Quidditch matches. Proving again he is destined for great things. On Halloween, Harry and Ron face a mountain troll, something no first year should be able to do, and save Hermione’s life and gaining a loyal and clever friend. Harry finds the Mirror of Erised and though tempted, once warned by Dumbledore, is not seduced by the mirror and learns from the experience. Harry, Ron and Hermione assist Hagrid with shipping Norbert the dragon off to Ron’s brother Charlie, only getting caught at the end of the ‘secret’ mission after Norbert is safely on his way. They keep Hagrid out of trouble and earn a different kind of notoriety by losing points for their house and after he gets used to this snubbing he almost prefers it to all of the attention and expectations that were heaped on him previously. Harry swears off trying to fix things and butting in on things that don’t concern him, yet when faced with the threat of the Dark Lord’s return, he and his friends work together to defeat the threat. The challenges they face are daunting and although different teachers have created the blocks, the children defeat them based on their strengths. Harry’s flute from Hagrid allow them to get past Fluffy. Hermione’s knowledge about the plant allow them to get past the Devil’s Snare,( even though Ron and Harry have to remind her she is a witch and can create fire). Harry’s flying skills get them past the flying keys. Ron’s chess skills and sacrifice get them though that challenge. Hermione’s clever logic gets her back to help Ron and Harry through to the final challenge. His pure desire to get the Sorcerer’s Stone so that Voldemort can’t and he can return it to Dumbledore allow him to succeed and the love his mother bestowed on him saved him from Quirell and Voldemort.
Over and over again Harry proves his greatness, but how did he become great? Was it because of the magic he learned in his first year? Was it because of the acclimation to the magic world and the lessons in magic he learned from his friends, enemies and the situations that he found himself in, or was it because of who he was, The Boy Who Lived?
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"Over and over again Harry proves his greatness, but how did he become great? Was it because of the magic he learned in his first year? Was it because of the acclimation to the magic world and the lessons in magic he learned from his friends, enemies and the situations that he found himself in, or was it because of who he was, The Boy Who Lived?" Question by: Michelle Montgomery
DeleteIn response to discussion leader, Michelle Montgomery’s post, Michelle asks at the end, “how did Harry become great?” In my opinion, I feel it was because of what these two main characters, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore, talk about in this beginning passage. “That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter’s son, Harry. But – he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort’s power somehow broke- and that's why he's gone” (Rowling, 12). I believe Harry became great because of who his parents are and also because who Harry is as an individual. Harry is such a strong young boy with so many strong personality traits. For example, on page 121, Harry is called to put on the wizard’s hat, to determine which dormitory he would be going to live in, based on his characteristics. The hat had a hard time with Harry because he had so many of these strong characteristics. “Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes- and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… So where shall I put you?”(Rowling, 121). This could be because of Harry's parents, but also could be just because Harry is blessed with whom he is. Towards the end of the book, when Harry is in the medical wing, he is talking to Dumbledore about everything that happened. Harry asks Dumbledore, how Voldemort told Harry he only killed his mother because she tried to stop Voldemort from killing Harry. Harry wanted to know why Voldemort wanted to kill Harry in the first place and also why Quirrell couldn't touch him. Dumbledore responded with, “ Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mothers for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign… to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good” (Rowling, 299). I think this is a huge as to why Harry is so great and important. Harry was loved by his parents so much and that is something that cannot be physically shown on someone's skin. Voldemort could not handle this or understand. This is another possible reason I believe Harry became so great.
Cassidea Avery (Word Count: 513)
Over and over again Harry proves his greatness, but how did he become great? Was it because of the magic he learned in his first year? Was it because of the acclimation to the magic world and the lessons in magic he learned from his friends, enemies and the situations that he found himself in, or was it because of who he was, The Boy Who Lived?
ReplyDeleteThe true nature of power is that it has the ability to take good people and corrupt their motives with ideas of fame and fortune. It takes a special individual to hear praise and not allow all the flattery to go to their head. In, _Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone_, we meet our main protagonist Harry when he is living inside a cabinet and is often a victim of bullying and neglect by his awful cousin Dudley Dursley. Harry’s childhood by most standards is terrible, he is often ignored by the Dursleys and viewed as an outcast. What make Harry so powerful and able to perform life threatening feats of wizardry is his humility. Harrys mentor and Father figure Albus Dumbledore takes several measures to protect Harry from fame and flattery when he is too young to understand it. When speaking about his reasoning for leaving Harry with the Dursleys and denying him an explanation for fame, Dumbledore states “It would be enough to turn any boys head. Famous before he can walk and talk... can’t you see how much better off he’ll be, growing up away from all that until he’s ready to take it?” (Rowling, 13). As Harry’s guardian, Dumbledore realizes that in order to be responsible with power and fame, one must have pure intentions and a strong will. For this reason Harry remains unspoiled and throughout the novel he doubts himself and his insecurity drives him to work harder in hopes of fitting into the wizarding world, and honoring his parents, who gave up their lives to protect him. Harry does not have the extensive knowledge that Hermione possesses, unlike Draco his blood is impure and he often fears not being able to live up to his name. But with all the attention that Harry receives he still manages to be a great friend and loyal to those around him. Harry is the chosen one because he is a complete contradiction or foil to other characters in the book, such as Lord Voldemort and Draco Malfoy. His actions are not compelled by greed and self-conquest, but rather curiosity and that it is his fate, to act out of love and uncover the mysteries that threaten all the innocent people at Hogwarts. Harry’s humble beginnings and pure heart are what truly make him an extraordinary wizard.
Word Count (389), response was to Michelle Montgomery's post
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