Harry Potter is now a global brand worth of an estimated $15 billion dollars, and the last four Harry Potter books have consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history. The series, totalling 4,195 pages, has been translated, in whole or in part, into 65 languages, ("Seventh Harry Potter Expected to Succeed”). Imagine a school in a castle filled with moving staircases, a sport played on flying broomsticks, an evil wizard intent on domination, an ordinary boy who’s the hero of a whole world he doesn’t know, (About the Series). This is the story that comes to life in the marvelous Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. Voldemort, the dark wizard, attempts to kill baby Harry in order to prevent a prophecy. He fails and ends …show more content…
In two thousand and one it was challenged in Bend Oregon, Iowa, California, Alabama, New York, and many other areas for promoting violence and scary content, (Titus). The Harry Potter books contain intense scenes and the movies are rated PG-13. Some events that could lend to that rating are the visions and rebirth of Voldemort. Another incident when parents were upset about mature content occurred in Russell Springs KY high school it was proposed for removal by teacher's prayer group because it has with barbaric characters, (Titus). Harry Potter has many ghosts, trolls, and otherworldly creatures. The descriptions of these animals has been a cause for challenging this series. Harry Potter series having dark material is one reason people dislike the business but others say Harry Potter is a dark character …show more content…
Harry Potter has been banned throughout the world, mainly for this reason. Mainly from 2001 to 2008 Harry Potter was being criticized and challenged left and right. One case in 2002 the books were burned in New Mexico as "a masterpiece of satanic deception,” (Titus). At the basis of this claim is religion. The people who make the claims are often members of the religion, Evangelicalism. If their not Evangelist then their most likely to be Catholic or a member of an orthodox branch. These religions are all Christian. With the bible as their holy book and its anti-witch message then oppose this series. In 2008 there was a debate whether the Harry Potter books support the Wicca religion, (Titus). Ron Titus records the incident as follows, “The Georgia Board of Education ruled December 14, 2006, that the parent who complained had failed to prove her contention that the series "promote[s} the Wicca religion and therefore that the book's availability in public schools does not constitute advocacy of a religion," (Titus). On May 29, 2007, Superior Court judge Ronnie Batchelor upheld the Georgia Board of Education's decision to support local school officials.” Although the parent wa shot down there is still underlying tension from many people similar to that parent from Georgia. In fact angry parents all over the world have glared at the shelves wishing that Harry
The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first published in December of 1884. It was first banned in Concord, Massachusetts from the Concord Public Library in March of 1885. Since it was first published, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been opposed and banned. The book is powerful and provides an amazing window into what this country was like in the time period it takes place in, banning this book is not an ethical thing to do because readers learn and grow from it and people should know how the United States was in that time period so that we do not regress and move backwards as a society.
As it is inevitable that children will grow up to be exposed to the world's evils, which are shown in novels like Fahrenheit 451, teaching the context and meaning of those evils in a learning environment allows for more of a educated understanding and a fuller grasp on the issues within. By reading controversial novels in schools, students in middle and high school will benefit tremendously by being exposed to them in a learning environment. Although teachers and parents have control as to what the students are exposed to at a young age, Fahrenheit 451 should not be banned from middle and high schools as it depicts the effects of censorship on a dystopian society through use of controversial material which doubles as
The novels of Harry Potter, written by J. K. Rowling are constantly in debate among Christians whether Harry Potter is preaching sorcery and paganism or that the books have a spiritual meaning deeper than most care to look at. It is easy to look through the books and find sources of witchcraft but one could say the same for sources of the gospel. Author, J.K. Rowland has stated that her own Christian faith has in fact informed her writing of the popular series. Many Christians say Harry Potter is incomparable to Christ, being far from perfection while Voldemort seems to strike a different chord of response as far as his character representing The Devil himself.
Throughout history, books have majorly impacted the societies in which they were written. Many of the most significant classics in history were challenged or even banned by the people of its time. Great novels, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, have been through their fair share of challenges over the years. People of the 1800s had very strict standards that are very different from ours today, and they did not appreciate it when those beliefs were tested. Three of the most common reasons for challenging books throughout the centuries are sexuality, profanity, and religious beliefs. The question that arises from this information is: what values did the society of the 1800s hold that made them feel these topics were offensive enough to ban books containing them?
All kids love the "Harry Potter" series. But they don't know that by reading it they are "indulging in sinful and Godless acts" or that these books are putting them on the fastest train to Hell. I own A Clockwork Orange, Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird, Twelfth Night, and Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, all of which have been or are banned. What's going on here?
When a book is banned, reasoning should be backed up with many facts and teachers should be able to agree or disagree. Teachers are the ones who have graduated from colleges and have earned this right. Though the opinions of parents matter, their opinion does not necessarily take into account all that the book has to give. Parents may not see the potential of the book as a whole. They may just see the racist language or cruel behavior in a book. What their opinions are mostly based on is the information that will keep everyone the most comfortable instead of the importance behind the basics for students to learn (Hills). Some books may include opposing ideas like this, but that does not mean that they do not have something to teach us. Many teachers take it on themselves to determine what is appropriate. They take on a certain level of self-imposed censorship to make sure that they are teaching appropriate material. Along with this, books being bought with school funds have to go through a process of approval (Zimmerman). This should eliminate any problem areas that parents may have. Besides just having the school board approving the books, many teachers have the same basic outline of what a book should include and be like. They ag...
The Harry Potter series, written by J. K. Rowling, is about a young boy who finds out he is a wizard and uses his magic powers to vanquish evil. The series is currently the target of many protestors, as they scrutinize and penalize the books for their creative and imaginative topics. Ranging from education to religion, protestors' reasoning's behind theses attacks have sparked nationwide debates. Everything from censorship to book burning, protesting and pulling theses books from school shelves, have been done to outlaw the Potter series. Elizabeth D. Schafer, author of "Harry and History", summarizes how these controversies stem forth and how she disagrees with the protests against the Potter series. Censorship of the Harry Potter books is a vain attempt to maintain control and power over citizens as their rights and freedom of choice is being severely violated by forbidding the viewing of certain sources of entertainment.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn the more places you’ll go.”-Dr. Seuss. What Dr. Seuss’s statement is telling us is that books have given us knowledge about ideas, life, and the world. One of the greatest inventions of mankind is a book. A book is a set of printed sheets that are put together fill with information that people read about. Books have been around with us since ages from generations to generations. It is all around the world with different cultures and languages, books have given people the joy of story, information, and knowledge. Everyone should have the right to read whatever book they are seem interested. Well, it is not the case; there are some people out there trying to challenge books from being ban. It is ridiculous that books are being taken away from readers. Today, books are still currently being challenged or banned. This type of doing is censorship. This is a problem that people need to look at and think about. Books are in school, library, in our homes yet they are too much for the people. Why are books so sensitive for readers to be challenged? There are two set of sides to this issue, one side are the people that wants to remove the books and challenged them to be ban, the other side are the one that oppose the banning of books, allowing to read whatever they want. Which side is right? This leads to the question as to why books are currently being challenged or banned. How does banning books relate to censorship and what are some solutions that can solve the problem of banning books?
Harry Potter should not be banned from school libraries. Taking it from schools would not stop students from reading it. Even though it was not at the school. It would be at the public library. They also could barrow it from a field of family members or friends. Finally, they could just go online and read or buy it.
Since the first segment of the series was released in 1997, Harry Potter has been challenged by churches and parents due to the practicing of magic by children found within the books. The books have been removed from school shelves, discouraged by churches, and censored by parents. It is claimed that Harry Potter is devilish, satanic, and encourages children to practice the occult, damaging their religious views (LaFond). Therefore, many parents keep their children from reading the book series. Yet, Harry Potter has been such a positive influence on my so many lives. Evident through the movies, theme parks, stores, and much more, J.K. Rowling’s series has been an overwhelming success for many reasons (“Because it’s his…”). In order to encourage
...ave evolved about the subject matter of these books. The greatest controversy, though, centers on the series’ religious references, which have caused many parents to despise the “immoral” concepts of the stories and forbid their children from reading these books. Such people feel that Rowling promotes paganism through the magic performed by the characters, and promotes evil through various connections to Satan. Still, Harry Potter does not reflect the practices of Wicca and good always overpowers evil in the end; therefore, we should not be concerned with the effects of the series on children, or even adults. After all, readers have been enjoying stories containing magical references for centuries and humanity has not suffered because of it. Harry Potter is just another magical story and should be enjoyed, rather than judged because of its controversial references.
Harry Potter is a fascinating tale of sorcerers, wands, broomsticks, dragons, and magic. The story begins with a young boy named Harry Potter who lives at number four Privit Drive, Surray, England. His journey begins after the death of his parents at the hands of the evil Lord Voldemort. Harry learns of his past and his future as a wizard from Hagrid, the keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He travels to Hogwarts where he learns spells and enchantments, makes new friends, finds enemies, and discovers fantastic secretes. J.K. Rowling weaves a web of impeccable storytelling with this critically acclaimed novel. In the tale of Harry Potter imagery, symbolism, and motif take central focus.
One of the most read series in all literature is Harry Potter. The seven-book succession has sold over 400 million copies and has been translated into over sixty languages. What is it that makes this series so wildly famous? What is it about the boy who lived that makes frenzied readers flock to their local bookstore at midnight on the day of the release to buy the latest installment? How is a story set in a world that doesn’t exist about wizards, witches, magic, and mystical creatures so popular? The series has been able to earn its spot on the New York Times Bestseller list and has granted author J.K. Rowling multiple awards because it is relatable. It is not the setting or the events in the plot of the story that we relate to. We relate to what Harry, his friends, mentors, teachers, caretakers, and even enemies feel. Harry is in a lot of ways exactly like us. He represents some of the good characteristics that all of us have as well as the bad. The series as a whole, is about one thing that is stressed over and over again in the novels, love. The Harry Potter series is one of the most read sequences of novels because the central theme is love and self-sacrifice, and readers are looking for a novel that shows them just that.
Children should and need to be exposed to magic in class rooms and schools while growing up. Some children might not be able to afford books or have a rough time at home and can’t read for entertainment. If children don’t receive this expose in books they will only get it in form of movies, TV shows, and learn form what others say and do. An article said, “Teachers are receiving complaints that teaching the Harry Potter book in classrooms exposes children to ‘witchcraft and Satanism’” (2015, Loughrey) Magic in the book Harry Potter has nothing to do with either of those. Before people read the books for themselves they automatically claim false information. If an adult reads Harry Potter and thinks that is the messages of the book they are
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was written by J. K. Rowling and is the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series. The book is about a seventeen-year-old wizard, named Harry Potter, who has to travel all over England to find things that will help him defeat the evil wizard, Lord Voldomort. The main theme/moral of the entire series is good will always triumphs over evil. In every book, even when it looks like evil is going to win, good always triumphs in the end.