Expectations. Don’t you just hate it when your best friend says “you have to see this movie, its AMAZING!” So you sit down and watch the movie and once the credits start rolling, you become confused; “that’s it?” you ask your friend, who obviously set the bar too high. Well, have you ever wondered if this is what we do to the Harry Potter series? We, who have read the books upwards of 10 times, go around telling people “it’s amazing, you have to read them!” But, would someone who didn’t grow up immersed in a magical word with death eaters, chocolate frogs and Quidditch be able to find the joy that it brought us for so many years? Would they even be able to appreciate what they’re holding in their hands? Most likely, if they come to class with a crisp new copy of the book, they wouldn’t understand why I come with a book in which my pages are bent, covers are coming off, and I do believe one of them has a cup ring on it. So how can we expect them to get the same expectations that we get every time we read one of the books?
My step mom once asked me, “Why do you re read those books? Isn’t once just enough?” After I stared at her for a few minutes, out of utter confusion, I managed to go into a 3 ½ conversation about how every time you re read the series you learn something new. I then went into talking about stuff that happens, to the point that she got really excited and asked to borrow my first book. A few weeks later I asked her if she was finished, meaning the series. She replied with, “I just can’t get past the 7th chapter.” After that, I just walked away.
So, personally, do you think that we set the expectations too high? Will they be able to relate to a much younger character? Do you think that someone can get as immersed in such a magical world without the innocence of a child?
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