Blog Post 3

For me there were parts of the ending that I guessed and other parts that were a complete surprise. I think Rowling did a good job making sense of everything and that you can go back to earlier books and find parts that foreshadow things that happen at the end of the seventh book. The biggest part I found problematic was when Voldemort kills Harry but not really because Harry is still alive. It opened up a whole new level of magic. The series starts with this type of magic when Harry survives the killing curse when he was a baby. We leaned he survived because of his mother's love that protected him. At the end of the series, though, nobody sacrificed themselves for Harry like his mother did before. The explanantion is that Harry sacrificed his life so the idea that he lived makes sense because since sacrifice is a big theme and Lily sacrificed herself so Harry could live. It still is a little problematic to me of how that type of magic works out, and if it could happen to anyone in the right circumstances.

My view of Dumbledore didn't chnage much. I thought Dumbledore had everything worked out before he died, but my view of Snape changed. I figured he had to be good because Dumbledore continued to trust him and also how Harry always thought Snape was up to something but he never was. Although, the part about the only reason he was on Dumbledore's side was because he loved Lily was a surprise to me. I think Snape found the one person he loved more than anything and he would do anything for her like betray one of the most powerful wizards at the time. I also think Snape had to have a lot of courage and that his love for Lily had to be strong enough that he would betray Voldemort and live a life of deceit and solitary for so long. As for my views of Harry, they didn't change much. Ithink he finally came of age regarding that theme. He was finally able to accept he had to die, but I think he knew he would have to die all along. He finally realized he had to die in order to protect his friends. Ron and Hermione, I think also had to have a strong love for their families and friends to risk their lives throughout the seventh book to try and defeat Voldemort.

I also think the series applies to our society. It has many important themes that apply to children and adults. The idea of racism and how it plays an important role in the series through the discrimination based on blood. Rowling also shows that these ways can be changed. Draco and his mother consistently discriminate based on blood throughout the series. Yet, Draco is unable to kill Dumbledore and Narcissa reports that Harry is dead when she knows he isn't just so she can see her son again. Rowling shows that even in today's culture, we can change and become more accepting and stop racism.