Blog Post 3

When I first got the 7^th book the day it was released I felt excited, but at the same time quite depressed. I had grown up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione; it was going to be hard to have to let them go after all these years. After the finishing the 7^th book though, I was not disappointed! I think that Rowling was able to finally wrap up all, well most, of the lose ends I had been wondering about since book 1. I was excited to read that Harry was still alive because I was of the “Harry’s going to die” camp. I thought that the scene right before Harry enters the forest to meet his fate was so moving, I still cry every time I read it. It’s amazing to think that this 17 year old is able to look death in the face after all he has been though and just show no fear. Another particularly poignant moment for me was when Mrs. Malfoy checks to make sure Harry is dead but instead she asks about her son. I believe that this shows how all of Rowling characters are multi-dimensional and have deep feelings just like the rest of us. Rowling has a way of making you believe that these characters could exist in real life, they make normal human errors and have the same faults and strengths that any other non-magical person would have.

I think that because of what I had read so far with this series, I was not particularly surprised to find out about Snape, although I did not see him being in love with Lily coming at all. I figured that he had to be a “good” guy because Snape truly being that evil was just too obvious. Dumbledore on the other hand had always confused me. Even now having read the series more times than I care to admit, I still can’t decide if I am as loyal as Harry is to Dumbledore. Some of his decisions and deception are still hard for me to comprehend. Although I recognize that he truly cared about Harry, it’s still a little alarming to me that he could put such a plan into action and still treat Harry the same or show him so much love. It’s almost cruel considering what Dumbledore had in store for Harry. My feeling about Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn’t really change except that I gained new respect for all of them, especially Harry in sacrificing himself.

In terms of the larger social/cultural context, I feel that this is a fabulous coming of age saga. Not only do we see how children or teenagers grow, but also adults. Personally, I have found it a means of support when going through rough times, as I believe everyone could. Looking at this magical world that seems so innocent and fantastic you would think everything would be all smiles and sunshine, when in fact it is a dark and scary place at times. I think that it allows us as readers a chance to escape our own problematic lives and read how others are dealing with the same issues we deal with everyday, except with magic.

blop post 3

Never having read the books, i did not know what to expect. I was excited and nervous to read the ending of the last book, i could NOT put it down. The ending of the series had a lot of surprises along with many deaths. One of the things i did not like was all the deaths. I understand and get the fact that it is a war and people die but a lot of my favorite characters die, some like Fred, Tonks and Dobby to name a few. Even when Hedwig died, i was upset especially the way Hedwig died was upsetting. My overall feelings of the last book were ones of heart ache, shock, love and fear. Even though there was so much bad in the world at the time for them, they still had each other and all the love and understanding they had for one another was enough to keep them going. Snape, i always had mixed feelings about him. I never knew what to expect with him. I never thought he was particulary bad, but i didnt think he was all that good. After reading the last book though, when was thing was explained, it made so much more sense. He did everything for his childhood crush Lily. Even though it was her son, he was doing it all in her name. When he gave all the memories that he had about talks him and Dumbledor had, it made even more sense about he asked Snape to do. Dumbledore also did not tell Harry a lot, but if he did tell him, things wouldnt have ended like they did. Harry's fate i think may have changed. Also i think, the three best friends (harry, hermione and ron) went through so much during the last part of this book as well. They lost so many people, ron lost his brother. I also they they grew closer as friends and family. Overall i think this series is so strong and well written. Rowling pulls in many ideas from history and pulls it into the wizarding world. I wish there were more books, im so sad its over!

Blog Prompt 3

At the end of the series, I was very happy with the way that things ended. The seventh book really seemed to give the series a good final ending. I really liked all of the parts. When it comes to being problematic, I really did not find anything too problematic as most of everything was resolved. I did not think that all of the deaths that occurred were necessary though. For instance, I was shocked when Hedwig died. I also did not see the point in killing off Dobby. As for the wizards, I did not think that killing Fred, Moody, Tonks, or Remus was needed. They all seemed pointless. I think that the series would have ended exactly the same if they were all included in the final Epilogue. For some reason my feelings towards Dumbledore never really changed. I never saw him as his brother saw him. I always felt that he cared for Harry, as he said he did, and did not mean to harm him, or do anything that Harry could not handle. I always saw him as a mysterious person, really. And that did not change at all throughout the books, he remained mysterious. As for Snape, I'm sure everyone's feelings changed towards him. He always seemed like such a heartless man, especially when he killed Dumbledore. The seventh book really made him seem the most human...someone who had feelings, someone who loved, and someone who would willingly sacrifice himself for someone else. At the end, I guess I got a kind of soft spot for Snape, even after everything. And really, the reasons why he treated Harry as he did made sense--he was jealous of James and Harry reminded him every day of what he never had. Harry, Ron, and Hermione pretty much stayed the same. I appreciated Ron and Hermione a lot more, because their parts in this book were much more prominent. Although they always helped Harry in the previous books, their help in this one was much more pronounced. I guess Harry became more of a person I respected. This all happened because he walked straight into death. Although Harry seemed to continuously did so, as the book even said through his inner monologue, his will to live was always stronger. So to make him walk straight to his so called death really changed how I saw him as a character. He seemed much more brave now. He was no longer just a naive child.
In a cultural context, Harry Potter can just be easily related to. Although everyone is most certainly not marching to meet death and stare it in the face, we all have many concerns that we do face every day. And more importantly, Harry Potter shows how every day relationships evolve and how a teenager copes with them, something we have all experienced. It shows relationships between friends...romantic relationships...family relationships...parental relationships. It is just something that is easy to relate to.

Blog Prompt #3

How did you feel about the end of the series? What moments did you find particularly poignant, or problematic, and why? How did your feelings towards Dumbledore and Snape change? About Harry, Ron, and Hermione? Why did they change in this way?

In addition, now that you have finished the series, how would you place it in a larger social/cultural context?

Quiz 5 Makeup: The question of choices and environment

The question of choices and environment is a major theme in Rowling’s work. I think that perhaps Rowling leans more toward choices as being responsible for who we are rather than how we grew up. Harry and Voldemort are the perfect example of this, and they are also foils of each other. Harry grew up as an orphan, and was treated terribly by the Dursleys. He was forced to live in a cupboard for the majority of his childhood, and had to cook for them, and suffer some child abuse. Hogwarts was like his first true home, and one of the only places where he felt like he belonged. He was also offered comfort and support by his friends, and offered a guide through Diagon Alley. Voldemort grew up in an orphanage after his mother died, and he too had a miserable childhood (though arguably not as bad as Harry’s). Then, Hogwarts became Voldemort’s beacon of hope. Like Harry, Voldemort was offered a guide through Diagon Alley, although he rejected Dumbledore. It showed his determination to operate alone and be independent, unlike Harry who is aware that he needs help. This choice is one that splits Harry and Voldemort at the very start, and shows which path they are headed down. From the point forward, Voldemort made choices that isolated him, and didn’t allow his “friends” to truly know him and be important to him. Harry, however, thrives in his friendships. Love is the one thing that Harry has that Voldemort does not; the ability to take it, and the ability to give it. Dumbledore emphasizes the importance of this theme in Chamber of Secrets: “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” The point is that everyone is given a family, or lack of; everyone is given abilities and capabilities. What we should judge character by is what we do with what we’re given. I think that’s a very powerful message, and I agree with Rowling entirely. Voldemort ended up with a shriveled, weak soul, but it was by his own doing. He had no one to blame but himself and his quest for immortality. Harry came out of it strong and with a good head on his shoulders, ready to build a life, because he used what was available to him for the better. He could have easily ended up a snobbish fame seeker, or a depressed and desperate individual, but he leaned on his friends for support and in the end, his love paid off.

Neville Longbottom's Character Development

I think that Neville Longbottom has probably developed the most as a character throughout the series, and undergone the most drastic character changes. Neville starts out as a shy, awkward boy who constantly loses things and is teased by Draco. In the first book, we can already see Neville growing up; he doesn’t want Harry, Ron and Hermione to sneak out again because they would get Gryffindor in trouble. Hermione uses Petrificus Totalus on him and they pass through anyway, but Dumbledore honors Neville’s bravery at the end. He says it takes greater courage to stand up to your friends than to stand up to your enemies. I think this is an important observation, because many horrible things have happened in history just because no one stood up to their comrades when they were doing wrong. Projecting this rather broadly, the Nazis had friends who knew they were in the wrong, but no one dared to say anything because they wanted to stay in favor with the Nazi party.
Our perception of Neville continues to change in Goblet of Fire as we learn that his parents were tortured by death eaters, and they are now vegetables in St. Mungo’s. He must have had a lot of strength to visit them and keep a brave face while his mother and father didn’t recognize him. This also reflects on one of Rowling’s major themes; suffering and empathy. Neville’s parents have suffered greatly, and so has Neville, but Neville is compassionate and takes good care of his friends. Neville truly blossoms in Order of the Phoenix. He joins the DA and learns several powerful spells so that he can learn how to fight the Death Eaters with the rest of his friends. He was also one of the six who flew to the Ministry of Magic to “save” Sirius Black, demonstrating his courage and his claim to the Gryffindor name. Then the real ball drops; Neville was the other boy who could have fulfilled the prophecy involving Voldemort. Neville could have just as easily been in Harry’s shoes this entire time, and he would have had a completely different life. The only reason it wasn’t Neville was because Voldemort chose to go to Harry first. I think that’s really shocking and strikes at Rowling’s other theme of choices and how they affect people. It also makes me view the entourage of characters a lot differently. Harry isn’t as special as we seem to think. We’ve become attached to him, and we’ve loved him, but he really isn’t any better in terms of power than poor Neville who keeps losing his pet toad.

SPOILER ALERT, Deathly Hallows info to follow



Neville finally seals his maturity in Deathly Hallows, when he kills Nagini and then also refuses to follow the Death Eater’s orders. He plays an instrumental role in the Battle of Hogwarts, showing that he is a capable wizard and a strong young man. Matthew Lewis, the actor who plays Neville, similarly reflects Neville’s drastic change. He looks nothing like he did when he was ten year old. Matthew is now tall, dark, and handsome, and has a lively acting career to look forward to. Many people even had trouble recognizing him as the original Neville.

Blog Post #2: Draco, Shmaco

Draco Malfoy is easily one of the most disliked characters in the Harry Potter series, but he is overlooked as a victim of traumatic experience because most do not like him. From the moment we are introduced to Draco, we see him as disrespectful and spoiled. Once Harry chooses to deny Draco’s help so he doesn’t “go making friends with the wrong sort”, Draco loathes him. It is no secret that Draco, Crabbe and Goyle are the enemies of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but Rowling never chooses to explore the background of three Slytherins like she does the three Gryffindors.
All throughout the novels, we see Draco and his goons tease, taunt, and try to harm the other students. He has no remorse for how anybody else feels, and thinks him and his family are superior to most wizarding families because they are “pureblood”.
In The Half-Blood Prince, we are finally seeing Draco start to crack. He is panicky, worried, and obviously has a secret agenda that he won’t even tell Snape about who is his favorite teacher.
On top of the tower, when he is talking with Dumbledore, we finally learn that his secret agenda was letting in the Death Eaters into Hogwarts through the Vanishing Cabinet. During this conversation, he keeps his wand pointed at Dumbledore the whole time, despite Dumbledore’s weakened state. He keeps mentioning that the Dark Lord has chosen him to carry out this task, but is too afraid to do it. The moment that Dumbledore gets Draco to lower his wand is a breaking point. Draco realizes he does not have what it takes to kill Dumbledore, and therefore Snape must do it because he made the Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa promising her he would protect Draco and perform the task if Draco could not.

SPOILER ALERT! Stop reading if you have not finished the 7th book!!

In the seventh novel, Draco is absent for a majority of it. From what we do see in the beginning, the Malfoy family is pretty much controlled by Voldemort, despite the subtle resistance of Narcissa and Draco. At the battle of Hogwarts, in the Room for Requirement, Harry Ron and Hermione are almost killed by Crabbe’s fire. Despite the fact that they are on the brink of death, Harry goes back for Draco. If that’s not empathy, I don’t know what is. Personally, I feel that Draco has lived the part of the evil Slytherin for so long, and now being part of the Death Eaters and Voldemort having control over his family, he is trapped. I think Harry recognizes this, and feels that Draco can and will change once this is all over. In the forest, Narcissa hides the fact that Harry is actually alive for the information that Draco is safe in the castle. This subtle union between Harry and the Malfoys gave me goosebumps when I was reading it. As much as I hated Draco throughout the novels, he lowered his wand and didn’t kill Dumbledore. Harry was gracious enough to see this, and therefore helped Draco escape the power of Voldemort so he can finally live his own life.