Blog #1, Prompt #1: Not So Magical Me

What makes these books interesting, at least for me, is that they are considered in the genre of fantasy.  When I read Harry Potter, it feels real, or at least that's just my brain saying that it wants them to be real.  The way that Rowling uses immense detail to keep the reader's mind constantly thinking allows the reader to inadvertently become submerged in the world of Harry Potter so that it doesn't feel like words on a page anymore, much like how Harry gets pulled into Tom Riddle's diary, except not as literal.

Personally for me, I think it's the genre and plot line that pulls me in, but I have talked with others who simply say that with as much detail in the text that there is, their mind paints such a vivid picture that it feels to them like they aren't reading a book anymore.  I can see both of these options and more being possibilities for people.

When I was a kid, and even still now, I used reading as a getaway mechanism.  I needed an escape from my everyday life.  For me, Harry Potter was that escape.  Reading the first two books for the first time, I tried to throw myself into the story so that I was one of the characters (the sorting hat always put me in Slytherin, by the way).  This made reading the books a lot more fun and definitely a lot more interesting.  It got to the point that whenever I was done reading, or was forced to take a break so I could go eat dinner, I didn't want the magic to stop.  I would sit at the kitchen table and try magic spells on my food.  I waited and waited for my Hogwarts letter to come, but it never did.  Now, here I am, a college student all of these years later, and I'm still waiting for my letter.

Prompt #2 Nothing Is True

     In the first two books of the Harry Potter series, some of our biggest expectations are not fulfilled. J.K. Rowling makes it so that the reader will have to read each book more than once, just to see if there were any clues that were missed. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, every person who reads the book for the first time is 100% sure that Snape is after the stone and is working for Voldemort. Prof. Quirrell is the last person that anybody expects to be after the stone and nobody could have ever predicted that Voldemort would actually be attached to the back of Quirrell's head. Though Rowling writes in a way to keep her reader's guessing, she makes some things very easy to figure out. Once you meet Malfoy, you can tell that he's going to end up being an enemy to Harry. His attitude and arrogance quickly set him apart from Harry. This is established almost from the start, just to create some polarity between the two characters.                   
     In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Rowling continues to toy with our thoughts towards characters. I know that back when I read the book for the first time, I thought that the heir of Slytherin was going to be Malfoy. It seemed so obvious to me at the time and I never really thought that Voldemort had anything to do with it. For a while I even suspected Hagrid because of the connection between his expulsion and the last time the chamber was opened. Again, I never expected Voldemort to be waiting for Harry in the Chamber and I never expected Ginny to have something to do with it. One of the things I did expect was for Lockhart to be a big fake and an even bigger idiot. At least Rowling makes some things easy for readers to pick up.                

Alan Lawson

Everything Is Not As It Seems (blog post 1, prompt 2)

The Harry Potter book series is truly one of mystery and plenty of expectations.  Expectations can be a driving force in books.  They are what get you caught up in the story and get you wanting more.  There are many examples in which expectations are fulfilled and not fulfilled.  In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, we think that Snape is trying to steal the sorcerer’s stone.  Harry hears Snape on multiple occasions threaten Professor Quirrell, and Snape even gets bitten by Fluffy, the three-headed dog guarding the stone.  All the signs point to Snape, but we later learn that it’s actually Professor Quirell and Voldemort that are trying to steal the stone.  Another example comes in which Harry and Ron are being sorted into houses.  We expect that Ron will be placed in Gryffindor because all of his brothers before him were in Gryffindor.  Soon enough Ron is placed in Gryffindor.  When Harry comes to be sorted into his house, we believe for a time that he might be placed in Slytherin.  However, since he beggs not to be placed in Slytherin the sorting hat places him in Gryffindor.  These are just a few of the many examples of expectations throughout the series. 

Expectations are found throughout the Harry Potter series, and there are plenty of examples in Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets.  When Harry and Ron get locked out of the platform and when Harry almost gets killed by a rogue bludger, we are not really sure who is behind the tactics.  Could it be Snape or Voldemort?  Snape and Voldemort are good guesses, but we learn that it’s actually Dobby that keeps trying to prevent Harry from staying at Hogwarts.  In addition, we think Tom Riddle is trying to help Harry learn about what is going on at school and why there are so many attacks.  However, we are surprised to learn that Tom Riddle is actually Lord Voldemort and is behind all the attacks.  All the examples above show how much expectations can drive these books.  They add a sense of mystery to the story and are what make us read them.  When our expectations are not fulfilled, it shocks us.  We think we have it all figured out, but the story can change in an instant.  Raising expectations is a great way to get the reader engaged in the story and have them wanting more. 

Erin Bepler 

Prompt # 2 January 24, 2013 Dark Expectations

I myself, until have taken this class, only read just the first book, Harry Potter and the Socere's Stone, and I think that having continued to be push to read so much more has opened mine eyes even more, to a broader look at the world through the eye's of Harry Potter. I think that each story that is carefully written and composed must contain some sort of taste of expectation or else the story is garbage and is therefore pointless and remains to be less intriguing to the reader causing them to become bored. However, Rowling, always is setting these kind of thoughts in your mind about different characters in the book and she does this so to keep you on the edge of your seat. For example, I am taking there character of Snape and Malfoy,  but more so Snape. When you first read the Sorcerer's Stone as well as Chamber of Secrets, you have this pressing thought that Snape is in some way related to the Dark Lord, or better yet the idea that in some way shape or fashion, or what I expected when I first read them, that he was the Dark Lord through way of subtle disguise. However Rowling remains to drag this idea about him out and out, further and further as we read each book, and I think that is what causes her material to be so entertaining, because if she told you right up front, what character was what, who they are, what purpose they serve, whether they were good or evil, the series would have turned out to be rather short and really dull. Rather than this she takes each character gives a description of their appearance and their characteristics, and she lets you make your own assumptions before letting you know right away the real purpose of that character, which is fascinating and complicated when you are the writer of stories, such as these, that are deemed so highly rated by critics. Just wanted to note real quick the character Malfoy, when you first are encountered by Draco Malfoy as well as his father Lucious Malfoy, you get somewhat of the same idea that these people may or may not have some lineage and link to the Dark Lord and that they are dangerous. However I am learning as I go, reading each book, that Malfoys, mainly meaning Draco, turn out to be some of the most biggest cowards and fraud people who are all talk but no action, but we shall see what is in store for them. All I can say is glad I finally read the books.

Reading Things a Second Time Round

When reading stories of fantasy, it is very easy to immerse yourself into the fictional world that has been constructed. In the Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling does an easy job of allowing her readers to lose themselves in the magical world of Hogwarts. When we allow ourselves to become so engrossed in a story, we have a more difficult time noticing the layers and literary tools the author has carefully instilled throughout the novels. For me, reading the series a second time allows me to pick up on so much more foreshadowing and themes than when I had read the books the first time. After knowing what to expect, it becomes easier to notice the subtle clues Rowling leaves for the reader to figure out what might happen next.

The first two books in the Harry Potter series have some elements that could allow them to be categorized in the Mystery genre. The Sorcerer’s Stone is a detective’s tale concerning a mysterious figure after a mystical object. Harry and the gang are responsible for stopping the figure from acquiring the object before it’s too late. The Chamber of Secrets is more along the lines of a classic Whodunit.

There are many clues in both books that hint as to what their endings could be. In The Sorcerer’s Stone, Quirrell, the unexpected villain, has a habit of being associated with the scene of the crime. The day that Gringott’s had been broken into, Quirrell was at the Leaky Cauldron. The first time Harry stumbled upon the forbidden corridor, the place that was hiding the Sorcerer’s Stone, Quirrell turns up there as well. When we know the ending of the book, it’s easy to notice signs that point to Quirrell being the culprit. In the second book, there are clues that point to both Ginny Weasley’s and the Malfoys’ involvement in the Chamber of Secrets being opened. It’s mention very nonchalantly early in the book about Ginny’s attachment to her Diary. We also see her become somewhat of an emotional wreck throughout the book and, looking back, it’s obviously because of her involvement with Tom Riddle. The Malfoys have moments of foulplay concerning Dobby and the removal of Dumbledore as headmaster and it really is no surprise to find that it was Lucious who had slipped the Diary to Ginny. After all, before he had done so in Flourish and Blott’s he was at Borgin’s and Burke’s trying to offload some of his Dark objects.

Because it is so easy to become lost in Harry Potter’s world, we are removed from our own perceptions and occupy the author’s thoughts. Hints and clues go unnoticed because experience Harry’s adventures alongside him.

Where the F#*% is My Letter? B1P1

Well I’m not sure if Iser’s assertion is true of all text but it is most certainly indicative of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. The best part of studying these books has not been that I get to discuss books I love or grew up with. It’s much simpler than that. Every single time I read a page, I revert back to my younger self who would stay up late to read or hold the book at a distance to avoid the barber getting hair on the pages during a haircut. The magic strikes me again. I disagree with Iser on one point though; the text does not take place in me, I am drawn deeply into it. As a child who lived in a pretty boring suburb of Cincinnati, the fact that a boy on a street like mine could be whisked into a world of magic was such a great tale. Looking back, I think I wanted to be whisked away too. Where was my letter?! My copies of the books are scribbled with drawings of wands and spells written in my fanciest script. I wanted to be a male incarnate of Hermione with my high educational values and love for the supernatural. She was always calm and the necessary “brains behind the operation”. But I’m forced to wonder, did I like her because my family was so big on intelligence? Could a more blue-collar raised child feel my same level of respect but for Ron or even for Harry? I think when we delve into the novels with our whole selves and allow the stories to overtake us, we see things as we would like to if we were there. Rowling gives us a place but we take in only what we need at the time. Eight year old Akeem and twenty year old Akeem are reading the same pages but with a different extraction from the text. My question to anyone who reads this is this: do you identify with a certain character and why? We didn’t get our Hogwarts letters but let’s imagine we did!

BP 1, Prompt 2: The Last Person You Would Suspect

In the first two Harry Potter books, our expectations are continually being modified to fit with the mysteries that are being solved throughout the text and the new mysteries that are arising as Harry journeys through his time at Hogwarts.

             

In the first book, our expectation is that Voldemort is dead. We know he was “destroyed” when he attempted to kill Harry, and the only hint we get to his returning is Hagrid’s comment in the Leaky Cauldron about suspecting that he was still alive, only biding his time before he could return to power. We then go through Harry’s first year with our suspicion focused on Professor Snape’s guilt in being involved in a plot to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone. Every sinister situation Harry finds himself in, Snape is there. Naturally we start to believe Snape is responsible for the evil going on at Hogwarts. It isn’t until the final chapter where our expectations that both Voldemort is dead and Snape is trying to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone are crushed by the fact that Voldemort is both alive and behind the plan to steal the stone, along with Professor Quirrell who we thought was innocent.

In the second book, our expectation is yet again that Voldemort has nothing to do with the bad things happening at Hogwarts. We now suspect the Heir of Slytherin, believing that it is Draco Malfoy. Just like in the Sorcerer’s Stone, we are given a red herring to follow. Again it’s not until the end that we realize that Voldemort is behind the basilisk trying to kill the muggle born students.

In any good literary work, it is essential to add some mystery and to not tell the reader all the details. The failure to fulfill these expectations on Rowling’s part comes from the chance to advance the mystery and plot and set up future conflicts.

Blog #1, prompt 2

Good literature leads the reader to have certain expectations about the plot and characters. Some of those expectations are met, while others go unfulfilled. In order for a novel to be truly successful, it must constantly keep the reader guessing. If it fails to do this, the piece quickly becomes monotonous and static. The Harry Potter books function as mysteries, in that they constantly lead the reader to be convinced of an outcome, only to be proven wrong again and again. In Sorcerer’s Stone, the audience is introduced to a boy who is said to have extraordinary powers. As it turns out, the boy seems to be somewhat average at first glance except for the lightening shaped scar on his forehead. Little by little, he starts fulfilling the role of the hero we expect him to become, but it takes quite a bit of time and some hurdles along the way have to be overcome. For example, Harry does not excel at any subject at Hogwarts until he jumps on a broomstick and becomes the youngest player to be selected for a house quidditch team in a century. He does not even prove himself worthy of the fame and praise he receives due to his triumph over the Dark Lord as an infant until he reaches the last part of his journey through the dungeons to find the sorcerer’s stone, when he confronts Professor Quirrel by himself. Up until that point, Ron and Hermione were there to help him. When he takes on the remains of Voldemort alone, he proves that he is remarkable for reasons beyond pure luck. Finally, Harry asks Dumbledore at the end of the book why Voldemort wants to kill him and Dumbledore refuses to answer at that time. J.K. Rowling denies us this information in order to set up the rest of the series and keep the audience engaged in the story line. The reason expectations are not always met is because if one is rewarded with information too quickly, one will soon lose interest.   

In the second book, Chamber of Secrets, the reader is kept guessing as to who is the true heir of Slytherin and therefore the culprit behind the attacks at Hogwarts on “mudblood” students. Harry and Ron make several mistakes before they discover the true identity, and thus the reader is kept in the dark along the way. Several times, one finds himself questioning who is good and who is bad. This makes the reader reevaluate their preconceptions of certain characters and allows them to constantly reform opinions based on previous knowledge. In a series this tool is important so that the plot does not become mundane or redundant and the characters flat. 

Blog #1 Prompt #2

Having read the books many times, as many others in the class, it is difficult for me to remember what sort of expectations I had when reading Harry Potter for the first time. I am definitely reading more carefully now than at first, because when I was reading them for the first time, I wanted to be the first of my friends to finish (I usually was, just saying). I would fly through the books and not notice some of the details that really jump out at me now.

The specific wording that Rowling uses in the first book is very clever. Rowling makes the first time reader believe Snape is the bad guy. As I knew what the outcome of the book was, I enjoyed looking for the conversations and scenes that pointed to Quirrell as the bad guy, just as much as Snape.  A quote that demonstrates this well is on page 126, when Harry’s scar hurts for the first time, “The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell’s turban and straight into Harry’s eyes- and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry’s forehead.” It all makes so much sense! I do remember when I read Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time that I was totally sure that Snape was the culprit. I didn’t even consider any other characters could be behind it. Rowling did a good job of convincing the reader. I think that this was mostly because Harry, Ron and Hermione were so sure that Snape was trying to steal the stone. They never considered anybody else either.

When I read Chamber of Secrets for the first time, from what I can remember, I was a bit more wary of any conclusions that I wanted to make at first.  I don’t think that I was ever convinced that Malfoy was behind the attacks, but again that was quite sometime ago, so I don’t really remember.  I think that I didn’t believe that Malfoy could be the culprit because it was just too obvious. I know for sure that I had no idea who was really behind the attacks at the school.

Perspective on the past

What Iser argues about how the text and reader no longer confront each other as object and subject I believe to be true. This is shown through the way that I identify with various characters in the series. One character that I am able to identify with is Ron. Ron has many older brothers that are all skilled in various ways and things, where he is not yet and he aspires to be. For me this happened with my brother, Taylor, and myself. All throughout grade school and high school Taylor was this great soccer player. He played club soccer and for school as well as going to various camps all throughout the year. Needless to say, my families lives somewhat revolved around his soccer “career.”   I myself felt like Ron at times because of this, I felt as though my own sibling was getting more attention than me and at times felt it was unfair.

I was also able to connect to the first years as a whole. When I was in 4^th grade, around the time you turn 11, I had switched schools completely. Gone was everything and everything I was used to and I set off on a new adventure. My 4^th grade year I had switched from a public school to a private school. So myself just like the 1^st years needed to go buy my “robes” or uniforms. I had to make new friends as well as take classes I never really knew existed in school. I went from one world to another. Rereading the series I am able to look back and connect with the way the first years feel when they are in the sorting ceremony or arriving to a new school, there is such an excitement for the unknown that I never realized I felt until I read these books and was able to look back and reflect on the similarities. Growing up with Harry Potter I never paid attention to the similarities and even differences between myself and all the characters, but now I am able to look and reflect on my life in a way that I never have.

Starting big post #1

2) In “The Reading Process” Wolfgang Iser also argues that “expectations are scarcely ever fulfilled in truly literary texts” (53) because the text continually modifies our expectations about what is to come. Consider how this applies in different ways to the first two Harry Potter books. What expectations are raised? Why? What expectations are and aren’t fulfilled? Why? What is important about the choice to raise an expectation and then fail to fulfill it?

As one of the like 5 students in the class that had never read any of the books or seen the movies, I did not know what I was going into. I have never been much of a reader but this summer got into it a little more. I figured Harry Potter was a good start. The first book bored me a little. It was not until the end till I really started to get into the book. I felt like I was actually in the book with them. I expected the books to be really easy reading which they are.   I also expected Professor Snape to be "the bad guy", but turns out he is not. I was totally taken back by Professor Quirrell being the the actual bad guy. This is what hooks people to movies and books because when your taken back by something that surprises you it intrigues you more. When Harry was in the dark chamber and he expects Professor Snape to be there and its Professor Quirrel it really made me get more interested in the books because I want to know what other secrets and hidden stories that they are hiding in the next 5. In the Chamber of Secrets, I did not expect much of what happened with the flying car, the petrified students, and secret places that Hogwarts has for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to get in trouble. 

Part of me wants to watch the movie to see what all the actors and actresses look like so I can get a picture in my head but I do not want to ruin the books. ANY SUGGESTIONS ON THAT? 

Blog Post #1 Response – My Brother, Harry Potter

            I had learned to read at the age of three, and was reading well above my grade level at the age of six – the year Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released in the United States. My mother and I read it together, and from the very first chapter I was completely hooked, despite my mother’s worries that the double-murder described in it was too dark for a child my age.

Over the next decade, Harry and I grew up together; while he was trying to prevent the remnants of Lord Voldemort from getting his servant’s hands on the Sorcerer’s Stone, I was losing my baby teeth, when he killed the Basilisk and destroyed Tom Riddle’s diary, I was joining my first basketball team, and, eight years later, when the story ended (no spoilers here!), I was dealing with high school bullies and the recent drug infestation in my hometown.

            Where would I be today if J.K. Rowling had not provided me with this wonderful hiding place of a world to which I could escape? Where would I have learned the lessons that no one was around to teach me? Resilience, courage, friendship… these things Harry taught me were not taught in my school; how would I have survived high school if Harry Potter had not taught me that, with courage, one can overcome anything?

            Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, one of the greatest wizards of his age… most people would not guess that he happens to also be one of the most relatable literary characters in the past century (along with Katniss Everdeen, but that is another discussion altogether). Harry Potter has the power not only to kill Basilisks and speak Parseltongue, but also to help those who desperately need it, even if they happen to be ordinary Muggle children. The real magic of Harry Potter is this:  he gives us all the ability to transcend our own, ordinary lives and to live another, if only briefly.

blog # 1 prompt 2- The Snake Whisperer

As you read “Harry Potter and the Sorcerous Stone” and “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”,  the readers expectations are constantly evolving.  The first two books foreshadow many events to come, but never truly shed light on the full picture.  Through literally clues, we are given glimpses into the future of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  Having read the whole series, it is much easier to spot the clues in book one and two, that foreshadow that future.  The obvious being the return of Lord Voldemort.  In the “Sorcerer’s Stone” we meet Lord Voldemort for the first time.  Already we are shown that Voldemort is looking for a way to rise again, and that he will do anything to get there.  The biggest expectation raised in book one though, is by Dumbledore.  As Harry asks Dumbledore why Voldemort couldn’t touch him, and why he attacked his parents that night, Dumbledore says,”When you are ready to know you will.”  He also mentions that Harry could not be touched by Quirrell because of love.  This conversation raises the expectation that Harry and Voldemort will meet again and that there is something much deeper between their relationship. It also raises the expectations that Harry might have certain skills needed to finally beat Voldemort. By giving this expectation in the first book, J.K. Rowling is setting herself up to raise expectations that the next book might have the answers Harry is looking for.  It builds suspense to the reader. 

            In “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”, Harry embarks on his second year at Hogwarts.  We quickly learn that he can talk to snakes, like Voldemort.  This raises expectations, that Harry and Voldemort are more similar than we think.  Again we see Voldemort, which fulfills a partial expectation, that we will continually see Voldemort in the stories.

Blog 1, Prompt 2

Iser's argument that "expectations are scarcely ever fulfilled in truly literary texts" is exemplified to a tee in Rowling’s work. Throughout the first two books, well the entire series, she keeps you guessing. Rowling is constantly throwing curve balls, so to speak, as to what comes next. For example, in The Sorcerer’s Stone, all clues point to Snape as the one dealing with the stone. Harry and his gang become suspicious of Snape, what with his limping and shadiness. Of course we later find out that Snape is not the guilty one and he has actually shown some good characteristics. At one point when Harry was cursed at the quidditch match, Snape was trying to reverse the curse and protect him. This leaves us wondering what we should think of Snape. If he hates Harry as much as it comes off, then why would he bother trying to protect him?

In The Chamber of Secrets, Rowling makes us question each character even more. Harry, Ron, and Hermione immediately believe Draco Malfoy opened the chamber of secrets. In dangerous, expulsion-worthy behavior the trio brews a polyjuice potion. This potion makes Ron and Harry appear as Crabbe and Goyle, who then sneak in the Slytherin house and try to get Malfoy to confess that he opened the chamber. When Malfoy confesses to them that he did not do and is dying to know who did, the audience is confused. Rowling really led us to believe that Malfoy had to be the guilty one, but once again tricked us. At that point we knew Malfoy was not the culprit, but we found out that he wished he had been. While Snape’s intentions and character are still not fully developed, we know that Malfoy is not, and probably never will be a good character. Rowling has kept us on our toes so far with all the second-guessing she makes us do; no one can foresee what comes next.

BP #1: "Modern Day Mudblood"

Modern Day Mudblood

The character I identify with the most is without-a-doubt the lovely Hermoine Granger. My connection with her began in the Chamber of Secrets when that little troll Malfoy spits out, “No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood,” at the Gryffindor/Slytherin quidditch match. Such a beautiful day… ruined by Malfoy. His ridiculous ongoing hatred towards Hermoine and Mudbloods continues throughout the book. I found his most notable quotes to be:

“'But I know one thing: last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died. So I bet it's only a matter of time before one of them's killed this time… I hope it's Granger,’ he said with relish.”

“'I'm surprised all the Mudbloods haven't packed their bags by now,' Malfoy went on. 'Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn't Granger…'”

Mudblood, in my eyes, is such a terrible word—yet one that not every reader would find as intense as I do. You see, I find myself as a “Modern Day Mudblood”: a gay man. And I feel as if Hermoine found the term as offensive and revolting as I find the term “faggot.” Just typing the word made me cringe. Malfoy icily describing Mudbloods as “filthy” and even wishing DEATH upon them (multiple times!) proves the magnitude of his hatred towards “their kind” and the ignorance backing it.

Those terrible blows are ones that I unfortunately have felt many times in my life, and I identify with Hermoine as being outcasted and mistreated for being different—and for something she couldn’t even control. Furthermore, I identify with her on what she could control. It seemed as if her “know-it-all” tendencies stemmed from this outcasting and that she feels as if she has something to prove. Mudblood you say? Well this Mudblood is going to be the best damn witch you’ve ever seen! I admit that I too have a “perfectionist complex” and competiveness at Hermoine-like levels, and I feel that it too stems from this reason. We not only want to change our perceptions and expectations of “our kind,” but to also exceed the crap out of them. And… well… we do! =)

Couldn't resist the HP & Mean Girls cross reference! And yes, Malfoy, it WAS awesome: