How Harry Potter Impacted the World - Free Essay Example

Many people all across the globe fell in love with Harry Potter over the years, whether it be the movies, books, games, or any other of the novelties associated with the franchise. Most people, however, havent thought how the books that started this global phenomenon, have impacted them. The Harry Potter book series has made an impact on numerous people throughout the world. From helping young readers develop reading skills, to captivating people around the globe, Harry Potter has something for everyone, which is why it is why it has reached so many people, and taught us all a lessonhas been such a success. The books have helped people develop reading skills, and made people want to read. As the series progressed there are increasingly complex problems and language. In the first book there was a young wizard who had problems with his family, such as no parents and an abusive foster family. He was also solving problems, and attending school. The book used basic language for the most part. By the seventh book, Harry was battling the evil wizard, Voldemort, and his army. Harry had to cope with the loss of friends and to make difficult decisions. There was also more complex language and problems. The Harry Potter books have helped people develop reading skills, and made people want to readNeed transition here and more information to prove this point in this paragraph. The books also allows people to escape everyday life and immerse themselves into a fantasy world, making people want to read. If someone has problems in their everyday life, they can escape these problems by reading about a fantasy world. The main character, Harry, also has his flaws and problems, but deals with them and overcomes them. This makes Harry Potter relatable to the reader, and shows that they can also overcome these obstacles. According to Sara Ann Beach, and Elizabeth Harden Willner, The magical world created by Rowling draws young readers into the books by connecting aspects of the world in which they live with a world that transcends reality. Harry and his friends participate in such everyday activities as buying school supplies, sending and receiving letters, going to classes, and playing sportsmuch like an average kid. However, school supplies are not pencils and notebooks, classes do not include science and mathematics, letters are not delivered by a mail carrier, and the main sport is Quidditch, a cross between rugby and basketball played on broomsticks. For school supplies, Harry and friends head to Diagon Alley, the equivalent of a wizard mall, to purchase wands, (1). Although this seems like the life of an everyday kid, it also has things outside of our realm. Since the books genre is fantasy, it allows people to experience things not able to be experienced in real life. According to Beach and Willner, The nonhuman characters that inhabit both Hogwarts and the wizard world are the creatures of myth and fantasy, creatures that fascinate young readers. A huge three-headed dog incongruously named Fluffy guards the entrance to the chamber where the sorcerers stone is kept. Unicorns and centaurs inhabit the Enchanted Forest on the edge of the school grounds. Goblins run Gringotts Bank, which holds the wealth of the wizarding world. The school headmaster Dumbledores pet is Phoenix, who regularly bursts into flames and then rises from the ashes, (2). This can appeal to those who normally dislike reading. An example of how Harry Potter has impacted reading for someone is Jennifer, age 10, I dont usually like to read, matter of fact I dont like to read. I thought Harry Potter was going to be an ordinary book, but it isnt. When my teacher says that it [is] time to stop reading, me and my classmates would groan, (Beach and Willner). This goes to show the lifelong love for reading that can develop overtime. It can help a child get into to reading that would normally dislike reading. It truly helps to captivate the reader. This can be useful to help impact readers develop a lifelong love of reading, and help teach other various things. Harry Potter can, in fact, teach people lessons. It can help make people empathize. An example of this was done in a study. In the first experiment, the researchers studied attitudes toward immigrants, people often discriminated against in Italy, among a group of 34 elementary-school age Italian children. The children were first given a survey about immigrants and then divided into two groups: One read passages from Harry Potter that included prejudice (Harrys nemesis Draco Malfoy calling Hermione, Harrys friend, a filthy little Mudblood), and the other read neutral excerpts (citations). Among those who read the first passage and identified with Harry Potter as a character, tolerance toward immigrants improved. In the following studies, the researchers measured attitudes toward homosexuals in an Italian high school and toward refugees among British university students. Both showed a more positive outlook on the stigmatized group among Harry Potterr readers. In the first two studies, which included younger participants, these attitudes were associated with identifying with Harry Potter as a character. Among the university participants, who were older than Harry, the researchers attributed the lower prejudice to dissociation with the negative character Voldemort, (Kozlowski, page/paragraph number). It can also teach people to stand up for themselves and others. In one of the books, Malfoy makes fun of Harry, and is cruel to him, so Hermione stands up for Harry by punching him (citation). In the same book, Hagrid has a pet hippogryph, named Buckbeak. Hagrid brought him in to the magical creatures class he was teaching so they could learn about him. Malfoy mistreats him, and resulting from it, Buckbeak attacks him. Malfoys father complains, so they are forced to put him down. Harry, knowing that Buckbeak is innocent, saves him before he is executed, because it is the right thing to do. This is crucial reason why it has touched many lives, it truly makes people feel for Harry, and is highly relatable to the audience. One reason the Harry Potter seriesit has impacted the world, is the sheer volume of Harry Potter has reached is absurd. Harry Potters enormous amount of exposure has made it able to make an impact on maximum amount of people. This could be in part to Harry Potter being the fourth most sold book of all time. Facebooks data team did a survey, and the series about the Boy Who Lived was on a whopping 21 percent of the 130,000 lists, making it what some have called the most influential book in the world. Harry Potter topped such standards as Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird, J.R.R Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings and the Bible. (Kozlowski). With all this exposure, it has had the opportunity to impact an immense amount of people. Harry Potter has an immense following, in part to various reasons. One being, the books have been turned into films. From these films, it has kept compounding, and growing. An example of this is in live action roleplay. There are groups that participate in live act ion role playing based on the series, which brings people together. Another example is that, there are numerous games, toys, and other merchandise for sale. At Disney World, they have even recreated a part of their theme park to be like Diagon Alley, with shops and various other places that allow people to feel like they are in the movie. The boy who lived, will forever have an impact on the world. Harry Potter has touched people across the globe. The sheer exposure of the books, movies, etcetera, has helped this book leave a lasting imprint. It has resulted in various people who now have a lifelong relationship with reading. It has taught us about empathy, and standing up for whats right. It has even taught us that we may have our flaws, but at the end of the day, we can still be the hero and overcome these flaws. Works Cited Beach, Sara Ann, and Elizabeth Harden Willner. The Power of Harry: The Impact of J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter Books on Young Readers. Childrens Literature Review, edited by Tom Burns, vol. 112, Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center, ezproxy.dbq.edu:2268/ps/i.do?p=GLSsw=wu=dubu98513v=2.1it=rid=GALE%7CH1420068923asid=96937ce3b9f63682866d45d8a3547777. Accessed 8 Oct. 2017. Originally published in World Literature Today, vol. 76, no. 1, Winter 2002, pp. 102-106. Byam, Paige. Childrens Literature or Adult Classic? The Harry Potter series and the British Novel Tradition. Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center,ezproxy.dbq.edu:2268/ps/i.do?p=GLSsw=wu=dubu98513v=2.1it=rid=GALE%7CH1100070667asid=9b51e666b3b79cb1d7cf8835531bba5d. Accessed 8 Oct. 2017. Originally published in Topic: The Washington and Jefferson College Review, vol. 54, Fall 2004, pp. 7-13. Galligan, Anne. Truth is Stranger than Magic: The Marketing of Harry Potter. Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by Jeffrey W. Hunter, vol. 217, Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center, ezproxy.dbq.edu:2268/ps/i.do?p=GLSsw=wu=dubu98513v=2.1it=rid=GALE%7CH1100070666asid=2b6ac4869acfce0cad83f61844446f47. Accessed 8 Oct. 2017. Originally published in Australian Screen Education, vol. 35, Summer 2004, pp. 36-41. Kozlowska, Hanna. Can Harry Potter Change the World? The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Sept. 2014, op-talk.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/can-harry-potter-change-the-world/., op-talk.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/can-harry-potter-change-the-world/ Nye, Lesley. Editors Review. Childrens Literature Review, edited by Tom Burns, vol. 112, Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center, ezproxy.dbq.edu:2268/ps/i.do?p=GLSsw=wu=dubu98513v=2.1it=rid=GALE%7CH1420068919asid=bd0865556a2d8093c21c229cdcbd621d. Accessed 8 Oct. 2017. Originally published in Harvard Educational Review, vol. 71, no. 1, Spring 2001, pp. 136-145. SpeakOutStandOut, London United Kingdom. Why Has Harry Potter Had A Huge Impact On Society? Teen Ink, www.teenink.com/opinion/movies_music_tv/article/481631/Why-Has-Harry-Potter-Had-A-Huge-Impact-On-Society/