Assignment 2

Full Draft
Due Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015 at 10:30am
Introduction:
The story that swept the nation in 1997 challenging the imaginations of young and old
readers alike, creating a world full of wonder, powers, and magic. When Harry Potter and the
Sorcerers Stone was released on June 26th it created a whole new outlook on the way many
children viewed reading. Harry Potter is considered by many, including myself, to be something
that shaped their childhood, it created a connection between all different ages and culture all over
the world. Harry Potter was a young boy who had the opportunity many people dream of, that
chance to escape from the oppression they feel in their own lives. He is the one who is
One of the main themes in Harry Potter is his oppression and isolation from those around
him because of the Dursleys unfair treatment. Harry has very few interactions with children in
his school, due to their fear his cousin Dudley will bully them, leaving him to be separated and

Commented [EA1]: Is this heading correct for your

style of citation? I also think you should add your name
somewhere into your heading so you know who has
written this paper. Maybe consider adding a title to your
paper so the reader knows what the topic of this paper
will be about and they will know what they are going to
be reading about so the reader doesn't just jump into
the paper. Also consider adding page numbers.
Haley Cutrell
Commented [EA2]: I like your opening hook! It caught
my eye and I wanted to keep reading. I also think it
leads very well into the topic of your paper. It also gives
a good amount of background information. Without this
background information, it wouldn't be as easy and
clear to read. Overall, nice work on the hook!
Claire Hibbert
Commented [EA3]: Maybe consider making these two
different sentences. They correlate, however, they are
two different thoughts. I think you should either
separate these with a semi-colon, or you could make
them two different sentences.
Haley Cutrell
Commented [EA4]: I'm a little confused on what you
mean by this? Is there another way you can word this
so that way it sounds likes a complete sentence? I do
think that what you have before this is very good and
coherent.
Claire Hibbert

alone from a large portion of his childhood. He is told repeatedly his is not good enough and it is
shown through the different ways he is treated and his cousin Dudley is treated by his aunt and
uncle. Harry still seems to have a kindred spirit, having hope in situations where most lose the
ability to see the light and the good in people. I think the way J. K. Rowling has written the
character of Harry Potter is inaccurate, and I am going to prove why she chose to write him the
way it was instead of more accurate.
When I was in third grade I was put into a developmental reading program, meaning you
are separated from the other children, normally shortening your recess, put into a small room,

Commented [EA5]: This sentence is worded awkardly.

"He is told repeatedly his is not good enough..." in the
beginning of this sentence, what is the 'his.' I think you
should consider rephrasing this sentence so that the
reader can fully understand what you are trying to
portray through your paper.
Haley Cutrell
Commented [EA6]: I believe this is your thesis
statement, or topic proposal. I think you should
consider making this the last sentence of your
introduction to make it more like the typical research
paper. Maybe you could even explain more about how
she has written Harry Potter has inaccurate.
Haley Cutrell

and told to read to a specialty teacher who is there to make sure you are up to the same level as
your peers. I refused to read to my teacher, because due to my dyslexia I was very self-

Commented [EA7]: Period goes before the " :)

Haley Cutrell

conscious, I hated the class because it made me feel like I had just been thrown into the stupid
group of kids, in my mind it made every one look at me differently. One day I was given two
books to choose from, Harry Potter or Junie B. Jones. I chose Harry Potter and fell in love with
the story, The Boy Who Lived was someone I could relate to, he was always different, no matter
what situation he was in, he felt like he was living behind actions of other people instead of
having the ability to write his own path, he won every fight and always looked for the good in
people. It became my favorite series, and it is still the book I go to read when I am having a bad
day, because escaping to a magical world is something not everyone is lucky enough to
experience.

Annotated Bibliography
Asbill, Emily. 2015. Assignment One: Observation and Analysis of Harry Potter
(Asbill 2015)

Asher, Steven R., Shelley Hymel, and Peter D. Renshaw. 1984. Loneliness in Children. Child
Devlopment 55(4): 145664.
(Asher, Hymel, and Renshaw 1984)

Blossom, Paige, and Jack Apsche. 2013. Effects of Loneliness on Human Development.
International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy 7(4): 2829.
(Blossom and Apsche 2013)

Commented [EA8]: I'm a little confused as to why the

annotated bibliography is after the introduction. This
might be confusing to readers because this is usually at
the bottom of the paper. Is there a particular reason
you placed it here? Also, an annotated bibliography
has annotations where as this one doesn't. I think a
better name for this would be "works cited"
Claire Hibbert

Browne, Kevin, Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis, Rebecca Johnson, and Mikael Ostergren. 2006.
Overuse of Institutional Care for Children in Europe. BMJ: British Medical Journal 332(7539):
48587.
(Browne et al. 2006)

Cassidy, Jude, and Steven R. Asher. 1992. Loneliness and Peer Relations in Young
Children. Child Development 63(2): 350.
(Cassidy and Asher 1992)

Hamilton, Jon. 2014. Orphans Lonely Beginnings Reveal How Parents Shape A Child's Brain.
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/02/20/280237833/orphans-lonely-beginningsreveal-how-parents-shape-a-childs-brain (October 19, 2015).
(Hamilton 2014)

Harris, Judith Rich. 1995. Where Is the Childs Environment? A Group Socialization Theory of
Development. Psychological Review 102: 46062.
(Harris 1995)

Rowling, J. K. 1998. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. London: Ted Smart.
(Rowling 1998)

Literature review
Harry Potter is cut off from the wizarding world by his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon,

Commented [EA9]: I like how you coincided these

paragraphs. They are easy to follow and describe how
life was for Harry Potter. Good job on including
information from your sources and citing them
correctly.
Haley Cutrell

their goal is to completely separate him from the magical world and not allow him to return to
Hogwarts. After an unfortunate event with a house elf, Uncle Vernon places bars on Harrys
window as well bolting his door shut, and so that he can be given food only once or twice a day.
He is imprisoned in the place that is supposed to be his home, and is completely cut off from all
human interactions, until he is rescued by his best friend Ron Weasley and his brothers Fred and
George (Rowling 1998). An observations and analysis of the first three Harry Potter movies in
detail, with several examples of the roles characters play in the different scenarios of Harry
Potters life. The detailed summery and observation of the movies and vocabulary list include
description that adds to the understanding of the series and of the characters in the series. It will
help demonstrate the details of Harrys life at the Dursleys (Asbill 2015).
Starting from a very young age socialization is one of our first forms of education and
allows us to develop an individual identity and an idea of self-regulation, and without these
elements a child forced into alienation is very likely to accomplish their full potential. Social
development is different at each age, however the core is still needed in each grouping, when
separated or rejected by peer groups causes aggressive tendencies and creates a higher likely
causes aggressive tendencies and creates a higher likely hood of early onset depression, as well
as many other issues including low self-esteem issues. These problems with other variables such
as abuse, neglect, and abandonment are likely to lead up to something similar to PTSD
symptoms seen in returning soldiers. Harry is no friends while growing up at the Dursleys and
attending public school in England, meaning his social development was most likely stunted and

Commented [EA10]: This is a good descriptive

explanation of why Harry Potter has been cut off from
the wizarding world. This helps the reader understand
why he has been cut off and this also helps the reader
get a better grasp on the paper. Also good job in
incorporating your in-text citations.
Haley Cutrell

was a key factor in his later life (Blossom and Apsche 2013). Two people who grow up in the
same home are going to have different experiences in the same environment, and it will shape
the way they develop and become an adult. The similarities and differences between those who
grow up in the same home are based off of, in some cases, the heredity of the two in the home.
The influences of parental units and home life play little role in the true development of the
children when treated the same, however when children are treated differently the perspective
changes. The environment of the child is where the child is most challenged and accepted, and
this includes home, school, and friend groups. Harry Potter never had an environment that
functioned as a safe place before he left for Hogwarts, he was always expected to earn his keep
while staying with the Dursleys (Harris 1995).
A real life story of the orphaning of a boy in a Romanian orphanage, who after being left
by his parents, due to him catching polio, he became attached to a women working in his new
group home whom died while at work. He was treated very poorly and was unaware of the
proper way to treat the people around him due to the abusive care of those who ran the
orphanages, the orphanages is studied by researchers at Harvard University, who noticed that
their attempts at social interactions broken and in wrong orders of progression. When born
children expect a certain amount of coddling and affection, and when it is not provided it leads to
problems in the childs development and their ability to connect with the adults around them.
Harry grew up away from a stable home and at the age of 14 months lost the connection with his
parents due to his death and was forced into an environment with potentially little to no loving or
caring adults in his life for a large portion of his early childhood (Hamilton 2014). The effects of
institutionalizing children under the age of three years old can be detrimental to the childs
mental, social, and emotional development, and it is recommended that the child is placed in a

Commented [EA11]: I'm a little confused by this

sentence and what you mean by "Harry is no friends?"
Is there another way you can reword this sentence to
make it flow better? I think you have a good idea going
about Harry's life at the Dursley's reflection his social
development.
Claire Hibbert

foster home or adopted within the first six months of being put into the fosters system. When
placed into a home with a loving family it is possible for the mental stability of a child to
progress normally, however if the home the child is placed into is not stable the mental health of
the child could decline quickly, within the first year of living there, due to the fact there is little
for the child to understand how to develop in a stable way. Harry Potter is considered an orphan,
the effects of the mistreatment by his aunt and uncle starting at the very influential age of just
fourteen months old very likely stunted his development (Browne et al. 2006).
The social acceptance of children in a group of their peers and the loneliness of the
individual child under the age of twelve and how they affect the development of children and the
isolation from their peers. There was a clear line between the children that feel less lonely and
those that were of a higher social status in the class room, while factoring the same-sex
friendships and the loneliness score the individual gave themselves, as well as the social status of
the home of the children with the higher loneliness score. Harry Potter is said to have no friends
while in the British public school system, and after he attends Hogwarts for a year he is again
separated from his friends, and the Dursleys work very hard to cut him off from any and all
social interaction (Asher, Hymel, and Renshaw 1984). Most children whom feel rejected or are
rejected by their peers are more likely to have several minimal interactions with others, however
these childrens reputation caused by their peers become problematic in creating friendships.
However some researchers feel that children from age four to six are unaware of the way they
are seen by those around them of the same age or sex, meaning that they are unlikely to
understand of have feelings of loneliness due to their lack of social understanding. Harry having
grown up with little friend would not understand the loneliness he faced until he aged, however

with the minimal contact or affection in his home life his mental development could have been
stunted (Cassidy and Asher 1992).

Adding to the Conversation

Every year hundreds of thousands of books are published, millions of books are bought, billions
of stories are told, and people everywhere fall into the different worlds authors have created for
us to escape. A fictional authors dream is to create a revolution of sorts with their tales, wanting
a large group of people to be enthralled by their characters, story lines, and the world they
are creating, always waiting for and wanting more, however only few are able to capture the
hearts of young and old readers alike, successfully creating a fan base devoted to their books.
People tend to choose books with characters they feel in some way they relate to, however these
characters tend to be unrealistic, even when applied to the fantastical storylines developed
around them. When a series becomes largely publicized, a large fan base is created, and
commonly those of different fan bases do not get along on the topics of books.
Characters are written by authors in different ways to try and create a connection with the
reader, however the way characters are written is not always accurate with their surroundings.
Why do people feel such a connection to characters in books, and would the same people feel as
strong of a connection if the character was written with a more realistic attitude? A way to find
the answers to these questions, and several others along the same line of reasoning, a study
should be conducted on the connection to characters by people who consider themselves fans,
and those who have little to no knowledge of several different books or series in the fantastical
fiction genre.

Commented [EA12]: I like the adjectives you have

used throughout your paper! There are good
descriptions and details that make this paper easier to
follow. I also like how you didn't repeat many of the
same adjectives, instead you used others. :)
Claire Hibbert

This study will cover three very popular selling novels, Twilight, Harry Potter and The Hunger
Games, and be conducted over the span of a few days. There will be six different interview
groups, each group will contain four people, two males and two females, with two groups in
three different age groups, these groups will be 29 and under, 30 to 55, and 56 and up. These age
groups are important because the people in the groups are going to be at similar stages in their
life, which will change the reason they connect with a character. Each age group will have one
group of fans and a group of constants or those who are not considered fans of the topic. The
reason for having both a fan group and a nonfan group is because one group will not be partial
to one character verses another, as people will be biased against series that are competitive, such
as the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, and Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, whose series
released during the same time frame.

Commented [EA13]: Consider italicizing the names of

the books. Also you but Twilight and Harry Potter, but
didn't mention Hunger Games again. Is this because
the two books were released during the same time
frame..?
Haley Cutrell

Each group will be separated and asked a series of ten questions about the three series of books,
as well as the characters. Then they will be asked three questions about characteristics a an
anonymous person, and what their thoughts are about the person are, the characteristics of this
character will be the parallel to the fictional character as if it were written correctly. Collect the

Commented [EA14]: Take out one of the 'are' in this

sentence
Haley Cutrell

answers compare them between the age groups and the fan group versus the nonfan group.
The ten questions asked about the books will be as follows:
1)

Based on your knowledge of Twilight, Harry Potter, and The Hunger Games, what is

your impression of the lead characters in fantastical fiction?

2)

Harry Potter was isolated from those around his age starting from a very young age,

Katniss Everdeen was forced into the role of protector and care giver to her little sister when he
father died during her childhood, and Isabella Swan felt grew up very quickly, getting married at

Commented [EA15]: I like how you proposed an actual

case study in your paper.
Haley Cutrell

the young age of 18. Do you feel you relate to any of these situations? If so how, and if not, why
do you feel they are not relatable?
3)

In Harry Potter his aunt and uncle are ashamed of his magical powers and lock him away,

doing things such as locking him into his room, adding a meal flap to his door, and adding bars
to his window. What is something you think would cause someone to react this way in a
nonfictional world?
4)

In the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer the female lead, Bella Swan, is introduce to the

male lead, Edward Cullen, and is instantly curious about him, however he wants nothing to do
with her in the beginning. Later in the book she believes Edward is a vampire, so she agrees to
go into the woods to try and find out the truth. If you were in the same situation, would you feel
safe walking into the woods to meet with someone you think is a vampire? If so, why do you feel
this is a good idea? If not, why do you feel this is not a good idea?
5)

In the Hunger Games books there is a tournament where children age 12 to 18 from the

different districts, the way the world is divided up, similar to states, are put into an arena set up
like a forest and told to fight to the death, and that one must come out on top. Everyone watches,
and cheers on their fighters, watching as one by one they kill each other. This is a celebration
that takes place once a year, and is waited on with anticipation by many. How do you think the
children who are selected feel? If you were in their position, would you feel it was an honor to be
chosen? Why or why not?
6)

How do you feel about marriage at the age of 18? Is it a good idea? Why or why not?

7)

On his eleventh birthday a complete stranger breaks into the shack Harry Potter and this

Aunt, Uncle, and cousin. He then proceeds to tell Harry that his whole life his family has been

lying to him, about a different life he was born into, and that he should come with him so he can
help him prepare to leave the Dursleys. Do you think that offered the same situation you would
follow his lead. If put into the same situation at this point in your life, how do you feel you
would react?
8)

When her parents separate and Bella moves to Forks, Washington, she meets Edward,

who Charlie, her father, doesnt particularly like. She runs away from Forks, telling Charlie that
she and Edward had a fight and that she doesnt want to be there anymore. However a few days
later she chooses to return to Forks and stay with Edward, much to Charlies dismay. If you were
in Charlies position, how do you feel you would react?
9)

Katniss Everdeen sacrifices herself for her sister, choosing to become a tribute from her

home district 12 than have her sister compete in the Hunger Games. Was this a brave decision, or
do you think she should have let her sister fight her own battles?
10)

Someone approaches breaks into the secluded camp site you are staying at in the middle

of the night, threatens you family, tells you that your life up until this point has been a lie, and
asks for you to come with them so they can take you to prepare for your new life. How do you
think you would react if this happened to you?
The three questions about an anonymous character:
1)

Do the following traits sound like a character you would be interested in reading more

about? A grumpy ten year old, with little to no confidence in themselves, is socially awkward
and does not know how to interact with their peers, is very intimidated by adult figures, and has
little knowledge of normal social conventions.

2)

A young girl loses her father, and due to the instability of her mother she is forced to

raise her younger sister all before she is 16. She is required to hunt for their foot, find jobs to
make ends meet, and attempt to refocus her mother on their current issues. She has little time to
do anything for herself, shows signs of over protective tendencies, and has a problem with
authoritative figures. How do you feel about this character?
3)

A teenager with divorced parents who felt that even though she had a mother figure, she

had to mother her mother. She moves to a new portion of the country with her father, and falls
into an emotionally manipulative relationship, marrying her love at a very young age, and
planning on their future forever. She is not scared by the thought of death and would rather die
than be away from the boy she loves, falling into a deep depression when they are separated. Is
this a character you find relatable and would like to read more about?
Send each group home with two selection to read, one containing a major moment for the
characters development, and for the second a situation where the character had to make an
important decision. Have the same groups come back together a week later and ask the same
questions, and ask how the selections helped to change or shape their view of a character. Allow
the participants to give their opinions on the articles they were given to read, and weather there is
a situation they can relate it to in their life. After asking the last three questions explain how they
fit into the characters from the books.
Collect all of the data and compare the first set of answers from the fan group to the non-fan
group and pick out the differences, and pointing out the similarities. Do the same with the second
set of questions, and note how the answers changed after the candidates had read the selections.
The differences will help to develop a reasoning for why people are drawn to characters, and
how they feel the book would have changed if the author had been written with the correct

development. The similarities will help determine how relatable a character is to a larger
majority of people, not just those who identify themselves as fans of the series. This data
compiled will help determine the areas that are normally required for a large group of people to
relate to a character, and why these elements are so important.

Conclusion
Children are the future of every generation, and when they feel as though they do not belong they
do not develop into functioning members of a society. The way a child is treated is important
because it allows for them to learn and understand the difference between right and wrong,
having someone to look up to is an important portion of a childhood. A role model to teach and
guide them through their experiences. When there is no role model, abuse, separation, isolation
or rejection from their peers, and the distrust of adults around them leads to a detrimental impact
on the social, mental, and psychological health of a child. It is important to understand how and
why children do not develop and grow along with their peers, because the way a child grows up
affects the way they live their entire lives, be it trying to be different from those who raised them,
or trying to change who they are completely.
Several ways people form a connection is through literature, which is a wide spread
means of communication. When reading a story people can relate to characters, however when
these characters are not written properly in the circumstances they are put into it can create a
false sense of security for people. It is important to study how and why these connections are so
important to people, and to understand how they affect a persons development in a positive or
negative way, if they affect it at all. This is important because when reading a story the way a

Commented [EA16]: Is there a better way to rephrase

this sentence? I don't quite understand what you mean
when you say "be it trying to be different..." Do you
think it would be better if you made these two separate
sentences? It might also make it easier to read instead
of one really long sentence.
Claire Hibbert

character reacts to a situation leaves an impression on the reader, and can affect or influence their
opinions in life.

Commented [EA17]: In the set up for the conclusion

that Ashlyn posed, there were some sections where
there were questions to ask. I don;t see any questions
so I would add some to make sure you have everything
you are supposed to.
Haley Cutrell