Jonathan Yoo English 12 Ms.

Rochman 1/2/10 Harry Potter and the Critics Challenge A person is unable to leave his or her home these days without being assaulted by the Harry Potter propaganda that is seemingly plastered on every inch of the earth. Movie posters are slapped on every wall, children are walking around with Harry Potter backpacks and lunch boxes, and people everywhere, even adults, are seen reading the books.There is even a new Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, Florida.It seems as though everyone has been swept into the Harry Potter phenomenon.These books have made J.K. Rowling, the author, a billionaire, and even the recipient of the 2010 Most Influential Person in Britain award. However, even the worlds arguably famous wizard has his problems. Many people, mostly comprised of religious extremists, are arguing against the book and demanding the banning of the series in schools and libraries.Harry Potterhas been challenged for three reasons: its seemingly un-Christian topic, the

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bad example that Harry and his friends might set to kids, and its frightening storyline. Unsurprisingly, many of the people who strongly wish Harry Potter to be banned are people strongly involved in religion, mainly the Christian religion. This is largely due to the magical theme of the novel, which is viewed in the Bible as evil. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. (Bible, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15) Christians have been leading a strong crusade against the Harry Potter novels, with even the Pope involving himself in this war of the ages. In his letters to Gabriele Kuby, a German religious author, Pope Benedict XVI condemns the Harry Potter novels as subtle seductions. He goes on to say that Harry Potter has a deep effect and corrupts the Christian faith in souls before it could properly grow. (Pope Benedict XVI) After reading this statement from the Pope, one may ask oneself exactly how a book may have a deep effect and corrupt the Christian faith as described. The answer is simple, yet complex at the same time. It is simple due to the fact that every reason, when thoroughly examined, is drawn down to one large reason: because God said so.When

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examined down to the specifics, however, there are many reasons why God would not enjoy this novel, assuming that he exists and can read. God tells Christians that witchcraft is evil because it enables people to enjoy selfempowerment and deadly thrills through magic."There shall not be found among you anyone who... practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord..." (Bible, Deuteronomy 18:9-12) Children may also learn to bend or ignore Gods truth in favor of Hogwarts beliefs and values. Christian extremists argue that the story makes the world of witchcraft seem more normal than Gods world. The many products associated with Harry Potter such as toys, clothes, etc. lead children to heavily immerse themselves in the Harry Potter world. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." (Bible, Colossians 2:6-9) Therefore, when looking at these reasons, Christians strive for the Harry Potter series to be banned due to not only the content, but also due to the possibility of children converting from Christianity to the Harry Potter religion.

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Aside from the religious reasons why this book is challenged, another reason is because Harry and his friends are supposedly not a good role model for the kids who read these books.For example, Harry frequently steals from his teachers and fellow students for various reasons. Harry and his friends also lie to many people, including adults and teachers, and are always walking around their school without regard to whether the area is restricted or not. Challengers argue that although the intentions may sometimes be good, they are still lying, stealing, and doing bad things. One of many instances where some of Hurrys friends steal is in book one of the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone."Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens." (Rowling, 233) Challengers state that not only is this an instance where a good character steals; the author describes it in a way that makes it look appealing and even fun. If the author were to present us with full-bodied, in-your-face evil, we would recoil and reject the message. The author instead serves up evil lite, and everybody thinks it's just harmless fun. (McCormick) According to Potter-haters, bad behavior seems to be glorified in the book. Harry and the other kids at Hogwarts turn out to be ethics-challenged when it comes to abiding by the school rules, too. It is not only exciting, but also

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educational and productive to break the rule against leaving one's dormitory in the middle of the night, or to enter restricted areas of the school at whatever time of day. (McCormick) This may influence kids to believe that bad behavior is acceptable and even exciting, providing that they get away with the crime. These challengers also describe how hate is also acceptable in this novel, and is presented as just another thing that happens in life that everyone has to deal with. In fact, there are times in the novel where Harry wishes physical pain on a person due to his extreme hate for him. Hate is okay in Harry Potter, too.Hurrys teacher Snape hates Harry. Harry in turn hates Snape, and on page 182, hopes Snape's injured leg is hurting him... All of this hating is not examined or resolved in the book; it is just presented as a fact of life. (McCormick) Harry Potter is seen as a novel where the characters promote bad behavior, specifically hate, stealing and lying. This is a key reason why some people want the series banned. Finally, another main reason why some people want the series banned is because of the frightening nature of some of the topics presented in the series.The series contains many scenes that may not be suitable for children, who are the target audience of these novels. The stories deal largely with death and murder. In fact, the premise of this novel is that Harry, the protagonist, is being hunted down to be murdered by the primary antagonist,

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Voldemort.One specific scene that startled even adults (my mother) is the scene where Harry had an epic duel with Voldemort at a graveyard during the fourth novel. The scene is very intense and ends with the murder of one of Harrys pals, Cedric Diggory. Critics argue that murder should not be included in childrens books, especially one as graphically detailed as the murder of Cedric Diggory. Not only are there several murders in the series, there are also quite hideous and frightening creatures that appear. One such creature is Nagani, a gigantic serpent that Voldemort keeps as a pet. The pet is depicted throughout the series killing and torturing many people, something that may scare kids. Other scary scenes during the fourth novel aside from the Cedric Diggory murder are when, a professor, Mad-Eye Moody, is shown torturing screaming spiders and when Harry is seen battling, and almost dying by the hands of, a huge fire-breathing dragon. Critics argue that these topics of frightening nature may not be suitable for children. There are many reasons why critics want to ban Harry Potter from public libraries and schools. The three primary reasons are because the novels conflict with traditional Christian belief, Harry and his friends are not good role models for young kids to learn from, and the subject matter may be too frightening for children. Christian extremists say that the witchcraft

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that the novels heavily rely on is against Gods words, and the novels defy the laws of the Bible. The critics who believe that the characters are terrible role models for children believe so because the characters are frequently seen defying school rules, stealing, and lying. Furthermore, not only are these characters committing these atrocities, the novel seems to glorify these actions. People who think that the subject matter is frightening to children believe this because of the murder that is shown throughout the novels and also because of the many magical yet scary creatures that play a role in the series. At the end of the day, these opinions are just that: opinions. Supporters and critics are neither right nor wrong, and as long as books are around being written, lovers and hater will always exist. In my personal opinion, I do not believe that Harry Potter should be banned at all. Admittedly, my opinion is biased because I grew up with these novels and I was, and still am, quite the fan boy. Books should not be banned because they defy the Bible as not everyone believes the same beliefs as these Christians. Although the characters in these novels are frequently seen lying, cheating, and stealing, most of the time, it is for the better good of the wizarding world. The moral aspects of Harry Potter are in good taste and at the end of the day teach children important lessons about loyalty and doing things for the benefit of others. The subject matter of these

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novels may be somewhat frightening, but in my opinion, children should not be shielded from these terrors. As a child, I certainly was not afraid of the things happening in Harry Potter but rather found it exciting. I personally do not think that any book should be banned for any reason, Harry Potter included. Banning this book would prevent children from reading an amazing book that has obviously touched the lives of many children around the world.