Blog #3 - Conflict and Conflict Resolution

Harry's main conflict in this book seems to be feeling loved and accepted. 

Near the beginning of the story, Harry's conflict first arises during his time living with the Dursleys. 

The Dursleys treated Harry poorly, and were unhappy with him; he was given frequent punishments for things that weren't entirely his fault. 

When Harry left the Dursleys and moved to Hogwarts, his problem seemed to have dissolved. In this new world, Harry is recognized as a different identity, as if he morphed into a whole different person. (Harry is the sole person that Voldemort couldn't kill, and he is famous because of it)

Due to Harry's new identity, he really felt loved and accepted by everyone who's ever heard of him. Which is basically everyone at Hogwarts. Also, his story of fame led people to expect extraordinary things of him. 

For the first part of the semester, Harry meets most of these expectations and does great things, of course. However, near the end of the semester, Harry makes one huge mistake and his whole reputation plummets to rock bottom. He had been caught sneaking around the school at night, and was given a punishment so severe that it would not only scar his reputation, but also effect his schoolmates, causing them to grow hate for Harry.

Harry's old demon had came back to haunt him, and he didn't know what he could do to regain the love and trust of his schoolmates.

 Harry eventually solves a much bigger problem; stopping Voldemort from becoming stronger. 

By stopping evil, Harry regains his better reputation, and everyone loves and praises him again, truly recognizing him as the hero he was meant to be.

Harry both caused and solved his problems through his own actions. 

-Question: When everything goes wrong, how would you act?

 

Blog #2: Character Analysis - Harry Potter

From reading the book, it appears that Harry Potter lives in a situation similar to that of an orphan.

His parents were killed, he was taken in by caretakers that didn't want to actually take care of him, and he felt as if he was too different or didn't belong.

Harry was treated poorly by his foster parents, the Dursleys. They made him feel alienated, not being allowed to do the things other people (like their legitimate son) could do...Did I forget to mention that he sleeps in a closet under a staircase?

He could make magic happen whenever he was scared or angry, without even knowing it.

Harry had a low self-esteem, and the Dursleys constantly demanded things from him. He was like a servant to them. 

However, that all changes when he goes to Hogwarts. At Hogwarts, Harry Potter is introduced to new people that later become his friends. These friends would be his new family; and Hogwarts would be his new home.

In this new world, Harry's new life, he feels as if he actually has a place that he belongs, and is loved and cared for.

His new life was definitely made better than his old life; and it had occurred to him so suddenly too. As if he had no control whether all of this would happen or not.

-Question: Do you think it's a good or bad thing to be different from the norm? Please reason with your statement.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: 1/3 book summary/reflection

Pascual Ender

Character Conflict Reflection

Harry Potter is the only survivor in his family after a "car accident." Both his parents are dead. He is brought to his closest relatives, the Dursleys. They take care of Harry, but they treat him as if he didn't belong or was 'different' to them. It turns out that the Dursleys know what really happened to his parents, (they had nothing to do with it, by the way) and are holding the truth from him.

One day, Harry is visited by Hagrid, a person from a magical world. He informs Harry of the truth that had been held from him all his life: His parents were wizards, they were killed by an evil wizard, Harry is also a wizard... Confused, Harry doesn't know what to believe; but it seems that he trusts Hagrid because of all the good and interesting things that have happened since his arrival. 

It actually turns out that the Dursleys really hated magic. So it would appear that Harry is stuck between two conflicting forces: magic and non-magic. The Dursleys want to take care of Harry but rid the idea of magic from his head, since they do not believe in it, or think it's bad. On the contrary, Hagrid wants to take care of Harry, and show him the truth about his history.

Reflection Question:

The conflict between Hagrid and the Dursleys is quite profound, and so it led me to ask this question:

 Do you think it would be a good or bad thing to hold the truth from somebody? 

Let's say for example, somebody's memory is wiped blank. They had a 'dark' past in which they have no recollection of memories from. Imagine that you knew their whole story...

Would you tell it to them, thinking that it is right to know the truth?

 (Imagine you believe that if they did realize their history, they may be doomed to repeat it.)

...Or would you keep it from them, thinking that it's all for their own good?

Philosopher's Stone (Chapters 1-5)

Harry Potter and The Philospher's Stone - Chapter Summary (1-5)

This is a chapter summary, summarizing the main events that have occurred in the novel, 

chapters 1 through 5.

Harry Potter is the main character. His parents have been killed. He is only a baby at this point. Strange people from the magic world recover Harry from the wreckage and bring him to his closest relatives, to look after him. It turns out, these folk actually despise magic.

Harry's new family (Surname: Dursley), Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and their spoiled son, Dudley treat Harry as if he 'didn't belong' or was 'strange to them.' He sleeps in a closet under their staircase. Dudley and his friends constantly bully him. He seems to be the target of them all; blaming him for everything. At this point, Harry is almost 11 years old. 

One day, when Harry goes to fetch the Dursleys' mail, he finds a letter addressed to him. No one has ever written to him before. Before he gets a chance to read it, Uncle Vernon snatches it, keeping it secret from him. However, many more copies of this letter mysteriously keep showing up; and Uncle Vernon makes a huge effort to take them all away before Harry can read one. Eventually, the amount of letters being delivered becomes overwhelming, and in a fit of madness, Uncle Vernon gets the whole family to run away from their current address, hoping the letters will stop coming. 

On Harry's 11th birthday, he is visited once again by the strange magic people. A giant, (about twice the size of a normal person) Hagrid comes to Harry, wishing him a happy birthday. Hagrid notices the cruel treatment the Dursleys had been giving Harry his whole life. He tries to knock sense into them but it doesn't seem to work. Finally, Hagrid pulls out one of the copies of the letter and gives it to Harry. It's a letter from Hogwarts, informing him that he has a place in their school when it starts. Hagrid informs Harry that he's actually a wizard, and his dead parents were too. From Hagrid, Harry learns a bit about his past, future, and the magic world.

Hagrid takes Harry to go get school supplies for Hogwarts. After they get everything Harry needs, Hagrid says farewell to him and Harry goes back to the Dursleys. He is to continue living with those horrible people until it's time for him to depart to Hogwarts.