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| Home Front: Culture Wars |
| Magical Prose |
| 2005-07-19 |
| Harry Potter offers a new wonderfully harrowing story with a moral dimension. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 Any kid that can read this to the end can read Penrod, Penrod and Sam or Ada. |
| Posted by: B Tarkington 2005-07-19 14:56 |
| #3 ??? Moose - that's totally off. His greatest power is in doing the right thing, for the right reasons, knowing there are severe costs (including possible death). Wonderful messages in the stories for kids (and adults): loyalty, overcoming (stronger) powers of evil by acting together...I could go on but won't - no spoilers, either, I'm on pg 298. J.K. Rowling has single-handedly led kids back to reading, and for that she deserves all the fortune she's made. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-07-19 11:33 |
| #2 It's been pointed out that Harry Potter's greatest power is the ability to get other people to protect him, defend him, and rescue him. Actually, that is a highly effective power, and just like with weapons, goes to the heart of things. That is, if you have a weapon that gives off an enormous report, along with much smoke and flame, it is *wasting energy*, that *could* perhaps be better used on its target. The same would apply with "sorcery": is it more important to make a show, or to get a result? The ultimate martial artist is one who has developed such skill at diplomacy that he never needs to fight anyone. The ultimate sorcerer is one who never needs to obviously use his sorcery. He just gets what he wants, when he wants it, how he wants it, and no one can stop him. Without supposedly raising a finger. Everybody just thinks he is "lucky". |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-07-19 10:57 |
| #1 "It was, [Harry] thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew--and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents--that there was all the difference in the world." |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2005-07-19 03:32 |