Web-quest task on the Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows as a classroom activity

Hello Readers,

       This blog is a part of my classroom activity as a web-quest on the 'Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows'. Click here to view whole web-quest activity. 

Here is my web-quest worksheet

                         

      
       Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the life of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story concerns Harry's struggle against Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who intends to become immortal, overthrow the wizard governing body known as the Ministry of Magic, and subjugate all wizards and muggles, a reference term that means non-magical people. 

Here is my views on five topics which is the part of web quest activity.

1) Confronting reality by reading fantasy: How does reading Harry Potter make us confront the reality of our everyday existence? 

       Fantasy stories hold a mirror up to our own reality, making obvious changes that cause us to question aspects of our lives. In this fantasy work, we can see that reality of class/ race (master and slave) conflicts which is prominent even in contemporary time. Through fantasy, the reality of differences based on the race, class, blood are presented through the different characters of pure, mud and half blood people. Fantasy contains many issues from reality as fantasy literature is, often consciously, affected by the contemporary reality of its author that is tragic reality of racism. The problem of race discrimination becomes all encompassing and essentially add to (and in some situations creates) class struggles as well as other social problems. Though Rowling may not have had Fields’ ideas in mind when she was writing the Harry Potter books, many of Fields’ ideas about how racism exists as an ideology are relevant to the wizarding world, and much of her discussion of racism in American history runs parallel to issues of racism in wizardry history; more so than any other theme, the theme of keeping “pureblood” wizards in a place of power is central to the plot of the Harry Potter series. Race divisions there are in the Harry Potter series.

1) Muggles (non-magical persons)

2) Muggle-borns (witches/wizards with magical abilities but non- magical parents)

3) half-bloods (witches/wizards who are not pure-blooded, but also not Muggle-born)

4) purebloods (those with complete magical ancestry)

5) Squibs (a non-magical child with magical parents)

        Harry treats the house elf Dobby “as an equal”, when no other wizard does, which we can relate to people treating each other with respect regardless of ethnicity.Harry frees Dobby from the slavery and make him a friend before that Dobby serves his master and follow all the orders which represents master slave relations. At the end, Dobby dies not as a slave but as a friend of Harry.

                  

Various themes like love, death, choice, abilities, chance etc that quite relates us to the real human life, Rowling herself breaks the idea that things happen because magic but really it done by humans as mother's love was often protecting Harry as armour but its Severus Snape who has done all things to protect Harry because he sees the Lily Potter in the eyes of Harry and Said 'You have your mothers eyes'

  

2) Discourse on the purity of Blood and Harry Potter: How do the novels play with the thesis of pure blood (Master Race) giving an anti-thesis by belonging protagonists to half-blood / Mud-blood? What sort of synthesis is sought in this discourse in Harry Potter series?

           In the ministry of magic, Students are from different countries like India, China etc and two Indian girls are portrayed as stereotypical Indian women through costumes and find partner to dance while Hermione shown more rational girl which is stereotype of represent  people by their race and nationalities. Rowling's portrayal of the wizarding Americas, backing a black Hermione Granger, and using marginalized communities in the wizarding world as allegories for real world communities. Harry and Hermione as a whites became protagonist and portrayed as intelligent and brave persons rather than any other brown (Padma and Parvati) or black students. Class according to the blood that is of pure , half or mud blood which creates aspects of superior or inferior race in the society. Inferior race (mud blood) is suffered a lot because of the power of master race (pure blood) as Draco time and again insults and abuses the Harry and his friends who are half and mud blood but in Ron's character who is a pure blood, we can't find any aspects of superiority as he has friendship with half blood and mud blood. As Snatchers are catching mud bloods even Hermione and submit them to Dark Lord. You are either Muggle, Squib, Mudblood/Muggleborn, Half-blood, or Pure-blood. The strict boundaries of each category refuses social mobility, and condemns those of “impure” blood. By making Harry and Hermione protagonists who are of Half blood and mud blood, Rowling subverting the differences of blood or race. It should not be race or caste but abilities and merit through which persons should be judged as here Rowling has shown that race or blood has nothing to do with the intellect and abilities of a person by the character of the Harry and Hermione. As in real world, that should be happen but at some point caste and race is still prevalent in the society through which humans are judge by. Discrimination of race and caste is there because of which still people who are of lower race or caste still abused and insulted by the harsh dialogues and behaviors of the people from the superior race.

3) The theme of Choice and Chance: How does Harry Potter discusses the antithetical concepts of ‘choice’ and ‘chance’?

Choices are most important part as no one is whole good or evil but both things are merged in us but it’s upon our choice that which part we are choosing as Harry choose good part even some evil part is there in him. At last Draco also make choice to support good which make him good at the end. All characters have capabilities and choices to do the things but choices are more important than abilities as Voldemort and Harry share almost same abilities but it’s choice that make Harry good and Voldemort evil. Importance of one’s choices and the inevitability of one’s mortality,It is a person’s choices and actions that are the defining elements of his moral character. It is not our ancestry, social roles, or wealth that makes us who we are. The choices made in the novels are not all for the good. Peter Pettigrew makes the choice to betray his friends and thus forever casts his lot with the forces of evil. Malfoy chooses to accept Voldemort’s assignment and becomes a Death Eater himself. Tom already chooses at a young age to cause pain to others. Choices tell us so much about character because they depend in large part on character. Parallel of  Tom and Harry is highlight the priority of choices over abilities, circumstances and environment. Harry and Voldemort make very different choices about how to make use of their abilities, how to deal with the challenges of their upbringings, and ultimately about what kind of life to live.

4) The discourse of Power and Politics in Harry Potter: How does Ministry of Magic control the resistance? How do they prosecute the ‘Other’?

         For Foucault, power and knowledge are not seen as independent entities but are inextricably related knowledge is always an exercise of power and power always a function of knowledge. Perhaps his most famous example of a practice of power/knowledge is that of the confession, as outlined in History of Sexuality. Once solely a practice of the Christian Church, Foucault argues that it became diffused into secular culture (and especially psychology) in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Through the confession (a form of power) people were incited to “tell the truth” (produce knowledge) about their sexual desires, emotions, and dispositions. Through these confessions, the idea of a sexual identity at the core of the self came into existence (again, a form of knowledge), an identity that had to be monitored, cultivated, and often controlled (again, back to power). It is important to note that Foucault understood power/knowledge as productive as well as constraining. Power/knowledge not only limits what we can do, but also opens up new ways of acting and thinking about ourselves. 

     

       According to Foucault Knowledge is created by those who are in power position about Other. Those who are not in the power are seen by other powerful people. Wizards have power on muggle people  who don’t no magic. Wizards tortured and murdered the muggles which is documented in newspaper. Power of Media at some point plays important role where wrong news about Harry and Dumbledore are  printed  by Rita Skeeter.

        In Harry Potter Series, there are two levels of Power structures are there 1) in the ministry of magic from where orders/rules came to Hogwarts (School), Hogwarts have to follow that rules which somehow disturbed right learning process of the students, Dumbledore try to keep away the school from ministry of magic but as power works. it can't happen. Similarly in real word where some better things happen in the education the educational laws are not supporting that properly which stop the real education of the students. 2) In Hogwarts, headmaster and staff of the teachers are in the power position and students are under the control of the authorities. They are punished if they used magic in real world with muggles which an example of power politics in Hogwarts. Specially Dolores Umbridge exercises her power by creating and enforcing new school rules in education by making it only theoretical rather than practical one but though students has decide to do practice of the magic in the secret room, so that in the time of the crises they can fight with evil don't need to depend on anyone.

         

      The Death Eaters, who take a sadistic approach in their treatment of Muggles, are discernible as figures of power. The danger of this combination power and violence is reminiscent of past dictatorial regimes, such as that of Adolf Hitler. Another instance of Hitler déjà vu arises with the increasing emphasis on blood purity in the later books of the Harry Potter series. Voldemort’s racism is relative to his desire for power. Voldemort and his Death Eaters’ ascension toward ultimate power, although terrible, is also profoundly characteristic of a bourgeois society, exercising power and wealth over the proletariat. Harry Potter can teach students about politics, institutional behavior, globalization, and identity.

5)  What is your opinion on this:

        

        

         'Harry Potter' series are continue argument for hardship and end of the religious /racial discrimination by making the half blood and mud blood as protagonists over the  pure blood. That is the reason why some people (Christians) can't accept these series. Rowing thought that it's important message to the younger people that they should not believe what is said but cross checking is important. They should question authority against wrong doings as Harry do at Hogwarts. They also should not assume that establishments/ press tell absolute truth. Generally, what comes in front of us through press is not the truth but half-truth/ post truth as Harry doesn't believe anything that comes in newspaper about the Dumbledore but he said 'I trust the person whom I knew very well'. Through these series of Harry Potter, Rowling gives strong message of political awareness and responsibility of younger people in politics/democracy.

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Works Cited

Dave, Nimesh. "Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling." 22 March 2016. Blogger. 18 feb 2017 <http://nimeshdave22.blogspot.in/2016/03/harry-potter-by-jk-rowling.html>.

Foucault, Michel. Power knowledge. 19 feb 2018 <http://routledgesoc.com/category/profile-tags/powerknowledge>.

Walters, Tiffany. "NOT SO MAGICAL: ISSUES WITH RACISM, CLASSISM, AND IDEOLOGY IN HARRY POTTER." NOT SO MAGICAL: ISSUES WITH RACISM, CLASSISM, AND IDEOLOGY IN HARRY POTTER. May 2015.

Wikipedia. 18 February 2018 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter>.