Harry Potter Essays (Examples)

Harry Potter, The Deathly Hallows and Christianity

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: A review

The New Testament is all about life, death, sacrifice, resurrection and battle between good and evil. These themes or conceptual constructs found in Bible are indicated in fictional literature too as they are the common traits of the heroic characters and villains found in the fictional universe.

Examining Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Life, death, sacrifice, endless battles between good and evil as well as resurrection are all discussed thoroughly in New Testament. The themes mentioned above are building blocks of many fictional novels as they are popularized themes crossing the time barrier. Many fictional novels have references to biblical events and analogies are found everywhere in the fictional universe. The battle between good and evil are ageless themes (Duffy, 2002). This is true for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows where analogies are…

Harry Potter and the John illiams Score

There are few franchises in current literature or cinema which have commanded the kind of commercial power and consistency as has Harry Potter. The J.K. Rowling book series about a boy wizard and his epic struggle against the evil Lord Voldemort would be adapted into eight serial films, each of them a major box office blockbuster. It is fully appropriate, therefore, that when directing the initial installment in the series, 2001's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Christopher Columbus would collaborate with the score composer famous for overseeing the musical direction of such powerhouse film franchises as Star ars, Indiana Jones and Superman. In the context of illiams' work alone is a blueprint for scoring classic popcorn cinema.

The reasons for his effectiveness in this capacity are on ready display in the Philosopher Stone. From the whimsical and swirling strings that sweep us…

The audience witnesses the leading actors negotiate the challenges presented to them in their fight against evil, and their performances reflect the emotions experienced by their characters perfectly. The pain of losing friends, family members, and loved ones is portrayed honestly and truthfully by the actors, allowing the audience to experience the pain that the characters are feeling. Due to the actors' superb acting skills, the audience is able to connect with the emotional peril that the characters experience and connect with them on many different levels.

The continuity in the setting and costuming of the characters contributes to the increased believability of the movie, as the audience has seen these characters wear cloaks and perform magic using their wands, but the continuity through the books and the movies allows the audience to be captivated while Harry flies across London on the back of a dragon. The perfect costumes, the…

Instead of the author's context it is the reader's context that is examined from the feminist perspective […]

It is not the intention of this paper to enter into an extensive discussion on the theoretical validity of these different viewpoints. Suffice to say that it is the less extreme and more open -- ended and integrative form of feminist critique that is considered to be the most appropriate theoretical trajectory to this analysis and which best informs a comprehensive reading of the works of J.K. Rowling. Taking this viewpoint into consideration, the following is a brief overview of the central theoretical facets of an interpretation of the women characters in the novels, leading to an assessment of their importance in the novels as a whole.

On the one hand we have the fairly common critique that, "Many people have complained that there is a serious lack of quality feminist role…

Harry Potter books, written by J.K. Rowling, are about a boy's coming of age. The young Harry Potter has to live in two worlds -- one the ordinary world of those without magical powers, and the other his newly discovered life as an emerging wizard of some importance. In the process, Rowling teaches important lessons about what is truly important in life. Rather than lecturing her young readers with didactic lessons, she presents opposites, often extreme, opposites. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a story about a young boy who learns that in a world of apparent opposites, the truth may lie somewhere in between.

Harry Potter is a boy who was orphaned when he was about one-year-old. While he has been told that his parents died in a car crash, this is only because the aunt and uncle raising him do not want him to enter the magical…

It is interesting to note how, in both Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and in Alice in Wonderland, there always is a strong connection with the real world. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, beyond the fantasy and supernatural events that abound throughout the book, the reader cannot help to see the usual social relations that are born in a secondary school or a high school, between the different students there. Despite the fact that they study at magic school, inherent issues, like dealing with the class bully or doing homework, are always present. Similarly, Alice is also an early teenager struggling with some of the problems of that age: growing too big, meeting new people and learning to deal with them, tackling new situations that arise in her life etc.

This is similar with many of the characters in both books. Although fantastic characters, they retain many…

Dumbledore tells Harry "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live" (Rowling 214).

The third lesson Harry learned was that some desires are personal. Not everyone is willing to share their deepest wants. This was evident when Harry asked Dumbledore what he saw in the mirror and Dumbledore gave an answer that Harry did not believe.

Next Harry learned that some desires are for personal gain, while some people desire to help others. Harry wanting his family and Ron being made head boy and Quidditch captain were obviously personal desires. However, when Harry wanted the Sorcerer's Stone, he wanted it not for himself, but for the good of everyone. Just like when Voldermort was driven away after attacking Harry as a baby, Harry wanted to drive him away again by obtaining the Stone before he would. Dumbledore revealed to Harry that "only one who wanted to…

What is ordered should be done and nothing less is accepted.

Slaves are not treated as human beings with equal rights. ather, they are considered by their masters as property which can be dispensed at any time. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, this is demonstrated by what Mr. Crouch said to Winky, "I have no use for a house-elf who disobeys me… I have no use for a servant who forgets what is due to her master, and her master's reputation." (owling 90). Mr. Crouch's words are laden with meaning as to how he sees his house-elf slave; the house-elf is nothing but a property that can be dispensed at any moment.

People who are enslaved are denied of the basic human rights to be compensated for the work that they do. Moreover, they are not entitled to the most basic benefits an employee receives such as…

When the school's annual alchemy fair was staged, Venus Oz was determined to win. "I just know that Perdita pull some dirty, underhanded scheme, and coast upon the reputation of her illustrious mother," mused Oz. The alchemy fairs were held in honor of the great wizardly traditions of the science of turning lead into gold. Students were given the task of safely turning one substance into another in a spectacular fashion. Past winners had been students who had turned Quidditch bats into dragons that could eat quaffles, bludgers, and snitches and then spit them out into many multiples of themselves. Others had turned hamsters into living representations of the former kings and queens of England and back again. Hours of work was necessary to ensure that the experiment could be performed successfully for the teachers, of course, but hours of work was not something at which Perdita excelled.

Venus lay…

For example, instead of a farm theme, there is a wizard or magic theme to the otherwise basic educational lessons.

Because this novel is already so widely read or watched by this student population, the students will already be familiar with the concepts and themes. This will limit any potential psychological impact on the students. Although there are various scenes of violence and death found throughout the book, these issues can be dealt with as part of the class reading process. Before a violent or potentially disturbing scene is read, it will be important for the instructor to prepare the students for this and discuss it both before and after it is read.

One project that may be fun for the students to do with the reading of this novel is to incorporate a Hogwarts theme into the classroom so that the students are taught like they are students at…

With this connotation, owling is showing how our lives and geniuses can take on new adventures after our deaths through texts.

Quote 2 Blake

"The community is not given; it is made by the abilities and activities of all its members -- by the incompetent Neville Longbottom as much as by heroic Harry. Harry Potter isn't just part of Hewison's museum culture; he is revolutionary, a symbolic figure of the past-in-future England which is in desperate need of such symbols," making Harry a transmedia character that will help bring English society into a more future and present oriented world (Blake 15-16). In his work, The Irresistible ise of Harry Potter, Andrew Blake discusses how modern transmedia characters can help give England the push it needs to move beyond its past and into a more technology driven and innovative future. Blake discusses the importance of having symbols in film and literature…

When gone about the wrong way, the whole thing backfires on those who were only trying to help.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire also details the struggles of the classes, which is a universal lesson for humanity. There are the pure-blooded families in the wizarding world, who, for the most part, see themselves as superior to all those whose blood has been tainted. Right out of World War II, some of these pure-blooded families have become obsessed with purity of blood, to the extent that they are willing to murder any and all who aren't pure, as they are. and, just as Hitler was far from the Arian ideal he professed, the leader of these maniacal pure-blooded wizards is a half-blood himself.

Of course there are the exceptions to the rule, in Harry's world, just as there are in society in the real world. One pure-blooded family, the…

But perhaps the most dramatic deviation between the fan fiction and the actual Potter books is the seriousness and lack of humor in the fan fiction. The Harry Potter novels were notable for their magic candy, broomsticks, spells and other forms of levity that lightened some of the serious issues pertaining to death, curses, prophesy, and an emerging adult awareness of the characters. Rowling often used a very ironic tone in the dialogue and in her authorial voice. This Potter fan fiction has a modernist, almost Hemingway-like style as it quickly moves from year to year in somber, spare sentences, talking about Harry's grief regarding his circumstances and the death which magic has caused. Harry is clearly finding himself as a person, and the focus of the fan fiction is more internal than external.

It is difficult to imagine Rowling's books having had such a hold upon the imagination of…

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (1997) by J.K. Rowling (New York: Scholastic Press, 1997)

What type of world does the author present to the child in this fantasy text?

In this fantasy text, the author presents a completely self-contained, magical world, with its own rules, hierarchies, atmosphere, heroes and villains, schools, shops, banks, restaurants, etc. Here, individuals with special magical powers outside the "muggle world" of Harry Potter's aunt, uncle, and cousin live, work, and go to school. This world exists not in place of, but separately from, the muggle world. Harry Potter and any of his friends with "muggle" parents or guardians must still live in the "muggle world" each summer when Hogwarts School is out, until they can return to Hogwarts the next fall. At Hogwarts, however, nearly everything is different than it is in the "muggle world." There are some standard similarities, however, such as classes,…

Harry Potter grows up amongst the 'average' human being and he is uncommon. This is stressed as is too the mediocrity and triteness of this human called the ' * ' world. Rowling devotes pages to this and to the contrast of Harry Potter and his relations as well as society that he lives in. Grossman, on the other hand, merely slips in a paragraph alluding to Quentin's 'shitty' existence aside from informing us that Quentin was part of the nerds. But then, so were others.' On page 5, Grossman tells us:

He followed James and Julia past bodegas, Laundromats, hipster boutiques, cell-phone stores limmed with neon-piping, past a bar where old people were already drinking t three forty-five in the afternoon… All of it just confirmed his belief that his real life, the life he should be living, had been mislaid through some clerical error by the cosmic bureaucracy.…

Goblet of Fire

International Relations in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Rowling's series of books concerning the boy wizard Harry Potter have garnered a lot of attention since the publication of the first volume over a decade ago. Much of it has been positive -- the books have been credited with encouraging children to read, and even with rekindling faith in juvenile fiction altogether. Critics applaud Rowling's storytelling abilities, and her business savvy (with the help of Hollywood and other marketers) has made her one of the wealthiest individuals in the world, all from a seemingly simple series of books. Not all of the attention given to the Harry Potter series has been positive, however. The portrayal of witchcraft has angered many people, especially conservative Christians, and there are many who believe the books are simply frivolous stories with little point and absolutely no literary value. Given the…

Fiction ~ Harry Potter

a) riefly outline where the person was born and raised and the nature of his childhood experience.

orn in Godric's Hollow, England to James and Lily Potter

Raised by Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia Dursley alongside cousin Dudley. Was treated badly during the first eleven years of his life, including being forced into slave labor and being the subject of constant neglect.

b) Explain the person's life before and after his "life altering event."

efore the life altering event, Harry was miserable. He was forced to live in a cupboard under the stairs, had no friends, and was not allowed any kind of warmth or happiness. After, he was invited into a world where he could be loved and appreciated for who he is. He goes from being minimized in importance to one of the most important people within his society.

c) riefly explain what the…

In both books, these individuals are disembodied. Sauron needs the ring that was found by the Hobbits to return to power, and readers find out in the sixth Harry Potter book that the evil Lord Voldemort has fragmented his soul into multiple pieces, all hidden. Once they are found and joined together, Voldemort will return with full power again.

In both books, the antagonists have symbols that can be seen in the sky. In Lord of the Rings the symbol is a great eye that can be seen from a tower and be transmitted into crystal balls that allow Sauron to observe what is going on in various parts of the world. In the Harry Potter books, the symbol is shot into the sky by Voldemort's followers, called "Death Eaters." However, ather than allowing Voldemort to observe others, it draws his followers together. The ring wraiths of Lord of the…

The ealities of the Supernatural:

Any person who picks up a Harry Potter novel will surely come to realize that J.K. owling must have spent a great amount of time conducting research into the occult and the supernatural in order to produce such powerful and influential literary characters and situations. Obviously, owling has borrowed heavily from much older sources concerning the supernatural, sorcery and witchcraft, some dating back to Medieval times. As one of the world's oldest religions, witchcraft is a pagan faith, non-Christian rather than anti-Christian, and is based upon the belief that nature and the universe can be controlled and manipulated via magic and the invocation of divine spirits. As a practice, witchcraft has existed for many centuries, and before the 12th century a.D., sorcery and magic were generally overlooked by the church, but by 1300 a.D., witchcraft became equated with sorcery, at least in the view of…

Harry Potter

Praying with Larry Podder

The case about the Christian game "Praying with Larry Podder" is interesting and there are two main concepts that are at play but they both deal with intellectual property rights. One issue is the likeness to Harry Potter and the other is the sharing of potentially copyrighted material through the peer network.

If it is true that the game is about Larry Bakker's life and not Harry Potter's, what will you need to prove to defend against this lawsuit?

If the game is "really" about Larry Bakker's life then it should be too difficult to mount an adequate defense. Obviously a personal account of one's own life is a subjective account. However, there are ways that one can put together some evidence to verify personal stories. Pictures and testimonies from friends, family, acquaintances or neighbors could all be used to produce some factual evidence…

Neither of the above rites of passages, though both are important and definitely bound by rules of magic, are especially ritualistic in a participatory sense. In this regard, the many layers of security that Harry and his friends must get through in order to arrive at the Sorcerer's Stone is the most clear example in the book. Each trial on the way to the room that contains the Stone tests some of the skills and knowledge that Harry, Ron, and Hermione have begun to acquire on their journey through adolescence and to adulthood, making the journey past each obstacle a very literal interpretation of a rite of passage. Each of these obstacles ends up requiring some literal form of the world's magic, usually in the form of a spell, in order to be overcome, tying magic to the rites of passage in a manner that is at once quite explicit…

Irresistible Rise of Harry Potter and the irresistible rise of capitalism

Harry Potter is not merely the title of a children's book series: he is a phenomenon. Although the Harry Potter books are quintessentially 'British' in their setting (a boarding school) and language, they have become internationally popular and turned many non-readers into readers. Harry embodies the ideal childhood hero -- on one hand, he is an orphan, despised and somewhat socially awkward. Yet he is also marked with a special status from birth as a wizard with magical powers. There is a universal appeal to Harry, which explains why he has spawned so many profitable spin-offs, including his own theme park and film series.

However, the reasons for this attraction may not only lie in Harry. The book's showcasing of various cultural attractions such as shopping, succeeding in athletic competition, and the picaresque attention to the details of the…

digital age include worlds that are highly imaginative (eg. Harry Potter films). Films are sometimes conceived in a literary form and then turned into a script and a film. Films since the 1920s and into the 21st century have used physical models and stage properties of some kind (eg. Metropolis, Blade Runner, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Harry Potter). In the digital age, visual effects are created by composite images and ongoing production techniques, practices and narratives. Discuss.

What this question primarily conveys is the feasibility associated with the growing trend of using digital techniques in filmmaking. The importance of digitalization, computer generated imagery and visual effects, has grown tremendously and that can be proven with the help of various relevant examples. In the essay, the technological value added by digitalization along with the advantages and disadvantages of digitalization have been discussed. Finally the future of digital filmmaking…

Counseling

Harry James Potter was born in 1980, the son of James and Lily Potter. Both of Harry's parents died when Harry was an infant. The murder of his parents literally left Harry Potter scarred for life: his lightening bolt-shaped scar is one of his most distinguishing physical features. The orphaned Harry was forced to live with a distant family relative. The relatives are Muggles, and culturally distinct from Harry, who is part wizard.

Harry Potter studies at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is aware that the Dark Lord Voldemort wants to kill him. However, Harry is about to face a serious crisis that will call into question his psychological resilience. The Ministry of Magic has undertaken a massive and coordinated attempt to undermine Harry's credibility. The Ministry's goal is sabotage of Harry's reputation, and his entire career as a wizard. Underlying the motivation of the Ministry…

Piaget

Harry James Potter was born in 1980, the son of James and Lily Potter. Both of Harry's parents died when Harry was an infant. The murder of his parents literally left Harry Potter scarred for life: his lightening bolt-shaped scar is one of his most distinguishing physical features. The orphaned Harry was forced to live with distant family relatives who are Muggles, and culturally distinct from Harry. Harry Potter studies at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry has developed a process of adaptation, by which he adjusts himself to assimilate to the social environment at Hogwarts.

One of Harry's main cognitive schemas is that he aware that the Dark Lord Voldemort wants to kill him. The schema related to his personal identity and abstract concepts like good and evil evolve, revealing the process of child development throughout Potter's early adolescence. He demonstrates a process of accommodation, by…

Eastern eligion, Eastern Mysticism, And Magic

Influence the Pop Culture in America

Eastern religion" - also alluded to in this paper as "Eastern Mysticism" and "mysticism" - and the occult, along with magic and its many off-shoots have had a considerable influence on American Pop Culture over the past few decades. Movies, books, music - all have been touched and enhanced by mysticism and its cousins. So, when referring to "Eastern religion," this paper is generally alluding to the ancient religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and other spiritual genres.

It is also important to be clear on what "occult" truly means; it is a word that comes from the Latin occultus, meaning, literally, "hidden" or "concealed" (Merriam-Webster defines occult as "to shut off from view or exposure"). "Occult" has been equated with Satan, witchcraft, vampires, and other unseemly topics related to death and blood-letting. For this paper's purpose, the occult will…

By being herself, she wins the two boys over. Harry begins to confide in her. When Harry plays the game as "Seeker," she recognizes when he falls under an evil spell, and she figures out how to counteract the bad magic so Harry can win and catch the Snitch. He couldn't have won without her. And it is Hermoine who discovers the nature of the "Sorcerer's Stone." She realizes that evil Voldamort is trying to get it for his own use. She cautions Harry to be careful, but at the same time she reassures him, "As long as Dumbledorf's around, you can't be touched, Harry." on tells her (following a spell she cast), "Hermoine, you're scary sometimes...brilliant...but scary." When all three land in a snake pit at one point, Hermoine tells them not to struggle as she has read about this and "Devil's Snag hates sunlight." Harry comments afterwards, "Lucky,…

Tales

Forces Beyond Their Control -- hat does not kill you, makes you stronger in the fairy tale as well as the real world

The idea that what does not kill or harm you makes you stronger is a popular cliche. However, in many fairy tales, this theme is underlined by the introduction of a protagonist whom is regarded as weak or strange by society, but whose personal gifts not only enable him to overcome this negative self and societal impression, but also ultimately help him or her to deploy what at first seemed to be a negative characteristic, in a positive fashion.

For instance, at the beginning of the first Harry Potter book, the young Harry Potter is a wizard whom is still unaware of his identity. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter is forced to live amongst Muggles, of whom he is the disfavored son,…

Hero with 1,000 Faces

The classic hero seems to teach us the value of humanity, while helping us strive for excellence by understanding the value of the experiences rendered through intuition, emotions, and often feelings that are special to the hero -- often rather than logical reasoning. The paradigm of heroism transcends genre, chronology and has become so common in the human collective consciousness that it is easily recognized and repeated (Campbell).

One very interesting aspect of the human experience is the manner in which certain themes appear again and again over time, in literature, religion, mythology, and culture -- regardless of the geographic location, the economic status, and the time period. Perhaps it is the innate human need to explain and explore the known and unknown, but to have disparate cultures in time and location find ways of explaining certain principles in such similar manner leads one to believe…

4)

Both the Lovely Bones and Belle Prater's Boy could be very effective in teaching a Social Sciences course on the loss of a family member, and the effect that this has both on the family and the larger community. The sense of identity for the adolescent characters in these books is an essential element and conflict in the story. Family, especially at this age and developmental stage, is essential to the concept of the self. These books both explore the ways in which identity can be disrupted by familial dysfunction, and suggest real ways in which to overcome such disruptions -- as well as the effects of failing to do so.

5)

One of the primary ways that Ruth White achieves a sense of verisimilitude in Belle Prater's Boy is through the use of dialect. There are many mundane events that take place that also lend the story a…

The challenges for the project managers relative to protecting the digital rights of the book are tough to counter, outside of creating a special ink that cannot be accurately photographed digitally or scanned. To attempt this strategy of creating ink that is not easily duplicable would have significantly increased the production costs, squeezing margins on the book as it moved through distribution channels. The risks of electronic duplication at this point can only be met with litigation against those distributors who violated the embargo, thereby making it possible for those fans wanting to gain notoriety by posting pages before the book was available to get the attention they want, even if it means ruining to books' value. In summary, the project managers did assess and respond to the risks they could foresee, and outside of significantly increasing the production cost, they did mitigate the larger risks of the books being…

Banning Books in Public Schools

The 1st Amendment to the constitution does guarantee freedom of speech and freedom of the press. However, when children are involved, freedoms often become blurry. In some cases, they are not freedoms at all, when parents or society believes they are protecting children. One example would be the case of banning books in public schools. However, banning books in public schools is unacceptable because it deprives everyone (not just children) of their rights, imposes and fosters normative values, and generally harms the author.

Book banning in public schools is unethical because it deprives every one of their right have the material. While the target audience may be children, there are many adults who read books that are aimed at youth. For example, Harry Potter has been read by old and young alike, and The Hunger Games has been a best seller for many months. Many…

A work of non-fiction does not have to be about a person, however. Non-fiction work can include theories of social studies, presented in interesting and new ways. Non-fiction is tremendously helpful in lesson planning because the prose elucidates issues in subjects like science and social studies.

Question 6: Although she is not remembered as a major figure in the Civil Rights Movement, Marian Anderson's life contributed to some of the reforms that African-American citizens demanded. Discuss how her voice "challenged" a nation.

Marian Anderson was an accomplished African-American singer. Anderson broke the color barrier in the arts, just as Jackie Robinson did in sports. Anderson's success challenged prevailing social norms, as she became a visible figure in America's most elite concert halls. Anderson began indirectly using her voice as a political tool, channeling her success into achieving broader civil rights goals.

Question 7: Describe how the city of Philadelphia, its…

Fan Fiction Annotated Bibliography

Baron, N. Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.

n our viritual community, people still need to have a way of communicating their words and messages. This is done through a keyboard -- texting, email, or online chat. Texting, or text messaging, is a modern colloquial term that refers to the exchange of information between mobile devices, made possible by transmitting messages through cellular networks. Typically, these types of messages are sent using a Short Message Service (SMS), but with the advances in cellular technology and memory, a new Multimedia Message Service (MMS) made it possible to send messages containing images, video, and sound. Email of course is simply messaging sent through an nternet account, and M the virtual equivalent of texting. more private even than voice (Crystal 2009).

Texting is a global phenomenon, and in some…

Fighting fair, Tom still shines despite his aggression, particularly in light of Alfred's cowardly stone throwing when Tom's back is turned.

Analysis

This first chapter in Tom's adventures is of cleverly constructed form; sharing all key elements needed to know in order to follow the story, identify with the protagonist, despise the multiple antagonists, and fondly recognize the doddering aunt as a 'straight man' to Tom's antics. The reader is immediately engaged in the story because Twain's style opens with dialog - known as a 'hook' in publishing parlance. The reader is instantly curious; why is this person named Tom being so vocally pursued? Who is doing the shouting? Why is this Tom character not responding?

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a snapshot of reality with which all readers can identify; it is not necessary to live in the backwaters of Mississippi to recognize sincere affection and security, sneaky…

Transmedia Property. Case study related a media property (e.g., comic, film, television, ). This analysis existing property development a transmedia plan property. Break movie's elements starting introduction, music, back ground, audience engage movie, flow movie All typed papers assignments double-spaced, 12- 11-point font -inch margins.

Summary of the property

The transmedia concept is not a novelty these days, as the concept was first patented at the beginning of the 1990s. According to researchers, "The term transmedia was coined in 1991 by then-USC professor Marsha Kinder, while the transmedia storytelling concept was developed by current USC Annenberg professor Henry Jenkins. He describes transmedia storytelling as "a process in which integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. Ideally, each medium makes its own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story." (Tenderich, 2013) More precisely, transmedia…

country has been experiencing a religious "war of words" for several decades now. Some Democrats were caught completely off guard by it when most of the swing voters voted for Bush instead of Kerry, giving Bush the Presidency. Surveys and polls done afterwards revealed that those voters, the ones who won the election for Bush, were opposed to the Iraq war, but saw Bush as representing the one thing that was more important to them than whether we were at war or not: moral values. Actually the movement to make the Presidential race a moral one has been going on for decades, galvanized by the shift in this country in the late sixties and early seventies regarding both sex and drug use. The Roe V. Wade decision by the Supreme Court became a rallying cry, and that issue has been important in every Presidential election since. This time, the issue…

Education - eading

Censored Books

The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey is a series of children's novels about two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, and the aptly named superhero they accidentally create by hypnotizing their principal, Mr. Krupp. These books are appropriate for child who are age 7 and up. The American Library Association has put the series at no. 8 on its list of most challenged books last year; the list includes books that received the most formal complaints filed with libraries or schools requesting that the books be removed because of inappropriateness. According to the ALA, the complaints filed against the Captain Underpants books cited the series' anti-family content, unsuitability for the age group, and violent content. Captain Underpants series has been banned in some schools for insensitivity and being unsuited to age group, as well as encouraging children to disobey authority (Beerman, 2006).…

And so America continues to search subconsciously for ways back, for snorkels to lower to those buried souls. Consider the resurgence of magical literature in America over the last decade and a half. Never since Tolkien has the fantasy genre -- the Twilight books and the wealth of vampire chronicles accompanying for example -- been so widely successful. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels are a recent manifestation of that search for snorkels. What could be more escapist than to imagine being a wizard estranged and insulated from his magical heritage and forced into the mundane -- muggle -- world? As Shoeless Joe was to Ray Kinsella, as writing was to W.P. Kinsella, so has Harry Potter been to a recent generation of Americans. Harry Potter is a mythological symbol of the type Campbell knows has been lost to the detriment of the people. He is the truth Americans wish they…

old in fourth grade. Her name is Cynthia. She is Caucasian-American. She is the daughter of a neighbor.

What kind of books do you like?

I like books that have dragons and magic. I love the Harry Potter books.

Would you say you like fantasy fiction?

I like things that are not real.

How many books do you read each month?

Maybe 2 or 3, more if it is for school.

Do you enjoy reading?

Sometimes if I get to choose the book. If I don't. No.

Why don't you like books that you don't get to choose?

Because they are sometimes hard to read and they sometimes have big words and I don't like the stuff in those books sometimes.

Can you give me an example?

Sure. There was this book about a girl from China and although it had a dragon in it, it was very sad in…

Children's Lit

Montano urges a rigorous critical examination of children's literature for racism, linguicism, sexism, and bias. The importance of critical examination is to empower teachers, students, and parents to recognize the root causes of bias, prejudice, and stereotype. The function is not simply to point out obvious instances of racism, linguicism, sexism, and other biases. Moreover, it is not enough to include literature written from multicultural perspectives in classroom syllabi. As Gonzalez & Montano (2008) point out, it is important to recognize bias in all its forms: "The mere inclusion of multicultural literature is not enough to disrupt privilege or injustice. Nor is it enough to ask teachers to deconstruct stereotypes in texts and images if teachers are unaware of the subtle biases that exist therein," (p. 77). Montano calls the process of analysis critical literacy.

The process by which critical literacy can be attained varies but Montano provides…

History of Coca-Cola Company (Coke)

We all know - at least if we are old enough to have heard the jingle - that Coke would like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. Except that this isn't quite true. What the Coca-Cola Company would most like to do is to teach the world to drink Coke - or one of its other wholly owned brands. The company has in fact proved to be remarkably hardy in the ever-more-globalizing economy. It's hard to travel anywhere in the world today and not see someone sipping a Diet Coke.

But this does not mean that the company's entrance into different national markets has been smooth - or that its continued competitiveness in various national markets will be assured. Each country presents a unique set of cultural and economic challenges. This paper examines the possible entrance of the Coca-Cola Company into Iran,…

mythology is important for both individualistic and collective reasons. On an individual level, mythology could teach moral or human truths, whereas on a collective level mythology could be used to keep people in touch with their origins. Mythological stories could then be used to teach children values such as hard work, diligence and obedience. Role models are created through mythological figures. Also, the mythology of different cultures can serve to teach the student about the values of that culture. This is particularly important in the world today, since advancing technology and phenomena such as globalization has brought foreign cultures much more frequently in touch with each other than was previously the case. It is therefore important to study mythology for the values that it can teach both children and adults, and also for understanding the heritage inherent in these stories.

Defining Mythology

Mythology derives from the complexity of the human…

Alice's Adventures Wonderland popular children's books time, ( sequel, Through Looking-Glass What Alice Found There 1871) print. It considered beginning fantasy genre children adolescents.

Lewis Caroll's 1865 novel "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is a timeless text, considering the way that many individuals throughout time have had the tendency to identify either themselves or some feelings they were experiencing with the book's protagonist. While it might seem that the story is about a girl coming across a series of silly episodes that are similar to most tales. In reality, upon further analysis someone might discover a multitude of instances involving satire and irony. The novel is also largely meant to relate to the experiences that a person goes through as he or she attempts to discover themselves.

Alice essentially goes through a process that makes it possible for her to mature and to gain a more complex understanding of the world.…

16).

In comparing a number of literary elements in one story, Smith and Wiese (2006) contend that at times, when attempting to transform an old story into a modern multicultural version, cultural meanings of the original story may be lost. In turn, the literature does not subject the reader to another culture. For instance, in the story about the fisherman, that Smith and Wiese access, the plot remains similar plot, however, significant changes transform the reported intent to make the story multicultural. Changes included the fisherman's daughter's stated name, being changed from one common to her culture to Maha. Instead of God, as written in the original version, the reference notes "Allah." Other changes Smith and Wiese point out include:

& #8230;The admonition to retrieve the fish or "be sorry" instead of the threatened curse, the reference to the golden shoe as a sandal instead of a clog;

the proposed…

We agree that people still purchase books.

The reason is that today the author gets paid upfront and if people do not read the book, the publisher has to bear the loss. Secondly publishers are able to 'sell the books' to the bookstores' based on 'consignment system', whereby the 'book store' is able to return the books which are unsold against a 'full refund'. (Grossman, 2009) Jeanie Comstock (2009) says that some of the changes that became mandatory include the quality, readability and accessibility of documents. The changes in publishing technology have also called for changes in the roles for technical workers, communicators and even writers. Thus the intervention and role of the technical communicator has changed so that the matter or book published to day is readable, articulate, and navigable both in the printed and in the electronic media. The composite problem is also to keep up the author…

The fandom of Harry Potter is maybe the most important due to its rapid growth over a short period of time and to the huge number of "followers" it gained even among adults.

One of the most relevant television series in support of the idea that on one hand, a TV show sets trends is "Sex and the City" Carrie Bradshaw sands for the intellectual modern women in the big cities all over the world. It is a reciprocal that operates here in the influencing and trend setting. The fandom is clearly impossible to be left out nowadays when it comes to considering the follow up of a television show and the show leaves an unmistakeable mark on its most devout audience on a bigger scale than ever. hen looking back at the origins of serial edited stories, based on the idea that serialization is the best way to manipulate…

Listening

We've all had encounters with people like Miranda Priestly in the workplace. Leaders like her certainly have strong visions and the self-confidence with which to execute their goals. Their position of power also enables them to break all the rules of good communication, such as those outlined in Adler & Proctor's (2011) text Looking Out, Looking In. Miranda Priestly does not always communicate ineffectively. At times the domineering facade falls away to reveal a more sensitive side as she confides in Andrea on a few occasions. In one scene towards the end of the film, Miranda speaks with an uncharacteristically soft tone of voice and does not interrupt as she usually does. However, Miranda hears -- she does not listen. She does not care about what Andrea or anyone else actually has to say because frankly, Miranda Priestly does not have to care. Her role as chief editor of…

As obesity became a hot top, outcry from parents, educators and government institutions began to criticize these arrangements. Coca-Cola has also been rebuked for its Harry Potter promotional advertising campaign, the costliest movie tie-in ever, that promotes children's literacy while simultaneously pushing Coke sales (aue, 2002).

In 2003, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said soft drinks sold by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo in India contained high levels of pesticides such as DDT and malathion (Coke, Pepsi India deny pesticides in soft drinks).

The independent environmental group said it had found no pesticides in tests of Coke and Pepsi soft drink brands sold in the United States and attributed India's high pesticide residues to the soft drink and bottled water industry's use of an enormous amount of ground water as the basic raw material. For their part, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo denied the reports and resisted efforts government efforts to display…

Teaching the fundamentals does not necessarily mean stripping the fun out of learning, however. In fact, the best educators know how to balance the wishes of students with core concepts. For example, teaching Homers Odyssey could include both a close reading of the primary text, an analysis of the text using literary criticism, plus an analysis of modern manifestations of the work, such as the Coen brothers' film O Brother here Art Thou. Developing a broad-based curriculum can extend fundamental knowledge about literature, making that knowledge applicable to a wide range of literary works. hen educators are able to incorporate popular culture into a traditional curriculum, their work becomes creative and powerful. Students who can apply themes and philosophies to works beyond that which they encounter in the classroom have really learned something. However, by simply mimicking popular culture, the educator deprives students of the ability to think critically. A…

eBook vs. traditional books

The rise of eBooks and the death of print

Despite the surprising success of a number of book 'franchises' such as the Harry Potter novels, The Hunger Games, and Fifty Shades of Grey, commentators continue to predict the looming death of printed books. Americans are buying fewer books, and even the major book chains like Barnes & Noble are struggling to stay relevant in an increasingly crowded, visually-driven media landscape. A number of small, independent bookstores as well as the major bookstore chain Borders have gone out of business. The Internet has superseded many of the traditional functions of print and reading online does not entail additional costs to readers. However, there is one subset of the book market which is growing -- the eBook. Soon, eBooks are likely to dominate the marketplace at the expense of most print books, and this revolution will fundamentally change…

James Bond: A transmedia character

"This was going to be bad news, dirty news, and he didn't want to hear it from one of the Section officers, or even from the Chief of Staff. This was to be murder. All right. Let M. bloody well say so."

For viewers accustomed to the James Bond of cinema, reading The Living Daylights by Ian Fleming may come as something of a surprise. In contrast to the flashy, urbane, womanizing Bond of film, Fleming's secret agent seems much more subdued. Bond is first shown at a firing range -- although Bond is a crack shot, his prowess with a pistol seems very tame compared with the fantastic gadgets he has been saddled with in various films. When he meets with M, there is no flirtatious banter with Miss Moneypenny. It is clear that this Bond is a Cold War spy, with a serious…

Pedagogic Model for Teaching of Technology to Special Education Students

Almost thirty years ago, the American federal government passed an act mandating the availability of a free and appropriate public education for all handicapped children. In 1990, this act was updated and reformed as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which itself was reformed in 1997. At each step, the goal was to make education more equitable and more accessible to those with special educational needs. During the last presidential term, the "No Child Left Behind" Act attempted to assure that individuals with disabilities were increasingly mainstreamed and assured of high educational results. All of these legislative mandates were aimed at insuring that children with disabilities were not defrauded of the public education which has become the birthright of all American children. The latest reforms to IDEA, for example, provided sweeping reforms which not only expanded the classification of special…

Industrial evolution rearranged the nature of business and society during the turn of the 20th century, the definition of success also changed. Today, the general conception of "success" has evolved to mean an income of millions of dollars as a result of a highly usable product that itself evolves with time. Some of the most common icons of success today live and work in the computer, electronic, and information industry. Examples of these include Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. Others have accomplished themselves in the entertainment industry and sports, gaining wild success in terms of fame and money. It is tempting to shape one's personal definition of success according to these accomplishments. What I have learned from watching the video, "Mindset the New Psychology of Success" and Holiday's "Why You Should Embrace Failure," it has occurred to me that "success" is not as simple as accomplishing great things or…

Warriors: Into the Wild is the first novel by Erin Hunter in the Warriors series. It is in the fantasy genre and is similar to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings or J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series in that it combines fictional elements with real world, believable characters. For instance, Warriors: Into the Wild centers on a group of wild cats and at the heart of the story is a house cat named Rusty, who makes the transition from domestic animal to feral creature of the forest. This paper will describe the events of the first novel of this series by Hunter and show how it fits into the overall fantasy genre.

The main character of Warriors: Into the Wild, is Rusty, a house cat with a strong heart and good leadership abilities that will propel him to the heart of the action in the novel. One day, Rusty is…

Scholastic: 1993

Curious young astronomers who ask, "what are stars made of?" And "Why do astronauts float in space?" will find answers here. A brief survey of the universe in a question and answers format.

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Paperback: 28 pages

ISBN: 0439465834

Tayleur, K. Excuses! Survive and Succeed by David Montimore Baxter. (Mankato, MN) Stone Arch Books: 2007

Young David Mortimore Baxter, who knows how to stay out of trouble, shares excuses for avoiding chores, bullies, homework, and vegetarian dinners. David experiences his fifteen minutes of fame and the impacts it has on his friends and family.

Reading level: 9-12

Paperback: 80 pages

ISBN: 1598892053

Williams, M. The Velveteen Rabbit. Square Fish: 2008.

By the time the velveteen rabbit is dirty, worn out, and about to be burned, he has almost given up hope of ever finding the magic of love. The original "Toy Story."

Reading level: Ages…

Already educated, she had the resources to -- and indeed did find - employment opportunities. Sociologically, she belonged in the lower middle classes. Both individuals had intelligence, courage and grits. But both also possessed existent privileges with which they could pull themselves up. Critics of the work-it-hard perspective omit these facts. Perhaps they do so because focusing on the ordeals of the working class would suck us in a web of responsibility.

The unfortunate fact is that individuals belonging to the working class castigate themselves unfairly for conditions that are beyond their control.

An example in Newman's book is illustrated by 'Jarvis' who, despite his experience, unable to find a job in a restaurant is still seeking employment. Yet 'Jarvis' still holds himself accountable for his lack of success "Some people are willing to try hard and therefore they can make it, regardless if the deck is stacked against them…

Many adult readers disagree with the portrayed unreality of Dahl's books because in life everything is not fair, and good does not always win. Even when the hero of the Witches is permanently turned into a mouse, the reader is assured by the main character that, "I honestly don't feel especially bad about it. I don't even feel angry. In fact, I feel rather good" This lack of remorse is typical of Dahl's stories.

Similarly, many do not like Dahl's concept that virtue and poverty go together, such as with Miss Honey, Matilda's adored teacher. Some find this objectionable because it is a view consistent with Marxist philosophy, not one that supports free market capitalism.

Further criticism arises from Dahl's portrayal of adults, which many believe has a negative impact on the young readers. Throughout his work, authoritarian adults are often the victims of horrible revenge. However, what some find…

Watch at least three different episodes of the same television program. Analyze what behaviors are repeatedly observed, what influence these behaviors may have on individuals who watch the program regularly, what stereotypes are reinforced by the program, and what long-term effects may result from the program. Also examine the advertising content with regard to the target market of the ads (gender, age, socioeconomic status (SES)). Be sure to include SCHOLALY* research to help make sense of your results (with proper citations).

History of the Simpsons

The Simpsons is a TV sitcom that is full of stereotypes and that has been used for entertainment for years. In fact, it is the longest running sitcom in American history (Susman, 2003). The show is ranked 17th of today's most popular shows and is ranked 25th of all time. The program features the typical American dysfunctional family exaggerated to a comedic extent. There is…

I think Dickinson's poem is a work that is quite special because of the way she has taken the topic of death and she has made death into human form that is not at all like we would imagine him to be.

It is the sensibility that poets and others writers have, how they come to universal issues and human topics, that make a piece of writing literature. Some may argue that literature is only the classics, however, even popular books (e.g., the Harry Potter series or Twilight series) can be categorized as literature if they fulfill the purpose of the journey. Literature is literature if it speaks to people in a universal way and a lot of popular works can do that.

Within literature there are definite styles and movements. Henry David Thoreau was a writer who focused on what it meant to be human by comparing the human…