This week: Values Learnt from Harry Potter Edited by: THANKFUL SONALI Library Class!  
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I conduct Harry Potter quizzes and events. So, I'm often asked, "Why Harry Potter?" The answer is, of course, that the popularity of Harry Potter means that I'll have a sizable audience!!  But it goes deeper than that, you know! I like Harry Potter, and would like to promote it among the youth because JK Rowling is all for values like courage, honesty, trust and friendship, through her books. |
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Dear Reader,
If you're a Harry Potter fan, you'll probably have analysed a lot of this already. If you're not, I hope this edition of the Newsletter gives you a teeny insight into why some of us are HP fan(atic)s!
Basically, the books, at the end of the day, are of the epic fight between good and evil. They contain the values of loyalty, courage, friendship, trust, true love ... all good things.
There are some passages which are really beautiful and insightful. Rowling was financially at a low when she started on the series - a single mother who wished her child wouldn't grow so fast because she couldn't afford shoes. She couldn't afford heating at home, and would take the child out in a pram and rush into the nearest cafe to write when the child fell asleep - it was too cold to write at home. She also lost her forty-five year old mother, without ever having told her about Harry Potter - she had wanted it to be a surprise when the first book got published, but her mother passed away before that happened. This background of struggle and loss leads to some really great passages in the books.
Here are some of my personal favourite lines and passages (just a sampling, there are too many favourite lines to list them all!):
1. "He must've known you'd always want to come back." (From: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.)
Harry's best friend, Ron, has walked out on the secret mission that he, Harry and Hermione are on. Through a gift willed to him by Dumbledore, the late principal, Ron manages to find his way back to the other two, weeks later. He says that Dumbledore must've known he'd walk out on the mission, which is why he willed him the object that helped Ron return. This is Harry's answer -- not that Dumbledore knew Ron would walk out, but that Dumbledore knew Ron would want to return. A very positive value -- stick with your friends, make up for your mistakes, recognise someone for their good qualities, not their faults.
2. "What do I care how 'e looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave!" (From: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.)
A handsome man (one of the Weasleys) falls in love with a stunningly beautiful woman who has several men adoring her. While fighting to guard the students from the villains, the fellow gets horribly injured on the face and loses his looks. Everyone assumes the girl will walk out on him, but this is what she says. She stands by him through danger and turmoil, even participating in an extremely risky rescue operation when Harry has to be safely moved from one location to another, during which she witnesses a friend's death up close. I love the way Rowling phrases this -- 'good looking enough for both of us' -- he doesn't need to be good-looking to match her, she has the looks, she'll share them with him, she values him for other reasons.
3. And one of my all-time favourite passages, very simply written, follows. It is a speech given by the Principal a week after a student has been killed by Voldemort (the main villain.) (Speech edited to leave out references non-HP fans wouldn't catch.)
From - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
"There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight. But I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here with us. Cedric was a person who exemplified many great qualities. He was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play. His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not. It is my belief - and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken - that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you have already suffered directly at the hands of Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn assunder. A week ago, a student was taken from our midst.
"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right, and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good and kind and brave, because he strayed across the path of Voldemort. Remember Cedric."
Rowling's characters are real people making real choices. Yes, they're witches and wizards, but the emotions they go through are very human. I have had several discussions with my own friends and online friends, about which character we feel made the right choices, which character we feel could've behaved differently, and so on. Dumbledore (the principal) is always emphasizing that the power of choice lies with the individual, whatever be the abilities s/he possesses, whatever be her/his circumstances. The speech I've quoted reminds youngsters to think about the consequences of the choices that they make.
Thanks for reading!
Sonali |
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Thanks, everyone who responded to "Spiritual Newsletter (April 9, 2014)" ! I appreciate your taking the time to write in!
I see this differently, the child you mentioned with the broken pencil-sharpener is practicing his manipulative skills. What he's really telling his Dad is that he broke the sharpener and he wants someone to get him a NEW one. Duct tape is good for fixing things but it's also a great way to keep children quiet.  ... billwilcox
Funny you should have this NL. In my MS the family deals with hoarding. My main character goes through almost a chapter with his siblings and nephew talking and showing what they do and react to, is nothing more than how they were brought up. I've had great response to it as my beta readers said it opened their eyes to things they do. I had fun writing it as I have watched hoarders on TV. I have to admit (*raising hand*) I tend to "nest" as I call it. I'm not a hoarder, I just have things in boxes I can't throw away. ... Quick-Quill 
This piece about your friend's son reminds me that we really don't know how out of control our lives can get until they really are out of control, and not by the little things. I'm still trying to get back in control of mine after months of negotiation from a divorce and now I'm dealing with a well meaning but controlling mother. I pray for the "little out of control" things now.  But as I was telling my nephew the other day, who is also going through some major issues, God has a plan for us in all of this. We may not see it now because we cannot see the big picture. But we'll see it eventually. Elfin Dragon ... Elfin Dragon-finally published 
Hi, Sonali. Now I understand why your participation has increased, or at least that's my take on it. I wondered what brought you out of your shell. Your concerns are valid. My grandson's latest phrase is "yourself," as in "I can do it all by myself. He loves cleaning with a squirt bottle of water and a paper towel. The scary part is him climbing thirteen concrete stairs with wide gaps in between.
I could go on forever about raising children, but giving them confidence is a gift. That's not to say I'm going against the awesome three who influenced your life. They gave the gift of love. ... Nixie🦊 
This is the first time I've read this newsletter, although I did search out the Feb 12th one to understand what the crystal pen discussion was about. I'm a bit confused about the relationship between the topics of the two newsletter editions and the newsletter name "Spiritual." It seems to me that the two topics (an unwanted gift and the way parents influence their children) are more in the psychology category. ... RedButterfly  [Thanks for your response! Well, I see 'spirituality' in a broad way when I do my newsletters -- for me, it's about how we live, how we interact with others, and the choices we make. All that contributes to our spiritual well being, or lack thereof! Thanks again. - Sonali] |
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Spiritual: May 07, 2014 Issue [#6301]
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