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What do you guys think about using spoiler tags for more further discussion of things coming up? Or should we keep it purely to what is happening now in the story?
I think both are okay. The guidelines states don’t jump too far ahead unless it’s relevent and for the moment, discussing morality of DD, it is. But I think spoiler policy is best unless it suddenly becomes not but a black wall of text. For the *most* part we should stick to the chapter at hand, and what comes before. I’ll take my fair share of blame; goodness knows it’s hard.
Here in the U.S. it wasn’t legal for a white person and an AA person to get married until what, 60 some odd years ago? So I guess the question is why the Dursleys, particularly Petunia, have such a distaste for Henry’s parents?
Yeah. It’s also hard for me to comment here because as an American I’m not really sure of the culture mores of England/Britain. The only thing I’ve gathered is from watching an unholy amount of Brit TV and from THAT I think I can say that at least in the presentation of British folk in their own media, they seem to be a bit more open to things that here in America. For example, it would be quite odd to have a sitcom or drama** in which you have interracial couple without the show being exclusively about their race in America. But it seems to be far more common in British media without it being a commentary on race or any other sort of “othering.”
** I should clarify that this assessment is a little unfair to cable and Netflix original series which are leaps and bounds ahead of broadcast where “rules” are still followed, by and large.
[adrotate group="5"]"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Petunia…Petunia I loathe. She knows what her sister is, she knows how her sister died (the letter Dumbledore left back in Chapter 1) and yet she keeps her sister’s son in a closet.
I totallly agree with this. In the first chapter, it’s Petunia that Vernon doesn’t want to upset with whispers of “the Potters” going around. He doesn’t want to alert her to anything. This is her actual flesh and blood she’s abusing. I can’t imagine the level of blind hatred she must have toward her sister and it always made me wonder what happened to their parents. I don’t think it was ever mentioned really, or I’m forgetting things.
I always wondered if the people Harry randomly met on the street weren’t so random after all. Flashing forward for a second, we know the Order were tasked with things in the past and future, so what I could imagine that they periodically checked that up on him and some just couldn’t help themselves by coming up to him. They could be ordered not to interfere by Dumbledore but assure he’s well to a certain degree. To once again talk about the future, we know that Mrs. Figg will come back into play, but are there others, too.
Rereading this book, it breaks my heart even more to see about Harry knowing nothing about his parents. My parents are gone, but I have pictures, memories, and I can reminisce with my sister about them. Harry knows nothing and yet he knows his Aunt could provide the information he seeks but refuses to do so. That is another sin to pile onto the many of Petunia Dursley.
For those who track social media, JKR has become quite the outspoken advocate for LBGTQ rights and I think a lot of her social justice views can be found in her work
To add to that, she’s also said that she wrote the treatment of lycanthropy as a parallel to the AIDS epidemic. There are so many issues that can be drawn from this story and that’s why the series will stand the test of time, despite what naysayers believe. Whether it’s learning about the rise of fascism or Nazism, or the the Women’s rights, discrimination, stories like this are needed to make it relevant and accessible on many levels. It’s like how we talk about “rape culture” and the need for media to start portraying positive images and break out of the mold. There is a saying in teaching that goes “We parent as we have been parented, we teach as we have been taught.” It means unless something changes, we’re going to keep going with the status quo. We need stories like Harry Potter to show how ridiculous prejudices are and just how much the media influences our beliefs and views.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
To add to that, she’s also said that she wrote the treatment of lycanthropy as a parallel to the AIDS epidemic
I didn’t know that. Or if I did, it has been forgotten.
There is a saying in teaching that goes “We parent as we have been parented, we teach as we have been taught.” It means unless something changes, we’re going to keep going with the status quo. We need stories like Harry Potter to show how ridiculous prejudices are and just how much the media influences our beliefs and views.
Quoting this just because it deserves to be quoted.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Exactly Jo! The example I used was just one real life example but there are many. As RG pointed out, homosexuality, now racism, religion could be one, gender, class, and so on. There are countless NON-magical examples that could be drawn upon to shed light on prejudice, and to connect to future generations of readers. I’m sure we all felt alone at some point in our adolescence, so it doesn’t have to be so deep of a conversation, but there are loads of ways for everyone to connect to that feeling and feel sorry for poor Harry.
Keeper of the Cheshire Cat’s smile, Baelfire’s sword, Snow’s backpack, Robin Hood’s bow, Ariel’s purse, Ariel’s smile, Henry’s heart, Belle’s shoe collection
What do you guys think about using spoiler tags for more further discussion of things coming up? Or should we keep it purely to what is happening now in the story?
I think both are okay. The guidelines states don’t jump too far ahead unless it’s relevent and for the moment, discussing morality of DD, it is. But I think spoiler policy is best unless it suddenly becomes not but a black wall of text. For the *most* part we should stick to the chapter at hand, and what comes before. I’ll take my fair share of blame; goodness knows it’s hard.
Got it, that makes perfect sense. I couldn’t remember how far ahead or how much we could reference but I think within reason is good. Could you tell that to miss jumps ahead all the time, aka Josephine, aka future-mrs-percy-weasley
Keeper of the Cheshire Cat’s smile, Baelfire’s sword, Snow’s backpack, Robin Hood’s bow, Ariel’s purse, Ariel’s smile, Henry’s heart, Belle’s shoe collection
Exactly Jo! The example I used was just one real life example but there are many. As RG pointed out, homosexuality, now racism, religion could be one, gender, class, and so on.
There is probably a very large conversation to be had at some point during this Re-Read project about the extent to which JKR intended her HP saga to be an allegory. Because there is so much to pull out from HP on what JKR is “trying to say”–like you said, Macy, from gender, class, religion, sexual orientation and so on and so forth–that you do wonder if JKR just put the ideas in the books and then lets her readers take their own spin on her work, organically and based on their own criteria of what is important. In other words JKR never intended us to read the story of HP as a allegory on racism but we do so because of racial tensions in the past and present. As one of all my other favorite authors likes to say BBTTR–books belong to their readers. OR is there is a moral or political reading that JKR was trying to get at but kept it carefully couched and hidden.
In short : is the author dead or not? (yeah, that’s right. I just dropped some Derrida and Barthes on y’all)
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"I’m thinking of joining you guys, though there is a point I’d like to make. If we were to stick to the schedule of only one chapter per week, it would roughly take 4 years to get through all 7 books. I figured I should mention that, in case we want to reconsider the scheduling. 4 years is almost as long as this forum’s existed, so it would be a big commitment in its own right. Especially when OUAT may not even last 4 more Seasons, and could end sooner rather than later. So I suggest maybe we could change it to 2 chapters a week (2 years) or 3 chapters a week ( a little over a year). That is if everyone else would be ok with it.
I’m thinking of joining you guys
YES PLEASE DO! (if you want to do an analysis shoot me a message and I’ll figure out where)
though there is a point I’d like to make. If we were to stick to the schedule of only one chapter per week, it would roughly take 4 years to get through all 7 books
Lol yeah I thought about that and have been meaning to talk to Jo and Macy…we’ll, uh, work on that.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"I think biweekly would be more feasible, too. 😉 So it’s okay with me.
Got it, that makes perfect sense. I couldn’t remember how far ahead or how much we could reference but I think within reason is good. Could you tell that to miss jumps ahead all the time, aka Josephine, aka future-mrs-percy-weasley
*hangs head in shame* I shall remember my spoiler tags. 😉
In short : is the author dead or not? (yeah, that’s right. I just dropped some Derrida and Barthes on y’all)
This is actually pretty relevant with some information. With JKR saying she thought it was a mistake looking back putting Ron and Hermione together and that they would have problems in their marriage, should we take her word for it, or dismiss it completely. The books are done, they have children and to me, she’s letting the actors and movies interfere with what she actually wrote. So how do we reconcile her change of heart? Me, I ignore it and think she needs to reread her own work.
Look! Spoiler tags used 😛
Back to the present day of the story, it’s just heartbreaking how strong Petunia’s prejudices are. Yes, we get more of Vernon’s viewpoint on it more than her, but Petunia is quietly in the background, the linchpin in this absurd family. It’s her family, her blood, she prejudices, too. It’s just unfathomable.
And yes, I like Percy. So what. *blows raspberries at Macy*
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
Back to the present day of the story, it’s just heartbreaking how strong Petunia’s prejudices are. Yes, we get more of Vernon’s viewpoint on it more than her, but Petunia is quietly in the background, the linchpin in this absurd family. It’s her family, her blood, she prejudices, too. It’s just unfathomable.
Vernon is the guy you hate on sight and from the very first. He’s loud, gruff, in your face and wears his prejudices on his sleeve. But it’s Petunia who is the one who is quietly…evil (ugh, not sure I want to use that word but going for it). Vernon is very verbally abusive and “man of the house” but Petunia has the quiet rage and anger and utter resentment toward Harry that I think cuts deeper. He is literally her blood and her rule is not to ask questions, to humiliate him, to lock him in a dank cupboard with spiders, to sneer at him, to be quietly hateful of his very existence.
It’s like what if Harry died. Just picture that for a second. Vernon would be glad that his life went back to normal and there was no longer any fear about anyone finding out about Harry’s “otherness.” But I don’t know that Vernon would delight in Harry’s death. But Petunia would be glad for all of that as well, but I can’t help but wonder if she’d be glad that he was just dead. The final reminder of her sister finally gone.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"
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