Blog Response #1

When I first started to read the novels, I'll admit, I really didn't have high expectations when I picked it off of the bookshelves in middle school . I was just looking for something to read. I needed something new to read. Something to occupy my time when I was at recess. I remember that when I first bought this book, I really didn't know what to make of it. Even the title itself leaved some sort of predictability to it. All I knew of it was that it was a fantasy novel, a genre that always peaked my interest. When I started to read it however, it was way more than I thought. I read the first two pages and it did make me want to keep reading. But then once I got past the first chapter, it fueled my fire. I kept reading. And I never wanted to stop. It was like addiction. And once I got to the end, I turned it back over, and I read it again. I was fully engulfed into the story. My mind would picture everything that was happening, like I was truly there with Harry, Ron and Hermione. And when the second book was released, it only made the experience more enjoyable. Years later, my bond with them has only grown stronger. For someone who is reading them for the first time as an adult, when their adventure has already begun, I think that the feelings I have for it after such a long time could still manifest themselves. But those feelings wouldn't be as great. Also, for someone whose interests are on the opposite side of the spectrum, I feel that even if they're not a fan of fantasy fiction, they would still enjoy it. There is so much more to the books than meets the eye. As I learned before.

Being so enveloped into the plot, I felt some sort of connection between me and the characters, especially Hermione. Yes, I know that it might be cliche to say that because all girls wanted to be like her. But I truly liked her characteristics. She was smart and reliable. She would never give up. Everything she did, I wanted to do. I wanted to be like her because she had everything I lacked. Sure I was smart, but everything else, i didn't possess. I also identified with Neville in the story, even though he hardly had a plot in the first two books. He was afraid to do anything, something I really did have in my real life. But he also had to gather up the courage to tell someone when they were doing something wrong. Something that they shouldn't be doing. And I've had to do that from time to time in my life. Something that possesses great difficulty. But when it has to be done, it makes the person stronger and more confident.

#1 Expectations for HP

I vaguely remember my first impressions when I began Harry Potter way back when it first came out. I didn't really know what to think at first of the whole idea. I mean a book about wizards and witches and some boy who lives, I mean how interesting can that be right? Well luckily after reading the first half of Sorcerer's Stone I knew I had to change my expectations to the positive side. I then had much greater and bigger expectations out of this series to come. I really expected Harry to be a great wizard, like everyone else. I had high expectations that he would get justice for whatever happened to his parents, and whatever that justice may be. I also had big expectations for the other characters as well. Hermione and Ron of course, I hoped Hermione would be smart because I kinda figured Harry and Ron wouldn't be that book smart. I really just wanted Ron to be Harry's friend from the beginning because I thought they both needed someone. I didn't have high expectations of Malfoy and his gang, well I did expect them to suck, but that doesn't count. Outside of the characters I really did have big expectations for the series. I was becoming interested and really wanted these books to come out quickly and be amazing.

Thanks.

Blog Response #1

Josh Hipp

Blog Post #1

Prompt 1

                We all know the feeling we get when reading something that interests us, that feeling of emersion into the text and the lives of the characters. I too have that feeling when reading Harry Potter. We start to find similarities between the characteristics of the characters and our own characteristics or those of people we know. It is that phenomenon that lets us jump into the mind of the author and truly see where they are coming from because surely they too have seen similarities between their characters and the people of their own lives, because they crafted the characters. This makes me read more fluidly through the HP books because I feel related to the characters by the traits I share with them. It makes me more intrigued to continue with the series not only because the story is interesting but because I want to know if their lives will continue to relate to my own, without the magic of course. I have identified with more than one character in the series but it has changed as I've grown older. At the beginning of the series when I was younger I would have said Hermione was the most like me because I was mainly book smart when in middle school when I first started reading. Now a day's though I think I am more like Harry or Ron because I went through many trials in my life but I've overcome them to become successful today. There is many ways to appreciate the text and someone who doesn't have such an outstanding imagination may interpret the story differently than myself. One may merely see the series as a rags to riches, peasant to hero story where Harry an orphaned child grows up to be the savior of humanity or in this case Hogwarts. It's all in the eye of the beholder of course.

Thanks.

#1 Expectations

    This is my first time ever reading and of the Harry Potter Books so I really didn't have very many expectations.  I had heard a little bit about the movies but I also haven't see any of the movies.  As I read through the first two books I started making guesses about what was going on in the book and as we learned more about the chamber of secrets that's where the book took a turn for the better in my opinion.  The books started to hint towards slyhterin having an heir at the school and I automatically without question looked to Darco Malfoy thinking he was without a doubt the heir.  I thought this because of his persona and especially after we met his father his entire family seemed evil and up to no good.  They especially had it out for Harry.  The turning point where I realized the heir probably wasn't Malfoy was when we found out that Harry was able to speak parsel toungue which means he can talk to snakes.  Harry thought this was completely normal but then was informed that slytherin was also able to speak parcel tongue.  My mind was blown thinking that Harry may be the heir of slytherin. 
   

#1. To Fulfill or not to Fulfill Your Expectations…That is the Question.

To Fulfill or not to Fulfill Your Expectations…That is the Question.

I think an author’s choice to raise an expectation and then fail to fulfill it is a very clever one.  It is especially important in mystery novels, like the Harry Potter series, to keep the audience’s attention.  This very act, creating expectations not fulfilling them, is the mystery itself, the angst.  It keeps the reader wondering, guessing and anxious to get to the next part of the book to find out what happens.

This is why reading the Harry Potter novels the first time, or any book the first time, to me is the best time.  Because after that I know what to expect, I know what is coming, the mystery is no longer a mystery to me.  I still am really enjoying reading these books for the second time and really dissecting certain things that make them great. 

For example, the first novel there are many things that seemed to have pointed to Professor Snape being the bad guy and the one after the stone.  He was mean to Harry, had the dark clothes and heir about him.  Prof. Snape’s mysterious ways led many to expect that Snape was the culprit.  That expectation was not fulfilled when Harry got down there to find Professor Quirrel standing in front of the mirror, trying to get the stone, with Voldemort infused to the back of his head.  And like the book said who would ever expect poor stuttering Professor Quirrel, another expectation not fulfilled.  In Chamber of Secrets I was a little more on guard of what I should and should not expect because of the twist of the first book.  I kind of expected that Draco was the heir of Slytherin, but then another part of me was thinking that is just too obvious.  Then we come to find that Harry is parseltongue and the only one that can hear the voice running around saying kill.  I kind of thought that he could be the heir of Slytherin, of course innocent and unknowingly, because he kept referring to the sorting hat wanting to place him in that house.  Then I found out that Jenny Weasley had the diary and that Voldemort, through a memory was back in the castle, and I never would have guessed that.  Those expectations that were not fulfilled made the novels amazing to me.  

Blog #1 The Guessing Game

Wolfgang’s argument that “expectations are scarcely ever fulfilled in truly literary texts” is definitely true for both of the first two Harry Potter books. While reading the first two books, my expectations of who was good and who was evil were constantly changing due to certain events that occurred. For example, in the Sorcerer’s Stone I believed Professor Snape to be the evil one behind all the mischief that was occurring at Hogwarts. His sneaky and mysterious actions made me think that he was the one planning to steal the sorcerer’s stone. Turns out my expectations were completely wrong. Professor Quirrell, the one I would never expect, happened to be the evil one behind it all. He was portrayed as innocent, clumsy, helpful, and so on which never lead me to believe he was the one planning on stealing the stone. He not only was attempting to steal the stone, but was also playing host to Voldemort. Professor Quirrell was “two faced” meaing Voldemort’s face was on the back of his own. The professor revealed this secret of his to Harry when they were both in the chamber that held the stone. I was never expecting Professor Quirrell to reveal something like that.

            My expectations for the second book, the Chamber of Secrets, were also far off from what I had anticipated. For almost the entire book I was lead to believe that Malfoy was the evil one behind the petrifying and had also been the one to open the chamber. Again, my expectations were wrong. I find out in the end that it was Ginny behind it. I would have never guessed sweet innocent Ginny to be the one to do such evil. However, we also find out another twist. Ginny was actually being guided and forced by Voldemort the whole time. This is yet another thing I would have never expected.

            I feel it is important to raise expectations in a book and then fail to fulfill it. Even though it may cause the reader to be somewhat disappointed, it also makes them wanting to read more. It keeps their mind guessing and thinking of who is actually the behind it all. The sense of not knowing makes the novel even more thrilling to the reader.   

#1 Expecations Are Not Meant to be Fulfilled

The first time I read the Harry Potter books it was probably 2000. Right now as I reread them for probably the third or fourth time I know what exactly to expect in the each book. There are little details that I forgot about but for the big picture I know exactly what is going on.  My expectations are not raised right now.

            When I first read Harry Potter I was fully convinced that Snape was evil. I was convinced that he was going to kill Harry and that Harry Potter would be one book. That was my expectation. Clearly I was very much wrong and Harry survived which I did not expect. These expectations are not fulfilled because J.K. Rowling had Chamber of Secrets in stores by the time I read Sorcerer’s Stone but also she had a plan for Harry not to die. I’m not upset that my expectation was not fulfilled.

            In Chamber of Secrets I’m pretty sure I believed that Draco Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin. Rowling set him up to be the Heir pretty well. As the book unfolded and we found out that Harry could speak parseltongue I became to suspect that maybe Harry was the heir. I really didn’t think Lord Voldemort was the heir but the way J.K. Rowling had Tom Riddle’s memory hidden in the diary was very clever. My expectations were blown away and it made the book that much more interesting.

            When reading these books I think it makes the read more interesting when expectations are not fulfilled. That’s what makes a good author. If you can guess every move that happens in a book then the book becomes boring. J.K. Rowling always keeps us guessing.

First Blog. Cool. First Prompt. Sweet.

This is after Voldemort touched my scar/did something else bad.

Whenever I find myself at the beginning of the Harry Potter series for another go around of magic, I can't help but feel as if the first two books always help bring out my inner child.  Re-reading these books time and time again always brings back the feeling that I, myself, want to go to Hogwarts and learn the ins and outs of the magical world.  I always found myself relating to Harry.  Mostly because people are always trying to kill me.  But really, I did, as generic as that sounds.  Our appearances are incredibly and almost eerily similar, we both tend to doubt our abilities and talents, and we're both smarter than we might let on.  I also have a fat cousin.
When I was younger, I wanted nothing else but to be Harry.  I would create scenarios in my head in which I would find out that I was a wizard and I'd be going off to Hogwarts in days.  I think that I honestly thought it was a possibility.  Now, of course, I still wish that something of the sort could happen, but the cynicism of the real world and growing up has led me to realize that dreams have to be let go at some point.  So when I read the earlier, more childish books of the series now, it helps me reflect on everything I loved as a kid and lets me realize that life is speeding by.  So slowing down to read these books is now a great way to feel like a kid again and shut out the world around me.

Blog Post #1 Response: Fading Magic

Fading Magic

When I was younger, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was the first lengthy novel I read. Until that point in my life I had only read short stories or didn’t read at all because nothing interested me enough.  I instantly became hooked on the series and have been ever since. The main draw for me at that time was being able to identify with the characters, mostly because of their close proximity to my own age. I could relate to the characters in so many ways, from Hermione’s studious nature to Ron’s sibling battles, I would even compare myself in simpler ways like the mere rugged hair with glasses appearance of Harry. As I read through the books I identified with each character in different ways which brought me into the story and made me feel like I was a part of that magical world. Being so young when I started reading the series I always held out hope that someday an owl would bring me a letter that would let me experience the world that I had been enthralled in over these books.

                Unfortunately, that letter never came. I still read the books quite often, but after the first time through they have lost a bit of their magic. At this point in my life I find it harder and harder to identify with Harry, Ron and Hermione, especially in the first two books.  I think the main reason for this disconnect is simply the place I am at in my life right now. When I began reading the series I was starting my schooling experience along with Harry at Hogwarts. Now, I am about to be finished with school and start my career, but Harry’s adventures are always going to be within the walls of Hogwarts.  

Blog #1 Post

Blog #1

prompt 2. 

Our peers often influence expectations that we make for ourselves. In Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone Harry Potter is expected to do great things. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter is expected to have opened the Chamber of Secrets. In both of these instances people have developed ideas about Harry Potter because of things he has done in the past.

In Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, Harry Potter is expected to do great things. When Harry was just a baby he survived an attack by Voldemort, in which his parents, who were great wizards, were murdered; from this point on Harry became “The Boy Who Lived”. This event in its self created an expectation from the Wizarding World that Harry Potter was to be a great wizard; however, when Harry finds out that he is not only a wizard, but also a famous wizard; he cannot believe that he should be revered and doubts that he will ever meet the expectations that everyone has of him. Once Harry enters Hogwarts to begin his wizarding education, he soon is met with challenges from the dark arts. At once Harry shows his bravery and takes on the Challenge of protecting the Philosopher’s Stone with just the help of Ron and Hermione. To me this says that he does somewhat believe that he can be as great as what people expect him to be. Once he does defeat Quirrell and Voldemort, I believe that Harry gains confidence in him self, and feels that he has met some of the expectations that people have had for him all along.

In Harry Potter in the Chamber of Secrets, the general consensus about Harry changes drastically. People seem to have forgotten about “The Boy Who Lived”, and are now focused on the mystery of how he survived. This in turn, leads to people becoming afraid of him. As we know, many people are afraid of the unknown and up to this point the reason Harry survived Voldemort’s attack is unknown, thus when people start being petrified at the hands of the heir of Slytherin, fingers are pointed at Harry. These accusations stem from the unknown, Harry being a parseltongue, and Harry proving to have been a talented wizard in his first year at Hogwarts. Harry; however, suspects Draco Malfoy to be behind that attacks, because of his hatred of mudbloods, and half-bloods. At last, Harry, Hermione, and Ron take actions into their own hands, having created this self-expectation of being able to stop any bad that happens at Hogwarts. Once in the Chamber of Secrets, Harry learns that Ginny, a person that no one would expect to cause such trouble, opened the Chamber of Secrets. After defeating Voldemort once again in the Chamber of Secrets, Harry, Ron and Hermione have met their personal expectations, whether realized or not. At this the school revokes its fear of Harry and sees him once again as untainted.

In both of these books, expectations are created and met. I think that it is important to look at the expectations that were created and not met as well. For example, Draco Malfoy being accused by Harry of opening the Chamber of Secrets. Although, Draco was happy about the Chamber of Secrets being opened, I believe that it was important that Harry’s expectation of Malfoy was not met because Harry is able to realize that Malfoy would not be capable of such atrocity, which can be seen as somewhat of a foreshadowing of future events involving Draco Malfoy’s actions and expectations of him in the Dark Arts. To summarize, it is important for a character to not meet and expectation, because it makes them more human, and a more well rounded character.

Blog Post #1 Response: Life bound in paper

Wolfgang Iser’s theory of a reader losing perception while reading makes sense to me now that I think about what is mentally going on when I read. Never before I have been asked to think about reading. When I read, I place myself in the shoes of the protagonist as I live through their story, the story the author presents. My mind gets wrapped in words and I lose track of reality as I become lost in a fantasy I would never find anywhere else. Rowling writes the H.P. books in a way that relates the story to the reader. This allows the reader to live within their imagination.

My generation was raised in an era of Disney and super heroes. The shows aimed toward us growing up have pushed us to the limits of our imagination and asked us to believe in the impossible. The phrase, “If you can dream it, you can do it” by Walt Disney does a great job at making us believe in ourselves above all else, but I believe in some ways it has also pushed us to be more open-minded individuals. 

Growing up with this mindset has allowed our generation to become more accepting of ideas previously unheard of. It was easy for me to accept and imagine the world of Harry Potter. I can relate with Harry because he reminds me of myself in so many ways; he has the same hair color, he wears glasses (though I now wear contacts), and he’s very loyal and caring towards his friends. I can also see myself not getting along with Draco as well, as he reminds me of snotty-nosed individuals whom I do not care to be friends with.

I could see how someone else’s life experiences could read the H.P. books differently than I. My grandpa is a prime example. When I started reading the books and becoming interested in them, my grandpa would ask to read them after. His life experiences, being much older than I, would give incredulity to what he read. Even though he knew it was science fiction, his generation growing up wasn’t exposed to imagination the way I have.