Harry Potter- Moral and Social Lessons

Essay Draft- Discuss how the novel Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K. Rowling teaches us important moral and social lessons.

Novels aren’t just a source of entertainment, they also contain important social and moral lessons. This can be seen in the novel Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K Rowling through the journey of Harry Potter and his friends in their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. During this time they have to work together to defeat Voldemort, a gifted ex-student who tried to kill Harry when he was a baby, and Professor Quirrell, an easily manipulated current teacher, who are working with the dark side to obtain the Philosophers Stone and protect the school from evil. In their quest to protect themselves and their school they face many challenges, which test their ethics. The text transports readers to the magical world of Hogwarts while teaching them many moral and social lessons that help equip them with tools that help them live well and respectfully. Some of the lessons in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone are you need a little power and responsibility, the significance of love and the importance of friendship.

Everyone needs a bit of power and responsibility, however sometimes people’s power and responsibility get to their head and it turns into a bad thing. In Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone Harry has a lot of power because of his fame but he is very humble about it and doesn’t think of it as a big deal,
“’Blimey,’ said the other twin. “Are you-?’
‘He is,’ said the first twin. ‘Aren’t you?’ he added to Harry.
‘What?’ said Harry.
‘Harry Potter’ chorused the twins.
‘Oh, him,’ said Harry. ‘I mean, yes, I am’”
Harry also has a lot of responsibility because he is the only one that can save the Philosophers Stone however even the burden and responsibility of his task he manages to keep a level head and stays calm. The power does not change/define who he is,
“’If anything happens to me, don’t follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?’”
This teaches readers an important moral lesson about how good power and responsibility can be if in the right hands.

Everyone has a need and a desire to be loved. In the text Harry has a want to be loved because he comes from a miserable life where his aunty and uncle didn’t really care about him and his cousin was horrible. His biggest desire in the world is to have a real family,
“’It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you.’”
Harry also has a ‘force field’ around him because of how his mother died for him, the love she had for him will always protect him from harm,
“’Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn’t realize that love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign… to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred and, greed and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good.’”
Knowing the importance of love is a useful social lesson that the text teaches readers.

Lastly, the book Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone teaches readers about the importance of friendship. Before Harry went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he had no friends and was nervous about attending the school. Once he arrives he bonds with Ron and Hermione over their shared fear because of the high expectations laid upon them. But without Hermione and Ron Harry would never have been able to retrieve the Philosophers Stone, Hermione’s brain saves them when they are stuck in the Devil’s Snare,
“’Devil’s Snare, Devil’s Snare… What did Professor Sprout say? It likes the dark and the damp-‘”
Also without Ron’s knowledge of chess they wouldn’t have been able to pass the giant chess set and because of their friendship Ron sacrificed himself to protect his friends so they could continue on their journey to obtain the Philosophers Stone.
“’That’s chess!’ snapped Ron. ‘Ron you’ve got to make sacrifices! I’ll make my move and she’ll take me – that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!’”
Friendship is a crucial part of our society with social contact we would not be truly happy, the book teaches us this important social lesson.

The novel Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K. Rowling is an adventure packed fantasy novel, but it still teaches its teachers social and moral lessons. In this text it portrays the importance of friendship, the need for love and a little rebellion is sometimes ok. …….. I need to add another sentence in here…

Nutshell Statement maybe…
The fantasy novel Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K. Rowling is the story of young Harry Potter who one morning in his pretty miserable life discovers he is a wizard……

* Power and responsibility * A little rebellion is sometimes necessary * The importance of friendship

Page of quotes

Paragraph 1 Power and Responsibility

“’Blimey,’ said the other twin. “Are you-?’
‘He is,’ said the first twin. ‘Aren’t you?’ he added to Harry.
‘What?’ said Harry.
‘Harry Potter’ chorused the twins.
‘Oh, him,’ said Harry. ‘I mean, yes, I am’”

“’If anything happens to me, don’t follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?’”

Paragraph 2 The significance of love

“’It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you.’”

“’Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn’t realize that love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign… to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred and, greed and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good.’”

Paragraph 3 The importance of Love