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The Effect Harry Potter Has on Society

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The Effect Harry Potter Has on Society
The Harry Potter Franchise has influenced young people from all over the world. Whether someone is watching the movies or reading the books the effect on society is unquestionable. Harry Potter’s popularity is massive, because his appeal cuts across demographic and religious lines. The vast majority of teens regardless of gender, ethnicity, faith, or other characteristics have been personally exposed to the story. For instance, even a large majority of teenagers from groups that have objected most stridently to the stories of wizards and witchcraft have indulged in this fantasy world. Even though the Harry Potter franchise is so well known and supported there are many adults and critics that say Harry Potter is a bad influence on our younger generation while others support the opposite saying that the Harry Potter franchise upkeep good morals and great ethics. Another argument that could be made is that both ideas could be good to the vulnerable mind. Having a mixture of both noble and corrupt deeds might be good for an innocent person. For being good one need to know what is evil that way one can prevent oneself from committing evil deeds. First of all, many religious groups such as the Christians believe that Harry Potter encourages the practice of magic. While a few Christians do not even like to read or see classics such as Sleeping Beauty, Lord of the Rings, or Chronicles of Narnia due to the mere presence of evil. The Harry Potter franchise is viewed in the same category. Whether it is white or dark magic Christians believe that the influence on the younger generation is unacceptable. White magic in the Harry Potter series is portrayed as good magic while dark magic is portrayed as evil. Both are constantly used in the series by main characters but Harry Potter and his friends use white magic which is made to look innocent and therefor children think that is okay, because it is used by the good guys. Christians on the other hand believe that all types of witchcraft are evil and against the will of their god, because in the Bible it says “There shall not be found among you anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. For these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune tellers and to diviners, but as for you the Lord your god has not allowed you to do this.” The Bible, Deuteronomy 18:10. That is why Christians consider the Harry Potter series to be a bad influence on their children. Some Christians can recognize the good vs. evil element as being for entertainment purposes. They know that some of these books are mostly harmless, and it all depends on how someone raises their kids teaching them from right and wrong rather thinking that a movie or a book might corrupt how they think, and that is what defines their children, not the type of stuff they watch on television or read on paper. Furthermore, the type of people that support Harry Potter being a good influence on society focuses on the good principles the book teaches like: heroism, fearlessness, and friendship. Harry Potter teaches these forms of good deeds through his actions and how he handles each incident. For instance, whenever Harry is placed in a difficult situation he always concerns himself with the safety of others before he worries about himself. This is portrayed when Harry bravely faces the deadly hallows in the fourth book protecting Serious Black. He disregards his own life making sure his friend does not get killed. Many people appreciate this type of heroism, fearlessness, and friendship that Harry Potter represents in the book and movie series. Not many books or movies have these types of characteristics in their characters. Some famous movies and book series like the Twilight saga for example do not focus on these characteristics. Instead they focus on obsession and what they consider love which twist the minds of young teens thinking they need to ingest their lovers blood to feel closer to them or be a creature of the night to impress them. This type of thinking endangers the life style of susceptible readers, and that is why many people including parents consider Harry Potter to be a good influence to its readers. Additionally, the combination of the two may jeopardize the reader’s mind or educate it, teaching them the difference from good and bad. Some kids are sheltered from anything that their parents consider immoral, malicious, or dangerous. While parents might think this type of parenting is good they never consider what might happen to their children once they cross these types of predicaments. If someone does not know the difference from moral or immoral deeds then they would be very susceptible to be deceived into doing the wrong thing. Kids need a mixture of both good and bad examples to be presented to them and then the parent should step in to show them the difference of right and wrong. That way the child is well educated and is not susceptible to being deceived into doing the wrong thing. Overall, the Harry Potter franchise had a positive effect on the society. Although some believed that the series taught the practice of magic, other elements proved differently. Moreover, Harry Potter teaches its readers good values like: Heroism, fearlessness, and friendship through his actions. In a way someone can take that as also being a good leader, a leader leads by example and that is what Harry always did. Finally, the mixture of both good and bad influences enlightens the reader on the two differences so they can notice one from the other if they ever needed to. All in all, the Harry Potter franchise was a good influence on society.

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