Why everyone should read Harry Potter

//Rant begins

WHY EVERYONE SHOULD READ HARRY POTTER

What kind of books do you like? Things that keep you on the edge of your... seat? New things that you can open your mind too? Mindless entertainment? Corny jokes? Just something you can finish in a few hours and go back to Physics? Something profound, that you have never understood before?

If it is any of the above things, or things that I have missed out, you should certainly read Harry Potter.

If there is something that I can’t understand, other than trigonometry, it’s that a huge chunk of the literate people in the world has NEVER read anything other than newspaper reports about Harry Potter.  It is absurd that this happen, because it seems that even Stephanie Meyer’s books are, in some circles better received. Now, I don’t like Twilight, much, but even a three year old kid, when comparing the books will tell you that Harry Potter is better. Okay, maybe a ten year old. So therefore, I did my good deed for a day, and probably helped Rowling sell a few more books. But that’s not all. Rowling’s books are a literary masterpiece, their effect compared to that of Tolkien himself. The lady herself is born in July, if that’s any indication. Since I understood that my limited efforts were not helping much, relative to the population of the world, I decide to go off to another tangent. Why some people don’t want to read Harry Potter. One thing I found was that there are precisely zero people that I know who read Harry Potter and disliked it. ALL of them don’t read Harry Potter simply because of a variety of reasons.

Firstly, Harry Potter is criticized by a whole load of dumb people who have never read them. You call them dumb, I call them trolls. Not much of a difference. I just stick a wand down their nose.

1: “Magic does not exist in the real world” This is the most popular reason everyone I know has to offer.  In return for this, I quote Dumbledore.   "Of course it's happening inside your head Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" No matter what the trolls say, this series is not about magic. Harry Potter is a remarkable person, not a remarkable wizard. The story works WITH magic, not BECAUSE of it. The theme is not about magic, it’s about love. It’s about good always triumphing over evil, of the necessity of sacrifice. About how, a person can be made remarkable because of circumstances, and how they can mould themselves into actually becoming great. At the start of the series, Harry was simply “The Boy Who Lived” but at the end of it all, he was something totally different.

2: “It’s too serious”  Are you kidding, trolls? This series is also what it is because of its iconic humor. Fred and George Weasly are a living, or dead example of this. What about Luna? Neville? Dumbledore for that matter?  For me, the most important scene with respect to humor was perhaps during the actual battle of Hogwarts. Percy cracks a joke, his first and only one throughout the series. And later…  Oh well.

3: “It doesn’t teach me anything”  A valid point for someone who has not read Harry Potter. But to the person who has read it through and through, it’s almost unthinkable. Harry Potter, is simply not a series of a young boy defeating the most feared wizard of all time. Its how he did it. Many times throughout the series, Harry gives up. But every time, he himself, or someone else brings out the reason why he should do whatever he is doing.  Harry starts out trying to get revenge, but in the end, he doesn’t defeat Voldemort for his own benefit. He defeats him simply because of his many atrocities refuse to end. And significantly, he even offers Voldemort a chance. Just before defeating him.

4: “It’s for the girls”  Another valid point. Most of the crazy fans of the series that you see are girls. You have to understand, that the Harry Potter series have some seriously inspiring male characters. Harry, Ron, Neville, Lupin, Sirius, Snape, Voldemort even, and Dumbledore. Most of the girls find these guys ‘hot’. That does not mean that there are no significant female characters. Hermione and Ginny aside, you have great female characters like Bellatrix, Narcissa, Luna, Molly Weasly, McGonagall, Winky, and finally Lily Potter.  There is enough adventure in the series, and boys are sure to understand the emotions that Harry and Ron particularly go through. 

5: “It’s for the young guys”   Finally. Another valid point. Simply seeing that the whole series is about young teenagers, the adults feel that it’s not for them. I am still sixteen, but the books, though about young guys, is not FOR teenagers. It can be read by anyone who can understand the feelings. Above 13 years, methinks, especially after the third book. Emotionally, we see the maturity of the protagonist, from when he starts out as an eleven year old to finally when he can actually objectify his feelings. You also get to see the maturity of the writer as she slowly pens down masterpiece after masterpiece. I seriously don’t think Harry would have said, “Troll boogies” when he was seventeen.

That’s all the popular ones. Here are two more.  Very short ones.

6: “It’s not got good characters”  Dude. Just read the books.

7: “It’s too expensive”  Jeez, man I can’t do something about that!! Just reflect that its money, well spent. Or, go to a library. Or steal it, I don’t know.

That’s all I can think off. Finally, a note on the films. I have heard several people complain about the films.(WHERE IS PEEVES????) but still, you got to hand it over to them that they have shot an extremely difficult series with a moderate amount of success. Some of the moments are brilliantly captured, with special mention to the mirror of Erised scene in the first movie. A high five to Dan Rad. I have never hated anyone as much as I hated Umbridge in the fifth book, when she smiled at the detained Harry. Or laughed so much as when Fred and George properly put it across her ass. Or cried so much as when Dobby died, or for that matter, when Sirius died. Give the movies a break, huh?  

And finally, these morons on the web who “hate” Harry Potter, simply because they can’t read long books. Morons, how do you even exist today? The smallest textbook I have is 1000+ pages long, and I do have to read them. And, moron, do you really think that a whole year can be finished off in just a hundred pages? Go back to your copy of Cinderella, douchebag.

That’s all for now.

//Rant ends. For now.

:D