anne1:
A major concern with parents who are against their children reading Harry Potter books is that they will make witchcraft look fun and seemingly harmless.
Yup, but that argument could be offered for a whole smattering of wrong behavior in a lot of literature:
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain. Norton. Published in 1884, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” has been banned on social grounds. Concord Public Library called the book “trash suitable only for the slums,” when it first banned the novel in 1885.
The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Norton. Published in 1850, “The Scarlet Letter” was censored on social grounds. The book has been challenged under claims that it is “pornographic and obscene.”
Of Mice and Men
by John Steinbeck. Penguin. Published in 1937, Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” has been frequently banned on social grounds. The book has been called “offensive” and “vulgar” because of the language and characterization.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Despite winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1960, some still don’t think it’s “appropriate” reading. It’s been banned for … Profanity, sex and racial themes.
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell. The plot involves a boy who bets he can eat 15 fried worms in 15 days. I probably read it about 15 times when I was a kid. How many times was I tempted to eat a worm? Not once. It’s been banned for encouraging inappropriate behavior.
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein. Yes, censorship happens to lighthearted children’s poetry, too. It’s been banned for … Inappropriate content. This story says Attic was challenged at a Florida school because it “promotes disrespect, horror and violence.”
The pagan religion of Witchcraft (Wicca) is one of the fastest growing religions in the U.S. today. Although the fast majority of kids that read these books will most likely never get involved in real witchcraft, there will be kids atracted to it, because of the interest gained from reading these books. Teenagers are especially at risk. Please consider this possible consequence of the Harry Potter books.
Which is why I promote a good grounding in religion, and thorough parenting (knowing the who, when, why, where and what of your children ALWAYS). HP isn’t the only place their going to be introduced to witchcraft. In fact I would submit that a child has a better chance of becoming enthralled with magick- from friends who play around with it, than from reading a book.
I guess my point is, that YES, each parent should decide what their child should be exposed to. I have no trouble with that, in fact I applaud those parents who take a stand with things that are important to them. But in the case of HP, and with much other literature- that is a personal decision for the parents.
As with many of the abovementioned literature- time has often shown that the literature has themes that may outweigh the shadows of racism, vulgarity, or violence (and magic) in the stories. And exposure to these themes in the proper context do more to enrich the child than lead them astray.
