Tonight, as the final part of my local library's fall series (which was themed around books with numbers in the title), we heard a lecture from a local professor on and discussed Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I believe this is the second time I have read the book, and being such an iconic book, is probably worth a couple more reads over the course of one's life.
The short version recap of the book is that its about a society that burns all books because of the harm the books can do. The story takes place in some indeterminate point in the future, where there are only a few that remember reading books on religion, philosophy, of poetry, etc.. It provides a social critique of how we entertain ourselves as a society, and how choices can reflect values. Its a powerful book in so many ways, and can be evaluated, analyzed, and discussed from so many angles.
Reading it led me to pick the next book(s) to read - the Harry Potter series. Its an interesting path, I imagine, from a "classic" book with exalted status like Fahrenheit 451 to the popular fiction of the Harry Potter series, but the connection is clear in my mind. Earlier this month, I was listening to a presentation, and the presenter was stressing to his audience the importance of reading and contemplating scriptures. In the process of doing so, he referenced the Harry Potter books, labeled them as containing "misleading" ideas, and warned the audience to stay away from them (I hope this last sentence comes out of nowhere, or catches you off guard, because I was very much caught off guard when I heard his statement).
Obviously, the parallel isn't exact - this is one guy sharing his opinion, versus the authority of the police-state banning books - but as I read Fahrenheit 451, I could not help but think of the relationship of that moment to Bradbury's book. Having watched all the Harry Potter movies, I'm familiar with many of its characters and the world its set in, as well as its themes of friendship and good versus evil. I've also been aware that there are people that view the movies/books differently because, I guess like the presenter said, they feel it can be misleading to children or impressionable minds. (The ALA has a list of the top 10 most requested banned books since 2001 here - most remarkable to me, how many times To Kill A Mockingbird appears).
To be honest, I've never understood the urge of those that wish to ban books. I get that some books may be inappropriate for certain age groups to read, for a variety of reasons. I don't get why said fact makes the book inappropriate for anyone to read. If an individual parent does not wish their child to read Harry Potter because of the magic, the violence, or whatever, then that's a choice they can make and explain to their child. But when the push and movement to ban the book altogether, thereby taking that decision out of the hands of all other parents and individuals, such an action begins to border on thought control.
Thought control. Trying to utilize the power of the state to control what people are allowed to read, and thus control what information people receive. Disallowing certain types of books and only allowing certain information to be disseminated can result in controlling what ideas are thought of and discussed (literature provides a great example of this in Orwell's 1984).
So anyway, thus lies my motivation for reading the Harry Potter books, even though I've watched the movies and have a pretty good idea on how each of the books will generally go. I'll gain detail and nuance, and probably a greater appreciation for the world imagined by J.K. Rowling. But I'm pretty sure, that at the end of the seven books, while I will have read about wizards and witches, evil lords and magical spells, the books will be about what the movies were about - the bonds of friendships, and choosing to do what is right, even when it's not easy (and why would we want to ban that message is beyond my understanding).
To be honest, I've never understood the urge of those that wish to ban books. I get that some books may be inappropriate for certain age groups to read, for a variety of reasons. I don't get why said fact makes the book inappropriate for anyone to read. If an individual parent does not wish their child to read Harry Potter because of the magic, the violence, or whatever, then that's a choice they can make and explain to their child. But when the push and movement to ban the book altogether, thereby taking that decision out of the hands of all other parents and individuals, such an action begins to border on thought control.
Thought control. Trying to utilize the power of the state to control what people are allowed to read, and thus control what information people receive. Disallowing certain types of books and only allowing certain information to be disseminated can result in controlling what ideas are thought of and discussed (literature provides a great example of this in Orwell's 1984).
So anyway, thus lies my motivation for reading the Harry Potter books, even though I've watched the movies and have a pretty good idea on how each of the books will generally go. I'll gain detail and nuance, and probably a greater appreciation for the world imagined by J.K. Rowling. But I'm pretty sure, that at the end of the seven books, while I will have read about wizards and witches, evil lords and magical spells, the books will be about what the movies were about - the bonds of friendships, and choosing to do what is right, even when it's not easy (and why would we want to ban that message is beyond my understanding).
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