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Harry Potter - First Timer

I have loved getting to learn about different representations of witches in popular media throughout this course. I don’t watch a ton of TV or very many movies, so I have enjoyed getting exposure to different types of media each week in class. One movie that I have been very resistant to learning more about has been Harry Potter. I don’t know why, but ever since I was a kid I have had a very strong aversion to Harry Potter and have refused to watch any movie or read any book. As Harry Potter has such a strong cult following, my decision to do this has been met by severe shock and resistance by several people in my life. I often get made fun of for not knowing which house I am in, what quidditch is, or for knowing nothing about who Dobby the elf is. People in my life have been coaxing me for years to just give the movies a chance, going so far as to almost tricking me in to watching it.

I have to say that learning more about Harry Potter this week in the popular media presentation really made me more intrigued to watch the movie. I learned at the beginning of the presentation that I am a Ravenclaw, although I had no idea what that means or if that is a good or bad thing. My favorite clip that was shown was the one of the sorting hat. I like that this hat has the magical power to know what is going on inside of the wearer’s head and then to divine them to one house or another. I also loved the presenter’s passion and love for Harry Potter. This is what finally wore me down to go and watch the movie.

When I told my friends that I wanted to watch Harry Potter with them, they nearly fell out of their chairs with surprise. They were so excited to watch with me. Throughout the movie I was excited to see some parallels between the movie and our textbook. I loved the scene about the Mandrakes and their screams because I had learned about it and its magical properties in our readings. I also thought it was fun how the game of quidditch played into the common witch stereotype of broomstick riding. Overall, I enjoyed watching the movie and was very impressed by the complexity of the story and the wizard world. I think that added context from the books would only serve to make this movie experience more impressive. Now it makes sense to me why Harry Potter has such a devoted and adoring following. 



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