Are Harry Potter Harmful for Children
Are Harry Potter Books Harmful for Children? As far as I’m concerned, the Harry Potter series are quite suitable for children to read. As we all know, this set of books is written about a boy who is a wizard, and he fights with the devil for the justice, during the process it also show us how to treat our real friends and our family.
Some parents and censors consider this book harmful for children to read and try to ban it, because of the manipulation, lying, violence, witchcraft (which they think is against god) and rebellion in Harry Potter books are unfit for children to read, for they will imitate the same thing and learn something adults don’t want them to acquire that early. But I have to say it is just a book, in today’s world if a child wants to know these things, all he need is just to go online and google it, so if they want to protect their children, why don’t they ban the Internet?
If you think that because there is witchcraft and devils in the novels which supports satan and defies God, I have to say that you are definitely wrong. If you have ever read this set of books, you’ll find out that it’s just the background and a part of this novel. The witchcraft is just the background which the author set to entertain readers. , because this field is very attracting and can satisfy children’s curiosity. And it also keeps children’s minds open. This world is nothing like the real world, so they can imagine lots of things which can develop their imagination and creation. When J. K.
Rolling wrote about this darkness part, she also mentioned the right part. And it is a tale of good triumphing over evil. I think we can’t see this series from just one perspective. We can’t deny it for the author writes about the darkness and the devil then forget that from all perspectives, what she real emphasize and want readers to learn is the braveness, the justice, the friendship, the love, and the family. It taught our children, even adults how to become an upright person. For example, when Harry Potter, Hermione and Ron play “chess”, for the friendship and the justice Ron sacrifice himself to save Harry.
In this real world, many adults can’t do the same thing when they meet with difficulties. If we banned this book, what about Snow White? It i also filled with wicked, blackness things. Instead, we taught our children the correct and proper way by telling Snow White when they are very little. Therefore, why can’t we treat the Harry Potter series the same way or even kinder. It is also a tale for children to learn the world by means of using the metaphor, changing the scene to the magic world. The dark part is not the point, but the love, the moral part that hit the nail on the head.
If parents really worried about the darkness part, he/she can read the book for children while explain these for children instead of banning it. Although the censors think that their efforts are benefiting children, in the long run it is destroying them. We are destroying our children’s imagination. We put them in the same frame we set up for them. We decide which kind of books they read, which friend of children they make friends with, which kind of games they play, etc. If all these matters had to be approved and set up by adults, each child would be a mindless, characterless character.
There would be no unique qualities to distinguish one from another, all children being of the same mold. If our children grew up with out creativity or imagination and only knew what was approved, this world would become numbing, vapid and meaningless. The Harry Potter series is encouraging the growth of a child’s imagination, allowing our children to grow into fully functioning, creative adults. As for the religious part, they say the book encourages witchcraft. I think they are too mean, too extreme. There are lots of fairy tale and legend for children about witchcraft or magic.
We can’t ban and criticize all these things. It is the same with Harry Potter. Just because Harry Potter is so popular and attractive to children, so they afraid the witchcraft will take the place of god, and they try to ban it. They say it’s harmful for children actually on behalf of their own interest, not really for the children’s sake. In conclusion, the Harry Potter books are not harmful for children. On contrary, it will enhance children’s moral standard and imagination. Therefore, we should really recommend our children to read it.
