Harry Potter - Political Message

[Munky]

Two months is a generous guess too. Once you pick them up and get through the first page you wont be able to put them down.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

Oh I fully plan on picking them up. I can burn through 400-500 pages a day at work even with phone calls and a moderate amount of work to do.

Jake

 

[seaice]

Rowling was a starving single mom,

Neat and constantly re-issued spin from the publicists - what they seem to leave out for some reason, is that the cafe she sat in while writing the first book just happened to be the family-owned business.

 

[DannyinJapan]

Look, any male over the age of 30 would know that the majority of ideas in the Harry Potter books were directly taken from Monty Python and D&D.
Very little in the book is original.
Oliver Twist+Monty Python+D&D=Harry Potter
Some of the Monty Python actors even appeared in the HP movies...

 

[C.S. Graves]

There is no excuse for this Quipper. They're great stories, and a hella fun read.

I've had people recommend them to me before, but it just doesn't sound like my cup o' tea. Now, if it was called "Harry Chopper and the Khukuris of Bir Ghorka" I might be converted...

 

[kamagong]

Just finished the last book. It was a great one and wrapped up everything nicely.

 

[namaarie]

I thought, for sure, that the movie made plenty of potent political messages.

I'm probably nearer to high school than most people here, and I will reinforce that it is VERY test-oriented much of the time. My AP US History didn't care so much about really teaching us or really making us understand our nation's history. Her goal was clearly to give us the information that would help us to be successful on the AP test, which would get us college credit. Really taught for the test, and little else. I think that approach is worthless, except for the college credit it can bring a student.

And you know, I did get the credit. I did great on the test. But I didn't get a thing from the class, and I really wanted to learn more about our great nation. Man, talk about a waste of time... :barf:

There's a lot wrong with education nowadays.

Chris

 

[Ad Astra]

Who else is a convert to these things?

Arrrgh. Never thought it could happen to me.

We tried to watch a HP movie once, and wound up turning it off. But I was in a used bookstore and picked up the first HP book.... and read it in two days. Crap. Now, like a Zombie, I'm one of them.

Already on book no. 2. Try finding them; it's fairly hard. Wallyworld's displays are plumb out, locally.

Um, in my defense... they're fairly easy to read, her writing style is quirky/interesting, and I'm studying them to figure out how to write for mass audience appeal.

Last book I read: Erwin Rommel "Infantry Attacks," a meticulous account of the then-Lieutenant's war during WW1. Interesting but dry. Been reading too much military history- before that H.P. Lovecraft one after another- and the HP books are a pleasant escape.


Mike

 

[DannyinJapan]

Ok, here's a change of pace. Rent Catch 22. Some of you may remember it, but do you remember how absolutley HOT Susanne Benton was in that WAC uniform?
Dear God...

 

[kamagong]

I read Catch-22 once. It was interesting, but it was also weird, very weird. I had to force myself to finish it, but I did get to the end because this book is supposed to be a classic. I still don't get it though, much like I don't much understand another supposed classic, Catcher In the Rye.

 

[Yvsa]

I'm probably nearer to high school than most people here, and I will reinforce that it is VERY test-oriented much of the time.
My AP US History didn't care so much about really teaching us or really making us understand our nation's history. Her goal was clearly to give us the information that would help us to be successful on the AP test, which would get us college credit.
Really taught for the test, and little else. I think that approach is worthless, except for the college credit it can bring a student.

And you know, I did get the credit. I did great on the test. But I didn't get a thing from the class, and I really wanted to learn more about our great nation. Man, talk about a waste of time... :barf:

There's a lot wrong with education nowadays.

Chris

Chris just remember that history is written by the conquerers and that there is more than one version of history.
Lincoln is generally remembered for freeing the slaves and being for freedom for everyone yet he signed the order that hung 38 Sioux warriors on Dec 26th 1862 for defending their homeland that was "given" to them by treaty from the US government.

 

[namaarie]

You're right, Yvsa. If school taught me anything, it was the value of learning on your own and trying to get at what really happened. Lincoln hanging the Sioux would be a great example of that. Public school does, intrinsically, impose certain biases like that one.

I'm really glad to be going to a school now that strongly encourages independent thought and students to really try to get to the root of things and figure them out. I couldn't be happier with my current educational arrangement. Of course, it's not a public education...

Good point, Yvsa, and right now we are the conquerers, so history is ours to write. Therefore, I'd say it's pretty important that we get the story straight!

Chris

 

[C.S. Graves]

Chris just remember that history is written by the conquerers and that there is more than one version of history.
Lincoln is generally remembered for freeing the slaves and being for freedom for everyone yet he signed the order that hung 38 Sioux warriors on Dec 26th 1862 for defending their homeland that was "given" to them by treaty from the US government.

This is true, but sadly many people seem to have a distaste for facts that contradict our current point of view, or weaken our resolve.

Back in the day, supporters of the hanging of the 38 Sioux probably concocted their own reality to not only justify it, but make it seem an unquestionable necessity.

 

[xinel]

I think anyone to have been unfortunate enough to be on welfare would have a distaste of the government and how they are treated.