Introduction
“I’ve no idea where ideas come from and I hope I never find out; it would spoil the excitement for me if it turned out I just have a funny little wrinkle on the surface of my brain which makes me think about invisible train platforms.” -J.K Rowling
Hello! Welcome to my Passion Blog! This post is not meant to serve as one of the ten I will write over the course of this semester, but I wanted to give a brief introduction to my topic and why I chose to write about it. I hope you find it interesting, whether or not you are a Harry Potter fan. I do have to warn you that there will be spoilers, so if you were planning to read the series or are reading it for the first time now I’m very sorry.
I first discovered Harry Potter when I was in fourth grade. In all honesty I did not pick up the series because I was interested, but because I was trying to get the highest number of Reading Counts points I could as my fourth grade teacher would give us prizes for reaching certain checkmarks in number of points. I was ecstatic to find the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was worth 49 points, and quickly checked the book out of my school library. However I was lost by page two, and quickly realized I would need to start at the beginning. The series quickly became my favorite, but it was really during the summer after 8th grade that I completely fell in love with the series and realized how incredibly in depth and well written the story was. I read the series for a second time right after school finished that year, and again the next Christmas break…and again the next summer (okay, I actually listened to them on audiobook but it still counts). I found myself playing the audiobooks almost on repeat, and by now have probably read/listened to the series more than 30 times. Every time I read the series I make a new connection, discover a new spot of foreshadowing, and realize just how complex the plot and world of Harry Potter is. Not only is it my favorite story, but the incredible time, talent, and intricate detail that went into the series has kept me awe-struck over it. The series has been such an inspiration and comfort to me, as it has been for millions. I hope I am able to show you the magic of the series, and explain why it means so much to so many.
Since there are going to be ten passion blogs over the course of the semester, I am going to try and focus on a literary element that is very strong and prevalent in each book so that there will be seven posts that focus more intensely on an individual book. I will try to write these in order, starting with book 1 and finishing with book 7. This leaves three that will discuss connections and elements that span across the whole series. I will probably write one of these three first, and another last, with the third somewhere in the middle. I hope that clarifies my intentions and the organization of this blog, thank you for reading!
Image source: https://www.pottertalk.net/2013/08/retrospective-of-harry-potter-book.html
Quote Sources:https://www.bustle.com/articles/200871-15-jk-rowling-quotes-that-will-inspire-you-to-get-writing