Happy Thanksgiving, All! I hope that everything is well with you and yours and that you have a wonderful holiday. I am extremely thankful for all the wonderful people and blessings that I have in my life, and, in the style of my blog, I would like to write a little ode to the thing I write about here the most- books.
Author: Katie Bennett
And for Once It Might be Grand to have someone understand- How I don’t want Small Town Life to make my life Small
Don’t let small town life make your life Small.
Chris Colfer
In my dorm room, I don’t have very many pictures posted. There are the quotes that I’ve previously mentioned on this blog about being an English major and a girl who reads, but besides that, I only have a couple Glee/Harry Potter related items up. There are, however, two rather large black-and-white posters up that pull focus when you walk into the room. One is of a double-decker bus driving past Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London, and the other is of the Moulin Rouge lit up at night. A single set of lyrics, hand-written sometime in August, rests beneath them-
I want Adventure in the great, wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell. And for once it might be grand to have someone understand. I want so much more than they’ve got planned…
I’ve mentioned before how Belle has always been really important to me. And I think this is why- because in that one moment, in that single, solitary reprise- I knew what I wanted to do with my life.
The Writer and the Student- How a Dual-Role causes an Internal Duel
As a University Student, the amount of homework in my life is inversely proportional to the amount of happiness I feel. Regardless of how much homework I have to complete, however, I usually have to force myself into shutting my computer, turning off my music, and leaving my friends because otherwise, I simply won’t get anything productive done. While I’m sure this is the problem that most students face, I have another barrier to conquer before I can actually sit down and do the pile of homework that I’ve been neglecting- all the stories floating around inside my head.
How to Be an English Major
How to be an English Major.Accept the fact that your spare time will be whittled away nose-deep in a novel. You’ll have anywhere from 20-30 to read a semester, if you’re dedicated. Learn quickly which ones you must do a thorough read-through of and which ones you can skim. Idealistically, this should be done more than a day in advance. Buy a good coffeepot and some eclectic mugs. Develop an identity. You spend your academic pursuits bombarded by different personas, problems, and settings. How do you expect to understand others if you don’t understand yourself?
Try reading outside. You will quickly learn that although you look cute sitting under a tree reading Pride and Prejudice, you will get grass stains on your pants and bugs will inevitably crawl inside your book. Pretend this doesn’t bother you until you can privately freak out about it and pack up to go inside. Read the classics. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to love them. You should respect the impact they made during their time periods, and if they happen to resonate with you, that’s an added bonus. Explore different authors and various types of literature. Remember that the words you read mean something to someone, somewhere.
Pick up a pen and take a shot at poetry. Count beats, recognize rhyme scheme and meter, then scrap it and start fresh. Let the ideas flow and see what you produce. Chances are, there is a genre of poetry your work will fit. If you like poetry, read anything and everything poetic you can find. If you dislike it, there are better uses of your time.
Write and write and write and write and write. Do this until your hands cramp and your eyes burn from staring at the computer screen. You should have perpetual ink stains on your fingers. Create vibrant characters and rich settings. Make your characters laugh and cry and dream and dance and fight. Your antagonists are just as important as your protagonists, so invent people you love to hate. Words are meant to make us feel. If your own writing doesn’t stir something inside of you, it’s time to toss it and begin again.
Listen to the engineers and physics and math majors who ask you sarcastically what you’ll do with a degree in English. It’s not very nice, and I know you’re tired of hearing people put you down for doing what you love. Don’t tell them to go to Hell. You’re articulate, remember? You can do better than that. Instead, tell them that you’ll be able to communicate with others and spell words correctly when writing a letter. Tell them you’ll know how to formulate a professional resume. Tell them you have knowledge of people and emotions and the ability to get lost in a place. Your degree is not useless, and you know it. Do this, of course, with vocabulary they will never understand. They will most likely stop harassing you.
Most importantly, realize that you possess something that not everyone does: the gift to mold words and use language to create something beautiful. Now go do that. I expect to see your name in a Barnes & Noble someday. Yes, you can do it. You’re an English major.
I don’t like my birthday. I don’t like it at all: 20th Birthday Recap, Perks of Being a Wallflower Style
The first present is going to be a mix tape. I just know that it should. I already have the songs picked and a theme. It’s called “One Winter.” But I’ve decided not to hand-color the cover…The second side is the one that I like the most. It has winter kind of songs. Here they are:Asleep by the SmithsVapour Trail by RideScarborough Fair by Simon & GarfunkelA Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol HarumTime of No Reply by Nick DrakeDear Prudence by the BeatlesGypsy by Suzanne VegaNights in White Satin by the Moody BluesDaydream by Smashing PumpkinsDusk by Genesis (before Phil Collins was even in the band!)MLK by U2Blackbird by the BeatlesLandslide by Fleetwood MacAnd finally…Asleep by the Smiths (again!)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
And now, a break from our regularly scheduled literary analysis to talk about this lovely blogger:
Stereotypes: J.K. Rowling and The Sorting Hat’s Song
“I’ll Eat Myself If You Can Find a Smarter Hat than Me”
Oh you may not think me pretty,
But don’t judge on what you see,
I’ll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I’m the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There’s nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can’t see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you’ve a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You’ll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.So put me on! Don’t be afraid!
And don’t get in a flap!
You’re in safe hands (though I have none)
For I’m a Thinking Cap!
As you can probably tell, I have a lot of Harry Potter feelings. Recently, I discovered someone ranting on a blog (how ironic, I know) about how J.K. Rowling’s Sorting Hat and the houses of Hogwarts reinforce various high-school stereotypes. Gryffindor- The popular kids, the jocks, the it-crowd; Slytherin- The punks, the bad-boys; Ravenclaw- The nerds; and Hufflepuff- the quiet kids. So I’m going to do a little ranting on my blog about how that’s not necessarily true.
You’ll Find that in the Children’s Section: How books like Harry Potter Transcend Generations
So, I got my letter to Hogwarts today. No really, as if I would still be here at this muggle university if I really had the opportunity to leave and go to a magical school. No, rather, today I got my email letter to sign into Pottermore- the newest creation from the mastermind behind the boy wizard.
Pottermore is an online experience meant to supplement the reading of J.K. Rowling’s seven magical books. As you travel throughout the chapters, you can read information that Jo (as those of us who are fans like to call Ms. Rowling) was going to put into an encyclopedia but decided to make a sort of game out of.
In Pottermore, you take multiple quizzes to find out your wand (Alder, Unicorn Core, 9 and 3/4 inches, unyielding: Short and unyielding, like its owner), as well as your Hogwarts House (for Ravenclaw, the cleverest would always be the best). Once you have been sorted, you go can earn your house points in competition for the house cup.
The real essence of the site, however, is the extra information provided about each chapter of each book. It gives Harry Potter fans a chance to look into Jo’s mind and see why certain things are the way they are. It’s also a way to interact with your friends as you once again discover the magic of Hogwarts.
That brings me to the real reason I’m talking about Harry Potter. Yes, the books and movies were a large part of my childhood. Philosopher’s Stone was published in the UK in 1997, and Sorcerer’s Stone came to the United States in 1998. To put a little perspective on these dates, in October of 1998, I turned 7 years old. In less than three weeks, I will be 20. Because the movie series just ended in July, it is safe to say that I am a proud member of the Potter Generation- 13 years of my life, or 65%, has known what it’s like to be at home at Hogwarts. The thing about the Harry Potter Series, however, is that it has the ability to transcend generations. As the reader grows up, the books and their meaning grow up, too.
Allow me to explain.
As a child, Harry Potter is attractive because of the story. I don’t know any children that wouldn’t want a magic wand that could perform all kinds of spells. The idea is intriguing to the young mind- a place where magic is real, somewhere that could exist in our own world. The books also teach good, moral lessons about the importance of friendship, bravery, and love. Harry is something of a hero- his flaws are not clear and children see him as “The Boy who Lived”- the boy who can do anything. Beyond that, there is wit and humor that Jo provides that actually make children want to keep reading- a feat that is proving more and more difficult as technology displaces literature.
As a teenager, Harry Potter provides a rather realistic view into the pitfalls of adolescent romance. The characters begin to develop as the readers do- in a sense, they are all growing up together. As Harry starts to feel new and different things, his readers are able to relate to his trials and tribulations in a very basic human sense. It’s not so much about the magic anymore as it is seeing bits and pieces of ourselves represented in the different characters.
Finally, as an adult, the importance of the main themes becomes the focal point. The idea of Love always conquering power and hate is poignant. The ability to see the allegorical ethnic-cleansing that Voldemort was trying to implement provides the realization that, though this is a magical world, the issues are the same in real life. Readers begin to see the importance of disregarding ignorance and differences- the main idea becomes that we’re only as strong as we are united in a common goal- the goal of the Greater Good. We also realize that each character does have at least one tragic flaw- whether it be Ron’s Jealousy or Harry’s need to please everyone, the characters become less our heroes and more- ourselves. We see the faults in Dumbledore- how he loved power as much as Voldemort, but chose not to seek it after the death of his sister. We see Snape actually be the hero that he always was- the hopeless romantic who just couldn’t get over the loss of the love of his life, but fought until his dying day to keep her son alive. As adults, there is no more Black and White in Harry Potter- no good or evil, but lots of shades of grey.
And that’s the point- there is no one generation that identifies with Harry Potter the most. No, as readers of all ages grow up and read the books (probably numerous times), something different is unveiled- there is more to understand, something we didn’t see before.
As Harry Potter fans step into Pottermore, there is even more to discover.
For those who wish to Seek it, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome them home.
Katie Bennett Writes 