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0| HARRY POTTER AND CENSORSHIP: (2 out of 4)

Date Published: May 28, 2006

Great children's books speak to the unconscious. Children have strong feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and helplessness, but they haven't developed the rational thinking skills that an adult has to cope with these feelings. Bruno Bettelheim describes the psychological importance of dealing with the unconscious through fairy tales in The Uses of Enchantment: The meaning and importance of fairy tales. [Bettelheim's book was written partially as a response to a movement by some parents in the early 20th century to ban children's fairy tales due to their violent and unrealistic content. And, in fact, the fairy tales of today are considerably watered down versions of the originals due to this movement.] The Harry Potter books have all the elements of a classic fairy tale but they speak to modern children in a way that classic fairy tales probably do not anymore. A fairy tale, or great children's book guides the child's unconscious in a structured way to resolve painful feelings. This frees the child to cope on a conscious level without being overwhelmed by all the underlying feelings of anxiety and alienation.

Rowling uses very specific imagery to guide the reader from the mundane world of the wounded ego down into the mysterious world of the nonrational unconscious. The reader travels along with Harry as he leaves the city on a red train, past the fields, and into the deep woods. Night falls and he arrives at a mountain lake which he glides across to a huge castle. Inside he finds an incredible place where he can't see the ceiling and ghosts amble through the walls gossipping. Harry (and the child) are transported to a place of wonder where he is special and even revered. Harry is fearful but brave as he faces the immense learning and the dangers of this world. Rowling does a good job of reassuring the child that he is safe in this place. As in any good fairy tale, it is very clear that the reader is moving from the real world into fantasy then back again to the real world where he is stronger and more whole from his journey..

Could an obsession with, or even an interest in the Harry Potter books encourage exploration into witchcraft? A brief visit to some of the Harry Potter fan sites made me wonder. At The Unofficial Harry Potter Fan Club , children are invited to cast spells to win a contest, hmmm - dabbling in witchcraft maybe? On further exploration, though, I learn that spells (or charms) are actually creative word games. In fact, I ended up loving this site because it engages children to write stories, show their art work, and make up creative and unusual words. As usual, I couldn't pass up the Harry Potter party ideas. Another high quality fan site is The Wonderful World of Harry Potter.

While the fun of fantasy might be its otherworldliness, its power lies is the truths it reveals about the real world. So the magical world of Harry Potter, a world of flying cars and dragons, unicorns and magic potions, invisibility cloaks and evil powers, becomes real as readers discover truths about bravery, loyalty, choice, and the power of love. Read the following quotations from the Harry Potter books and discuss the truth that each reveals.

"The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution." (The Sorcerer's Stone, page 298)

"...to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever." (The Sorcerer's Stone, page 299)

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." (The Sorcerer's Stone, page 306)

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." (The Chamber of Secrets, page 333)

"You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you'll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no ... anything. There's no chance at all of recovery. You'll just—exist. As an empty shell." (The Prisoner of Azkaban, page 247)

"You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?....You know, Harry, in a way, you did see your father last night....You found him inside yourself." (The Prisoner of Azkaban, page 427-428)

"Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery." (The Goblet of Fire, page 680)

"You place too much importance...on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!" (The Goblet of Fire, page 708)

In a way, Rowling follows the classic fantasy formula of beginning each book in the real world (the Dursleys' home), moving into the fantasy world (Hogwarts School), and then returning to the real world (the Dursleys again). What other fantasies follow this same pattern? Consider classics such as Peter Pan, The Indian in the Cupboard, and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Compare these with other works that take place entirely in a fantasy world, such as The Prydain Chronicles and The Hobbit. In another way, though, the Harry Potter books are a mixture of these two styles. The world of Hogwarts is not entirely separated from the everyday "muggle" world, but is more a magical world-within-a-world, a world that exists in the real world, although ordinary people are unaware of it. Discuss how this affects your appreciation of the books.

Book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, opens in Tom Riddle, Sr.'s parents' home, unlike the previous three books which opened in the Dursley's home. How does the change of setting for the beginning of this book affect the tone of the book? Why do you think Rowling departed from the expected setting for the beginning?

We believe in Harry because of his human qualities, especially his human frailties. Find instances where Harry is acting more like a bungling muggle than a great wizard. Why is it important for readers that Harry not always be a great wizard?

Rounded characters are characters who change and grow. Find instances of change in Harry. For example, Harry becomes angriest when taunted about his parents' death; however, by book three, when he faces Peter, the person who led Voldemort to his parents, he stops Lupin and Black from killing Peter, saying, "I don't reckon my dad would've wanted them to become killers—just for you" (Prisoner of Azkaban, page 376). In book four, when Harry could have claimed the Triwizard cup, he instead offers to share it with Cedric.

In each Harry Potter book readers can find comparisons to traditional fairy tales, myths, or legends. For instance, the dog Fluffy which guards the trapdoor at Hogwarts School resembles Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the underworld of Greek mythology. Harry could be compared to King Arthur—both are orphaned boys who are raised by foster parents, and each is unaware of his true background but slowly begins to understand it. In The Goblet of Fire, Harry must complete three tasks. What other mythological characters face difficult tasks?

Legal policy regarding the censorship of children's literature is not exactly clear-cut. In the United States, the First Amendment allows for free speech and for freedom of the press, allowing all types of material to be published regardless of content. However, laws for minors are different than for adults, and parents have the inalienable right to shield their children from material they perceive has harmful. While the First Amendment provides Americans the right to say and print what they want, parents also have the right to limit their children's access to such material. Legislation written in order to give parents a greater say in what types of media are available to minors is constantly being presented before Congress.

For example, the 1996 Communications Decency Act sought to regulate the information available to minors. Specifically, it called for criminal penalties for anyone who makes, creates, or solicits and initiates the transmission of any comment, request, suggestion, proposal, image or other communication, which is obscene or indecent, knowing that the recipient of the communication is under 18 years of age. (LaMay 1-2)

The Communications Decency Act specifically was written with the Internet in mind, but the wording can be applied to children's literature. If one party deems the content of a piece of literature as "obscene" then the author, who knowingly published the books for people "under the age of 18," could be tried as a criminal. In June and July of 1996 a 3-judge federal panel and the U.S. Justice Department deemed that the Act was unconstitutional, and in March of 1997 the U.S. Supreme Court agreed (LaMay 2).

While the 1996 Communications Decency Act was not enacted into law, a very similar 1873 law, known as the Comstock Law, is still on the books and is active. Anthony Comstock was one of the most formidable censors during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term "comstockery" or the "strict censorships of materials considered obscene" is coined for him (LaMay 1). Comstock's crusade involved protecting the public from "obscene" material. Comstock targeted material sexual in nature, specifically information on abortions, birth control, and descriptions of sexual acts. Comstock openly denounced books such as Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, as well as works by Ovid, Boccaccio, Thomas Hardy, and George Bernard Shaw (LaMay 7, 10). While Comstock was not entirely concerned with censoring material from minors, his law sets legal precedent in banning material defined as "obscene."

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