Posted on 08/01/2007 6:59:32 AM PDT by ParsifalCA
I am warning those who have not finished the series . . . and there must be still a few of them by now. . . that there are spoilers ahead. I have just finished the last book . . . having spent an enjoyable evening with it thanks to Sam’s Club and an indulgent wife.
I am done with Harry Potter and enjoying the literary aftertaste the way one enjoys a fine meal almost as much after it is done as when it is being consumed . . . though it is a bit sad that the series is finished.
And it is really finished . . .
Will one be able to re-read the books with pleasure?
I think the answer is only a tentative “yes.” If one knows the “puzzles” and “the secrets” of the book, it will not take away the charm of the characters or the fun of a good Quidditch match, but the first read will always be the best.
The strength of these books is in the plot and the second read, when everything is known, will be satisfying for finding all the clues to what happens . . . but I am hard pressed to know if I will want to re-read them a third or fourth time.
A really great book is as good on the fourth read . . . and some children’s books (Little White Horse) are better.
I deeply enjoyed the last book and thought the ending satisfying. For those who found them quite Christian, they will find much in this last book to give strength to their idea.
(Excerpt) Read more at exilestreet.com ...
I know you are strongly convinced that the Potter books are evil. I was told the same, but when I started to read them myself I came to the opposite conclusion. I guess the answer is, if you are going to get obsessive over the setting (floating candles, ghosts, etc) it will seem occultish to you. Certain people, especially those who have come out of the occult, have problems with that.
But I tell you the plot and themes are absolutely Christian and conservative. Rowling has made more conservatives than witches, I’ll promise you. The theme is basically Everyman (Harry Potter - you know, Tom, Dick and Harry, and Potter’s Field - her names are highly symbolic) is a young wizard, and his life seems to parallel another young wizard’s, Tom Riddle.
However, Riddle makes all the wrong choices, out of an evil heart, and Harry makes mostly right ones, out of love for friends and under the guidence of wise mentors - despite the fact that he is just as angry about things as Riddle (the heart is desperately wicked).
The book turns into a spiritual and physical warfare between good and evil, with love for others expressed through self sacrifice becoming the redemption of mankind.
A strong subtheme is the desire of government to control the lives of individuals, and how easily that turns to aiding evil. There are many other Christian themes. Actually, I didn’t see any new age ideas in the book at all.
Don’t count on the movies to give you a true picture. The movies were interpretations by worldly folk, and they miss much of the Christianity.
“poisoning the well with a false comparison. “
Occultism and homosexuality are a one-to-one comparison in terms of their bBiblical status as “abomination”.
For a description of Lord of the Rings, check this out...
Randall gives his impression of LotR from Clerks 2
CAUTION!!!! Saying this is NOT family friendly is an understatement. If you play this at work, you will be fired. In fact, just watching this will put you on an express elevator straight to hell. In other words, they use a lot of naughty language, and rude, crude, and socially unacceptable imagery. You have been warned.
Mark
Well a few things come to mind, first being what universe could someone live in to make a comment like this?
Then an old Mark Twain quote and an old proverb that say much the same things.
"It is often better to keep one's mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt." --- Mark Twain
Or another version
"It's better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and prove it." - old proverb
“The shredding of poor logic can sometimes cause that.”
Examples please.
Universality is what makes great and lasting stories great and lasting. Whatever the setting, from Hogwarts to Middle Earth to Narnia to the banks of the Mississippi to Victorian London to fair Verona to Camelot, what rings true is the human motives, good, bad, and ugly. Greed, lust for power, anger and hate; Sacrifice, justice, courage and love.
A common theme of modern literature is that even out heroes have feet of clay -- that is certainly true in Harry Potter. I do not see that as a negative, or as creeping moral relativism. Someone who is human and flawed, but nonetheless heroic, is someone we can choose to be, something we can aspire to -- not some other-worldly celestial being who is too far beyond us to contemplate.
Except of course there is no occultism in HP, thus your comparison is false. Then of course there’s the whole addition of the crack addict thing which you clearly included just to pile on the negative imagery, thus poisoning the well. You’ve got no facts, you site bigoted website and false claimers, and use logical fallacies to construct your argument. You lost, man up and walk away, you’ve proven yourself wrong.
It means your powers of observation are flawed, or you don't know enough people to create a decent sample for your 'survey', or both.
Now you know that Spell-O-Tape on wands leads to tragedies like vomiting slugs.
That's right... You need the Elder Wand."
Mark
I hope that point came across to PM in my post. Parental responsibility and one's faith.
“Oh he’s back on the teenage male prostitute thing. Let me guess, you recently got back from Thailand?”
2nd request.
Please refrain from personal attacks and stick to a discussion of the topic.
Yours is more the latter than the former. Most of the latter have little basis in reality and often come under the influence of drugs or alchohol.
Your turn.
“You. Poor logic “
Please give examples of where my poor logic has been shredded.
I've enjoyed Harry Potter on audio, read by Jim Dale, and have two of them. However, I recently learned that the British version of the audio books are read by Stephen Fry. I'm gonna have to start collecting THOSE, because I just love his voice!
Actually that would be your first request, don’t fib. And it’s not a personal attack to point out that you keep returning over and over to the teenage male prostitute thing, because you do. And it’s also not an attack to mention that I find it a little creepy.
I know! I believe that there's something in the Bible that says you're not supposed to commit murder... Does that mean that you're not allowed to read a book where murders occur? If that's the case, I guess we're not supposed to read the Bible.
Mark
“Actually that would be your first request, don’t fib.”
See post #102
There’s nothing in there that says anything about personal attacks or a request to stop same. That post has as little to do with personal attacks as HP does with the occult. Maybe you were thinking about personal attacks, but you didn’t write anything about them.
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