Rachel Curry

Unit 2
Ms. Kent
3 March 2016
Espinoza, Javier. Religious Parents Want Harry Potter Banned from the
Classroom because it 'Glorifies Witchcraft'. Telegraph [United Kingdom].
16 December 2015. 24 February
2016. Web.
I found this source by googling, religious parents opinion of harry potter.
As soon as I read the title I knew it would be perfect for my topic. It talks
about how some parents complain about the magic in the books because
they claim it is satanic. Then the teachers just have to tell them there is a
complete other story without all of the magic. Also the article talks a little
about how there are just as many Bible references as there are satanic
actions. Although the author is listed I think the relevance of the article itself
is more important than the credibility of the author. The entire article talks
about my argument of why parents do not want their children read/watching
Harry Potter. The article was written about 3 months ago so it is very current
which I think helps play a part in the fact of even though there arent any
more movies or books being published, this is still an issue in todays world.
Some strengths of this source is that it is proposing an argument on why
should children not be able to know the story of Harry Potter and gives other
reasons to why they should be able to teach about the story in schools. They
have quotes from real teachers on their opinions of which side to take and
they also have quotes from parents on why they should ban the story
completely. A weakness the article has is that it is just quoting different side
of the story. It does not give factual reasons to why it is okay for the children
to know the story aside from the magic. I believe both sides have a valid
argument and I like the fact that this source quotes people form both sides of
the argument. However, I do not think this source could stand on its own as a
valid argument point. I think other sources to go with it would be more
beneficial. The writer presents the argument well for this source because he
first starts talking about the problem and argument between the two parties.
Then, he gives one side of the argument with quotes from a party agreeing
with that side. Next, he gives the other side of the argument, also with direct
quotes from people agreeing with the other opinion. Finally, he met them in
the middle and tells his opinion. He says he does not think the teachers
should not be able to teach this, but he does think that if they do then they
should be courteous of the parents wishes and be flexible with what they do
teach. I do not think this source would stand up to a strong critical evaluation
because he is basically just quoting an argument between two opinions but I
do think it works good with my paper because it is the same argument I am
making. I think this source will help mostly for when I need quotes from
people for both sides of the argument.
Halford, Macy. Harry Potter and Religion. The New Yorker. 4 November
2010. 28 February

2016. Web.
This article is about the religion in Harry Potter. It says that the series may
have some satanic viewpoints such as magic, but it also has several religious
points. It also talks about how J.K. Rowling had to keep her personal religious
beliefs hidden for a while because people would have known, or guessed,
how Harry Potter ended. This source is a newspaper article from The New
Yorker. The publication is relevant because the content of the article is
relevant to my topic. One strength this article has is that talks about religion
based on what happened in the series and based on Rowlings thoughts. A
weakness this article has is that it does not have quotes from someone of a
religious background on their opinion of the magic, religious, or satanic
references made within the storyline. I think this sources stands as a valid
point on its own. This piece would not stand up against a strong critical
evaluation because it is short and does not contain a lot of information. It
only has some points on one subject. However, I think it is a good source to
use for my paper because it is somewhat acquainted with my research topic.
The writer presents the argument well with clear understanding and opinions
backed up by quotes or facts. The purpose of this article is to give me a little
more insight of other peoples opinions on the same matter I am arguing in
my research paper. This source will help me in the writing process with
viewpoints from Rowlings religious beliefs and certain religious reference
Harry Potter experiences in the last movie.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Dir. David Yates. Perf. Daniel
Radcliffe, Emma
Watson, and Rupert Grint. Warner Brothers. 2011. DVD.
I chose this movie as a source because it has many Bible related analogies,
but it also has some satanic analogies. This movie is all about destroying
Voldemort and the obstacles Harry has to go to, to accomplish his goals.
Ultimately, sacrificing himself in order to kill Voldemort. Although as the
movie goes on, Harry comes back to life which goes with the good verses evil
theme that is also featured in the Bible. The scene of Harry talking to
Dumbledore is also related to the Bible because it would be like that was
Harrys Heaven. A strength of this source is that it does have so many
Bible references that if someone of religious background watch it, then they
would be able to relate to the story, from knowing the story of the bible. A
weakness of this source is that people of religious background would actually
have to watch the movie to understand why this one is important. Like we
have discussed, people with religious background do not want to watch Harry
Potter because of the magic. I think this source stand well on its own
because it is a Harry Potter movie. You cannot get an anymore reliable
source than the source itself. I think this source allows me to end the
conversation instead of opening it. It is the last bit of information that I need
in order to finish up the remainder of my ideas for this topic. This source will

be the ultimate building block for my final project because this is the movie
that has a lot of biblical references that I can end my argument with.
Jacobs, Cindy. Whats Wrong with Harry Potter. Charisma. Sept. 2015. Web.
This article is examples of why the series is bad to experience. The whole
article talks about how the magic featured in the story could effect your
everyday life. The article as a whole has some view convincing points, as it
should, but my argument is aside from the magic, the story within itself is a
reason to read the books or watch the movies. The article tells of how people
in this world chose to believe that the things they watch are real. For
example, the article tells of how Rowling gets mail from fans, with the letters
addressed to Hogwarts, explain why they should be able to attend school
there. Although it is a make believe story, people trick themselves into
thinking that the school is real and that they actually have a chance to get
in. Then after these examples it tells of certain people who actually had bad
things happen to them in which they chalk it up to believe it is because of
the books they read or the movies they watched. My evaluation of this article
is that it has a lot of understandable reasoning behind it. Also, at the same
time, it all could be blamed on something else; some other reasoning. With
that being said, a strength of this source is that it gives detailed explanations
for the other side of the argument of my topic. A weakness of this source is
that it is the opposing side. I think this article would be great as a source to
stand on its on if it were from my viewpoint. It gives an idea then backs that
idea up with real life scenarios. The purpose of this source is in case I need to
give an opposing argument; I will quote from this source. Especially since it is
so easy to fall into a false sense of reality, and how hard it is for some people
to decipher between real and fantasy.
Versnel, H.S.. Some Reflections on the Relationship Magic-Religion. Numen.
38.2 (1991): 177197. Web.
This source is a book about the relationship between religion and magic.
There are all different kinds of religion and some are not as accepting to
magic as others. For example, Christians do not look kindly towards magic on
any level. However, paganism is all about witchcraft. This article basically
tells that neither magic or religion exist. It is what we make of it that exists.
There can be all different type of proven facts but if we chose not to believe
it then it does not exist in our day to day lives. I think this source will be good
when I start writing my paper because it talks about something than just
Harry Potter magic. It discusses the relationship between magic and religion
and not just the opinions of one person from whatever side of the argument
they chose, whether it is good or bad. It also gives an understanding of
magic outside of this one story and religion apart from the one I chose. This
source does allow me to enter the conversation I discuss in my research

because it is so broad. I think it might be a great thing to even start with

because of how broad of a subject it is then I can narrow it down to
specifically the magic Harry Potter and then specifically Christianity and how
Harry Potter effects Christians. This source will be nice for me when writing
my paper because it does not just tell about why magic is bad or why religion
is bad. It compares them and weighs the pros and cons of each. Also is tells
how they relate to each other. Since this is unlike something I have found in
any of my other articles, I think it will be great to quote at the beginning of
my paper when I am starting out with very basic ideas.