Analytical Essay Sample on Harry Potter

Analytical Essay Sample on Harry Potter Many children around the world can proudly say that the popular Harry Potter series are the best books that they have ever read. However, because of the recent controversy from some parents and several Christians, children might not have the chance to read or watch Harry Potter. They believe that it teaches witchcraft, which is extremely absurd. Harry Potter does not teach witchcraft, it actually gives children characters to relate to and learn from, it expands their imagination, and it helps them to read more. J.K. Rowlings characters are realistic and many children can understand and learn from them. The main character, Harry Potter, illustrates to the reader how anyone can be a hero without the significance of his or her appearance. Although Harry is physically small and scrawny, he is able to defeat the all-powerful enemy, Voldemort. He is capable of doing this because he believes in himself and has bravery. Harry shows bravery not just in his dangerous adventures, but when he stands up to bullies, which is a major problem to most kids during that age. Children can learn a great deal from Harry because he is an extraordinary hero that is identical to their age. In addition, numerous kids today know the experience of growing up without parents. Orphans know of the jealousy that Harry feels towards Ron and his enormous family. Harry is also an orphan and many foster children can have a character that they can relate and comprehend. His best friend Ron is also another character that many c an associate to. Ron comes from a family with financial problems and he is always left with hand-me-downs from his older brothers, which causes him to be a laughing stock at school. Several children in this world are familiar with this experience and through Ron, they can see that they are not alone. Ron also helps children with economic difficulties to learn that family is much more important than material needs. Hermoine completes the circle of the three best friends. Her special trait is her knowledge and her willingness to learn. Her character is one that everyone knows as the nerd. HermioneÐ ±Ã ¿s role proves how important knowledge can be and especially useful in hard times. She also shows that there is nothing bizarre about wanting to learn. Her motivation and the way she uses her knowledge is so powerful that she can inspire others to go out to educate themselves. These characters resemble the people that one sees in everyday life. They offer children familiar experiences and many beneficial morals. During the early years of ones life is when one has the broadest imagination. Harry Potter helps expand that imagination even greater. Even though Harry Potter has witches and warlocks doing witchcraft, it is all just fantasy and is like any other fantasy movie or book, except better. Things like a three-headed dog, a flying broomstick, and an invisibility cloak allows the reader to leave the reality world and go into a different world of their own. During the peak time of the Harry Potter booksÐ ±Ã ¿ popularity, a mother decided to read the series to her six-year old daughter who was going through cancer. The child, named Catie Hoch, fell in love with the books and became a huge fan. This is probably because of the storyÐ ±Ã ¿s magic and how it lets oneÐ ±Ã ¿s mind go off into fantasy. There is no doubt that the books gave happiness to this little girl during the hardest point of her short-lived life. J.K. Rowling actually got in contact with Catie and even got to read to her from her fourth book, which at that time was not yet released to the public. Sadly, however, she died before Rowling could finish reading the book to her. It is stories like these that the anti-supporters of the Harry Potter books should know about. Lastly, in a period where technology rules the earth, it is difficult for children to get their eyes off the TV. Reading Harry Potter was more fun than watching TV or playing video games (Kwon). If a child would prefer to read a book then watch TV, then the book must be very well written and extremely interesting, Harry Potter is just that. Although there are now Harry Potter movies, many can say that they have read the book and the book was even better than the movie(Kwon). By having children read rather than watching TV, it can help them to be better readers and writers which will help them in the future, while watching TV will just make them obese and lethargic. On the other hand, many believe that the Harry Potter books do nothing but show people how to do witchcraft. One pastor claimed, The books are going to destroy the lives of young people (Locals’). The churchÐ ±Ã ¿s Herculean opposition is nonsense. In December 2001, the Harry Potter series were among the books burned in a churchs holy bonfire. Many Christians explain: God says in Deuteronomy that witchcraft is an abomination† (Gibbs’). Although they are right about Gods saying on witchcraft, Harry Potter was not written to teach people to be witches and warlocks. Its main point is to entertain people. The author of the books said almost sarcastically: I have met thousands of children and not even one time has a child come up to me and said: Ms Rowling, Im so glad IÐ ±Ã ¿ve read these books because now I want to be a witch (Potter). One can tell that she is not serious about this topic, so why should we even be arguing over this ludicrous issue? Why can we not let children read books that they love and enjoy? Although some churches and priests are strongly against Harry Potter and tell people not to read it, it can actually be a good sermon topic. A conservative Vanguard Church in Colorado with 1,100 members actually used Harry Potter to teach Sunday school for the children. The teachers were dressed as wizards, and the church was entirely decorated, with darkened rooms and glow-in-the-dark props (Gibbs). They had the children put on the Sorting Hat that decides the fate of the young wizards in the book. The children were all put in the Slytherin House, the house of evil Voldemort; the way out, they were taught, could only come from following what God teaches (Gibbs). If other churches were more lenient and understanding, they would see, how using Harry Potter can be a beneficial way to learn. In conclusion, Harry Potter books do not teach people witchcraft and they do not encourage them to become witches or warlocks. The books actually give characters for children to learn and relate to, expand their imagination, and allow them to read more. If one could just try to be more considerate, they can enjoy and actually learn a few things from the books.

Freedom Caucus Definition and Membership

Freedom Caucus Definition and Membership The Freedom Caucus is a voting bloc of about  three dozen Republican members of the House of Representatives who are among the most ideologically conservative in Congress. Many of the Freedom Caucus members are veterans of the  Tea Party  movement that took root following the bank bailouts of the Great Recession and the election of Barack Obama as president in 2008. The chairman of the Freedom Caucus is U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina. The Freedom Caucus was formed in January 2015 by nine members whose mission is to â€Å"advance an agenda of limited, constitutional government in Congress.† It has also argued for a more decentralized power structure in the House, one that allows rank-and-file members a greater voice in deliberations. The mission of the Freedom Caucus reads: â€Å"The House Freedom Caucus gives a voice to countless Americans who feel that Washington does not represent them. We support open, accountable and limited government, the Constitution and the rule of law, and policies that promote the liberty, safety and prosperity of all Americans.† The coalition has been described as a splinter group of the Republican Study Committee, the conservative group that serves as a watchdog on the partys leadership in Congress. Founding Members of the Freedom Caucus The nine founding members of the Freedom Caucus are: Rep. Justin Amash of MichiganRep. Ron DeSantis of FloridaRep. John Fleming of LouisianaRep. Scott Garrett of New Jersey  Rep. Jim Jordan of OhioRep. Raà ºl Labrador of IdahoRep. Mark Meadows of North CarolinaRep. Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina  Rep. Matt Salmon of Arizona   Jordan was elected the first chairman of the Freedom Caucus.   Members of the Freedom Caucus The Freedom Caucus does not publicize a membership list. But the following House members have also been identified in various news reports as being members of or affiliated with the Freedom Caucus. Rep. Brian Babin of TexasRep. Andy Biggs of AlabamaRep. Rod Blum of IowaRep. David Brat of VirginiaRep. Jim Bridenstine of OklahomaRep. Mo Brooks of AlabamaRep. Ken Buck of ColoradoRep. Warren Davidson of OhioRep.  Scott DesJarlais of TennesseeRep. Jeff Duncan of South CarolinaRep. Trent Franks of ArizonaRep. Paul Gosar of AlabamRep.  Morgan Griffith of VirginiaRep.  Andy Harris of MarylandRep.  Jody Hice of GeorgiaRep. Darrell Issa of CaliforniaRep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia  Rep. Alex Mooney of West VirginiaRep. Gary Palmer of AlabamaRep.  Steve Pearce of New MexicoRep.  Scott Perry of PennsylvaniaRep. Ted Poe of TexasRep. Bill Posey of FloridaRep. David Schweikert of AlabamaRep. Mark Sanford of South CarolinaRep. Joe Barton of TexasRep. Randy Weber of TexasRep. Ted Yoho of Florida Why the Small Freedom Caucus Is a Big Deal The Freedom Caucus represents but a small fraction of the 435-member House. But as a voting bloc, they hold sway over the House Republican Conference, which seeks support from at least 80 percent of its members for any move to be considered binding.   â€Å"Choosing their fights carefully, the Freedom Caucus has certainly made an impact since its formation,† wrote the Pew Research Center’s Drew DeSilver. DeSilver explained in 2015: â€Å"How does such a small group get to have such a big say? Simple arithmetic: Currently, Republicans have 247 seats in the House to 188 for the Democrats, which would seem to be a comfortable majority. But if the 36 (or more) Freedom Caucus members vote as a bloc against the GOP leadership’s wishes, their effective strength falls to 211 or fewer- that is, less than the majority needed to elect a new speaker, pass bills and conduct most other business.† While the makeup of the House has changed since then, the strategy remains the same: to maintain a solid caucus of ultraconservative members who can block action on legislation they oppose even if their own party, the Republicans, control the House. Role in John Boehner Resignation The Freedom Caucus rose to prominence during the battle over Ohio Republican John Boehner’s future as speaker of the House in 2015. The caucus was pushing Boehner to defund Planned Parenthood even if it meant forcing a government shutdown. Boehner, tired of the infighting, announced he would abandon the post and quit Congress altogether. One member of the Freedom Caucus even suggested to Roll Call that a motion to vacate the chair would pass if all of the Democrats were to vote in favor of ousting Boehner. â€Å"If the Democrats were to file a motion to vacate the chair and were to vote for that motion unanimously, there probably are 218 votes for it to succeed,† the unnamed member said. Many in the Freedom Caucus later supported Paul Ryan’s bid for speaker. Ryan was to become one of the youngest speakers of the House in modern history. Controversy A handful of Freedom Caucus members defected because they were unhappy with the group’s tactics, including its willingness to side with Democrats on votes that would undermine mainstream or moderate Republicans, including the effort to oust Boehner through a Vacate the Chair motion. U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble of Wisconsin quit after the leadership coup. â€Å"I was a member of the Freedom Caucus in the very beginning because we were focused on making process reforms to get every Member’s voice heard and advance conservative policy,† Ribble said in a written statement provided to CQ Roll Call. â€Å"When the Speaker resigned and they pivoted to focusing on the leadership race, I withdrew.† U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock of California quit the Freedom Caucus nine months after it formed because, he wrote, of its â€Å"willingness- indeed, an eagerness- to strip the House Republican majority of its ability to set the House agenda by combining with House Democrats on procedural motions.† â€Å"As a result, it has thwarted vital conservative policy objectives and unwittingly become Nancy Pelosi’s tactical ally,† he wrote, adding that the Freedom Caucus’ â€Å"many missteps have made it counterproductive to its stated goals.†