Harry Potter Racism

For my research project I chose the topic of Racism in Children's Literature. I chose this area of study because it is something that bothers me and I know as a child in school I was very uncomfortable with assignments that dealt with racism. One day I would like to make a difference to all the people who are affected by racism. My hypothesis states that if educators are better trained to deal with the delicate subject of racism in children's literature, books would not be banned, yet actually teach the lesson the authors of these books intended for all of us to learn.

What images come to mind as one reflects upon his or her childhood? Playgrounds, blackboards, and soccer balls may be among the fondest of memories. Yet, for many, mermaids swim their thoughts, princesses get swept off their feet, and lions roar to their royal place in the animal kingdom. Disney films have captivated the American culture for years and have become a pivotal part of popular culture as well as a form of education. However, these films have devoured the youth of America and, in the process; have perpetuated an institutionally racist society based on harsh stereotypes. Minorities are often underrepresented, and even completely left out, of many Disney films such as Dumbo (1941), The Lion King (1994), Aladdin (1992), and

The community of Broome before the advent of World War II in The Divine Wind at first appears to be an idyllic town in which Malays, Koepangers, Japanese, Manilamen and Australians all work in relative harmony in search of the elusive pearl. Hartley Penrose, the central narrator of the novel, seems to enjoy describing the tropical existence of Broome and its harmony: “mangoes and barramundi on the table”, “the half-dozen languages, the slap of sandals and bare feet.” But for all its seeming harmony, Broome is a town where racial tensions simmer just under the surface and evolve into a blatant racism with the coming of

The classic Disney movies Peter Pan and Pocahontas have been staples in many American children’s lives. These seemingly harmless family-friendly films have taught many important life lessons and morals, however, the movies also tend to create racial stereotypes and insinuate the ideas of white settler innocence. The song “Savages” from Pocahontas and the song “What Makes the Red Man Red” from Peter Pan in particular portray these implications. Sherene Razack’s “When Place Becomes Race” explores the correlation and affect that race and space have on each other with in-depth analysis of what makes up each. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s ““The Danger of a Single Story” explains how stereotypes are not only created by a story -which is not necessarily false- but also

In conclusion, the 3 main similiarities between both the books and real life society are discrimination, fear and killing of the minority. So the book’s

Comparing texts written during different periods provides an excellent insight into the way that themes have changed and progressed over time. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird and the film Remember the Titans were released 40 years apart, and yet they both explore similar themes and ideas, albeit in varying forms. One of these driving themes is that of discrimination. White members of the community often treat people of colour disrespectfully, adults invalidate younger children’s opinions and women are seen as inferior to men, yet still expected to behave accordingly. These forms of racial, age and gender discrimination are demonstrated in alike and contrasting forms in both texts.

In this essay, both texts, “To kill a Mockingbird” and “The Help”, will be looked at in depth, and the range of literary devices and techniques used in order to portray the theme of racism will be analyzed. The emotional attachment between protagonists, and the positive perspectives shared by characters portray the overall theme of racism and how this is oppressive for all people involved.

In the article “All’s Not Well In The Land Of “‘The Lion King’”, Lazarus discusses how the movie: “The Lion King” negatively portrays a society to children by using racism, homophobia, and social inequality. In American culture, racism and homophobia are both very common and controversial. Discrimination in today’s society is not primarily associated This essay is not completely effective because children do not yet understand social concepts and she did not have enough reasons to back up some of her statements.

The themes that are evident in works such as The Lord of the Rings are clearly not racist. The triumph of “the little man”

Similarly, another example of race injustice occurs when Lily has racism ingrained in her from her family and what society has taught her. When Lily was sitting in the honey house she was thinking how, “T.Ray did not think colored women were smart. Since I want to tell the whole truth, which means the worst part, I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me being white. Lying on the cot in the honey house, though, all I could think was August is so intelligent, sho cultured, and I was surprised by this. That’s what let me know I had some prejudice buried inside me” (Kidd 78).

In these lines from Derek Walcott’s “A Far Cry from Africa,” the speaker emphasizes the natural human tendencies to “inflict pain.” Similarly, in his poem, “Sympathy,” Paul Dunbar explores pain from the point of view of a bird being trapped in a cage. It flaps its wings and tries to escape but it cannot. The bird symbolizes an African American bound by slavery and unable to escape. On the other hand, in Claude McKay’s poem “The Harlem Dancer,” the dancer feels as if

While writing the bestseller Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone J.K. Rowling was struggling on welfare in a coffee shop. Like Rowling, the heros in her novel are social outcasts. Harry is an orphan; Ron comes from poverty; and Hermione comes from a non-wizard family. Harry grows up in the non-magical world, raised by non-magical folk. He is maltreated because he is different, and to an extent an uninvited part of the family. The real world exhibits prejudice due to race, religion, gender and social class on an everyday basis. Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone is set in a fantasy world that is far from the ordinary world readers are used to, however; prejudice is a theme that is dealt with throughout the whole story, much like

During the last several decades, the media has become a strong agent in directing and controlling social beliefs and behaviors. Children, by nature, can be particularly susceptible to the influencing powers of the media, opening an avenue where media created especially for children can indoctrinate entire generations. Disney movies, like all other media “are powerful vehicles for certain notions about our culture,” such as racism. (Giroux 32). Racist scenes in Disney movies are often identified as simply being “symbols of the time” when the films were produced. Furthermore, Disney racism is often passed over as simple humor, or as a simple guide to

In the play A Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry, a story about an African American family living in Chicago. The book illustrates what the daily problems of an average black family had to deal with while living in America in the 1950s and their struggle of overcoming obstacles to reach their “dream”. Hansberry use this novel to address topics such as racism, racial inequality, and racial discrimination. In 1954, many people during that time supported segregation. People perceived whites and blacks completely different and people wanted them to be separate. Everywhere in the south had “whites only” or “colored”, and many wanted to keep it that way. History will always repeat itself and people are not

Themes of anti-racism and anti-discrimination ring throughout the series; there is a clear case in each individual book that negatively depicts “racism” and discrimination in the wizarding world, attributing such roles to the worst of the antagonists. J.K. Rowling displays the significance of depicting the negative effects of racism and discrimination throughout the series. At the beginning of the very first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the readers learn a new word, “Muggle”. It is first mentioned on page five in the very first chapter: while walking down the street, a wizard celebrating Voldemort’s first downfall says to uncle Vernon, “Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!” According to Lana Whited, “exploring and combating racism