Harry Potter and Censorship

I most definitely think that the Harry Potter series should be accessible to children in the upper elementary grades and beyond. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone depicts the classic story of good versus evil, gives good examples of friendship and loyalty, and also has a focus on the evils of obtaining all that one desires. When one thinks about it, almost all older children’s stories and novels have these themes in common – particularly the themes of good versus evil and friendship. There is almost always a struggle between something the reader considers right and wholesome, against something wrong and undesirable. The hero – or heroine – of the story usually has some sort of friend or sidekick to help them overcome their foe. With that being said, why should the Harry Potter series be treated any differently than any other novel with a central character, who has friends, who is involved in a struggle with something negative? The magical aspect of the series just makes the story more appealing to children, causing them to want to read – something which parents and teachers should be ecstatic about, which Trelease mentions in his article. Also, Trelease’s mention of the novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, was very interesting. Most of the objection to the Harry Potter series comes from the Christian community because of the books’ supposed association with Satan. However, in the Christian community, the above mentioned novel is accepted with open arms because of its Christian symbolism. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is drenched with magic; does anyone see the problem with this? It makes no sense at all!! If Harry Potter is to be banned, than stories like the classic The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, along with Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, and basically every other story Disney has made an animated film should be banned along with it, because they too include magical elements. If one particular book with magical components is banned because of those magical components, than all books with magical aspects should be banned; it makes no sense at all to single out one particular series. With this said, I would not use Harry Potter in my curriculum simply because I feel there are other classic novels which address the themes of friendship and the struggle between good and evil more clearly. Also, I do not want to deal with any issues that may arise with thick-headed parents and/or administrators objecting the series.