Where wizards and muggles unite.
I think back to the concept of the Stone, and I consider what it represented. From the very beginning, humans have been afraid of death. In the beginning, Adam and Eve ate from the Fruit of Life, and did not die. They existed in paradise. But they fell through eating the Fruit of Pride. Since... Continue Reading →
So at the end of the first year of our Hogwarts adventure, Harry has another run-in with Lord Voldemort, his greatest enemy, and temporarily defeats him. How does he do this? There is a simple way- humility. Humility has a bad rep in society. People often associate it with words and phrases like “play dead”... Continue Reading →
If there’s one thing Rowling always does a good job on, it’s monsters. She describes them so well and they’re always so interesting! But first of all, what is a monster? Well, let’s take a quick lick at what Merriam Webster has to say. Definition of monster (Entry 1 of 2) 1a: an animal or... Continue Reading →
Latin was the language spoken by the ancient Romans. The story of Rome is fascinating, but there are varying stories of how it began. Some say it began with two brothers named Romulus and Remus, others with an altogether different hero. Either way, Rome grew from a mustard seed into a giant city, one that... Continue Reading →
Perhaps one of the most tragic, heart-wrenching concepts in the Sorcerer’s Stone is the dreaded Mirror of Erised. Thinking about it still sends shivers up my spine. Harry Potter, age eleven, feels as though he has found a family of sorts at Hogwarts. After all, he now has friends for the first time in his... Continue Reading →
The Sorcerer’s Stone, originally called “The Philosopher’s Stone” in England, had its name changed to be more understandable for American audiences also. I did not know this for a long time. Although many British phrases were abridged for American audiences (such as “won’t” instead of “shan’t”) there are many phrases which are still there. For... Continue Reading →
A really interesting bit of information about The Sorcerer’s Stone is that when J.K. Rowling wrote it, she was struggling heavily financially. A single mom still grieving from the death of her own mother, she was highly educated- and very poor. Here’s a quote from her about when she first thought of the idea for... Continue Reading →
When J.K. Rowling thought up the idea of the house system at Hogwarts, she scribbled down her ideas on a napkin. Sometimes big ideas start out really small. When I was younger, I attended a hippie school in California that divided its kindergarteners into three groups- Sunflower, Day Lily, and… I can’t remember the last.... Continue Reading →
It’s all very well that we’ve established a magic school- but what about the teachers? I mean, what’s a classroom without a teacher? What’s a school filled with young minds without someone to hone each child’s special talents and raise them up? Who keeps discipline? Rowling truly outdoes herself in creating some very striking individuals... Continue Reading →
Your friends are the family you can pick, as the old saying goes, and it’s so true. There’s no way Harry can help being related to the Dursleys, but he can pick his friends. Friends aren’t forced, you don’t have to put up with them one way or another. You can choose them. If you... Continue Reading →
The Opportune Owl 