Posted on 11/15/2002 2:23:23 PM PST by RJCogburn
The movie adventures of child-wizard Harry Potter will continue on November 15. Far from being an agent of the occult, as his critics contend, Harry Potter is the kind of hero children should be encouraged to read about and emulate, said the executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute.
"It is true that Harry lives in a magical, fantastical world, but what's important is that he is a hero who wins through intelligence, effort and courage," said Dr. Yaron Brook. "Throughout the series, Harry has developed his talents through hard work and has learned to think for himself, to be honest and to be self-confident. He has friends who share his values and he earns the respect of his teachers. Aren't these the character traits all parents want their children to possess? I know they're qualities I actively try to instill in my two boys."
Dr. Brook said that the critics' focus on the supernatural aspects of the Harry Potter stories is completely non-essential. What is fundamental is the abstract meaning being conveyed during the course of Harry's magical adventures. "The books are, in short, fuel for a child's maturing mind. As vitamins and minerals are essential to a child's healthy physical development, so literature with this view of the world is essential to a child's healthy mental development."
Yes, they're called animators!
It sounds as if he's a pretty balanced and intelligent young man. Getting kids to read at all these days is no minor feat, let alone read history.
Keep up the great work. You certainly must be doing something right!
Sure. How else could he take all the Apostles along with him? They'd certainly not all fit into a Mini Cooper.
How in the world could you misconstrue that I implied Harry Potter is the origin of the Golden Rule?
LOL! That's just plain goofy and I can tell it's way past your bedtime! Nigh-nigh. See ya tomorrow.
Yep. It's fantasy. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Why not Electroluxes or mops?
Dunno. Ask the animators. Is an Electrolux less evil than a broom? I know they cost more...
Sure you might wsant to suggest other material, but since dinosaurs seemed relatively harmless, why prohibit it?
Humerous story. He was about 6 or 7, and I went into the kitchen and noticed a terrible mess on the floor near the refrigerator. Asked him what happened. Took a while but the story came out. He was pretending to be an Oviraptor. (The egg stealing dinosaur). He dropped a few eggs, and tried to clean up the mess, though not too well! LOL I couldn't be angry, it was just too funny!
Don't forget the buckets of water. What signigficance do they hold?
It's been years since I last saw Fantasia, but I think the wizard left Mickey to clean up, hence the broom. Mickey decides to take the easy way out, borrows the wizard's hat to conjure up some helpers, and finds himself in over his head - literally, as the water the brooms are fetching continues to rise.
The lesson, I think, was not to mess with powerful things that you may not be able to control. Not a bad message, IMO.
Here it's surfin e-bay.
Discovered serving spaghetti 5 days in a row works wonders around here.
Fantasy of "what"?!? It's not like a movie of geometric shapes wafting about at random. It's animated brooms. "Everybody knows" witches ride these. (Why didn't Harry ride a vacuum cleaner?) At the very least the church ought to give a warning about the connotation.
LOL! That almost sounds like something from a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon!
Your son sounds like a very cool kid. I'll bet he makes you proud.
Just curious why
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