Book Response : Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

“And I felt …. as though all the happiness had gone from the world…. and I remembered…. dreadful things….” - Mrs.Figgs.

Harry had felt that all summer,  he had felt that when he faced the dementors, he felt that when he had seen Lord Voldemort, yet no one believed him.

Trust is something we need in a relationship, it is also something we require amongst ourselves. Whenever, someone doesn’t believe me, it shatters my heart, and toys with my emotions, causing me to store my feelings. I’ve learned that keeping our feeling to ourselves can break us.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is a story about Harry Potter whose dreams are being haunted with a door at the end of a silent corridor. This year, at Hogwarts, is one of Harry’s toughest, he has a horrible Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who can’t stand him at all, he must take his O.W.L exams, in addition he needs to convince wizards around the globe that the threat of Lord Voldemort is increasing. He discovers who he really is, who he has become, and how important his  emotions and feelings are. He learns to trust and to hope. He struggles with trying to conceal his feelings and thoughts, from his friends and his enemies. J.K. Rowling displays that, as we grow up, we need to learn to be honest with ourselves and stay true to who we are.  

In the book, Harry must convince everyone he is not lying and that he is not seeking popularity. He must show he is a honest and truthful person. For example, it states, “ ‘ They’re writing about you as though you’re this deluded attention - seeking person who thinks he’s a great hero... ‘ ‘I didn’t ask - I didn’t want - Voldemort killed my parents….’ ‘I got famous because he murdered my family but couldn’t kill me! Who wants to be famous for that?” (74) This portrays that Harry is struggling with the attention he is received.He realizes that this attention isn’t healthy. This can teach us that, sometimes we may be getting the wrong attention. In reality, we don’t need any form of attention, all we require is ourselves. This is considerable because we need to stop any unnecessary attention because it is not wholesome for us, nor is it helping our emotions and feelings. Our emotions and feelings are very significant. Not embracing them can be destructive to our personality. It doesn’t divulge the person we are, and this is an act of not being true to who we are.

Additionally, it states, “ For the first time in his school career, he very much wanted to spend the holidays away from Hogwarts…. He felt highly resentful toward the place….” (422) This signifies that sometimes you just want a sense of tranquility. You might be overwhelmed and its adequate to treat ourselves and to let ourselves  have some time to compose yourself. It’s okay to need some alone time, we deserve it.  We should have our own time and give ourselves treats once in awhile. However, we can’t avoid everything forever, and sooner or later we must face our problems.

Believing in myself and trusting my instincts aids me to be who I am. This book has taught me that we need to be take care of our needs. We don’t always have to be selfless. It’s okay to need something. But we can’t take advantage of this, we can’t turn needy. It’s crucial to stay true to ourselves because it builds us to be the person we are. The reason behind this is, being who we are make us human. The book shows that to be honest, you need to be sincere with yourself first, and that will reflect as to who you are as a person.

Book Response: The Book Thief

             

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a story set in 1939 in Germany during the world war two, it is narrated by "Death". The book is about a girl named Liesel Meminger whose life changes when she steal her first book: The Grave Digger's Handbook. Once she is taken in by her foster parents, Liesel is faced with the reality of what the world is actually like.

      After her brother's death she is taken in by foster parents: Rosa and Hans Hubermann. Hans Hubermann, who is an accordion player, helps Liesel learn to read. At first, he is the only person she trusts. As time progressives she learns she needs to have more faith in the people around her. For example, she learns to trust Rudy Steiner, the next door neighbor, who is obsessed with the athlete Jesse Owens. Who turns out to be her best friend. With the help of Rudy she steals books from the mayor’s wife as “revenge”.  Additionally, she also starts to believe in Rosa once Hans is sent away and there is no one left to confide in.

However before Hans is sent away, she meets Max. Max is a Jew, during this time period there is nothing worse than being a Jew. Hans Hubermann and Rosa Hubermann hide Max in their basement, because Max’s father died to save Hans’ life.

Once Max is in the picture, Markus Zusak shows how caring and kind Liesel can be. Liesel has sympathy and an understanding for people, she has the ability to befriend anyone who needs companionship, for example : Max. Once Liesel meets Max, she learns his story, she realizes how harsh and cruel the world. She remembers her struggles and she sympathizes with Max because of his. They seem to have a connection and bond because of the way they both have been through a lot.

At the end, Liesel realizes who the good guys are, who the bad guys are, and who just don’t fit into any category.

I think Markus Zusak does a great job developing Liesel. He shows how strong and independent she is. He continues to show this throughout the book. He makes me realize that even the strongest, bravest, and most courageous people can break down too. Additionally, he shows that death is not the end. The whole book is written around the whole concept of death. The book shows that death is neither a good thing or a bad thing, and it is definitely not the end.