Response to Harry Potter

When I was little I gave up reading Harry Potter after the first page of the first book. It bore me so much it left a bad stigma for me and kept me away from reading any of books. However, reading it now, I truly missed out on a great novel and wonderful narrative that my younger self would had enjoyed. There are many uses of literary devices in this novel, such as caricature, and it adds to the story and character. Caricature is found in the novel to describes the Dursleys in the first couple of pages. Caricature is use of exaggerated descriptions to make something silly, for example “Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck,” or “Mr. Dursley . . . was a big beefy man with hardly any neck…” Another device is hubris or the state of being so arrogant it leads to your own demise, in which Mr. Dursley is the subject of. His arrogant mind, has him believing he can escape the letters, but in the end he is found by Hagrid in a shack by the ocean. Mr. Dursley’s hubris brings the family motto of being rich and arrogant to the fullest and their own choices led to their discovery, which also reveals more about who Mr. Dursley is as a person. Ambiguity is also used in the novel to describe Voldemort. As Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall discuss the disappearance of Voldemort and leave little to be known about him. For example, when they first speak of him they say “you know who,” instead of Voldemort. This has us wondering who he is and why is he such a threat in the wizarding world. The wizard jargon in the book is an example of enticing the audience into being curious about the novel and its characters. For example, the Put-Outter is a device which takes light from surrounding sources. This item is a gateway item in which draws in readers to wonder about the other gadget wizards has and entices them to read the novel even further. Irony is also used in the novel to bring some humor and show the contrast to what character believes and what is really being shown. For example, Mrs. Dursley calls Dudley an angel which in fact is the complete opposite. This is somewhat humorous as Mrs. Dursley’s blind favoritism doesn’t see who he really is as a person. The dialogue is another device in which it builds characters in the novel to be who they are. The use of outer dialogue allows the readers to view the personality of the Dursleys and Harry as they bring details that the narrator cannot. For example, Harry’s wittiness wouldn’t been able to be seen if his jokes towards Dudley were not told via dialogue. The use of conflict in the novel unearths the dire situation and terrible life Harry lives as a boy. He was put into conflict the moment he was born as Voldemort kills his parents and attempts to kill him, but fails. While as a boy he has external conflicts with Dudley and his gang, and the Dursleys in general. There is also foreshadowing utilized in the first three chapters as Harry being a wizard and “the boy who lived,” foreshadows the mystical things that will happen to him as he grows. For example, Harry living the murderous Voldemort foreshadows who his villain his and what he has to deal with in the future. While being a wizard foreshadows the weird thing that may come due to his existence, for example the letters that magically come or the people he runs into the street as a kid. All in all, Harry Potter is looking to be a definite read for me as it captivated me from the second chapter and I regret not reading it as a boy.