Harry Potter Power Review
This article is a part of College English Band 3 homework. Reference only. Please do NOT copy.
An introduction of this article can be found at semester ends.
Harry Potter Power was created by a psychologist, who deployed well-known plots, characters and magic in Harry Potter to demonstrate psychological theories. In this way, the non-fiction cleverly arouses people’s interest in psychology, especially of Harry Potter fans. Moreover, the practical activities undoubtedly engage readers in the wonders of psychology, enabling them to utilize their inner powers for better lives.
The book consists of six sections, delving into the power of tragedy, thoughts, action, animals, nature and greatness correspondingly.
Not particularly fond of Harry Potter as I am, the section “The Power of Animals” immediately caught my eyes on my opening the book, and I couldn’t resist finishing it with thrill. As I have mentioned in my class speech, I’m enthusiastic about animal magic, so I introduced wargs in A Song of Ice and Fire in my speech. Therefore, I intend to focus on this section in the review.
The section provides a comprehensive history of animal mages, shamans and shapeshifters around the world, which greatly inspiring me of the psychological origin of animal magic. What ancient cave-dwellers, shamans, Aboriginal people, medieval Europe witches, Celtic Augurs and Animagi magicians believe in common is that animals also possess spirits as we humans do, because after all animals eat, sleep, struggle and love just like us. This could be an example of widespread animism belief. What’s more, powerful mages could borrow powers from animals roaming the world or communicate with them. Not only does this idea sound quite cool, but it also reflects that we should embrace nature like our ancestors as the environment worsens.
According to Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, humans tended to abandon the care for nature when the agricultural revolution took place and their religions transited from multiple natural gods to one almighty agricultural god. They no longer needed to converse with animals directly and instead the one god would do it all. This is clearly a reflection of the growing conflicts between humans and nature, and the conflicts aggravate with industrialization. Nowadays, many people treat domestic animals badly and mechanically because of their greed for profit and disbelief in animism. Did animal magic still thrive, they would be kinder to animals.
On the other hand, the author explored various specific animals and Animagus in detail to increase intelligibility and relatability. For example, wolves and ravens are my favorite creatures in Ice and Fire, and the section explains the power of wolf and the magic of raven. The wolf’s message “you will be more powerful if you stick with the pack” just reminds me of the famous quotation “when the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives” in A Game of Thrones, as Eddard explained the importance of teamwork to Arya. And the line would definitely play a significant role in the future, as the scattered wolves – Starks might assemble against common foes like in the TV series. Meanwhile, the belief of the native people of North America that “dead warriors’ souls turn into wolves” possibly inspired the second life of wargs. These real-world clues help me understand mythical and magical settings.
As for the psychology behind animal magic, the DIY shape-shifting activity really intrigues me. I have longed for the experience of warging, and the activity sounds excellent. Extensive instruments of clearing mind, picturing a magical lake, inwardly murmuring the charm-like rite and so on add to the sense of realism. I dreamed of rescuing an ally like Bran’s warging Summer, leading a roaming wolf pack like Arya’s skinchanging Nymeria, or ranging beyond the Wall like Jon’s Ghost. This psychological technique called visualization is the core of the activity, and it helps boost your powers and imagination. Only when you succeed in imagination can you make it in real life.
Apart from magic, the section also mentions animals have therapy effects on humans and we should care for their feelings. In conclusion, we should learn from animals in a variety of facets.
Finally, I want to discuss why Harry Potter series become world-famous bestseller, and this could fit in the Power of Harry Potter. Distinct from earlier The Lord of the Rings and contemporaneous Ice and Fire, the series constructs a fictional world atop real world. Many elements ranging from governments to exams directly originate from reality, which enhances familiarity. Nevertheless, the magic elements bring a whole new dimension, resulting in unique attractiveness. Had it not been so popular, Harry Potter Power wouldn’t exist for sure.