“Reading correlates with nearly every measure of positive personal and social behavior analyzed…the cold statistics confirm…books change lives for the better (Jensen, n.d.).” As Frode Jensen cites from a study conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts, books have a special influence on their readers. As society builds a world of technology and criticism, it is difficult to find a good place to root values and learn important things from. Enter JK Rowling's Harry Potter series, the story of a boy who learns magic and conquers the overlord of the wizarding world with the help of many mentors and friends over the years. The books are often called controversial, but they are a good means of promoting moral development and moral traits in preadolescents and any person who reads books (Binnendyk, 2002). While some parents say the books are anti-Christian and others say they support the ideas of dark magic and witchcraft, there are many significant lessons to be learned from the adventures of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Many research projects have been based on JK Rowling's creations and one has concluded that the stories are meaningful and effective from both developmental and psychological perspectives (Binnendyk, 2002). JK Rowling uses her stories to show her readers what love is like and how to discover themselves. According to various Greek philosophers, there are three categories, or types, of love (Bassham, 2010). The first is eros, the category of erotic and romantic love (Bassham, 2010). This is shown by several couples in the Harry Potter stories, most clearly by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, as well as Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. With these accompanied examples... in the center of the paper... the love story is slowly revealed, readers learn how love works and how it changes you. Watching the transformations of various characters inspires transformations in readers' morals and values as they experience examples of racism, slavery, and teamwork. Readers benefit from Dumbledore's wisdom shared with Harry, applying a fictional character's advice to their own lives. More popular, this particular quote from Chamber of Secrets (Rowling, 1998), “It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we really are, far more than our abilities” (p. 333). Self-discovery is a very popular topic in today's society where everyone tells you not only to be yourself, but who you should be. Finding a quote like the one above is like finding a diamond in the rough, but that just gives it a lot of influence and value. Where do you find your morals??
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