Blog 2 Prompt 1 | Quintin Faler

Harry Potter is relevant in our culture because of the ways it can connect to many audiences. Harry Potter can relate to the children reading it, because they can connect with the same issues Harry is going through (well most except the magic bit). Children can relate to Harry through his journey whether is be going to a new school, having a terrible household, or just discovering something new about yourself and taking on that challenge (Rowling, Sorcerer’s Stone). Harry gets in fights with his friends (Rowling, Goblet of Fire) struggles with teachers in school (Rowling, Order of the Phoenix) and trying out for sports teams (Rowling, Sorcerer’s Stone) things most of us can relate to in the past. As a culture our youth has grown up with Harry Potter and now seems like second nature to have read it or at least seen the movies. It is a bridge that can connect many cultures around the world because it is popular everywhere and now connects us to our culture. It is the story that helped us grow up and became a very relatable story to a lot of audiences especially our culture who grew up with the Harry Potter books. It has helped as guide of growing up with all the angsts and problems any youth could go through.

Adults, like their youth counterpart can relate to the story because they can be going through turmoil like Harry constantly seems to be getting into. Harry faces some real troubles in his first five years at Hogwarts, things that can still haunt adults. For example, a death of a friend like Harry went through with Sirius (Rowling, Order of the Phoenix). Harry really grows up over the series and adults grow and change even with their age and experiences. While the book was popular for children it has become part of the culture of adults today, because it has become a norm for adults to know the series as well as the youth. While the Harry Potter series has definitely influenced our culture by its relatable story and ability to reach multiple audiences, its real influence is because it is now part of our culture.