20 Years of Harry Potter: 10 amazing life-lessons we can learn from the series
As JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone turns 20, here are some of the best lessons this fantastic series gave us.
1.Teachers are the backbone of this world
From Lupin fighting relentlessly against Voldemort to McGonagall preparing Hogwarts for battle, the professors at the school valiantly protected their students. Real-life teachers might not dabble in magic, but most have their students' best interests in mind — even when they're assigning extra homework. Practice, obviously.
2.But intelligence isn't always the most important thing
Hermione was often the one doing heavy research to figure out what was going on. Meanwhile, Ron and Harry were definitely not the brains of the group, but their courage and heart sometimes did what Hermione's book smarts couldn't.
3.Children’s books can be political
Rowling’s brilliant decision was to have her characters grow up at the same rate as her readers. Each book was set in one school year, and grew longer, darker and more adult in theme. By the time we reached book four, Goblet of Fire, we were seeing do-gooding Hermione’s Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare formed in response to the bond slavery of these sock-loving poppets. In the person of the hack journalist Rita Skeeter, Rowling sent up the tabloid press.
4.Don’t be afraid to stand up to your enemies ...
OK, so the word ‘enemies’ is maybe a bit strong, but the books taught us not to be afraid to stand up to people in the wrong - whether it's a taunting bully or a powerful wizard trying to kill you.
Considering most of the readers would have been going through that crucial
5.Never Judge A Book...
Throughout the series, Severus Snape is presented as the villain of the piece, a sneering, embittered bully nursing a poisonous vendetta against Harry. And then in Deathly Hallows , his motivations are revealed to be something else entirely, showing his actions to be born out of love rather than hate. Well, ok there’s still a fair bit of hate in there, but mainly love!
6.Boarding schools might be fun
After decades of decline, boarding schools reported a surge in applications from the late 1990s which headteachers attributed to the “Harry Potter effect”. Some set about building more boarding houses to cope with the demand. Alex Renton, author of a polemic against these schools, Stiff Upper Lip, points out that like the authors of most boarding-school stories, Rowling went to a day school.
7.Listen to those that are often unheard
As loony as Luna Lovegood seemed, she usually had the answers to what was going on. Don't overlook the people in life who are too timid to speak up or labeled
8.Face your fears
Whether it was dementors or huge scary spiders, the Harry Potter gang had their fair share of run-ins with all kinds of terrifying creatures. The courage and bravery they showed throughout the series no doubt had a significant impact on their readers, giving them that confidence boost to go out into the world and face those metaphorical scary monsters.
9.Bureaucracy isn't always the most cooperative
The Ministry of Magic failed to believe Harry when he warned that Voldemort was back and ready for worldwide destruction round two. Government bodies tend to lag when it comes to important issues — even in the world of magic.
- People aren't always what they seem
From the first story to the last, Harry learned powerful lessons about people he thought he knew. For instance, Professor Quirrell seemed like a well-meaning member of the faculty, until Harry discovered the dark (lord) secret he kept under wraps. And despite seven years of doubting Professor Snape's motives, Harry learned the potions master was fighting for him all along..