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The Wanlorn ([personal profile] the_wanlorn) wrote2005-10-10 11:13 pm
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And they call me a horrible English major?


I hate willfully ignorant people. It grates on my nerves so much when someone is oh-so-convinced that he or she is right and won't listen to othere people because he or she is RIGHT DAMNIT.

Jess just came back from a Harry Potter/Amnesty International concert (or something like that). The conversation was turned to how it was a Bush protest of sorts.

One of the people asks what Harry Potter has to do with Bush. Various attempts are made to explain the "fighting evil [Voldemort]" part (slightly tenuous link) and the "Cornelius Fudge was negligent" part (much better connected). This person kept insisting that it's not connected in any way because Rowling wrote the books and knew the plotlines and such before Bush was in office.

Insert people trying to explain why that view is incredibly wrong. I can't conceive of how anyone could truly believe that you can't relate works written previously to current events. That's the basis for most English classes, especially classes in high schools. Everyone who is out there tried many many examples to show how this happens with all books.

Nope, the person refuses to hear it. Finally, before it can get any more heated, someone steers the conversation back to helping someone else with homework.
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[identity profile] amarelli44.livejournal.com 2005-10-11 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
you can definetly relate literature to current events, that's usually a sign of a well-written work b/c it has more meaning than just the storyline in and of itself...

...but were the people saying that it was Rowling's intent to allude to Bush?

...I'm confused
...and are you coming home for thanksgiving break? we should hang out

[identity profile] the-wanlorn.livejournal.com 2005-10-11 09:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Naw, if they were claiming intent, I would've sided with the person going WTF. It was just a general "Harry Potter has nothing to do with Bush." "Uh, you can interpret it that way..." "No you can't. It was written before he was elected." "..." conversation.

I'm not sure if I'm coming home for Thanksgiving break. I mean, I don't particularly want to, but I dunno if I can get out of it. =D
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