Essay

Zohra Ismaili

June 24, 2011

ENG 247-040N

Essay Paper

Harry Potter in Our Society

            When I was only 10 years old, I started reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Eleven years later, not only is the book completed with seven hefty volumes, but the novels have also inspired eight movies, a theme park at Universal Studios, numerous merchandising, and thousands of fan inspired work. The fan base for Harry Potter includes people from all around the world. There are several reasons why people are drawn to the magical world of Harry Potter. The first is that people find the story’s setting wondrous compared to reality. Another reason is that the story has multiple genres, so it is easy to appeal to many types of people. All in all, the world of Harry Potter holds great importance in the pop culture society because it has captivated people of every age and background by immersing them in a world of magic that leaves them craving for more. It has become much more than a novel, and has even become a well-known icon in the popular culture society.

In the world created by J.K. Rowling, there are elements of magic and fantasy, which all fall under the category of mythology. According to Lévi-Strauss: “Myths are stories we tell ourselves as a culture in order to banish contradictions and make the world understandable and therefore habitable; they attempt to put us at peace with ourselves and our existence” (Storey 115). In reality, we know of wizards, witches, magical beasts, spells, etc., but we also expect not to witness these things with our own eyes. The Harry Potter world justifies that these details do exist in our world, but behind the scenes of the reality we know. “He also observes that myths are structured in terms of ‘binary opposition’. Dividing the world into mutually exclusive categories produces meaning: culture/nature, man/woman, black/white, good/bad, us/them” (Storey 115). Binary opposition occurs a lot in the Harry Potter world. The magical culture is the opposite of the magical nature, wizards are the opposite of witches, good pitted against evil, magical beings are the opposite of muggles (people without magical abilities). Fans are drawn to these mythological qualities because they are a lot more exciting than the reality of our realm.

The story of Harry Potter is also unique because it contains multiple genres, such as: fantasy, coming of age, mystery, action, and romance. The number of genres appeal to a wide rage people with different tastes. Without this appeal, Harry Potter would not have such a diverse and strong fan base. “Harry Potter has educated publishers about appealing both to children and adults” (“Economist). The story’s immense popularity would not be possible if it were not for the fans. “As the books and films took off, the hunger for Harry Potter news and content quickly became so much greater than Warner Bros or the increasingly press-shy Ms Rowling were able to supply that alternative sources began to spring up. The emerging internet fuelled their growth. The most obvious of them are fan websites like MuggleNet and The Leaky Cauldron, which mix official announcements with rumours” (“Economist”). Some fans tend to exhibit signs of “addiction” from a psychological perspective, just in the way they obsess over anything relating to Harry Potter. In the article Addiction Research & Theory, three psychologists deduced through their studies “that a sizeable portion (though not a majority) of self-described HP fans demonstrated craving for the release of the final book in the series, and experienced some withdrawal symptoms upon finishing the book. HP fandom also produced a disruptive influence on day to day functioning of some fans in a 6 month follow-up” (Rudski, Segal, and Kallen 260-277). Harry Potter has attracted different people from all over the world and brought them together through the help of the internet and media.

Thanks to the influence of the loyal fans, the “Harry Potter craze” has impacted our society in an interesting way. I am referring to the amount of money the Harry Potter has made in sales. According to an article by Alexandra Bristow, “the seven Harry Potter books (one per year of this school saga) have so far sold over 325 million copies worldwide and been translated into 65 foreign languages,” (Bristow 313-325). Along with revenue raked in from the books, Harry Potter has also made additional profits from the movies, video games, supplementary books written by J.K. Rowling, a brand new Universal Studios theme park attraction, items based off the book, and tons of other small merchandise (Bristow 313-325). People are willing to pay good money for Harry Potter items and attractions because fans want to support the franchise.

Harry Potter has also become a household name. I have yet to meet someone who has never heard of the books or the movies just because the series is so widely advertised. In fact, certain words that were created for story have been added to dictionaries, such as the word “muggle”, which refers to “a person without magical powers” (“muggle”). The popularity for the series is only growing, and the fans are still craving for more. The last Harry Potter movie is a mere month away. But considering Harry Potter’s reputation as the Boy Who Lived, there was no way his wizard-y reign over pop culture was going to die out. Author J.K. Rowling is brewing something, it seems –something called Pottermore” (Collins). I believe that Harry Potter has become an eternal icon in pop culture society.

In conclusion, the world that Harry Potter has created has charmed people all around the world through elements of mythology, multiple genres, and also the contributions made to and by the fans. Myths are what make the realm of Harry Potter more exciting than our own. The different assortment of genres in the book is what attracts a diverse range of fans. Through the support of the fans, the Harry Potter name has made millions of dollars, and the popularity of the series is increasing with the help of the internet and the media. All of this contributes to why Harry Potter is so important in our society as an important icon in popular culture.

Works Cited

Bristow, Alexandra. “Fragments and Links: Organizational Actor-World of the Harry

Potter Phenomenon.” Culture and Organization 13.4 (2007): 313-325.

Web. 22 Jun 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/ehost/

Pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=af6c9269-3020-43a9-b656-7d88b66124a8%40

sessionmgr4&vid=1&hid=12>.

Collins, Leah. “‘Pottermore’ tantalizing for Harry Potter Fans.” Ottawa Citizen (2011): n.

pag. Web. 25 Jun 2011. <http://global.factivia.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/aa/?

ref=OTCT000020110618e76i0003e&pp=1&fcpil=en&napc=S&sa_from=>.

Rudski, Jeffrey, Carli Segal, and Eli Kallen. “Harry Potter and the end of the road:

Parallels with addiction.” Addiction Research & Theory 17.3 (2009): 260-277. Web. 23 Jun 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu: 2048/

ehost/detail?sid=d6370f90-14b1-43d6-8a3c-f91e156ff08d@sessionmgr14&vid=

1&hid=12&#db=a9h&AN=38419376>.

Storey, John. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. 5^th.

Longman, 2008.

“muggle.” Dictionary.com’s 21^st Century Lexicon. Dictionary.com, LLC. 25 Jun. 2011.

            <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/muggle>.

“The Harry Potter economy.” Economist 393.8662 (2009): n. pag. Web. 22 Jun 2011.

<http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/ehost/detail?sid=8cfc0a97-c407-47ea-ba00-f16ff259123e%40sessionmgr10&vid=1&hid=12&bdata=

JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbG12ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=47166254>.

Blog 4: Television: Genre, Humor, and Marxism

Situation comedies, or sitcoms, have been around for years now. The characteristics in these sitcoms are generally the same: there's an unseen audience laughing at the parts that are supposed to be funny, it's usually about a family who goes through day-to-day life drama but in a more humorous light to the viewer, the personalities and actions of the characters are surreal, and the main settings of the show are always the same. Everyone has seen a sitcom sometime in their life. They aren't as prevalent on tv as they used to be now with the rise of reality television, and some don't even have the familiar characteristic or feel as sitcoms from the past. This doesn't mean sitcoms are facing extinction; it just means that the majority of people prefer watching other genres nowadays.

I personally don't watch as much sitcoms as I used to back when I was a kid, but one of the last sitcoms I watched was Reba. I came to watch it one day because my friend LOVED the show, and then she got me hooked on it. The show is about Reba, a sarcastically wisecracking single mother of three kids, who's ex-husband, Brock, divorces her in order to marry his young and pregnant dental hygienist, Barbra Jean. Along with the drama going on between her ex and his terribly annoying new wife, Reba's eldest teenage daughter, Cheyenne, is also pregnant. On top of that, Cheyenne's high school football player boyfriend, Van, gets kicked out of his house by his parents after they learn that he plans to marry her, so has to move in to Reba's house. 

This show definitely fits the definition of a situational comedy. The show has the infamous laugh tracks that characterizes a classic sitcom show. This show also has typical drama that normal people experience every day, but their turmoil seems more humorous to the viewer because of the way the characters in the show handle it. Reba always has a sarcastic remark to make in every situation, and Barbra Jean always says something ridiculous which shows how unintelligent and unfit she is to handle the excitement of each drama. The type of humor most used in the show is wisecrack humor, mostly coming from Reba, or her daughter, Kyra. There is also some melodrama humor from Cheyenne, Van, Brock, and mostly from Barbra Jean. These characters totally ignore what the consequences of their actions would be until they come across a problem, and they also exaggerate how to react to simple trivialities of life.

Work Cited

Storey, John. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. 5th. Longman, 2008.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5xdDgFe_Vk&feature=related

Blog 3: Artist Comparison

For this blog, I chose two music artists who couldn't be more different from each other. My first artist is Taylor Swift, known to some as America's little sweetheart. She could drown a cute little kitten and people (including me) would still love her. My second artist is the very artistic Lady Gaga, who often refers to herself as a "little monster". She is a very controversial figure in today's popular culture; there are people who love her, and then there are those who love to hate her. I'm pretty much going to compare the girl who wears her heart on her sleeve against the woman who flaunts her sexuality openly.

Taylor Swift - "Love Story"

This song is titled "Love Story", and presents the most traditional format of gender. The music video starts off with the timeless (and somewhat cliched) "boy meets girl", or "girl sees boy", then-they-fall-in-love storyline. I feel that this music video covers the topic of true love since the character Taylor is playing (Juliet) and the male character (who is referred to as Romeo in the lyrics) have loved in a previous lifetime, and it appears they will continue to love on in the next lifetime.
As I mentioned before, femininity and masculinity are portrayed in a traditional, culturally accepting way. Taylor Swift portrays a very dainty, dependent side of femininity where she relies in the faith of her love for her strength. The male character is seen as strong, yet soft (not to the point where his actions are cheesy), and pretty much acts like the hero who's here to save the damsel so they can live happily ever after. Kinda like every princess Disney movie ever made, especially the ones from the 50's.
The lyrics are told in a linear, story-like way, and only reinforce my view that Taylor wants to be seen as a vulnerable, love stricken woman who wants to be saved, especially with a chorus that always starts off with "Romeo save me". She refers to herself as Juliet, and the guy as Romeo, and everyone should know the story of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". It's a love story gone tragic, but in Taylor's happyhappy Disney'd version, it's a love story that appears to be in vain until near the end of the song.

Lady Gaga - "Bad Romance"

This song is titled "Bad Romance", and gives a completely different vibe and message than Taylor's music video. Ah, Lady Gaga, where do I even begin... In this music video, I believe Lady Gaga is supposed to be a victim kidnapped by some Russian mob, and she's forced to "entertain" the men in the mob for money. Gender in this music video portrays women to be a sexual, and not so helpless (especially at the end.) It shows that they are capable of revenge. The men in video seemed like they only cared about one thing: sex. Their eyes were constantly on Gaga and her back-up dancers.
I know Lady Gaga wrote the lyrics to be about being in love with your best friend, or being in a relationship that's not as great as it should be (or used to be.) The way Gaga portrays femininity is a bit unconventional to some people, and way different from the way Taylor portrayed it. What I got from it based on the lyrics AND music video was that women want love, sex, and to know everything about the guy, and sometimes that doesn't work out. And according to the end of the music video, if it doesn't work out, you either take revenge or move on. That's what I interpreted from her video.

One great understanding I got about music videos in general is that the video can literally depict the lyrics and tell a story, like "Love Story", or the lyrics can mean something completely different from the video, and the video is just an artistic interpretation. One great understanding I got from gender is that everyone has a different message to portray based on their gender. Women can be graceful, hopelessly in love, sweet, and innocent, but they can also be vengeful, sexually deviant, manipulative, and dangerous. Men can be portrayed as a knight in shining armor, or they can be seen as a pig.

Works Cited

Storey, John. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. 5th. Longman, 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xg3vE8Ie_E - Taylor Swift, "Love Story"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I - Lady Gaga, "Bad Romance"

Blog 2: Facebook Analysis

On the very first day of class, we were asked if we thought Facebook is popular culture. The majority of the class (including myself) voted yes, 2 people were undecided, and 1 person voted no. Now, the reason I thought Facebook to be considered popular culture is because I thought it was mainstream. If you look up the definition of "mainstream" on dictionary.com, you get:


 the principal or dominant course, tendency, or trend: themainstream of American culture.


Facebook is the dominant trend since almost everyone and their mom has one. I have one, and all of my co-workers have me added (keep in mind that I have two jobs. That's A LOT of people.) Even my technophobic parents have jumped on the band wagon. During the class discussion, someone said Facebook doesn't only cater to the mainstream audience. In the first day of class, this made sense to me, and I quietly fell into the "undecided" group. But now, after giving this some thought, I had an epiphany. Maybe I'm giving it waaaay too much thought, or maybe I am in need of some much required rest after a long sleepless night... but... doesn't having a Facebook make someone a part of the mainstream audience? Since the mainstream = the majority. So if the majority has a Facebook, then shouldn't Facebook be considered mainstream? This is just a speculation I've come up with, and I'm open to all views and discussions. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, since I am still learning much about the subject of popular culture and its components.
Another reason I voted yes was because Facebook is a tool to spread popular culture, and as such, also considered a part of popular culture. I didn't think at the time that this could be used as a reason to say Facebook isn't popular culture. I guess I was thinking of two specific definitions from our textbook, Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. According to John Storey, "A third way of defining popular culture is as 'mass culture'" (Storey 8). The mass culture definition of popular culture caters to the commercial side of things, and Facebook does have a commercial side. Whether it's pages you've liked trying to get you to buy their new product, or one of those annoying addicting Facebook games that would be soooo much more enjoyable if you spent real money on Facebook credits. The picture on the left depicts the sort of commercialism I'm referring to. The last definition that solidifies my decision is Storey's fourth definition that "popular culture is the culture that originates from 'the people'" (Storey 9).


Facebook shapes popular culture by allowing the fans to be closer with the icons they love. Whether it's a person, a trendy product, a show, a movie, etc. The fans can openly express their likes with other fans and such on the page belonging to or representing the pop culture figure. They can even get updates of what's to come and what's in the works.

By simply liking certain pages, you get updates that keep you informed in the pop culture world.

Popular culture has shaped Facebook already by making it a mainstream title. Facebook was popular in its early stages, but now that it involves movies, shows, on phone apps, celebrities, etc.

Works Cited

Storey, John. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. 5th. Longman, 2008.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mainstream

http://www.facebook.com/ - Images

Blog 1: Introduction

What is popular culture? How would someone even begin to define such a vague subject? In fact, John Story came up with six definitions for the term, but I'll only list a couple. 

His first definition was that "popular culture is simply culture that is widely favored or well liked by many people" (Storey 5). The most logical way to know if something is "popular"is to check how well something sells in the marketing industry. "We could examine sales of CDs and DVDs. We could also examine attendance records at concerts, sporting events, and festivals. We could also scrutinize market research figures on audience preferences for different television programmes" (Storey 6). So to sum it up, the consumer is the one who decides what is popular by their demand.

"A second way of defining popular culture is to suggest that it is the culture that is left over after we have decided what is high culture. Popular culture, in this definition, is a residual category, there to accommodate texts and practices that fail to meet the required standards to qualify as high culture" (Storey 6). High culture is seen as sophisticated and in good taste, whereas popular culture is seen as a "mass-produced commercial culture" (Storey 6). On the right, I have illustrated a picture that personifies the two categories. Given the description of the differences between the two, this is how I envision popular culture and high culture to look like.

Personally, I agree with these two definitions. The people are the ones who dictate whenever something is considered popular. Popular culture is fueled by the people. We could look at marketing sales to see hard facts of what sells, but most people already know what's considered popular just by talking to other people and through the media. I also believe the category popular culture was formed because it does not qualify as high culture, but unlike John Storey's harsh viewpoint, I don't think the existence of popular culture is a waste when compared to high culture (at least that's the feeling I got as I read his work.) High culture may be sophisticated and pleasing, but it can also be boring. Especially to the mainstream audience of today.

Popular culture is very important in this day and age, especially since we're constantly surrounded by it thanks to the media, ipods, ipads, cell phones, and computers. The internet is also an essential tool in spreading popular culture and keeping it alive. I also feel that popular culture has become associated within the American culture since we're always surrounded by it somehow. This is why it is important to study this subject. I hope to have a better understanding of the term "popular culture", since the subject is still pretty vague to me.

Now there's the question of why I chose to take this class over the summer. Aside from the fact that it fulfills the English lit. requirement, the Survey of Popular Culture class seemed like the only English lit. class that seemed interesting to me. I took a literature class last summer that was about mystery books, and it was boring. This class in contrast is AMAZING, and fit my expectations perfectly.

Works Cited

Storey, John. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. 5th. Longman, 2008.