Desperate enough?
Fox meat’s a delicacy.
Ain’t nobody round here rich enough!
friggin brilliant question
When people say these books are children’s books, as if to demean them, I balk. These books dealt with themes that adults do not fully understand or wish to. It dealt with racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, prejudice, and general ignorance. These books taught us that it doesn’t matter how you were raised, but that you get to choose to be kind, loyal, brave, and true. They taught us to be strong under the pressures of this world and to hold fast to what we know to be right. These books taught me so much, they changed me as a person. So just because they’re set against a fantastical backdrop with young protagonists does not mean that their value is any less real.
This.
First book: Starts with the double murder of a pair of twenty-one year olds who were much missed and leaving their baby son a war orphan. A child growing up in abusive conditions that would give Cinderella the horrors. Dealing with peers and teachers who are bullies. The fickleness of fame (from the darling of Gryffindor to the outcast.) The idea that there are things worth fighting and dying for, spoken by the child protagonist. Three children promptly acting on that willingness to sacrifice their lives, and two of them getting injured doing so.
Second book: The equivalent of racism with the pro-pureblood attitude. Plot driven by an eleven year old girl being groomed and then used by a charming, handsome older male. The imbalance of power and resultant abuse inherent in slavery. Fraud perpetuated by stealing something very intimate.
Third book: The equivalent of ableism with a decent, kind and competant adult being considered less than human because he has an illness that adversely affects his behaviour at certain times. A justice system that is the opposite of just. Promises of removing an abused child from the abusive environment can’t always be kept. The innocent suffer while the guilty thrive.
Fouth book: More fickleness of fame. The privileged mistreating and undermining the underprivileged because they can. A master punishing a slave for his own misjudgment, and the slave blaming herself. A sports tournament which involves mortal risk being cheered by spectators. A wonderful young man being murdered simply because he was in the way. A young boy being tortured, humilated and nearly murdered.
Fifth book: PTSD in the teenage protagonist. Severe depression in the protagonist’s godfather, triggered by inherited mental health issues and being forced to stay in a house where abuse occured. A bigoted tyrant who lives to crush everyone under her heel, torturing a teenager for telling the truth in the name of the government (and trying to suck his soul out too). The discovery that your idols can have feet of clay after all. An effort to save the life of someone dear and precious actually costing that very same life. The loss of a father-figure and the resultant guilt.
Sixth book: The idea that a soul can be broken beyond repair. Drugs with the potential for date rape are shown as having achieved exactly that in at least one case, resulting in a pregnancy. Well-meaning chauvinism trying to control the love life of a young woman. Internalised prejuidce resulting in refusing the one you love, not out of lack of love but out of fear of tainting them. The mortality of those that seem powerful and larger than life.
Seventh book: Bad situations can get worse, to the point where even the privileged end up suffering and afraid. More internalised prejudice andfearhysterical terror of tainting those you love. Self-sacrifice and the loss of loved ones, EVERYWHERE. Those who are bitter are often so with a reason. The necessity of defeating your inner demons, even though it’s never as cool as it sounds. Don’t underestimate those that are enslaved. Other people’s culture isn’t always like your own. Things often come full circle (war ending with the death of a dearly-loved pair of new parents and their orphaned baby son living with his dead mother’s blood relative instead of his young godfather). Even if ‘all is well’ the world is still imperfect, because it’s full of us brilliant imperfect humans.
So… still think that Harry Potter is a kid’s series with no depth?
this
um, YES.
I’m sick to death of people being “too busy” for me.
I have one friend who lives a 5 minute drive from me who has time for other friends, friends who have more “best” status than me, who I love dearly and haven’t hung out with her since before summer. I’ve seen her for about 10 minutes at a time about 5 times in the last 3 months. I have grace for her, because she does have a hefty schedule, with being away at camp for the summer, and a boyfriend, and school. but somehow she makes time for other friends multiple times throughout the week.. not me though! even now that there’s no summer camp and school’s done for the semester!
Another friend has 3 jobs and is going away to Australia and South Africa for over a year in January - she also lives 5 minutes away. somehow I have seen her once (for 1 hour, when it was supposed to be for the day) in the last 3 months? she’s “made plans” with me it must have been 10 times now, and cancelled last minute, and yet gets together with other friends a lot! yes, she has many demands on her time, but why am I not on her radar?
I could go on, but I just hurt. there’s nothing wrong with me that no one would WANT to hang out with me, but no one does!
DISCLAIMER: I’m not bitter with any of these people, I just needed a rant. I’m bored and I miss my friends. I’m over here jumping and waving and saying “PICK ME” and somehow I’m not on people’s minds. I guess they assume that I’m somebody’s bestie, but I’m not. everyone has a better “best friend” than me. my heart hurts.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, all of the students Professor McGonagall is teaching to dance are Gryffindors. Which means, Hufflepuffs would be taught by Professor Sprout, Flitwick would be teaching the Ravenclaws, and guess who the Slytherins get to waltz with?
“Put ………your hand …………….on ……..my …………….waist.”
“We live in a culture that teaches ‘Don’t get raped’, not ‘Don’t rape’.” true story. men, man up.
Is there somebody who still believes in love? I know you’re out there. There’s gotta be somebody who I search around the world but I can’t seem 2 find somebody to love.
*see title*
so, this morning in my dreams I got the best Jesus-hug ever. it was so sweet, and I melted to the floor because it saturated my entire being with its weight of pure love.
when I woke up (which shocked me, because it felt so real), I opened my laptop and found a song I heard a couple weeks ago but forgot the title - Where You Go I Go by Jesus Culture - I spent the next 10 minutes lying on my bed bawling my eyes out, which doesn’t sound fun but it was so great, so refreshing.
and then there was this evening.
there’s this guy I like, and I wasn’t sure whether or not I should tell him because I don’t want to get too invested emotionally and find myself crushed, which has happened to me before.
being the impulsive person I am, I told him.
and he told me that he respects my process of this, but he doesn’t feel the same way. he was so gracious about it, and is allowing me to make whatever decisions necessary to get over him with as little pain as possible, including not hanging out anymore if need be.
can’t say I’m not in pain, though, because it does hurt. my heart is aching right now, although I’m glad I told him earlier than later so I didn’t struggle with worrying about how he feels about me.
I don’t know what else to say. I hope I get another Jesus-hug tonight, I could sure use it.
young adults prayer/worship meeting this evening was really fun - I love getting/giving words of encouragement for people.. also, the Holy Spirit is kind of a bomb
I could have more words, but this sums it up quite nicely
it was a gorgeous morning, and I went running. (wait, did I just say RUNNING?) I hate running! I get exhausted so quickly, I’m terrible with long distance runs, I’m much better at sprinting.
but, shockingly, for the first time since PE in gr. 10, I went running! it was very short, I’d say about 1/2 a kilometer, but it was enough to get my heart rate up! I did enjoy myself - mostly because of the weather though. summer was late in arriving, but it’s here now, and the temperature was warm enough at 7:30 to not be cold, but cool enough to be refreshing. it was beautiful!
yay for the weather!
I was chopping up watermelons today.. apparently, at one point rather carelessly.. but Jesus is good. Instead of chopping off my thumb (which I could have done, this knife was sharp), I slightly sliced that hard skin right next to the nail - there was a little blood, but not even as much as my gums bleed if I haven’t been taking care of them properly.. heck, I hardly felt it at all.
but it was a reminder to be cautious, no matter how much experience I have with knives and things
and it proves someone’s looking out for me.
Jesus saved my thumb. and if he hadn’t saved my life, I wouldn’t have even been able to say that.
last night I dreamed my dad ran for being a mp, and ended up as prime minister.. I got the feeling it was prophetic or something - is there something he is trying for and he’ll get more than he was asking? hoping it is and it’s financial - that would be sweet
because right now money isn’t our strong point, in fact it’s where we’re weakest at the moment
