GREAT BOOKS –

GROUP SHARING
by Fritz Cyfer D. Aribas
and Calixto G. Galido III
Harry Potter Series
and
Twilight Saga
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▫ The Harry Potter series authored by J.K. Rowling is composed of 7 books
▫ Harry Potter tells the story of an unlikely magician — Harry, forced to face
an uphill battle, always at odds, always an underdog, prevailing each time,
in order to be a great magician.
▫ The series has become a global phenomenon, teaching lessons to various
generations, with each book having their own charm. Having sold 500
million copies, the series has made its impact in contemporary culture,
evident with its fandom — the Potterheads

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 Issues at Hand
➢ Classism and Racism - The races in harry potter are ordered
by their purity of blood — namely the Pure-bloods, Half-
bloods, Muggle-borns, Squibs, and Muggles. As we dive into
the series, how the Pure-bloods treat the Muggles is parallel to
the racism that exists today. The Muggles, like the Dursley
Family (picture on the left) are seen as lower-class due to
being non-magical and are seen as lower beings than the
Pure-bloods.

➢ Classist representation is also at play in the series. For instance, the disdain to the Weasleys (specifically
from the Malfoys) because of their lack of property is seen, despite not being impure of blood. It is also
worth noting that with purity, comes a higher class in the world of Harry Potter, so those categorized as
Squibs and Muggles do not have the same opportunity as those purer of blood, like the inequalities also
experienced in the real world.

“Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare
you befoul the house of my fathers” - Walburga Black upon seeing half-bloods and Muggles in her home

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 Issues at Hand
➢ Slavery - How wizards treat creatures like the house elves are
frankly morally unjust. They have appalling living conditions,
get mistreated, get experimented on, etc. The wizarding world
do not see such creatures as individuals, but rather, as
property, deprived of rights, and seen as status symbols. In
world history, slaves were also seen as status symbols. The
more slaves on has, the wealthier and more powerful they
were, same as in the Harry Potter series.

➢ It is worth noting that in the series, it was Hermione who was fighting for the house elves, voicing out their
mistreatment. A political stance which would teach readers (or viewers), especially the younger viewers
political activism and taking a stand against injustice through the situation of the house elves, that would be
applicable to the real world in any issue
➢ Hermione later establishes S.P.E.W (Society for the Promotion of Elfish
Welfare, which is described as "pressure politics", akin to the groups that
exist in our society which pursues change.

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Conclusion
The Harry Potter series is not only about
magic battles, quidditch, unicorns, and
werewolves, it tackles societal issues and
the various intricacies that reflect on the real
world. Like racism, not by the color of the
skin, but by blood, segregation, semblance
of house elves to past slaves, up to the fight
for what is right. These issues are not
only applicable to our contemporary time,
but have been a topic of debate for many
centuries. Harry Potter indeed is a
pleasureable read, one filled with many
lessons, from the attitude and courage of
Harry, to the advocacy present in the series.

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Twilight Saga

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▫ The Twilight Saga is authored by Stephenie Meyer
▫ The saga is composed of 7 books
▫ The Twilight Saga has left a lasting impact in our society, for it tells the
unending story of love; a love that can prevail against forces of darkness.
▫ As readers, we can learn from their courage, their will and the power of
love.
▫ The saga also is a phenomenon in its own right, fueling a modern
gothic movement and wannabe vampires and werewolves — the
Twilighters, the Fanpires, and the Twihards

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▫ Issues Tackled

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Racial Prejudice or
Racism

▫ There are three metaphorical races in twilight. The

humans, the vampires, and the werewolves or shape-
shifters. Vampires and Quileute werewolves are
mortal adversaries in the Twilight saga. Their conflict
dates back several centuries, to the time a vampire
began preying on Quileute villages. The rivalry
between werewolves and vampires initially appears
in the first Twilight movie, and it is further highlighted
by the tension between Edward and Jacob as they
strive for Bella's affections.

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Gender Stereotypes

▫ Twilight, according to some authors, is a misogynistic

mess, a backward atrocity that fervently defends the
tenets of "innatism," the notion that women are
inherently inferior to men and need a male presence
to be pleased. It promotes the most unfavorable
"traditional ideals," with its messy depictions of teen
sexuality and marriage.

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 Social Stratification
▫ Many contemporary cultures exhibit stratification, or
the partition of society into a hierarchy of groups with
uneven access to resources, power, and status. The
town of Forks in the Twilight Saga is divided into
three main populations: humans, vampires, and
werewolves. These groupings are extremely
stratified, just as in real life, yet the stratification in
place appears to establish some kind of social order
in the community. This demonstrates the benefits of
group stratification for society. The functionalism
viewpoint in sociology and anthropology views
society as a system of interconnected elements that
work for the benefit of the whole.

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Conclusion
In spite of the fact that Meyer depicted her most memorable
book, Twilight, as a "tension sentiment frightfulness parody,"
the Twilight series fits inside the youthful grown-up, dream, and
sentiment classifications. She asserts, in any case, that
"sentiment more than whatever else" is her message about in
her compositions. The flighty sentiment bet ween human Bella
and vampire Edward as well as the circle of drama including
Bella, Edward, and werewolf Jacob is for sure both
investigated in the series. Likewise, the series tended to
various social concerns that are relevant in contemporary
times as well as do likewise exist in reality at this moment, like
racial bias between the vampires and the Cullen family (vegan
vampires) and bet ween the werewolves and vampires. The
way that we can connect or relate with the characters and the
topics of the story tends to make perusing Twilight a joy. It is
loaded up with examples one ought to learn and realize for that
reason it is as yet famous in the present.

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