Friday, July 8, 2011

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Rowling, J. K., & GrandPré, M. (1998). Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone. New York: A.A. Levine Books.

Exposition: Harry Potter is an English orphan boy who lives with his neglectful aunt and uncle, and is about to turn 11. 

Conflict: Harry finds out (from owls delivering letters and from a giant man named Hagrid) that he is a wizard, as were his parents.  They were killed by an evil wizard named Voldemort.  He goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he is famous because he survived an attack by Voldemort (when his parents were killed) and got the lightning bolt scar on his forehead.

Rising Action: Harry meets friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.  They learn about wizardry and become suspicious that Professor Snape is helping Voldemort return to power.  Harry also meets his nemesis, Draco Malfoy.  They learn about the Sorcerer's Stone, which produces immortality, and think Snape is going to steal it for Voldemore.

Climax: The three friends use the skills they've learned at Hogwarts to defeat Voldemort, who was actually using Professor Quirrell, not Professor Snape, to stay alive.  They lull the three-headed dog to sleep, use herbology, play Wizard's Chess, and use the Mirror of Erised.

Falling Action: Harry wakes up in the Hogwarts hospital wing and has to heal from his injuries he got during his adventure.  Professor Dumbledore tells Harry that he was protected from Lord Voldemort because his mother sacrificed herself on his behalf, and the power of a mother's love for a child is the most powerful magic.

Resolution:  Harry has to go back and live with the Dursleys for the summer, but hopes to return to Hogwarts in the fall.

Two strong literary qualities are tension - will Voldemort return?  Who is after them?  The reader feels the tension throughout the novel.  The second is the setting; the reader can visualize Hogwarts easily.

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