It's Harry Potter Month!
Throughout July Micheline @ Lunar Rainbows Reviews and Faith @ GeekyZooGirl are hosting Harry Potter month, and I just couldn't resist signing up and joining in. I mean, come on, it's Harry Potter!
I'm a very proud Ravenclaw this month, and if it weren't so warm I'd be wearing my Ravenclaw scarf to show off my House pride, but if I put it on now I think I'd spontaneously combust.
So this month I'll be posting several Harry Potter themed posts. For those of you who aren't fans of Harry Potter or who just aren't interested in it, I will be posting other things as well but I'm not going to apologise for my Potter enthusiasm. I really love this series.
Within the Potterhead fandom there are a few questions that tend to arise quite regularly, one of which just happens to be: Which of the books is your favourite?
Though I love all the books - I don't dislike any of them - I do have a favourite:
The Order of the Phoenix.
As much as The Goblet of Fire is the book in which the series begins its descent into darkness, it isn't really until The Order of the Phoenix that shit gets real. Harry's coping not only with Voldemort's return and Cedric Diggory's death, but with PTSD, being attacked by dementors, being subsequently expelled from Hogwarts for repelling said dementors, having to go through a trial led by a mentally unhinged politician, being called a liar by the media and half the school when he's cleared of all charges, being tortured by the latest DADA teacher, thinking he and Voldemort might not be so dissimilar after all... Basically, the kid struggles with a lot.
I've seen a few people over the years saying that The Order of the Phoenix is their least favourite of the series - which is fine, by the way, we're all different and we all have different tastes! - but it's always been my favourite. Despite the fact that it's the book in which my favourite character dies.
I'm still not over it.
So, why is The Order of the Phoenix my favourite?
I'm not sure I could sum up everything I love about this particular book in the series in just one blog post, but there is one person in this book that meant it was inevitable it would be my favourite:
Now before you start to worry about my sanity, I can whole-heartedly assure you that I do not like Dolores Umbridge. In fact in terms of villains I probably hate her more than I hate Voldemort, and that's saying something.
What I love about The Order of the Phoenix is how the students fight back when Umbridge takes over Hogwarts. There's something so satisfying about seeing Harry and co. take justice into their own hands, especially when it's clear that nobody else is going to help them, and when I was 15-16 -around the same age as Harry and his friends in Book 5 - this story was just what I needed.
I don't want to turn this into a sob story, but when I was in school I was very lucky in that I was never bullied by any of my fellow students. During my GCSEs, however, I was bullied by a teacher. To this day I still don't know what I did to irritate her so much, and looking back I wish I'd been brave enough to stand up to her and tell her that how she made me feel was not acceptable. It got to the point where I would pretend to be ill so I didn't have to go into school on the days when I had her lessons. It wasn't good.
She seemed to take pleasure in belittling me in front of the rest of the class. She'd punish me for things other students did, knowing that other students had done whatever it was she was dishing out a punishment for, and she never passed a chance to snap at me and make me feel like an idiot. I already had low self-esteem during my teens, and she made me feel so unbelievably small.
The worst thing was there was no one I could tell. Who would the school believe, me or one of their teachers? Eventually I couldn't take it anymore and I broke down in front of my dad, and though I initially didn't want him to for fear it would only make things worse, he rang the school and spoke to my Head of Year. After that she left me alone, to the point that she just passed me on to another teacher, but not before she'd made it seem like it was the lessons I was struggling with, and not her, in front of the whole class.
In summation: she was vile, and I don't know why she became a teacher.
Real life isn't like books. Sometimes the people who wrong us pay and sometimes they don't. I didn't have enough confidence to stand up to that teacher, but Harry and his friends did have enough courage to stand up to Umbridge, and for me reading The Order of the Phoenix feels like justice. When Harry fights his Umbridge, he fights mine, too.
Ugh I hate teachers like that! Teaching kids is such an important job and I always wonder why some people choose to become teachers when they're clearly not made to be in that role. A good teacher can inspire you to choose your career and your whole life if you like their subject - and a bad one can ruin a whole subject for you (I think that when you're young you can't really distinguish between the subject and the person teaching it).
ReplyDeleteI usually skip Order of the Phoenix when I do my (almost yearly) re-read of the series but I decided to re-read (or re-listen) it this time because I'm also participating in Harry Potter month and would like the whole set of reviews for my blog :) I felt the book was too long but it does feature some awesome happenings, like you said. That escape by the Weasley twins is glorious.
Oh, yeah, you should add your post to the linky here so others can find it: http://www.geekyzoogirl.com/2015/07/01/harry-potter-month-house-cup/ :)
DeleteThis is very true, in fact I haven't gone anywhere near the subject she was teaching since my GCSEs, over five years ago now, because I associate it with her. Bad teachers can be just as influential as good ones, can't they?
DeleteI think I can understand you skipping it - it is a bit of a beast! I haven't actually re-read the series in so long, but every year I keep meaning to. Perhaps this year should be that year. :)
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Oh no! I'm so sorry that happened to you. I'm not sure I could handle that if I had been in your shoes. I'm glad Harry Potter gave you some solace. That's one of the things I hate most about Umbridge is that she seemed to get off on other people's misery. She just did it for fun.
ReplyDeleteI do like Order of the Phoenix. I'm not sure where I'd rank it in my line of Potter books, but you've definitely given me a different perspective on it. Usually, when I'm rereading I remember all the winey and angsty moments with Harry and the pure hatred I feel toward Umbridge. (The first time I read this book, I threw it at the wall because I was so angry with her. There's still a dent there.) I forget that there is so much good going on in this book. I'm halfway through Goblet of Fire and you've made me really excited to read Order of the Phoenix again!
Aw, thank you, that's so lovely - I hope you enjoy reading it again! :)
DeleteI think this series has been an escape for so many people, of all ages, over the years, and I'm certainly glad it was there for me!
I'm sorry that you had to experience something like that. Unfortunately, it happens all the time at schools. A teacher will take an instant dislike to you and would pick you as his/her victim. I've come across it many times as a student myself, though I don't think I had it as bad as you. I'm sure that J.K. Rowling was drawing on real life when she created Umbridge and when she was describing how the Ministry of Magic was interfering into Hogwarts. On a brighter note, I've always appreciated OotP precisely for the things many others deslike it. It was real and raw but despite all the suffering, the loss and the pain that Harry had to endure throughout the book, the ending was optimistic.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I'm sure she was! My teacher wasn't the first to bully a student like that, and she won't be the last. Some people are just horrid.
DeleteI agree, even though there's so much darkness in OotP there's always that underlying feeling of hope. :)
Ugh! Teachers like that are THE WORST. I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that^^ I think that's why the hatred for Umbridge as a character runs so deep in this fandom. We've all had teachers like her. Heck, we've all had bosses like her. She hits home for a lot of people and that's why she works so well as a villain. That being said, I remember OotP not being my favorite at first, because it was so horribly sad. (I'm still not over that death either and I NEVER will be.) That being said, people always complain about Harry being so angry in this book but I really loved his darker persona. It makes TOTAL sense after everything he's been through. I could relate to his state of mind considering all he suffered and it made me love him even more. And like you: I do enjoy the hell out of watching the DA fight back against a corrupt power! Awesome post Jess ♥ don't forget to link it up to Faith's House Cup Post so everyone can find you - and so you can claim your points for Ravenclaw :D
ReplyDeleteI agree, unfortunately one of the reasons Umbridge does work so well as a villain is because so many of us have had to deal with people like her, particularly in places like school and work. To the people who have ever experience any form of dictatorship, Voldemort is a recognisable villain, but for the rest of us it's Umbridge we see most in our daily lives.
DeleteYes! So many people get annoyed with Harry's 'angst' in OotP, but the poor kid goes through a lot and he's only 15! Haha, I think the majority of the fandom will never be over that particular death. It was brutal.
Thanks for stopping by, Micheline! :)
Oh my gosh, that's horrible! I don't know why people are that evil for no reason!
ReplyDeleteI love Order of the Phoenix as well. The DA is fantastic and I love seeing how far all the characters come along (especially Neville). And then there's Luna, who is just amazing. It's also amazing that the students are taking a stand against Umbridge and the idea that they need to be sheltered. They know what the world is coming to and are willing to risk a lot and their own free time just to learn the skills they need to know. It's awesome.
It is painful for me to read the parts with Umbridge but she got what she deserved in the end! Also, two of my favorite scenes is the career meeting with McGonagall and when whole classes eat some of Fred and George's candy, get sick, and claim they have Umbridge-itis. Gotta love the DA!
Yes! Neville! I love Neville so much, and he really starts to find his feet in OotP, plus there's that absolutely heartbreaking scene in St Mungo's. Poor Frank and Alice. :( Luna's the best - she's definitely one of my favourites, and I love the bromance between her and Harry.
DeleteI agree, the fact that this story is about teenagers who, when they realise they're not learning what they need to take their education into their owns hands, is fantastic. They certainly inspired me! :)
I will never understand teachers who go into that profession and then behave so horribly to their students like that. I'm so sorry to hear that you had to go through such an experience.
ReplyDeleteI hated how much Umbridge seemed to enjoy punishing Harry, and the formation of the DA was the absolute best. OotP features one of my all-time favorite HP scenes- Fred and George's departure from Hogwarts. And I'm still not over a certain character's death, either, and never will be!
Well if anything, I've certainly learned from the experience not to let anyone treat me like that again. :)
DeleteFred and George's departure is so much fun! I love that scene, plus I love that Fred and George are there to show that you don't have to be academically gifted to be successful, which is so important. Thank you for stopping by!
While I loathed Umbridge, I too liked that she was in the story. Like you said, not all adults are to be liked or trusted, and I really appreciate Rowling pointing that out time and again. I'm sorry that your teacher was such a douche. I too think it's important to stand up for what you believe in, and I love that it's in this book. I felt like this was where shit got real too. It was a turning point for sure. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI agree, I love all the different kinds of people Rowling included in her story, because throughout our life we meet all sorts of villains, but thankfully not all of us will have to come face to face with a dictator like Voldemort. People like Umbridge, on the other hand, are unfortunately all over the world. Thanks for reading and commenting! :)
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