Muggle Studies - Lesson #2 - Muggle Literature
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This lesson contains an ESSAY QUESTION assignment.
[img align=left]https://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b174/theatticbox/Brookvale.png[/img]Welcome back for another lesson in Muggle Studies! Today's lesson brushes on a portion of Muggle Studies that I find to be one of the most interesting: Muggle literature. Before taking the time to live among Muggles, I spent a lot of time reading their books and stories. One genre of literature that interested me the most, though, is the one they call "Fantasy". Books that are in this genre include all sorts of things that Muggles would find fantastical: dragons, witches and wizards, clairvoyants, werewolves, vampires, etc. In a nutshell, they find things that we see on a day to day basis as things of fantasy.
Before the International Statute of Secrecy was instated in 1692, non-magic and magic folk lived together without as many boundaries. Some--if not most--Muggles knew of the existence of witches and wizards, as well as dragons, merpeople, werewolves, and other magical creatures. Incidents where Muggles met these creatures where not erased from their memories as they are now. The wizarding population of the world made attempts to suppress Muggle memories of incidents prior to 1692, but the task was too large to insure that all recollections were erased. The Ministry of Magic and other organizations agreed that it would not be too dangerous to the statute to allow these recollections to remain. The younger generation would be monitored for any sightings and dealt with by a team of Obliviators. Therefore, any tellings of dragons and witches told by the older generation would be seen as just that: stories.
After a while, the stories became a thing of myth to Muggles. Most accepted that these magical beings did not exist. However, the stories still remained. They remain even today in books, art, film, theatre, and more. Most of these stories take place in times prior to the statute being established. Some take place in more modern times. Whether the more modern stories are just a Muggle's imagination pushing the limits or if they are the result of sightings not completely erased by the Ministry is debated. I personally believe that it is both. Muggles do have a wonderful aptitude for imagination. And while I do not doubt the power of the wizards administering memory charms for the Ministry, it is always possible for the charm to not work as intended.
Your assignment today includes two short essay questions. Please keep your answers between 1-3 paragraphs. Please post your answers here behind spoiler tags (if you do not know how to use spoiler tags, please let me know and I'd be happy to help you).
Each question will be graded out of a maximum of 10 points each for a total of 20 possible House Points.
1.) Do you enjoy to read Muggle literature? If so, what genre do you find most appealing and why? If you do not enjoy Muggle literature, why not?
2.) The International Statute of Secrecy includes any sightings of creatures that are considered magical beings. Do you believe it was a wise choice in including these creatures? Why or why not?
Samantha Grant, Slytherin
Question
I haven't had the opportunity to read much Muggle literature. Mostly instructional books on pottery techniques, and gold mining left lying around by the muggles of Tuscarora.
While my family was crossing the ocean on the Queen Mary to come here, the captain gave me a beautiful book on the history of seafaring. It's a good thing that muggle pictures don't move, because it has so many illustrations of muggle ships at sea you could get seasick reading it.
I really find reading about how muggles do things without magic to be fascinating.... Although, after reading about how they mine gold, I can understand why the local goblins were so upset with a nearby prospector.
Question
It was definitely a wise choice to include magical beings in the Statute of Secrecy. I hate to think of the war that would have begun over the gold in California and Nevada alone if muggles knew that goblins were real and had possession of the "Mother Lode".
I have heard it argued that if muggles knew merfolk were real the wouldn't pollute the ocean so badly, but I doubt that. Muggles and wizards alike can be very self centered in their thinking. The fact that muggles realize how intelligent whales and porpoises are, but continue to hunt them is proof of that. Doubtless mermaid tail would become an expensive delicacy like shark fin for them.
Question 1
I don’t have much exposure to muggle literature, and what little I do is mostly in the area of young adult fantasy and fiction. My favorite series was introduced to me by my best friend, a muggle-born witch: the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan. I think I enjoy them because they have elements of magic in them, which make them relatable for me, but they also have a lot of the muggle world in them, which helps me to understand it better. They’re really fun books!
Question 2
I have mixed feelings on whether or not it was wise to include magical creatures in the Statute. I have been exposed to many elements of the muggle world by my best friend, and on the one hand, I think that knowledge of magical creatures could be really helpful to muggle scientists and healers, but on the other hand, I fear that knowledge of magical creatures would only lead to their exploitation. Besides that, in the wrong hands, hordes of magical creatures could be used as weapons by muggle armies – no army in the world would be able to compete with a cluster of ravenous acromantulas. All this being said, I think that while it is still debatable, I do think it was a good idea to include magical creatures in the Statute of Secrecy.
Aderyn Jones // Ravenclaw
SPOILER (click to toggle)
I enjoy reading Muggle literature because I like to discover new worlds and have fun on the journeys it takes me on. I absolutely love the feeling you get when you're really into a book, it really doesn't feel like you're reading anymore; the words just come to life in your head.
I do not have a favorite genre. Most are fascinating and enjoyable. I really enjoy their horror and mystery books, but do not like their war and cowboy ones.
SPOILER (click to toggle)
I am behind The Statute 100% to include the Magical Beings. After all the Muggle literature I have read, I think that if they knew that these creatures really do exist, their Horror stories would include real-life examples of torture of these creatures; the comedy books would become farcical at their expense; sci-fi would go bananas; and the true worth of these creatures would be lost behind head-lines and story-lines.
gryffindor
Going Fishing!!! 🐟
Question 1
I have read many classics from Muggle literature, but my favorite genre would have to be Fantasy/Fiction. I do enjoy being enveloped in the story, and I most likely enjoy the genre because it does have some familiarity with Wizarding culture. I tend to find that most Wizarding books lack the storytelling that Muggle literature captures. I'm not saying ALL Wizarding fiction lacks imagination, but most can be rather dull reads.
Question 2
I feel that some control is necessary, but see no reason why all Muggles must be altered. I mean, obviously there are Muggles out there that still believe that our magical creatures really do exist. If they become radical, most assuredly, alter their memories, but if they have just an appreciation for them, allow them to!
Ambrosia // Slytherin
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Question 1
I enjoy reading Muggle literature, especially their fantasy stories, because even though they have wrong information in most of them about magical creatures, they're able to write their stories in a way that you get the feeling that you're a part of the story, you're not just reading it, you're the main character and experiencing whatever he/she is doing. I'm having a lot of fun while reading their books.
Question 2
I have mixed feelings about including the magical creatures in the Statute. A big part of me knows that Muggles will exploit the magical creatures, that they wil hunt and capture them to do research, so for the most part I can only say that having the Statute is actually really necessary.
A smaller part of me knows that Muggles can only continue to write their stories if they have some contact with magical creatures, so because of that I would say that erasing every memory of contact would be bad, because their books can be brilliant.
The fear of the magical creatures getting hurt is much bigger than the fun I get from reading their books, so from that point of view I do have to say that the Statute is a very good thing to have.
[Rox-Gryffindor]
Question 1
Growing up, my grandmother kept a stockpile of muggle medical journals riddled throughout the house. Because of this, I've developed an appreciation for works on psychology and science, studies which aren't easy to come across in the magical world. I love reading journal articles by Beck or Piaget, works that illustrate complexities of the human mind and explain why we (muggles and magic-folk alike) think the way we do. I believe these studies could help witches and wizards learn about psychological aspects that influence magic. If a student has issues performing a spell, could it be that his magical core is low? Or is there something psychological that is blocking him from succeeding? Ultimately, these works help me understand myself better and those around me.
Question 2
I disagree with the Statue of Secrecy's decision to include magical creatures. Over the past few centuries, there have been thousands of accounts of accidents and deaths of muggles who have happened upon creatures that were supposed to be myths. It's costly, both monetarily and ethically, to keep creatures with titles XXX - XXXXX secret. While wizards have become more competent at keeping these creatures in relatively secluded areas, it's impossible for us to stop every accident.
While there are some muggles who would abuse these creatures, we can say the same about witches and wizards. There is plenty of evidence pointing to the abuse of house elves (though they are beings rather than creatures) in wizarding families. With cooperation from muggle ministers, we could set up laws that would allow better protection of magical creatures.
At this time, it would be very difficult to rescind this act, considering all of the misconceptions and misinformation that surrounds these "myths". Were all creatures removed from the Statue at once, muggles might cause harm to themselves or the creatures out of panic. To counter this, certain species could slowly be leaked back into public of the muggle world. An added bonus of this would be the advancement of muggle literature, specifically in fantasy works, where dragons, fairies, and other magical creatures are quite mis-constructed.
Roman Castille, Ravenclaw
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Question 1
I am from a pureblood family, but my mother is a writer so I have grown up with muggle classics around the house. She read many of these stories to me as I grew up, and there are aspects of magic in many of them. My favorite genre is fantasy because it is often quite mystical and tends to have the most magical topics and characters. It is extraordinary how imaginative muggles are, even though they are seemingly unaware of our world. I will admit, I tend to enjoy books that are written by witches and wizards, but I have found enjoyment in books written by muggles as well.
Question 2
I do think it was a wise choice to include magical creatures in the ISOS. Muggles do not have the capacity to deal with certain magical creatures, as they can be very dangerous and are cannot be defended against using muggle methods. Dragons, for example, are extremely dangerous and quite hard to deal with for wizards using magic. It would be impossible for a muggle to defend itself against a dragon successfully. Therefore, it is good that magical creatures were included in the law. Many other creatures can be dangerous like this, and in other ways. Perhaps some of the harmless creatures could have been left out of the law, but dangerous creatures were included for muggle safety.
Charlotte - Ravenclaw
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Question 1
I love Muggle literature. My mother is a Muggle and my father is a pure blood. Ever since I could read, my parents have encouraged me to read both types of literature. I love reading mystery and the classics the most. My favorite is The Scarlet Pimpernel. I could read that anytime. It's so exciting. I also really enjoy dystopian series. They make you really appreciate world we live in.
Question 2
I think wise choice to include magical beings in the Statute of Secrecy. Unless Muggles know a witch or wizard, they do not know about our lives and I don't know how well they would handle it. I fear they will make hunting these creatures a sport, like those big game poachers in Africa. And furthermore, they don't know how dangerous these magical creatures are. So it is a very good idea to keep magical beings a secret.
Amelia Tudor, Hufflepuff
Question 1
I...can't say that I am much of a fan of muggle literature. I find it to be mostly boring and somewhat self-important. We know that muggles exist, but most muggles are completely oblivious to the wizarding world, and they act and write as if they are the only important beings in existence. If I had to pick any muggle books that I enjoy, I suppose I like children's books. The authors of children's books are just more open to things that actually exist, such as animals that talk or people being able to grow and shrink. I often wonder if Lewis Carroll might not have been a wizard simply because of the topics of his writing.
question 2
I suppose magical creatures being included in the ISOS is necessary if we want to keep our world secret from muggles. So, for that purpose, I agree with it. However, I often wish muggles could be made aware of the creatures around them. Mostly to squash their perception that they know everything that's out there.
Lapis Lazuli - Ravenclaw
Question 1
I do enjoy reading Muggle Literature, i know a few people who are part muggle and i would like to know more about there history. It is quite fascinating to learn what they have accomplished with no magic! My favorite Genre to read about them is the History, i learn all sorts of things with that subject!
Question 2
I think it was a wise choice, although they do not have magic per say, they are very intelligent and are able to accomplish so much with just the use of there minds. I think that should be a form of magic, they have a come a long way with no help and that can be a scary but amazing thought!
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Mr. Castille ()
You bring up an interesting point with rescinding the decision to include magical beasts in your answer. Do you believe that there is a possibility at this point that if the decision were to be rescinded that we would be able to do so without exposing ourselves? If we did not expose ourselves, how would the absence of these creatures be explained?
Wisteria, House Slytherin
Question 1
I have recently developed a love for Muggle literature, especially upon finding their horror and fantasy "fiction". I enjoy the creative concepts they apply to what they consider mythical creatures.
Question 2
I think that most muggles, as a whole, would exploit, seek to destroy or react irrationally out of fear towards magical beings. This would mean that keeping the magical beings secret is a necessity to protect them. However, I do believe there are a few muggles who are capable of accepting and being inspired by the sightings as they have been in the past. Unfortunatly until the minority becomes the majority, I agree with the Statute of Secrecy.
[img align=right]https://i.imgur.com/lCJSVpA.gif[/img]
Question
1.) Do you enjoy to read Muggle literature? If so, what genre do you find most appealing and why? If you do not enjoy Muggle literature, why not?
I have long been an avid reader and growing up in a Muggle and Magical home I think broadened my mind more. I enjoy Muggle fiction very much; my favourite genre being Fantasy. I enjoy the imaginative ideas that Muggles come up with; Balrogs and Jabberwockies, Harpies and Dystopian societies. The amount of thought put into each of their stories is wonderfult o behold.
Question
2.) The International Statute of Secrecy includes any sightings of creatures that are considered magical beings. Do you believe it was a wise choice in including these creatures? Why or why not?
I think it was very wise for the creatures of our world to be included in the Statue of Secrecy.
Muggles have very strict ideas on what is acceptable, what is not and there is no in between usually for individuality, especially in its creatures. If a dog bites, it gets euthanised; if a cat scratched a child, its given away or dumped on a street. Think of what would happen if they weren't: Dragons would be hunted for their fire and hide, Unicorns would be put in zoos to be admired, any creature deemed "dangerous" or "frightening" would be hunted to extinction. These creatures are magical for a reason; magic helps keep them safe and those who wield magic help keep the world safe from creatures who can't be more than what they are.
Megan/Hufflepuff
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1.) Do you enjoy to read Muggle literature? If so, what genre do you find most appealing and why? If you do not enjoy Muggle literature, why not?
Personally I very much enjoy reading Muggle literature. I grew up knowing nothing about the world of magic, outside of the fantastic things I read in books. Every night I would fall asleep wishing my heart out that some of the stories could be true. It was one of the best days of my life, the day I found out that a lot of the fantasy genre has a basis in real life. Even if the authors didn’t quite know it themselves.
The genres that I most enjoy are mainly fiction, meaning they are made up. These include fantasy, sci fi, and mystery, although some mystery novels are based on something that happened in real life. I also enjoy cultural based non-fiction. I think I enjoyed fiction so much because it deviated from my normal, boring, muggle life. It let my imagination open up into worlds and possibilities un-achievable from normal muggle standards.
2.) The International Statute of Secrecy includes any sightings of creatures that are considered magical beings. Do you believe it was a wise choice in including these creatures? Why or why not?
I think that it is a very subjective topic. What denotes a magical creature from a non-magical one anyway? There are non-magical animals that have pouches where they keep their children, some build houses inside river beds, others can hold their breath for hours. I believe that every creature deserves recognition, and a chance to be understood. But I can understand why not everyone should be allowed to take dragons or chymera too lightly. Tigers are considered dangerous by muggle standards, and some people even try and keep them as pets. I’m sure someone trying to keep a dragon inside their apartment would only cause trouble for everyone.
I’m not sure how wise a choice it is, but it must have been passed for a reason. I do think that with education, even non-magical people deserve to know about the animals that share the planet with them. It seems sort of unfair to me otherwise. But then again, one thing leads to another and if these so called “fictional” creatures turn out of be real, I’m sure some people would have a mental fit over it. Maybe it is better this way. Less explaining. Maybe someday the muggle world will be ready for the truth. I know I was very willing to accept it when I found out.
Fade, Ravenclaw.
Question One
I do enjoy muggle reading. I enjoy reading Westerns and Action. I like westerns because they have cowboys and action, yehaw! Action books because so much can happen in them. There could be a tornado that takes over the town. Or a man gets trapped by a secrete passage and a women has to help save him before time runs out. Or it could be about a women who joins the army and goes through problems, then late on triumphs over the odds.
Question Two
I believe it is right to include these creatures. I think Muggles should be allowed to see the creatures. They are more understanding I think now then they might have been before. So they would be less likely to hard the creature. They may even try to care for it if it is injured.
Caleb, Ravenclaw
Question 1
Yes, My favorite genre is Space Exploration, they have all these adventures into Space that I know nothing about so they are educating me at the same time im reading it.
Question 2
Yes, cause it keeps us safe in the end, from science and other people that are trying to destroy us.
1.) Do you enjoy to read Muggle literature? If so, what genre do you find most appealing and why? If you do not enjoy Muggle literature, why not?
I do enjoy reading Muggle literature. My family has always been a fan of the theater, so I grew up reading as much as possible without discrimination starting with Muggle plays. My taste is a lot more selective now though. I love book shops and libraries.
Travel writing, fantasy, historical fiction, and realistic fiction are my current favorite genres. I like these genres because I prefer reading stories with strong settings. Muggle literature for children is particularly good in my opinion. It's very funny to read about how Muggles imagine magic.
2.) The International Statute of Secrecy includes any sightings of creatures that are considered magical beings. Do you believe it was a wise choice in including these creatures? Why or why not?
It's a very wise choice to include any sightings of creatures that are considered magical beings in the International Statute of Secrecy. The statute exists not only for our protection but for the safety of such creatures and Muggles as well. Quite frankly, Muggles lack respect for living things. They have cultivated a broad tolerance and taste for violence and killing.
Question
I absolutely adore Muggle literature! Growing up in a Muggle neighborhood I was constantly around things of their creation, but I really only enjoyed their books and works of literature. My favorite genre is fantasy because I like how it can take you out of the here and now and transport you to another world entirely. I also get a kick out of their interpretations of our magical creatures!
Question
I believe that it was definitely a wise choice to include magical creatures in the International Statutes of Secrecy. Without this inclusion, magical beasts would roam freely in the muggle world and, once the Muggles do more inquiry, we would be at risk of detection and even experimentation. It also allows these creatures to be kept safe and out of harms way.
Katarina Ikon of Ravenclaw
Question
1.) Do you enjoy to read Muggle literature? If so, what genre do you find most appealing and why? If you do not enjoy Muggle literature, why not?
As a muggleborn, I grew up with muggle stories. I also love to read, so yes, I do love muggle literature. I always enjoyed mostly fantasy, especially fantasy set in the past, much like this lesson suggests. Tales of knights and princesses, often accompanied by magical woodland creatures like faeries, were always some of my favourites. They were excited and entrancing, and I dreamed of such a world, wishing it existed. Little did I know at the time it really did exist; it made coming to Hogwarts even more amazing, because I felt like I was stepping right into one of my favourite stories!
I also quite enjoy reading mysetery and detective books. I have gotten quite good at figuring out the catch or plot twist, and often who did the murder or other bad thing. They are exciting as well, but I suppose fantasy will still always be my favourite genre, even though I am surrounded by magic now.
Question
2.) The International Statute of Secrecy includes any sightings of creatures that are considered magical beings. Do you believe it was a wise choice in including these creatures? Why or why not?
My first thought is to immediately say that they should not be included! If I had seen some of the magical creatures that I now know about as a child, I would have been ecstatic and want to know everything about them, and how to care for them. However, I know that there are many awful, greedy muggles who would capture and exploit as many magical creatures as possible if they knew about them. They would lock them in cages and make them perform tricks for audiences, and it would be awful. Just look at what muggles do to their own animals today, sticking large whales in small tanks, and forcing elephants to perform at the circus...
So, yes. I agree that it was a good thing to include magical creatures in the statute of secrecy, even though it saddens me that people like me (thirsty for knowledge and bursting with curiosity) who are not magical will never get a chance to know these magnificent beasts.
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