Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone discussion


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Does anyone else besides me hate Harry Potter?

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Somerandom "The reasons why I did not like Harry Potter have been listed below:
1. He was very weak and skinny. I prefer the protagonist of the stories I read to be tall and muscular and able to win a battle easily. Though if I did have to read about a character who was skinny, but still awesome, I would expect that person to be somewhat like Artemis Fowl (and I recommend everyone to read this series)."

I know this is personal preference, but I find these reasons rather superficial and shallow.
Harry was only freaking 11 when the series starts. He's supposed to be what they call the "everyman character." In other words the average guy. How many 11 year olds do you know who are tall and muscular? He wasn't even in puberty and thus couldn't hope to produce enough testosterone to build muscle mass. It's simply realistic. He's a little geeky, but eh.

"2. He got easily bullied by Malfoy (This guy had a really awesome character before he completely finished himself of with that scene in which he becomes a crybaby in Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince), Malfoy's gang, Dudley, Dudley's parents: Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia and he always stayed with the boring children. I would have found a character who is tough and always ready to show anyone who dares to bully him what he can do to them if they do so (probably beat the bully up-really badly)."

Personally, I think that would have made him a stupid pathetic little thug bereft of human decency if he had. This isn't the 1920s when you challenged the bully to a fair bout of man v man fisticuffs. Especially when you're using magic as weapons. Plus nowadays and even during the 90s if you hit a bully back, they'd just retaliate more viciously.

The kid has had a rough childhood, he's an orphan, raised by emotionally abusive guardians. No shit he's insecure and allows himself to be bullied. That's just the way life is for some people.


"3. He was a crybaby as there was atleast one scene in each book in which he became really upset at something a bold person would probably ignore. His cowardly personality shows that if he was ever chosen as captain of anything, for example: a captain in a war (which is impossible unless it was luck), he would have most probably hid in the bathroom until the war was over, even if it took a million years, and come out to see that his army had:
a) won, without any need of their leader and once they would report to anyone how well the captain performed during the war, he would be given a good punishment."

Personally, as a woman I think it shows guts and bravery to wear one's emotions on their sleeve. This macho bullshit of "real men don't cry" I find insulting and quite insecure. It's called being human, men aren't robots and again his reactions are perfectly reasonable given his history and the fact that he is a freaking human being. Abused children often have "different" reactions to emotional situations because of the trauma inflicted upon them in their childhood. Some cry more, some bottle it up (not healthy) some become numb.

"4. If he wasn't bold and tough, he should have atleast been intelligent. Again, I would refer to Artemis Fowl as a good example."

Artemis Fowl is awesome, no doubt. But again, Harry is supposed to be the "every man."

"Harry Potter had no heroic personalities and J.K. Rowling must have been aware that she could never in her life create a truly awesome character so from the moment in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in which he went to Ollivanders in Diagon Alley, she made sure he was chosen as its owner by that specific wand which held great value as it was equal to Lord Voldemort's and he had something valuable in his posession so that after seven adventures, the hero doesn't just lose the battle to the villain."

Actually I think it was just to show the different paths taken in one's life. Harry's and Voldemort's childhoods are very similar. Remember also that when Voldy killed Harry's parents (spoilers!!!)
his detached soul latched itself to Harry, thus Harry has many of Voldy's abilities and perhaps more.

This contrast shows that although two people can come from eerily similar backgrounds, they can live two entirely different lives with the "power of love" and the choices they make.

The lack of heroic qualities as you put it, actually fuels the suspicions of fans that it was actually Neville who was the chosen one and that Harry was just mistaken as the all mighty wizard tasked with defeating evil. The legend that surrounds his survival of the attempt on his life sets him up as the chosen one, rather than him being one.


message 2952: by Kimiko (new) - rated it 3 stars

Kimiko OHHKAAY!!
I have a solution. ^-^
Why don't ya'll just accept that everyone has different tastes in books? Some of you might like HP, some of you might not.
So just let it go and do something productive with your life instead of arguing with each other and calling one another idiots.


message 2953: by Kimiko (new) - rated it 3 stars

Kimiko Somerandom wrote: ""The reasons why I did not like Harry Potter have been listed below:
1. He was very weak and skinny. I prefer the protagonist of the stories I read to be tall and muscular and able to win a battle ..."


Wow...
o-o
You wrote a lot..


Somerandom Kimiko wrote: "Somerandom wrote: ""The reasons why I did not like Harry Potter have been listed below:
1. He was very weak and skinny. I prefer the protagonist of the stories I read to be tall and muscular and ab..."


I did indeed. I was bored and had some time to kill.


message 2955: by Parker (new) - rated it 5 stars

Parker If you want every character in every book you read to be a muscular genius of a war general, I am afraid you will never read a truly good book. I am sorry you feel this way. You're missing out on a lot, Harry haters.


message 2956: by Nurlely (new) - rated it 5 stars

Nurlely Somerandom wrote: ""The reasons why I did not like Harry Potter have been listed below:
1. He was very weak and skinny. I prefer the protagonist of the stories I read to be tall and muscular and able to win a battle ..."


Nice thought!


message 2957: by [deleted user] (new)

Dria wrote: "If you want every character in every book you read to be a muscular genius of a war general, I am afraid you will never read a truly good book. I am sorry you feel this way. You're missing out on a..."

I agree


message 2958: by brooke1994 (new)

brooke1994 Do I hate Harry Potter? No. I don't love it either, I'm more of a Lord of the Rings/Narnia/Hunger Games person. I still LIKE HP though. It's just not in my top interests. I'm reading the books right now and they're good.


message 2959: by Meri (new) - rated it 5 stars

Meri harry potter is my childhood. It's hard to hate it.


message 2960: by Valerie (new) - rated it 5 stars

Valerie Curtis I was 41 years old when I picked up Harry Potter. It grabbed me right off. I got the next 3 books immediately and then waited for the next, and the next, and the next. I personally like all 7 books, although I wanted to kill off Harry in the 5th book!
You definitely have to like a little paranormal, but the story is very easy to read. I've bought the set for my grandchildren, nieces, nephews and other children. I think it's a great way for 'some' children to start their reading adventure!


Mackenzie Babafaba(Hypnos)((Awesome Bob))(((Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore))) wrote: "WHO HATES HARRY? I mean, have you even read the books?"
I've read the books, and though I don't hate them, I don't care very much for them either. They are okay but I am definitely not a big fan.


message 2962: by [deleted user] (new)

OH MY GOD KAYLA. OH MY GOLLY GOSH. FOR HEAVENS SAKE. OH MY GOD. OH MY. KAYLA DARLING, HAVE YOU NOT HAD YOUR BREAKFAST, FORGET TO TAKE YOUR TABLETS? KAYLA. MY GOLLY GOSH.


message 2963: by Priyamvadha (last edited Dec 27, 2013 08:25AM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Priyamvadha book nerd (ivashkov's mine) wrote: "Kayla wrote: "The stupid book has no point at all! Only complete idiots would read Harry Potter!"

Stop trolling around.Go home and do your homework kid.."


lol!I agree. :)


message 2964: by Julia (new) - rated it 5 stars

Julia Oh my goodness. This one just keeps getting better :D


message 2965: by [deleted user] (new)

Or just a ten year old child who can't read without sounding the syllables of words.


message 2966: by Lindsay (new) - rated it 5 stars

Lindsay Hey, say all you want about how you hate these books, but there are certainly worse things to like.


message 2967: by Julia (new) - rated it 5 stars

Julia Kristine wrote: "Or just a ten year old child who can't read without sounding the syllables of words."

Hey, there's nothing wrong with sounding out the syllables. You have to start somewhere.


message 2968: by Somerandom (last edited Dec 29, 2013 12:35AM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Somerandom Mimi wrote: "Fungai wrote: "Most ridiculous book i've ever had the displeasure of reading. Where to start...

Well, for starters the main protagonist is a spoilt, whiny, narcisistic rule-breaker with loads of c..."


Yeah that's true. But even though Snape often wanted or even threatened Harry with suspension or expulsion, he would have never gone through with it. Hogwarts offers Harry a bit of extra protection and even though Snape loathes Harry for reminding him of James, he never forgets that Harry is Lily's son. Thus he would never place Harry in unnecessary danger, by removing him from Hogwarts.

That's not to say Harry didn't often do something that warranted an in school suspension or at the very least detention.

But at the end of the day, Harry is different. There's a vengeful powerful evil Wizard constantly trying to kill him. So I think that warrants different rules for him.

But I kind of agree with Wallawalladingdong(hehe that was fun to type.) It's often kind of awesome seeing the protag get off Scott free. Same principle with most kids books, if you think about it. In the Worst Witch Mildred often causes all sorts of trouble, but often saves the day through luck or with help from her friends. And she often gets away with destroying things and breaking all sorts of rules.

It's just a common trope used in kids lit and even in children's entertainment in general.


message 2969: by Parker (new) - rated it 5 stars

Parker At first I felt bad for Filch. But then I didn't. Esp. after Umbridge came.


message 2970: by brooke1994 (new)

brooke1994 I don't get why you're calling OP (original poster) a troll. aren't we all allowed to have our different opinions? While I liked the first four Harry Potter books, I'm not continuing the series for different reasons. I've always had more of a preference for fantasy without nearly as much witchcraft like The Lord of the Rings or Narnia. If someone says they don't like salad, are you going to say that they're trolling too? Just something to think about.


message 2971: by Julia (new) - rated it 5 stars

Julia Narnian525♥♪ wrote: "I don't get why you're calling OP (original poster) a troll. aren't we all allowed to have our different opinions? While I liked the first four Harry Potter books, I'm not continuing the series for..."

She's a troll, not because she doesn't like Harry Potter, but because of the way she said it. She said it in a manner that is designed to illicit response. And then she disappeared. Never came back to continue the conversation.

But she accomplished her mission, big time. It's been going for five years and it'll reach 3400 responses within the next month. That's got to be some sort of record.

And she's not the only troll here. I think I've spotted a few helper-trolls keeping things going throughout this thread (I may be wrong about those, though).

Whether you love Harry Potter, hate Harry Potter, or somewhere in between, you can't deny this is a good piece of trolling. I generally don't like trolls, but this one is so successful, I find it incredibly funny.


message 2972: by brooke1994 (new)

brooke1994 Julia wrote: "Narnian525♥♪ wrote: "I don't get why you're calling OP (original poster) a troll. aren't we all allowed to have our different opinions? While I liked the first four Harry Potter books, I'm not cont..."

How would you have liked her to say it?


message 2973: by Julia (new) - rated it 5 stars

Julia A simple "I didn't like this one" would've been sufficient. Calling people idiots, claiming it has no point - all designed to illicit angry response.

But I honestly don't understand why people waste their time on forums for books they don't like. I didn't like Hunger Games, haven't spent a second on any Hunger Games discussions. Why continue to immerse yourself in something you don't like?


message 2974: by Julia (new) - rated it 5 stars

Julia There are other, non-troll, threads by people that didn't like Harry Potter. I think there's one titled "is it worth the hype" or something like that. It's a fairly intelligent discussion about what people did and did-not like about it. People gave intelligent responses to it, because the OP started with an intelligent post.

"This stupid book has no point" - sounds like the screaming of a spoiled child that simply doesn't get it. "Only idiots would read this" - sounds like said spoiled child trying to beat down those that have something that she doesn't (in this case, an appreciation for a particular book).


message 2975: by brooke1994 (new)

brooke1994 Julia wrote: "A simple "I didn't like this one" would've been sufficient. Calling people idiots, claiming it has no point - all designed to illicit angry response.

But I honestly don't understand why people wa..."


That's true. If a person doesn't like it, they shouldn't be concerned with it.


message 2976: by Julia (new) - rated it 5 stars

Julia Wallawalladingdong wrote: "Why am I still here?"

Comedic relief?


message 2977: by Removed (new) - rated it 4 stars

Removed Removed ummm Voldemort is not hated...Voldemort is really quite tragic if you think about it.


message 2978: by Kaye (new) - rated it 5 stars

Kaye Salter I thought trolls were only for youtube.... guess I was wrong lol


message 2979: by Arbré (new) - rated it 4 stars

Arbré Écorce 919574 people strongly disagree with you Kayla 24406 people agree with you though so you are not alone


message 2980: by Adam (new) - rated it 1 star

Adam just not my thing and I tend to agree with mark twain on things the majority favor.


message 2981: by [deleted user] (new)

I always hated pink lol.


message 2982: by angel (new) - rated it 1 star

angel Kayla wrote: "The stupid book has no point at all! Only complete idiots would read Harry Potter!"

Wow, never seen such a well- formed argument before; you should consider joining the debate team.
BTW, HP has a point, maybe you're the idiot that doesn't get it.


message 2983: by A.B. (new) - rated it 5 stars

A.B. Robertson I think there are lots of people out there who don't know anymore why tales were told to children. By now, generations grew up on the light and fluffy Disney versions of terrifying stories for kids.
Read the original tales of the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen. They are tragic, dark and sometimes they border on horror. There's a good reason for that. For centuries tales were told to children to make them face their fears and overcome them. Yes, it is a form of tough love, but at least it prepares you for the sad truth that life is not always wonderful.
I'm rather surprised when I hear teachers say that children should be protected from literature like this.

I too, hated the hype about HP. I screamed every time I heard it mentioned. Then, I decided that I have to find out what the fuss is all about. I bought the first book. It got me after the first few chapters. What I loved about it most was the darkness.
After I've finished it, I immediately bought books 2, 3 and 4, and couldn't wait for the next installments to come out.

I'm not ashamed in the slightest that I love the HP series. I must admit though, that I don't think that Harry is the best character. Nevertheless, I'll always be a fan and will keep re-reading the books.


Greysmilexx Kayla wrote: "The stupid book has no point at all! Only complete idiots would read Harry Potter!"

Dude you need to shut your face cause you don't know the impact of what your saying has on others. There are so many fans out there who connect to the book. People who are orphans out there know how it feels and you probably wouldn't ever understand that. And as far as I'm concerned about it having no point to it you are totally wrong about that, it ain't complete bull**it it contains many morals which us fans value. So please stop making stupid judgements. And take this as an advice you need to learn to give books a chance I bet you haven't even read the book and if you don't stop making comments like that it is your loss cause your the one who'll never understand how it really feels to connect with a book. So take my advice and shut up


message 2985: by Erika (new) - rated it 5 stars

Erika Hébert HOW DARE YOU?!!!
I bet that you're only trolling. But still,
HOW DARE YOU?!!!


message 2986: by Julia (new) - rated it 5 stars

Julia hehe. It begins anew.

How long till this thread fizzles out do you suppose? I'm placing my bet at 2020 with 10,000 responses.


message 2987: by A.B. (new) - rated it 5 stars

A.B. Robertson Ashleigh wrote: "Atlaxa wrote: "I think there are lots of people out there who don't know anymore why tales were told to children. By now, generations grew up on the light and fluffy Disney versions of terrifying s..."

Thank you :) I was afraid I'll be bashed badly for that remark.


message 2988: by A.B. (new) - rated it 5 stars

A.B. Robertson Julia and Ashleigh, I guess this will never end.
Such fun though :)


message 2989: by Hailey (new) - rated it 5 stars

Hailey Question: Does anyone else hate Harry Potter?

Answer: I love Harry Potter one of my favorite series! I don't like it when people say I hate Harry Potter when they haven't even read the books. Do not judge a book by it's cover.


message 2990: by Benja (new) - rated it 3 stars

Benja Hate is a strong word and I don't feel very strongly about Harry Potter.


message 2991: by Varsha (new) - rated it 5 stars

Varsha Well, then I am a complete idiot. Harry Potter is the best book around!!!!! And that is saying a lot for me because I've probably read about 1 billion books.


message 2992: by brooke1994 (last edited May 30, 2014 09:32PM) (new)

brooke1994 I won't hold back from saying it: I'm really not that impressed with the Harry Potter series. I gave the first four books a try and they're not as great as some of my favorite fanbases Calvin and Hobbes and the Disney classic movies are. I do like imagination, but have the opinion that Rowling needs to tone down the witchcraft. It's dark.... as a Christian I can tell you that. Before anyone gets on my comment: This is only my view on it. You're free to like or not like it as you please.


message 2993: by Somerandom (last edited May 31, 2014 04:38PM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Somerandom Narnian525♥♪ wrote: "I won't hold back from saying it: I'm really not that impressed with the Harry Potter series. I gave the first four books a try and they're not as great as some of my favorite fanbases Calvin and H..."

I'm not jumping on your comment, but I need to say.
Tone down the witchcraft in a book.......about witches/wizards. Seems legit. =/

Isn't that like saying that the Fault in our Stars needs less cancer in it? It's kind of a big backdrop for the story.

And I agree with H99. How is it dark? Maybe the last couple of books are darkish. No more dark than learning History, though.
I've seen darker children's stories. Hell I read darker children's stories as a tot.


Danielle yagami Harry Potter is fucking amazing. Stupid troll.


message 2995: by Ayusha (new)

Ayusha No. Nobody besides you hates Harry Potter.


message 2996: by Hannah (last edited Aug 10, 2014 08:55PM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Hannah Kelly Clearly you're in the wrong place darling. I don't know what kind of answer you were expecting to get but to me you just seem bent on insulting us and stirring the pot. If you have nothing nice to say please say nothing.


message 2997: by Sage (new) - rated it 5 stars

Sage The Harry Potter books are they best books in existence! They are exciting and romantic, and teach you so many lessons. You get to know the characters and you feel what they experience. The books are perfection!


message 2998: by Anna (new) - rated it 5 stars

Anna Goerlitz Emiko wrote: "I think it depends on which type of books you like. So you are not an idiot whether you've read it or not
But in my opinion, Harry potter is a good book but it's better if you read it when you're y..."


Do not agree at all! I was almost 30 by the time I read Harry Potter for the first time. Not sure I would have enjoyed it as much as a kid - but damn I love them as an adult... especially the last 3.


message 2999: by Harshi (new) - rated it 5 stars

Harshi There are people who hate HP. There are people who love HP. But there can't be another HP.


message 3000: by Harshi (new) - rated it 5 stars

Harshi There are people who hate HP. There are people who love HP. But there can't be another HP.


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