At the beginning of this project, I was very excited to combine and connect my love for the Harry Potter series and my love for social justice. More specifically, I wanted this blog to take the social issues in the series regarding love, loss, friendship, social justice, happiness, and despair, and connect them to the social problems we see in our own society today. As I read on, from childhood to well into adulthood, I never stopped learning. The life lessons and connections I learned from the Harry Potter series have been invaluable, and I am so grateful to J.K. Rowling for giving me a story that helped me become the person I am today, and characters who I will never stop learning from.
Now, since it is time for you all to leave this muggle studies class and graduate from Hogwarts I want to share some thoughts, responses, and different obstacles I experienced during this project. I’ve had the best time, and the hardest time, writing some posts because they exhibit some of the most important life lessons to me. Perhaps my favorite lessons are that love transcends death, being brave in times of fear, and that brains=badass. I’ve also had the hardest time pinpointing the exact lessons I’ve learned over the course of my life. There were numerous to choose from, but I loved that I was able to share my values and aspects of my personality through this blog, which is something I didn’t think I would get to do. At the beginning of this project, I didn’t think I could write creatively because I tend to be a little more introverted. Imagination does not come easy for me.
Another challenge for me to write this blog was to write in a way that would make sense to readers who did not follow the series. It is rather very difficult and frustrating to try to explain a complex plot that unravels into a beautiful story. However, it is a challenge that I am getting better at, and I have no doubt that my written communication skills have only gotten better since this project.
My hope is that your experience reading this blog has showed you the many beautiful and complicated characters, plots, and life lessons that have affected me throughout my life, and hopefully those messages came across in my posts. I also hope that you’ve experienced the same emotions that I have had while watching/reading, and have had to hug another person fiercely to get away from the intense emotions.
(P.S. the picture with Voldemort trying to hug Draco is hilarious)
Note from Pooja: Thanks for staying on this blog with me for the past few months. I’ve had the best time, as well as the hardest time, writing this blog. Thanks to all the viewers, readers, and likers. Hopefully you’ll open the first book or watch the first movie if you haven’t done so yet. In the words of J.K. Rowling, “The stories that we love best do live in us forever, so whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”
Always,
Mischief Managed
Magic and Muggle Studies 101 