Word Magic and Harry Potter [Power of Words]
Thousands of people cried the night it all ended.
Tears of happiness and sadness slid down their faces; tears that signified the end of something they loved. For many, it also equaled the end of childhood.
For those who love words, like me, it demonstrates the wonder and power of words and will live on.
What is it?
Harry Potter, of course.
At midnight on a Thursday night, groups donned silk ties, long robes and other costumes to go watch the last Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2.
In actuality, the end of the books—the words—arrived years ago. I remember reading the last one, which contained about 800 pages, in one day. The story and the creativity expressed by J.K Rowling propelled me forward.
I didn’t watch all the movies. How could they possibly replace the wonder of the words?
You can open almost any page in one of this author’s books, and you’ll discover a little bit of wordplay, or as Oxford Dictionaries called it her magically inventive language: muggle, Severus Snape, butterbeer and more.
These Words Equaled More Readers
19 years later,’ as the last chapter-heading has it, and quite probably for many decades after that, there will still be millions of adults who recall their initiation to literature as a little touch of Harry in the night.
– Christopher Hitchens reviewing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_ in the New York Times, August 12, 2007.
Largely due to the Harry Potter books, many more young people began to read. Now young people are reading more than ever.
“We are right smack-dab in the new golden age of young adult literature,” Booklist magazine critic Michael Cart said recently.
‘Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic’
Albus Dumbledore, a powerful wizard and professor, says this in the last movie. I heard this quote while listening to NPR on the radio and immediately had to write it down.
The best thing—for writers—is that these words are true. Read them again. “Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic.” Look at how one writer’s napkin scribbles shaped a generation. Look at the power words can have.
Now, it’s up to you to go spark that flame, to find your magic, to see what you can do with your writing. Childhood and words can endure.
More Information:
Word Zeal is a place for poets and word lovers. It exists to celebrate words and writing and to help writers survive the difficulty of the writing life. We focus on poetry, short fiction and experimental writing forms.
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Tags: harry potter, language, linguistics, power of words, words, Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic, words magic
