Participation+-+Harry+Potter+and+the+Half+Blood+Prince

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince By J.K. Rowling The sixth development of the seven book Harry Potter Series Harry Potter is heading back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his sixth year of study. This year will be like none other before, complete with mysterious textbooks, hidden rooms, insane girlfriends, and new and improved Quidditch keepers. Harry is kept very busy caring for Hedwig, spending time with his friends, going to classes, and trying to spy on Draco, who seems to be up to something (although Ron and Hermione, his two best friends, don't believe him...) However, all this is not enough to distract him from the thought looming in the back of Harry's mind... the knowledge that Voldemort (He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named) has once again returned to power, and he may be the only one who can stop him.

GENRE: Fantasy, adventure

STYLE: J.K. Rowling writes Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince from a third person limited perspective. The entire story is follows Harry throughout his adventures, but it is impossible to know what the other characters are thinking. There are exceptions, however. For example, chapter 2 "Spinner's End" follows the characters Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Snape. Although Rowling does not reveal what these characters are thinking, information is revealed to the audience that Harry himself is not aware of. In general though, this book is told from the third person limited perspective.Rowling writes with a very creative style. This story is very complex and there are lots of different parts to the story. Rowling has the ability to end the chapter at a very intense point, then begin the next chapter with a different part that was forgotten from earlier. There is constant excitement in this book. Rowling also has the ability to create very unique characters, name, and ideas in general that enhance the plot and make this and which have helped make the novel the bestseller it has become today. _ LITERARY ANALYSIS:

J.K. Rowling's writing maintains some consistency throughout the series, however, it also begins to develop and change as she grows as a writer. One interesting aspect of the __Half Blood Prince__, and the series in general, is that much of her writing actually changes throughout the series. In the first book, J.K. Rowling writes with a much more playful, light-hearted tone, and often pokes fun at characters such as Hagrid. However, as the series progresses the books turn more serious. More time is spent on the later books on the magical war that is occurring in Harry's world, and less time is spent focusing on the overall majesty of the magical world. As the series progresses, Harry, Ron and Hermione change from young, clueless children boarding the Hogwarts Express for their first time, to mature young adults juggling classes, learning spells, and battling Voldemort. When writing __Harry Potter__ Rowling makes it so that the reader--who is also grower older as time elapses--can grow with the characters. This can also be applied on a smaller scale within __Half Blood Prince.__ From the beginning to the end of the book, characters develop and change. Rowling makes these changes deliberate in order to shape the plot. One example of this development is in the character Draco Malfoy. At the beginning of the story, Malfoy is talking to his friends on the Hogwarts Express. When his colleague Zabini asks him about working for Voldemort and looks scathingly upon him because he's only 16, Malfoy replies, "...Maybe he doesn't care if I'm qualified. Maybe the job he wants me to do isn't something that you need to be qualified for" (152). Whether or not Malfoy actually has accepted a mission from Voldemort, the fact that he is willing to announce this fact shows that if he is not in fact working for Voldemort, he desires to. At the end of the story, however, Draco is faced with a very hard situation, but instead of acting upon it in the way that Voldemort would want him to, he hesitates and thinks that maybe he does not in fact want to stand for the Dark Arts of Voldemort and his followers (592). This change is very significant in the context of the story and is one example of the character development Rowling includes in this book.

Although this book is very serious in some regards, there are also a lot of fun moments. In comparison to some of the later installments in the Harry Potter series, there is a lot more drama occuring at the castle, and there are plenty of humorous moments. The light-hearted tone Rowling uses in book 1, __Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone__ (Britian __Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)__ can also be seen in parts of __Half Blood Prince.__ J.K. writes, "Slughorn was waering a tasseled velvet hat to match his smoking jacket. Gripping Harry's arm so tightly he might have been hoping to Disapparate with him, Slughorn led him purposefully into the party; Harry seized Luna's hand and dragged her along with him" (315). This description displays not only Rowling's creativity, but her ability to incorporate humor in a book that is also placed in a very dark time. This adds immensely to the book and makes it much more enjoyable, because while it is interesting to watch Harry and his colleagues battle He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, it would simply not be __Harry Potter__ without fun and exciting for Harry and his friends. ___ CRITICISM: ★★★★★ I would give this book 5/5. This is my favorite book in the Harry Potter series. Rowling truly has a gift with words, and the incredible ability to keep intricate parts of the story organized until tying everything together. Although this book may be hard to understand if you have not read the Harry Potter series before, I would encourage anyone to read this book. The only problem I have with this book is that I feel there are a couple irrelevent parts, and even characters, the Rowling includes a lot. For example, Luna Lovegood is a very creative character Rowling thought up, but I personally feel that Rowling spends too much time focusing on Luna when it really doesn't significantly effect the plot in any way. Overall though it was a riveting, amusing book that made me laugh and nearly cry at a certain part. I would recommend it to all readers. :)

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This is my 2nd favorite scene from the movie. Unfortunately, my favorite scene, which contains Professor Snape saying, "Indeed," could not be found.