Harry Potter and Public Education

Respect for public schools and liberal arts is dwindling, along with their funding. From Governor Walker to President Obama, our politicians are encouraging students to stray away from the humanities in favor of degrees that will more likely give them jobs. J.K. Rowling’s beloved series stands as a bastion to those who still believe in the applications of humanities and the utility of a publicly funded education system. By forcing her characters into moral and dangerous quandaries that require empathy, analytical skills, and historical context, Rowling argues that an extensive public education system that teaches the humanities is vital to a society, even to those who are not part of the world of academia.The message Rowling sends throughout is clear: Education is power. In order to use this power in a positive way, technical and practical knowledge, in this case of magic, must constantly be supplemented with various examples of the liberal arts. One might see the practical Hogwarts classes like transfiguration and charms as analogous to practical studies in engineering and math. These branches of knowledge are both modes of creation and change that suffer in their use when they are not employed by an ethically wise user.Hermione shows the uses of mythological studies directly with her study of “The Tales of Beedle the Bard.” This collection of wizard folktales eventually helps uncover the mystery of The Deathly Hallows. This belief in the utility of mythology is further touted in Rowling's world with numerous references to folklore and classical mythology, from obvious references like Cerberus and centaurs to more obscure ones like the epigraph in The Deathly Hollows of Aeschylus' The Libation Bearers. These references to established mythology ironically work to make Rowling's magical world feel more human and realistic. Her point seems to be that we live with these myths hidden throughout our lives whether we are aware of it or not, just like the muggles who somehow miss all this magic.The study of history is also shown to have practical applications. Much of the sixth book is taken up in learning Voldemort's backstory by studying the memories of witnesses, which Dumbledore stores in green goop viewed in a Pensieve. These memories can even be tampered with to support the owner of the memory, as in the case of Horace Slughorn's tampered memory. This can be seen as a magical analogue to the studying of memoirs and other historical accounts. Some of this information may appear superfluous, but Rowling shows how an opponent’s context may be used against them.  Harry questions Dumbledore, “is it important to know all about Voldemort's past?’ ‘Very important I think’ said Dumbledore” (Book 6). Dumbledore's curt response makes it seem obvious that history is a valuable tool in the problems of the present.

"The message Rowling sends throughout is clear: Education is power."

Upon critical inspection it becomes clear why humanities students at a public school still love Harry Potter. The entire series is framed with an unquestioned belief in the importance of public education. In an age where boarding schools are becoming less and less common, a trip to Hogwarts could sound like preparation for college to any young American. You receive an acceptance letter, head off from a boring suburb to sleep in a dormitory, and take classes that will turn an 11-year-old kid into a confident and powerful wizard or witch who can shoot lightning from their wands and play soccer in the sky. Most students I know aren’t in magical studies, but they do intend to become more intentionally powerful in their lives, just like the students of Hogwarts. There is also mention of programs such as financial aid, as is mentioned in Tom Riddle’s backstory, and standardized testing that leads to degrees like the “N.E.W.T.s” which determine career paths. This sounds conspicuously like any “muggle” college. Consider for a moment how the lower class Weasleys, or any muggle-borns with no wizard gold, could possibly manage to send seven kids to a private boarding school without some kind of public support from the Ministry of Magic. They simply couldn’t. Another indicator that Hogwarts is most likely receiving public funding is that it is the only wizarding school in the UK. There is also no mention of tuition. It would surely behoove the Ministry of Magic to ensure their wizards are properly trained and ethically conscientious by subsidizing their education in some way.There is barely anyone in the wizarding world who denies the utility of a good education. Even Draco Malfoy, a man whose poor choices are epitomized in the naming of his only child Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy (probably setting poor Scorpy up to be evil, and who wouldn’t be with a name that sounds like a Yu-Gi-Oh card?), shows respect for education. This is apparent when Malfoy finds himself unable to kill his old headmaster when the time finally arrives.  Malfoy is described as “fighting down the urge to… vomit” at the prospect of killing Dumbledore and later Rowling describes, “[Malfoy] bizarrely seemed to draw courage and comfort from Dumbledore's praise” (Book 6). Draco acknowledges the positive influence a great teacher like Dumbledore has had on his life by sparing the headmaster when he is at his weakest.  Draco even enjoys his affirmations, perversely resembling, at this climactic moment, any healthy master-to-student relationship. Malfoy does, on the other hand, boast to his pals on the Hogwarts Express the year before, “Mother wants me to complete my education, but personally, I don't see it as that important these days. I mean, think about it…. When the Dark Lord takes over, is he going to care how many O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s anyone's got?” (Book 6). This moment of arrogance from the not so humble or wise Malfoy is contradicted when Voldemort himself displays the value in controlling and maintaining an education system. He Who Must Not Be Named makes attendance to Hogwarts mandatory in the seventh book, a move that, despite Malfoy’s naive opinion, shows Voldy does care about having able wizards under his control and influence. This move does not reflect on the moral value of education as much as on its empowerment to the government it serves. Rowling seems to think education is vulnerable to institutional evils, and therefore must be protected, even if it comes down to a “Battle of Hogwarts.”

"Consider for a moment how the lower class Weasleys, or any muggle-borns with no wizard gold, could possibly manage to send seven kids to a private boarding school without some kind of public support from the Ministry of Magic. They simply couldn’t."

It is notable to consider that Hogwarts under Voldemort’s control warps the classes that we might consider the most direct analogue to our ethnic studies, that is, muggle studies. During Voldemort’s control over Hogwarts Neville explains, “Muggle Studies... is compulsory for everyone. We’ve all got to listen to [Alectus] explain how Muggles are like animals, stupid and dirty, and how they drove wizards into hiding... and how the natural order is being reestablished” (Book 7). Voldemort’s minion Alectus turns the class from a lesson in respect, which Hermione attests to throughout the novels, to the dehumanization of muggles in ways that are reminiscent of propaganda that justifies genocide. Voldemort seems to be aware that studies of separate cultures in and of themselves have a huge impact on the development of students and their sense of the world. This moment serves as a warning to readers: Make sure your education is in the right hands. Today this lack of respect for cultural studies (which in our world translates to lack of funding) can be seen to a much lesser, but still frightening, degree in the attempts to consolidate departments like Native American Studies with African American Studies right here at UW. This decline in investment in cultural understanding we are seeing today must certainly perturb Rowling and her readers.While we muggles might not be able to fight off evil with wonderful spells, we still participated in the world of Hogwarts, and felt like students ourselves. The Harry Potter books helped show an entire generation that they, like their magical counterparts, can be capable creators and changers within their society. Just like Rowling achieved with Harry Potter, through your own acts of creation and outreach, you can connect to a magical place that defies all reason or scientific sense. Study of the humanities will always have the ability to connect people from different classes and countries in a shared love of the human experience. These experiences must inform our use of technologies and systems if we are going to be fully just. Only by extending a liberal arts education to all those who demand it can we come close to answering the questions on our morals, our values, our cultures, and our futures that we are demanded to answer every day. These are the questions that only our stories can answer.Reid Kurkerewicz, Illumination Staff