harry potter and the order of the phoenix pdf book

The placement of Umbridge and Fudge in positions of power within the Ministry of Magic also personifies the existence of institutional racism within the wizarding world. In Dolores Umbridge, Rowling constructs a deplorable character whose anti-Muggle sentiments and prejudices against nonhuman creatures epitomize the worst of humanity. We wizards have mistreated and abused our fellows for too long, and we are now reaping our reward The fountain we destroyed tonight told a lie.

In the aftermath of the fountain’s destruction, Dumbledore makes the following remark: The fountain’s depiction of centaurs, goblins, and house-elves being subservient to wizards is troubling. The Fountain of Magical Brethren in the Ministry of Magic illustrates the hierarchical nature of the wizarding world. Police brutality is touched upon when the Ministry’s Aurors attempt to arrest Hagrid for no good reason and consequently attack Professor McGonagall. It also depicts abuses of power by those in law enforcement. Political corruption is not the only abuse of power that Order of the Phoenix addresses, though. Furthermore, the educational decrees that the Ministry passes throughout the book are reminiscent of the executive orders signed under the current US administration.

Umbridge sending Dementors to attack Harry in Little Whinging, the practice of holding “a full criminal trial to deal with a simple matter of underage magic” (OotP 8), and Fudge influencing the Prophet and interfering at Hogwarts are just a few of the ways that the Ministry abuses its power in Order of the Phoenix. Fudge’s incompetence partly facilitates the mass breakout from Azkaban. Throughout the book, Fudge yields close-to-absolute power – and it’s a travesty that we don’t see him in Azkaban in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – as he maintains his smear campaign against Harry and Dumbledore to the detriment of public safety. Order of the Phoenix illustrates how an absence of checks and balances in the political system can undermine democracy. Rowling’s exploration of political corruption, racism, and social resistance inspired a generation of readers to partake in youth activism. In this second article in a two-part series (the first can be found here), in which I discuss the social relevance of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I analyze how J.K.

Harry potter and the order of the phoenix pdf book