English 1B
Seminar 6

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Directions : Choose one question from the following list, and write a mini-essay in response (3-5 paragraphs). Use quotes and paraphrases from the text to back up your ideas.

• Examine some of the parallel characters in the book. What traits do they share? What traits differ dramatically? Why might Rowling have chosen to emphasize these similarities and differences?
• How is authority portrayed in the book? How do the children react to authority figures, and does Rowling give clues as to how she herself feels about authority figures?
• Identify and analyze at least two stereotypes in the novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. What are the characteristics normally associated with such a stereotype, and what are our expectations for such a character? Are the characters straight stereotypes, or do you think Rowling included them to make a commentary on the way we perceive people?
• Identify some of the familiar elements of this story, elements that you recognize from other stories. How does this book reflect the traditions of children’s literature? How does it move away from those traditions?