Cristina Almeida

Reading Journal – Popular YA Literature

LIBR 420-Y01
10-11-17
As a teacher, I would focus on symbolism and the themes of sacrifice and good versus

evil in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling. When focusing on the theme of

good versus evil in the classroom, it might be helpful to have students compare the morally

ambiguous characters from this novel with similar characters from other works of fiction. By

comparing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ ideas about good versus evil to the ideas

presented in other fictional works, students would have different perspectives to take into

consideration when deciding whether or not they agree with the ideas in this book. This theme

could also be thoroughly analyzed through a debate. For example, a mock court case where

students determine whether or not Severus Snape should be accountable for his crimes against

the wizarding world (had he not died at the end of the novel) might allow students to see that

morality is not a clear cut issue. To address the theme of sacrifice, a teacher could have students,

before starting the novel, write about what they think of Grindelwald’s phrase, “For the greater

good.” By having students write about this before reading, it will help them pay close attention to

the different types of sacrifices present in this book. This novel also presents teachers with a

great opportunity to teach students about symbolism. The Elder Wand, a wand Voldemort is

willing to kill anyone to possess due to its undefeatable power, and the scar Harry received when

he was attack by Voldemort are some of the symbols that related back to these two themes. A

project where students must keep track of these symbols in a reading journal would help them

understand how often times symbols contribute to the themes of the novels.