Name: Vyas Nupur Hiteshbhai
Roll No: 34
M.A English, Batch: 2015-17
SEM – 4
Paper 13 The New literature
Topic: The Difference between
Wizards and Muggles.
Submitted to Department of English, MKBU[Bhavnagar].
Introduction of Writer:
J.K.Rowling (born 31 July 1965), pen name Robert Galbraith, is a British
novelist, screenwriter and film producer best known as the author of the Harry
Potter fantasy series. The books have gained worldwide attention, won
multiple awards, and sold more than 400 million copies. They have
become the best-selling book series in history and been the basis for
a series of films over which Rowling had overall approval on the
scripts] and maintained creative control by serving as a
producer on the final instalment.
The Difference between Wizards and Muggles.
"You place too much importance, and you always have
done, on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters
not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!"
—Albus Dumbledore's stance on blood status
Blood status also
called purity of blood
is a concept in the wizarding world that distinguishes between family
trees that have different levels of magically-endowed members. It often
results in prejudice towards those who have a large number of Muggles in
their families. Wizarding society in general considers itself apart from and
superior to Muggle society, which is not connected with magic.
As Sirius Black informed Harry Potter, almost all wizards of
their time have Muggles in their family trees, though some claim not to. The
concept played a key role in both the First and Second Wizarding
Wars. In truth, pure-blood families have ceased to exist during the 1900s.
A Muggle,
is a British-English Wizarding cultural term describing a person who is born to
two non-magical parents and is incapable of performing magic. Although,
most muggles are the offspring of two muggles, the offspring of two squibs or
of a squib and a muggle would be, by definition, a muggle. Muggles are not to
be confused with Squibs, who also lack magic but are born to at least one
magical parent.
Most Muggles are not aware that magic exists at all and that
those with it have organized their own society largely separate from the Muggle
world. The few Muggles that do know of the existence of the wizarding
world are usually parents, or close relatives, of witches and wizards (for
example, Hermione Granger's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, knew
of the wizarding world because of their daughter, as did Harry Potter's
aunt and uncle). The term "Muggle" is widely used in the wizarding
world, and, while it could be considered derogatory, generally is not intended
to be offensive; in fact, it is often used affectionately, often by Arthur
Weasley, who has a great fondness for Muggles and learning about them and their
way of life. Some of the more prejudiced members of the community,
however, use the word in the same context as the epithet "Mud blood,"
though the term is generally associated with Muggle-borns (witches or
wizards that come from non-magic families/Muggles). These wizards or witches
believe that Muggle-borns have "stolen" magic and thus are actually
Muggles, rather than legitimate wizards or witches.
Since the International Statute of Wizarding
Secrecy was enacted in 1692, wizards and witches have hidden the existence
of magic from Muggles. Thus, most Muggles are either afraid of magic or
believe it to be nothing but a childish fantasy. Wizards and witches hide their
world with Muggle-Repelling Charms, and if a Muggle witnesses a magical event
or sees a magical creature such as a dragon, their memories are
erased. Confundus Charms are also occasionally employed to encourage
Muggles to ignore any magic they witness. Violations of the Statute of Secrecy
are prosecuted by the Improper Use of Magic Office, and the Misuse of
Muggle Artefacts Office tries to keep bewitched items away from Muggles.
Wizards and witches thus organized their own society, known
as the wizarding world, distinct from that of Muggles. There are some
exclusively magical settlements, such as Hogsmeade, but also magical
communities hidden within largely Muggle ones, such as in Ottery St
Catchpole and even in London. Magical people also have a separate currency
system and government. The Ministry of Magic maintains relations with
the Muggle Prime Minister, but they do not appear to be subordinate to the
Muggle government.
‘’Most wizards these days are half-blood anyway. If
we hadn't married Muggles we'd've died out."
—Ron Weasley discussing blood purity.
Muggle Mrs. Cole and wizard Albus
Dumbledore talking about Tom Riddle.
However, the Muggle and magical worlds are tied together in
some ways. For instance, Muggles sometimes marry wizards or witches and thus
become aware of the wizarding world, as occurred with Mr. Finnigan when
he married a witch. Muggles also occasionally produce a magical child. In
Britain, these Muggle-born wizards and witches will often join the
wizarding world when they are invited to attend Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry. Their parents will thus be informed of the existence
of the wizarding world, and may even enter it on occasion, as Hermione
Granger's parents did when they accompanied their daughter and the Weasley
family to Diagon Alley to shop for school supplies in 1992.
Some Muggles are aware of the magical world but, through
choice, choose to ignore it, such as Vernon Dursley, who was aware his
sister-in-law was a witch but otherwise remained intentionally ignorant of the
wizarding world until he was forced to recognize it with the arrival of his
nephew, Harry Potter.
In addition, there are secret connections maintained between
the two societies at the governmental level; for example, the Minister for
Magic occasionally consults with the Prime Minister of Great Britain on
issues affecting both societies, and it is clear that the Prime Minister is
aware of the wizarding world. Each Prime Minister, on the day appointed to
office, gets a visit from the current Minister for Magic. The visit
encompasses telling the Prime Minister of the existence of magic and that they
will only ever need to meet when there is something going on in the wizarding
world that might affect the Muggle world.
"Wizards represent all that the true 'Muggle' most
fears: They are plainly outcasts and comfortable with being so. Nothing is more
unnerving to the truly conventional than the unashamed misfit!"
J. K. Rowling regarding how Muggles view wizards.
The Muggle Dursley family, who despised magic.
Historically, Muggles tended to consider those who practiced
magic to be evil, leading to the burning of witches during the middle
Ages. In response, some wizards and witches managed to use Flame-Freezing
Charms to render the fire harmless. Thus, most considered the Muggle
efforts completely useless. However, such acts were part of the reason
that wizards decided to go into hiding. Many wizards were killed by these
incidents. Some innocent Muggles were being burned as witches, magical
children born to Muggles were often persecuted when their magical abilities
surfaced, and some Muggles tried to make magical people perform magic for their
own ends. Magical creatures left the Muggles too, as many of them were
extinguished, probably because of overhunting and ecosystem destruction.
Muggle dentists Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who were
accepting of magic
In the modern world, few Muggles believe in magic. Some who
are aware of the wizarding world are accepting of it, such as Hermione
Granger's parents and Jacob Kowalski. Others, however, respond
negatively. The Dursley family, for instance, had a "very medieval"
attitude towards magic. Petunia Dursley considered her sister Lily
Potter a "freak" for her abilities, although this was originally
prompted by envy of them, so she would not have thought of her sister like this
if she too had had those powers. She, her husband, and son, Dudley were
suspicious of magic, and thus treated their wizard nephew Harry
Potter badly and distrusted anyone associated with magic. They also tried
to prevent him from learning of his magical heritage, without
success. Ariana Dumbledore was attacked and severely traumatized by
Muggle boys after they saw her use magic and she was unable to show them how to
do it. So this was not as much an act of prejudice than an act of envy, like
Petunia. Tom Marvolo Riddle also once suggested that his Muggle
father abandoned Merope Gaunt, his pregnant wife because he
discovered that she was a witch.
It has been suggested by some wizards and witches that
Muggles choose, on some level, not to believe in magic, since there are
inevitably some occasions at which they are exposed to magic but seem to ignore
it or attribute it to other causes.
Wizarding attitude towards Muggles
"Alecto... teaches Muggle Studies, which is
compulsory for everyone. We've all got to listen to her explain how Muggles are
like animals, stupid and dirty, and how they drive wizards into hiding by being
vicious toward them, and how the natural order is being re-established."
—Neville Longbottom on Death Eaters' teaching while Lord
Voldemort was in power.
Many magical people, particularly pure-bloods, consider
their own world superior to that of Muggles. Some consider Muggles little
better than animals and hate them. For example, Araminta
Meliflua once proposed that the Ministry of Magic make Muggle
hunting legal.
The Magic is Might statue that depict Muggles in
their 'rightful' place.
Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald originally intended
to conquer the world and make Muggles subservient to wizards. Lord
Voldemort and his Death Eaters killed Muggles for amusement during the
First and Second Wizarding Wars. They often extend this hatred
to Muggle-borns as well, considering them to be unworthy of magic and
not "real" wizards or witches. During the Second Wizarding War,
Muggle-borns were rounded up by the Ministry of Magic (on Voldemort's orders)
and accused of stealing magic from wizards; a way of thoroughly humiliating
them instead of killing them outright. In 1997 during the height of
the Second Wizarding War a statue was created that illustrated
Muggles in their "rightful place", crushed by the might that is
magic. This statue resided in the Ministry atrium and acted as a symbol of Lord
Voldemort's new regime.
Others, however have more favorable opinions. The Ministry
also tries to protect Muggles from the Dark Arts and other
potentially harmful magic things with its Misuse of Muggle Artifacts
Office. Muggle Studies is also an optional subject at Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry that strives to educate magical children about
the Muggle world and to foster understanding of it. One witch, Carlotta
Pinkstone, famously advocated for the repeal of the International Statute
of Wizarding Secrecy. She believed in the idea that Muggles should know about
magic, and performed magic publicly on several occasions.
Harry Potter surrounded by Arthur Weasley's collection
of muggle objects.
Arthur Wesley is very interested in how Muggles
function without the aid of magic, and collects Muggle items, though he often
gets their names and other facts wrong. He has a large collection of batteries
and electric plugs. He was ecstatic to meet Hermione Granger's Muggle
parents, inviting them to have a drink with him at the Leaky Cauldron.
During Harry Potter's stays at the Burrow, Arthur often sat next to Harry to
ask him questions about Muggles. He was also interested to learn how the Muggle
post office and telephone work, and his greatest ambition was to learn how
aeroplanes stay up.
Some Muggle pastimes have also found favour with those in the
wizarding world. Famously, Albus Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog
Card proclaims his liking of the Muggle sport of ten-pin bowling, and he
also developed a fondness for a Muggle sweet called sherbet lemon. Some
elements of Muggle pop culture have also bled over into wizarding culture, such
as rock and roll music which is performed by groups such as the Weird
Sisters. The concept of "tabloid journalism" is also alive in
the wizarding world.
Such wizards and witches are considered "blood
traitors" by prejudiced pure-bloods such as
the Malfoy and Black families for their belief in Muggle
equality and attempts to protect them. Brutus Malfoy once claimed
that it was a sign of weak magic to enjoy the company of Muggles, and his
descendant Lucius Malfoy tried to sabotage Arthur Weasley's career
after he proposed the Muggle Protection Act in 1992.
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