I have been obsessively reading the blog Mark Reads Harry Potter (http://markreadsharrypotter.buzznet.com/user/) Mark is now in the 5th book (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), and has just encountered my most-hated literary character ever. I posted a comment on buzznet regarding this character and have decided to repost it here. So enjoy:
"Ah, Dolores Jane Umbridge. The reason I made sure to sign up for buzznet because I knew I could not continue reading MRHP without engaging in the conversation about this evil bitch. (Let's just go for it).
In a previous entry, the talk of comparing the Harry Potter scenarios with political climates and actions that are happening around wherever you are occurred. In fact, Mark made the connection to the presidency of George W. Bush. This book for me is total "No Child Left Behind ." A government official comes in, basically reads from a script to prepare students for a test. A test that will determine their future. And she will not deviate from what was Ministry approved. God forbid that these students become competent in the everyday application of what they are learning. It doesn't really matter as long as they achieve high marks at the end of the year O.W.L.s.
Dolores Jane Umbridge makes me RAGE as a person who loves learning, who loves the characters in this series (Hi, I'm still hoping at the age of 25 that I will get an owl with the opportunity for a Continuing Education class at Hogwarts night school where I will be given a wand and the ability to learn spells that will make my kitchen cook dinner for me), and also an an educator. I am a special education teacher (school starts Monday, woot, woot!) who luckily gets to be creative and not always teach to the test. I am proud to say that I focus more on student comprehension and life skills rather than what the results will be on the modified standardized tests that are given. It hurts my heart when I see Umbridge because she may be an exaggeration of things going on in schools, but she really isn't that far from quite a few people I've seen in the classroom.
Ok, I must end this here since I feel like Hermione turning in 3 feet of scroll instead of the 1 and a half assigned. stepping off my soapbox now.
Mark, get ready. Umbridge is about to make you as ALL CAPS as pubescent Harry."
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