Assignment

Instructions:

Act as a newspaper editor that argues for the contemporary relevance of the book's argument. Pick a contemporary theme-religious liberty, gun control, immigration, etc.-that you feel the book adds important context to. Then write an op-ed for a fictional newspaper explaining why this historical episode is important for today.

Example:

The Supreme Court's ruling that allowed same-sex marriage in the United States has ushered in a crucial moment for American culture. The recent controversy over Kentucky's county clerk Kim Davis is just an extreme example of the tensions rife within a pluralist society. But how do we function as a community with such different opinions on crucial topics? JK Rowling's Harry Potter, an examination of the cultural tensions found within the famed school of Hogwarts, shows one example of how these divisions played out, and how a more charitable acceptance of diverging ways of life ended up triumphing over parochial squabbles.