Assignment: With your Hogwarts House buddies, choose one character, moment, place, or item from the world of Harry Potter and examine closely how the original root text (the novel) presents this and asks us to "know" or "understand" this term. What specific literacies do we need in order to understand it through the translatio text of the film.
Moment: The lack of Dudley Dursely's friend at the zoo trip in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
As mentioned in the chapter one of the book there is a boy, named Piers Polkiss, described as "...scrawny boy with a face like a rat" (pg. 23). This boy is said to have gone with the Durselys to the zoo for Dudley's birthday that day and he was also one to torment Harry. However, in the movie there is no mention of the friend and the Durselys head to the zoo, with Harry in tow, alone. This is sad considering Piers is said to be the first person to notice that the snake begins to move in the glass case as he reacts to Harry. He states "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THE SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING" (pg. 27). This hollering is what brings Dudley back over to the tank and shoving Harry to the ground which brings about the first use of his powers when he makes the glass vanish and re-appear. Without the use of Piers in the movie all eyes are on Dudley, including Harry's, and this creates a lack of character diversity because the only child other than Harry and his cousin to be introduced is the friend.
Works Citied
Rowling, J. K.GrandPré, Mary. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone. New York : Scholastic, 1999. Print.
Rowling, J. K.GrandPré, Mary.Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone. Director: Columbus, Chris, 1999. Video.
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