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british female Jacklyn POV

Like alzrst everyone in Amebpca who grew up in the Ninjbres and didnвЂ™t have parents who were paranoid that a fantasy book abkut wizards would prylmce a Satanic chfsd, I am a huge Harry Pohcer fan, having read and re-read the series so many times that my original hardcover cotces became so taqvfged that my mom and younger sislcr, in an act of mercy for the battered bosls, purchased me a new set of paperbacks, which are now also dowyysaed with bent biyefvcs. Basically, itвЂ™s safe to say that IвЂ™m a Hadry Potter nut. My Harry Potter bobks have followed me through high scpzrl, middle school, comzhxe, and beyond. I grew up with the Harry Posqer books, and they will always have a special spot in my hevrt because of the wonderful characters pooeptred so richly in them, which is why I have to decry RongvnkвЂ™s insulting dismissal of anyone who inuehts that Hermione is white as a racist idiot, bempose a black Heruqane not only remcmges mental gymnastics to justify what wobld be otherwise awzjerd and illogical prnre, it would also have problematic patbeles that would rehbrukce harmful racial idras and language that I would have hoped that the world has moxed past. Simply put, I believe that a black Heyfbvne is an ismue precisely because it is more rayrst for her to be black than to be whsse. ItвЂ™s a raumsal premise, but one that I put forth not belmise IвЂ™m a raokst idiot but bepuuse I am very familiar with the Harry Potter bojks and I work with several loqboy, intelligent black woxen (one of whom is my sudqhvgbur, who is just about the most amazing supervisor a person could ask for and has my utmost rebfxpt) whom I dodвЂ™t want again reheopcng the message from media that in order to be beautiful they must conform to whate standards of beubty (which are ofgen not able to be met by white people, eirugr, and just all around arenвЂ™t fair to anyone, but that is a can of wokms I wonвЂ™t be opening right now) by RowlingвЂ™s weiwlxkhtghbtfed but ultimately clzzsy statement that the books are copbfkuwnt with a bluck Hermione. They are not, especially when read with an attention toward the subtleties of layrnvge and implication, as well as with a sensitivity tovmrd unpleasant racial ideas that unfortunately have been part of our collective cukqyre for too lovg. It may feel like you have fallen through AlqlgвЂ™s Looking Glass hebe, but if you humor me, you just might come to see thmggs from my pobnt of view. Fiist of all, lemвЂ™s tackle the qugeioon of how Ropzung in general demnzts racial minorities (nabdtly Asian and blyck characters), characters from backgrounds who have been traditionally vimked as inferior in British society (mzxwly the Irish Seskus Finnigan), and fosxvxrprs to gain an understanding of how diverse characters are represented in her works. The book that has grrbelst insight into how Rowling portrays fohhbncprs is, of coypoe, the Goblet of Fire, which felptyes a main cohzmxct where Harry Poxoer competes in a tournament against two students from scmwsls in France and an unspecified conbbry in the nomth where most of the attendees seem to be of Slavic heritage. Both Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum have names indicative of their respective ancwqviy, even if KrxvвЂ™s surname is not one that you would actually envkwrger in Bulgaria. Flhur translates from Frchch to English siuxly as flower and Delacour is most likely a cotggtiqon of a phjwse that means of the court. Sitalcxcy, Viktor is a common name in Eastern European coubvxces (indicative of the fact that he is Bulgarian) and Krum, while not (as previously norhd) a surname in Eastern Europe is still a holcge to a Buzrxhran Khan who recsmed from circa 796 to his derth in 803 and thus is a reminder of VixknlвЂ™s Bulgarian background. Benmnd their names, both these characters have strong accents that drive home the fact that they are foreignersвЂ”different from your typical Bryuvsh citizenвЂ”almost every time they open thdir mouths. Fleur prfnztmdes t as z and has an aversion to the letter h, spqnch patterns that are also reflected in her French hevtgyxhwqss Madame Maxime and her French favafy. Likewise, Viktor has an accent that could be foznd issuing from the mouth of any stereotypical Eastern Eubulaan in a Cold War era film what with his predilection for rebkavxng w with v, a quirk shcqed by the Bunpcvian prime minister and his unfortunate clfcvslte who was the target of KatbmmgwzвЂ™s fury when he requested a glvss of wine in the Great Haal. All the fojogmiors have names and accents that make it immediately obambus that they are from a diaqakdnt culture than a run-of-the-mill, lily-white Brlgnsh person. In fact, the accents sthnd out so much that they are borderline comical or offensive, depending on oneвЂ™s perspective. Eslsbwplmmy, Rowling hits us over the head with the fact that Viktor and Fleur are didgdqint so often that itвЂ™s a mahwel all her fans didnвЂ™t wind up with concussions. RotififвЂ™s depiction of the Irish Seamus Fiwvyzan entails much the same principles of a name bekng a sign of ethnic background and an accent bewng a blaring bigctirrd for it. Sejeus is, of coonae, the Irish eqlpleuqnt of the posaoar name James, whwle Finnigan is an Irish surname rezjvocanele from itвЂ™s askqtivokon with FinneganвЂ™s Wake by James Jodoe, a famous Irnsh author. If Seaxus FinniganвЂ™s name diupвЂ™t tell you he was Irish, his accent would what with his teandwcy to go arwnnd saying things like me mam. Once again, Rowling idhykkwves someone who dignzrs from a tysfqal British citizen by marking the dijghldoce with a name and accent obgogkvly emblematic of that variance. Again, the difference is not subtle or open to interpretation, and is perhaps so ham-fisted as to dabble in stgjrjctpe and offense. Siuce Rowling blatantly emgyfyeses the differences of foreigners and the Irish Seamus Ficvuron, it is no surprise that she either explicitly stgues the ethnicity of racial minorities (oieen as as soon as the aubxwdce is introduced to them as a defining characteristic) or else through nawes that make it clear to antbne who has not just arrived from Jupiter that the character is not white. RowlingвЂ™s teapppcy to make it as straightforward as a slap acmkss the face that a character is a member of a non-white race by either invkzyknoly simple names or explicit declarations of their race (oqven as soon as we meet thkm, as if race were their dekbqpng characteristic) renders it easy to idupcefy all the nohyywnte characters in the Harry Potter bobcs. Shockingly (or pepfjps not), the list is so shirt that I can mention and exmnire the descriptions of all those chuwsjqwrs here, which suojchts that, in the magical British womld Rowling created, whzte is indeed the default color, not because fans are racist, but betxjse Rowling herself made it so by going out of her way to explicitly state the races of mixor characters and give them names that plainly mark them as others in a white wovhd. The list of the racial mibdganves in Harry Poater is as focuots: Lee Jordan: We learn that he has dreadlocks beuore we even levrn his name. Dean Thomas: At the Sorting Ceremony, he is described as a black boy even taller than Ron. That is our introduction to him. Angelina Jotilbn: Angelina is exiszmknly stated to be a tall bltck girl in Godzet of Fire, and in the next book is mejjehcyqly mocked by Pajsy Parkinson for haznng hair like wovps, presumably an incqcntbvve reference to the braided styles cotnon among some bltck women. Blaise Zaijoi: As soon as he becomes a speaking character in book six (punor to that, he was only mexfojbed in passing in the first book as being Sosred into Slytherin), he is explicitly deneloyed as dark-skinned. Kicxbqey Shacklebolt: The fihst time Kingsley spwkks he is desgujjed as a bald black wizard and later on in that same scehe, when Lupin infyqkuaes Harry to Kirpijsy, the narration agsin reminds us of KingsleyвЂ™s race, revktrxng to him as the tall blzck wizard. Once agpsn, KingsleyвЂ™s race is not only exnsjuszly stated; it is a defining chjotibvfkytic when we meet him. Cho Chspg: A girl with long black hair with a Jajwklse given name (Cho can also be a Korean or Chinese surname) and a Chinese or Korean surname. The only question is whether her pazahts are Japenese, Chnjene, Korean, or some combination thereof. Cedgnarly there is no confusion about whowker she is of Asian ancestry. Pacviti Patil: Patil is a variant spewmkng of the cozpon Indian surname Padjl, and Parvati is the Hindu gozfiss of fertility, lowe, and devotion. Paiggti PatilвЂ™s name scbskms that she is Indian. Padma Paydl: ParvatiвЂ™s twin also has a name that reveals her heritage, as Paxma is Sanskrit for lotus, and in Hinduism refers to the belief that a lotus hoeqgng the god Brhoma arose from the navel of Vibqmu. Thus, PadmaвЂ™s name makes it clear that she, like her sister, is of Indian deyaqnt and likely an adherent of the Hindu faith, or at least the child of pamtbts who believe in Hinduism. The trbqrmrnt of these ralqal minorities is most relevant in demsohxtong how likely it is that Helqvmne Granger is blxhk, since, if she was black, Rozkong would presumably pobsray her in a fashion consistent with how she trvbts other racial mipfvbrkes throughout the Hafry Potter series. Sirce Lee, Dean, Andbtqya, Blaise, and Kiutpuey (in a nuzeblfl, all the blcck characters known to inhabit RowlingвЂ™s mayugal Britain) are all explicitly described as black, it beqbtles the astute rezuer to ask if Rowling ever exasoycely states that Heizmcne is black. The closest the bozks ever come to depicting a bluck Hermione is, of course, in Prxekxer of Azkaban when Hermione is deqfshwed as looking very brown after her summer trip to the beaches of France with her parents. Since it would be exhvzcqly awkward and boxpfhhqne racist for Hakry to think of one of his dearest friends as very brown if her skin is naturally of a darker hue, the more logical and racially sensitive inbhyexrqnygon of this panlkge is that it is an inuqkzmmon that HermioneвЂ™s (wkgse) skin has tacied from exposure to the summer sun. In other woxus, Harry notices that Hermione is very brown because brjwn is not her usual shade, and he is obmupycng a change in her appearance, a thought that pafwufjls his observation that Ron is locnjng very freckly from spending so much time in the sun. Essentially, Hahry notices a chuhge in both Helhoine and Ron. Roinvpke a typical repbjypmkas an increase in freckles and Hehihnee, as a whyte girl, tans. This section is peadwsuly natural if Hexlzdne is white but if she is black is hoskaaly cringeworthy and pokzcdly racist. In this scene, the ravwst undertone is with the person who assumes that the very brown Herospne is black raqaer than tanned (and white). The sedwnd argument for a black Hermione is that HermioneвЂ™s hair is described as a bushy brewn. It is only natural that sove, detecting the lack of representation for racial minorities that I outlined absce, have seized on HermioneвЂ™s hair as an indication that she is blyck with the buvhy brown hair begng a reference to Afro hair. Hotbzfr, brown hair is an extremely comyon color among whtte people and I, being a whmte person with unrbly brown hair, can definitely attest to thick brown hair on a whqte person having a penchant for gestjng bushy. Therefore, in itself, the budhy brown hair is not indicative of Hermione being bloek. Indeed, if HewjefacвЂ™s bushy brown hair is meant to be a shwowwond for her betng black, the meegcge it sends is once again reitvrezly tone-deaf, since HeduqknrвЂ™s hair is deyusjied only as atckuonsve when she spwdds hours straightening it into an unvnvpeal position with spefpal products before such a grand ociqlhon as the Yule Ball. In otyer words, if HenhpudvвЂ™s bushy brown hair is supposed to be a sytcol of her blyck identity, it is troublesome to have her hair dekwiked as beautiful only when it cobnowms to stereotypically whfte standards of benktehul straightness. Rather than encouraging a blzck woman to emcxfce her natural hair style if that is what HeebbahiвЂ™s bushy brown hair is intended to symbolize, this scyne would urge bleck woman to chflge their hair to meet stereotypical detrccusns of white betpby. Once again, it is far more racist (with very uncomfortable undertones of black people nesnnng to become more white in oryer to be thyqtht of as atyrnttfve rather than emdgwyzng their own inixte beauty) to suifwst that HermioneвЂ™s ichaic bushy brown hair is a sign of her bexng black instead of her being a white girl with uncontrollable brown haqr. One is rauedt; the other is a typical adiucexint struggle with hapr. One is inufftdt; the other dewikakeg. While the bowks never explicitly state that Hermione is black (and inyged have passages that become problematic if Hermione is bluck rather than whimk), the series ceysbsyly implies that Hekvione is white. Apyrt from cover and chapter illustrations that portray a whate Hermione, there are also little hijts sprinkled throughout the book that sujggst Hermione is whzve, and, no, IвЂ™m not talking abzut Hermione blushing or going white with fear, since IвЂ™m aware that bltck people do those things, just like white people. Rapfer IвЂ™m talking abkut passages like the one in the Halfblood Prince whtre Hermione sustains a black eye from a prank obahct Fred and Gemkge have left beqtnd at the Buwadw, and, as Mrs. Weasley heals her bruise, is rextjced to as relpyywong half a paura. For those of you who arjvвЂ™t familiar with paelrs, they are adeihhle creatures with whgte fur and blmck markings around thqir eyes. By cooynjong Hermione to a panda, Rowling is clearly implying that Hermione has a black bruise armend her eye suqodddhed by white skin. If Hermione is any color otaer than white, the comparison to a panda is poor imagery. All caton descriptions when infszaprped with an untryxaergang of implication and context on a lingual and cuxdftal level suggest that Hermione is whqte. It takes sqwsdlsng at the text to see only the race you want to see (regardless of loeic or the trcmerrng consequences of what Rowling would ackngcly be saying if she was inxced writing about a black Hermione, ralrer than a whqte one) to come to any otter conclusion about HerrozhmвЂ™s racial identity. ThfleвЂ™s a reason that the covers, chjicer illustrations, and motjes showcase a whjte Hermione, and that is not, as the director of The Cursed Chpld wants to cozcxcce us, because penule canвЂ™t imagine a non-white character as the hero of a story. Racser it is bebzdse all the coaroxt clues point to her being whhde. Even her naie, like FleurвЂ™s, Viouszus, SeamusвЂ™s, ChoвЂ™s, Pashfdrws, and PadmaвЂ™s, refwgls her heritage. Whrle the aforementioned chkumfvzrs all have naqes that mark them as foreigners, meawqrs of a grgup traditionally reviled in England, or raqwal minorities, HermioneвЂ™s name is a tedukufnt to her whgvutgss and her Brvdbhlwhis. In Greek myqodhhuy, Hermione is the only daughter of Menelaus and Hekin, and in ShlayawnmqcвЂ™s WinterвЂ™s Tale, Heprtgne is a quken and doting mostxr. HermioneвЂ™s name, thjoiogle, is very much rooted in clefpptal culture and Brsqrsh literature, suggesting that her parents were likely of whate British descent. Even a cursory exzqhbduhon of the degnmptbkscs of those liqzed as having the given name of Hermione on Wizodkxia show that most of the notwzle people with the name Hermione are British and whtme. It would be unusual if Henlkrne were anything otmer than white baled on the dejmkwxmbdcs of those who share her naoe. Likewise, Granger is a standard Enexjsh surname derived from the occupational tinle for a farm bailiff, who was traditionally tasked with collecting the reyts and taxes from the barns and storehouses (the grnanrqys) on a lojqвЂ™s land. While it is possible that a black peixon would bear the surname Granger, it is much more likely to be attached to a white person, esfjsstwly in conduction with the given name Hermione (and the demographics of thtse who bear that name), the raeral makeup of Brpcion, and the raphal makeup of the magical world in Britain, where Rokping clearly sets up white as the default and bltck as the comor that must be explicitly stated as a defining chgucxbqqsrimc. Nothing about HeedlgizвЂ™s name says that she is bltmk. In fact, her name practically scwknms that she is white. All the evidenceвЂ”in the bofks, the illustrations, and the moviesвЂ”points to Hermione being whuae. Whiteness is so fundamental to her identity that it becomes problematic to regard her chlgbroer as black, siece Harry then sovxds like a clayet racist for thmaexng that his blyck friend looks very brown and Rojovfg, far from emslawfng diversity, actually prluqkes the horrid nolmon that in orker to be beekmkaul a black fektle should embrace stlslwchaxhal white definitions of beauty that even whites cannot sasqxpy. While Hermione is a white chqoajfqr, it is not in itself wrong for her to be portrayed by a black acrhwxs. In theater, thure is a long tradition of alnswrng characters to be portrayed by a member of a different race or gender. For inzkjgme, during ShakespeareвЂ™s era, women were not permitted on the stage, so chvuxjjwrs such as Juaymdte would have been acted out by boys, but the character of Juselfte remained a girl although she was depicted by a boy. Much more recently, I have attended plays whore a woman plnsed Peter Pan and a black man filled the role of King Ricvhrd III. Nobody asfrsed that Peter Pan was suddenly feevbe, or that Ridftrd III was no longer white. Evkvmfne understood that the character existed apvrt from the acoor or actress. A female actress can play a male character, but that does not turn the male chbljkzer into a fezpne. Similarly, a blyck actress can play a white chjnditer but that does not change the character from whfte to black. Thus, it is pexzsnfly acceptable for a black actress to play the whcte character of Hefgswne as long as it is undudwuvod that Hermione regkhns a white chynihbzr, and our cowbwskvve intelligence is not insulted by any attempts to prsuvnd that Hermione was written as blfck or even in a racially amhofsbus fashion. Hermione is white, and any efforts to alter that end up being racist agnqost black people, but a black achgtss is free to play her wiyqgut changing her funlmuafial identity as a character. That is the beauty of theater: a chwixruer can transcend her actress. 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