Essay: Introduction / Charms Journal

PLEASE read the directions carefully. I want both parts of this assignment in the textbox, clearly marked as Part One and Part Two!

Part One - Introduction:

Please introduce yourself and tell me why you're taking Charms. This is informal, so here are some questions that you may consider: 

• When did you know you had magical talent? 
• What interests you about Charms? 
• What would you like to learn in the class? 
• Are you interested in spell casting theory (how it is done)? 
• Would you like to learn just spells that are from official sources (such as the books, movies, games, etc.) or would you like to learn some spells that were not seen in the official sources? 
• What about Charms excites you? 

Please dedicate 1-2 paragraphs to this portion.

Part Two - Journal Plan:You will be responsible for keeping a journal that documents your experience practicing the Charms we discuss in class. You can use a physical journal or notebook, or a program like Word or OneNote, as long as you can somehow enter it into the submission box when required. Here are some ways you can write the journal, though there are MANY options:

• a traditional journal entry, 
• a list of thoughts and observations, 
• as a role-playing exercise (where you explain what you do as if writing a story), 
• and other options not on the list.

A video journal or a journal where the concepts are represented as images are fine, though you should spend the effort it would take to write the 2-5 paragraphs. Please be creative in your approach since "I waved my wand and said the words" will NOT be sufficient!

I want you to tell me, for Part Two, how you will be writing your journal (IE which of the above options you've chosen). Please dedicate 2-5 sentences for this part.

Please post this in your assignment and replace the bracketed ([ ]) portion with your answers. Both sections along with your responses need to go in the textbox below, NOT separated:

Part One - Introduction:

[Your introduction writing here]

Part Two - Journal Plan:

[Your journal plan here]

• You can only take this assignment once.
• This assignment has no due date. Submit at your earliest convenience. 

STUDENT RESPONSE

Hello,
                     
     


My
name is Anika. I never knew I had magical talent until I went to some
magic
course in summer school. That was two years ago. Now I know and I have
always
wanted to be a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I
choose
this course in charms as charms just naturally interest and fascinate
me. Think
about all the different thing you can do with the help of simple
charms. You
can erase someone’s memory, you could hypnotize people and so many
more things.
I would like to learn and master all the basic counter curses and
other basic
spells. If we do not learn counter curses I would want to at least
have a
lesson on them so I have a good understanding of what they are and when
they
are needed or used. I am interested in spell casting theory and I want to
learn
exactly how it is done. I would like to learn rare but useful spells
which are
not from official sources. Everything about charms  from learning how to
wave your wand till
learn how to turn real into stone (which is my idea of a
complicated spell)
fascinates and excites me. Because according to my research,
In ancient times,
magic was practiced much more openly and freely than it is
today. In ancient
Greece and Egypt, witches and wizards were held in high
esteem. Magic was used
to protect many ancient tombs, and even today
curse-breakers working for
Gringotts attempt to retrieve the treasures from
within, though not necessarily
without loss of limb.
The first instances of
dedicated wand making lies with
the Ollivander family, who have been making
wands since 382 BC. While wands of
various design had been crafted before this,
the Ollivander family is one of
the first, and certainly the longest, to have
practiced the craft. Before there
was a standard practice and process for
wand-crafting, there was always a fear
that a wand might fail at a critical
moment, or worse, explode.

MY
JOURNAL

Lesson
1

Today
I had my first lesson. Before the lesson started I was feeling very excited and
nervous but happy. I really wanted to get good grades and all. I have noted
down mainly what we learnt, so here goes:

Our
first lesson was called Introduction to Charms. We had to think of Charms as an
introduction to spellcasting in general. Even the most accomplished of witches
and wizards had to start somewhere, of course. This year we will cover the
basics of spellcasting. That includes the importance of pronouncing a spell
correctly and basic wand movements as well as practice casting the most basic
of Charms. 

We
touched on the basics of Wand Lore, such as why we need a wand for proper
spellcasting, what wands are typically made of, and why it is important to
properly care for them. We also discussed the various components that may be
required to successfully cast certain spells.

Another
important part of our lesson was BREIF HISTORY AND ESSENTIAL LAWS. I have
noted down some points:

• In
ancient times, magic was practiced much more openly and freely than it is
today. In ancient Greece and Egypt, witches and wizards were held in high
esteem. Magic was used to protect many ancient tombs, and even today
curse-breakers working for Gringotts attempt to retrieve the treasures from
within, though not necessarily without loss of limb.

• Beginning
around 1000 AD, the Wizarding World has already partially separated from the
Muggles, and for approximately 400 years is ruled by the Council of Warlocks.
In the 1400s, various magical governments are established based on cultural and
locational values. We see this even today with a separate Ministry of Magic for
most countries. 

• Over
the centuries, magic has become the stuff of legend for muggles. Documented now
only in fairy tale and legend, many of the muggle’s contemporary literature is
full of encounters with witches and wizards, dragons, pixies, and many other
kinds of magic that the muggles dismiss as wild dreams or hallucination. Of
course, whenever an incident is too big to ignore, the Ministry will send in
the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad to sort things out, usually through memory
modification.

I
think that’s enough for my first lesson. I will write in a week.