Essay Questions

Why is Nita determined to be a wizard?

Nita considers herself unlucky because she is always bullied in school by her classmates. Sometimes, Nita is physically beaten up to the extent she runs away from school. However, one day while reading in the library, Nita comes across a children’s wizard book, and she develops an interest in reading the book. Nita realizes the best way to deal with her oppressors is to be a wizard. By being a wizard, Nita will have magical powers to deal with those who bully her. Therefore, Nita wants to be a wizard for self-defense to boost her security.

How does Diane Duane employ the literary device of personification in So You Want to Be a Wizard?

Personification is one of the author's literary devices to make her novel thrilling. For instance, after Nita finishes reading the book about becoming a wizard, she wakes up the following day, finding her life completely changed. Nita sees things from a magical perspective. For instance, Nita talks with nearby trees, and they tell her that a fellow wizard is nearby called Kit. Consequently, Duane personifies trees and gives them the human ability to talk with Nita. Nita looks for Kit, they become magical friends, and they start practicing how to cast spells.

How does magical adventure emerge as one of the main themes?

When Nita becomes a wizard, she belongs to a different world that ordinary people do not understand. For instance, she can talk with trees and stones. Similarly, Nita can use her powers to thwart any student who tries to bully her. Another wizard called Fred joins Nita and Kit, and they take a trip to a magical world called the alternate universe. Other senior wizards join them in the alternate world, where they discover that there are only two books in the world, that of light and darkness. Nita learns that there is a powerful dark creature whose primary role is to bring darkness into the world. In the end, Anita and her wizard friends come out of the alternate world, and they look forward to how to fight the dark creature. Therefore, the book is full of magical adventure, which signifies Nita's newfound powers.