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Many say that Fantasy is something only for children. Some say that even children should not have dealings with this thing that involves magic and mermaids, unicorns and unseileigh elves, different worlds and dragons, and other such "childish" things (or, at least, not for long). Adults should face the "real world" and become "grown up". However, I beg to differ. Everyone, adults included, need Fantasy in their lives. In both movies and literature the genre known as Fantasy is making a comeback. The Harry Potter books and movies as well as Tolkien's immortal Lord of the Rings trilogy (in both book and movie form) have brought the element of Fantasy back into the everyday household. Yet, there are still those who are set against the magic of Fantasy. I have found that the children who come to the library where I work are eager for Fantasy and are becoming better people because they are reading more. Children that have had to be forced to read in the past are now coming to the library on their own and asking for books because of Fantasy. Hobbits, elves, goblins, dragons, wizards, witches, princes, princesses, kings, queens, knights and heroes are words that are becoming more and more common. However, as the name of Fantasy becomes greater, so do the cries against it. Some say that it is a form of escapism and prevents children from learning how to deal with the "real world". Others say that it is "childish" and needs to be outgrown. I disagree with both points, because Fantasy enables rather than disables. For children, it enables them to visualize and create things and allows them to grow intellectually. This applies to adults as well. However, when people say that Fantasy is something to be outgrown, I have to ask, "Why?". Why is it that Fantasy is only for the young? Adults need to visualize and create just as much as children do. Also, both children and adults need something that allows them to better understand their worlds and to help them cope with obstacles that arise. Fantasy is the key to these things, allowing for the children to grow and the adults to remain young at heart. The necessity of Fantasy cannot be underrated. It is essential to intellectual and moral growth and gives people something to look to that will help them overcome obstacles. I cannot tell you how many people I have heard (especially adults) say, "At least I don't have it as bad as so-and-so in such-and-such-a-book!". I know that when I read Lord of the Rings for the first time, I often said to myself, "At least I don't have to go through what Frodo did!". I learned a great deal reading that trilogy, and am grateful everyday that I read it. I have since seen and read many works of Fantasy and have found the magic of it to be a great, benevolent power that restores my spirit when I am down and helps me to understand people and situations in ways that I would not have been able to without it. The necessity of Fantasy is great, and we should make certain that this necessity is met in any and all ways possible. The world is beginning to see the necessity of Fantasy, but there is still much magic to be made.

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