| 1 User(s) are reading this topic (1 Guests and 0 Anonymous Users) |
|
What is your Opinion of Dumbledore ?, How has Deathly Hallows altered your opinion ? |
|
|
|
 Mar 12 2008, 12:02 PM
|
Leaky's Seriously Senior Mad Scientist
Posts: 2,263
Joined: 10:31am January 28, 2007
Location: In the lab, waiting for an appropriate thunderstorm
|
Albus Dumbledore was always one of my favourite characters throughout he series. Still I am hesitant to call him "epitome of goodness". He showed some character traits that I regard as dubious, e.g. he's been manipulating a lot of persons around him. He did so with the best of intentions, no question, but IMO this is not the epitome of goodness.
My vote goes to VIRTUOUS LEADER. Compassionate, standfast, purposeful - a leader in the epic controversy of Good vs. Bad. You can't be in the centre of this and stay unsoiled.
ETA:
Awesome idea for a poll, harrydavid! Congrats on this one! 
This post has been edited by innkeeper_tom: Mar 12 2008, 12:03 PM
--------------------
Pics by atschpe, fw00per and JeffHPFan.
*** Proud member of OPAST *** |
|
|
|
|
Mar 12 2008, 12:07 PM
|
Terrortours Travel Agent
Posts: 6,828
Joined: 12:34pm January 24, 2007
|
Before DH I my opinion of him was more in the direction of virtuous leader, with a penchant for Byzantine schemes to achieve his goals. After DH I see him as a callous leader who knew little boundaries regarding how he used his people. His goal was good, but the manner by which he pursued it did a lot of injustice to people who trusted him, and he did not understand that until too late (Sirius, Snape). I think this method of operation is related to his major character flaw - he had little idea how 'normal' non-genious people think and feel. As Rowling said, his wisdom isolated him.
QUOTE MA: It's interesting about Dumbledore being lonely.
JKR: I see him as isolated, and a few people have said to me rightly I think, that he is detached. My sister said to me in a moment of frustration, it was when Hagrid was shut up in his house after Rita Skeeter had published that he was a half-breed, and my sister said to me, “Why didn't Dumbledore go down earlier, why didn't Dumbledore go down earlier?” I said he really had to let Hagrid stew for a while and see if he was going to come out of this on his own because if he had come out on his own he really would have been better. "Well he's too detached, he's too cold, it's like you,” she said!" [Laughter] By which she meant that where she would immediately rush in and I would maybe stand back a little bit and say, “Let's wait and see if he can work this out.” I wouldn't leave him a week. I'd leave him maybe an afternoon. But she would chase him into the hut.
From here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 12 2008, 12:29 PM
|
Leaky's Official Donut Maker and Mosquito Man
Posts: 9,890
Joined: 10:51am August 25, 2005
Location: Playing kal-toh with Professor Snape
|
Well I didnt vote (yet) because my opinion is somewhere between epitome of good and virtuous leader. DD has flaws (some of them pretty big flaws) and faults but I believe that in his heart he's good. He just messes up sometimes. But, post-DH I love DD even more because he is so human.
I used to think of him as someone like my favorite grandpa or uncle, someone that I could laugh and cry with, and talk about stuff that I couldnt tell anyone else because he's so old & wise that he'd just know about everything and understand. Now I know he is that person. He has his fears and faults and follies of youth and he understands affairs of the heart and at the same time as all this going on, he's the greatest wizard of all time, too. He knows ancient magic and every kind of spell. He stands up for the little people or those without a voice and makes sure that they are heard. He stands up to those that would step on the less strong.
DD also comes from a different generation & although he has compassion and gentleness he possibly believes that people need to be tough and know how to stand up for themselfs, which he might see as an expression of concern and care for someone but to others it might seem detatched. Like he might stand back & let the person pick himself up or fight his own fight rather than rushing in to pick him up or fight the other persons fight.
No one is perfect and we all make mistakes, but that's why I love DD because he is so human despite or maybe because of his flaws. He is also the greatest wizard since Merlin, and extremely courageous on so many levels.
Lifes were lost but I dont think DD sacrificed them, nor were they lost for DD to achieve anything. People died because there was a war, and it was not DDs war or a war for DDs aims.
Yes he made a big mistake when he was younger but he spent like a hundred years regretting it and trying to make amends. He chose to turn from his mistakes and it is our choices that show what we really are.
--------------------
  I'm 1 of the 99.99% W.L.Y.J.  When I sleep I dream, and when I dream I can rise above the walls Remember Cameron Duncan |
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 12 2008, 02:34 PM
|
Rat Spleen Restocker at the Apothecary
Posts: 459
Joined: 3:47pm November 27, 2006
Location: Dublin
|
I was torn between virtuous leader and callous leader. I went for virtuous cos I couldn't bring myself to call him callous. I think that's a little bit extreme.
In some ways I admired Dumbledore even more after Deathly Hallows. I felt that his dedication and determination to destroy Voldemort was even more admirable considering all he had gone through in his youth. It must have been hugely difficult to put his friends in harms way and to make all those unbelievably difficult decisions, all with very little help. He took on the responsibility of leadership because of a terrible guilt he carried from his youth and would have had to make massive sacrifices in order to end Voldemort's reign.
On the other hand, you could argue that he betrayed the trust of his followers. I wouldn't say he was callous though, because that would suggest that he didn't regret the deaths of the likes of the Potters, Sirius, Snape etc at all. I'm sure he was devastated by their deaths, and his hand in them. If there was any way of killing Voldemort without risking people's lives he would have taken it. Of course he didn't just risk their lives though. They all knew they might die fighting Voldemort. But he also put them in unnecessary risk at times, manipulating them like a puppet-master, in order to achieve his ultimate goal.
But again, I wouldn't describe him as callous. He surely felt regret over the deaths of his friends and colleagues. And overall, I'd feel more sympathy and admiration than anything else.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 12 2008, 04:48 PM
|
Monster Book Stacker
Posts: 352
Joined: 7:34pm September 10, 2007
Location: Wandering through wondering...
|
Well, although I wouldn't label Dumbledore as the "Epitome of Goodness", I definitely think he was a very virtuous leader.
But then again, I wouldn't label anyone or anything the epitome of goodness, as I don't perceive anybody to be that....well, perfect. As some of you have stated correctly already, the man certainly had his flaws. But his flaws are what made him more human to me, and I actually found myself liking this character more than ever before after finishing the last book.
And, as Dumbledore was my favorite character to begin with anyway, that is saying something! 
--------------------
All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions - Leonardo da Vinci
|
|
|
|
  Similar Topics
 Similar Topics
|
Sorting is now open for our Prisoner of Azkaban reading groups! Click here to sort!
Shopping at The Cauldron Shop supports this forum!
|
