4 HOUSES, 4 CHAMPIONS, How do they match up and what does Jo tell us? |
 Mar 25 2009, 08:00 AM
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Cauldron Bottom Measurer  Posts: 114 Joined: 9:11am January 22, 2008 Location: Gazing at the azure sky ....  |
4 HOUSES, 4 CHAMPIONS     Goblet of Fire gives us the Triwizard Tournament and that in turn introduces us to the 4 Champions who took part in it. Let us look at all of them closely along with their House affiliations. Harry Potter: Gryffindor - Daring, nerve and chivalry are the hallmarks of a Gryffindor and Harry is no exception. Though Harry has no intention of submitting his name, he eventually has to compete with the others. Cedric Diggory: Hufflepuff - The characteristics of a Hufflepuff are fair-play, hard work, and loyalty; all of which Cedric has in full measure and he is very modest too. Fleur Delacour: Ravenclaw - The student from Beauxbatons takes a seat at the Ravenclaw table. Fleur seems to be quite intelligent and doesn't care to conceal that she knows that. Viktor Krum: Slytherin - The seeker from Bulgaria chooses the Slytherin table. Krum comes from Durmstrang - a school which teaches the Dark Arts, so, one would think he would fit well into the House of Salazar Slytherin. ---------- Let us talk only of the events before the first task for now and we will come to the others by and by.  Following are some questions to discuss: 1. What characteristics of Harry made him the symbol of Gryffindor more than the other contestants? 2. What do you think of Fred and George's assessment of Cedric's brain-power? 3. What characteristic of Fleur's justifies Jo making her sit at the Ravenclaw table? 4. Did Viktor exhibit any signs of Slytherin tendencies in the first few chapters? 5. What key characteristics did the four Champions have in common? ---------- --------------------  |
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Mar 25 2009, 08:30 AM
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Butterbeer Connoisseur  Posts: 1,465 Joined: 1:16pm April 18, 2007 Location: Horcrux hunting...  |
1. What characteristics of Harry made him the symbol of Gryffindor more than the other contestants?
I think chivalry, is the trait of Harry's that shows more clearly than the others. Despite his entrance into the tournament, as underhanded, and not of his own doing, he shows chivalrous behavior to all the contestants. Chivalry: gallant, courteous, honorable, valor, fairness. 2. What do you think of Fred and George's assessment of Cedric's brain-power? Well, Fred and George were still put out at Cedric for the match in PoA, even though Cedric tried to call a re-match. I think they also might have been a tiny bit jealous of his looks, because a lot of the girls thought him handsome. --------------------  |
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 Mar 25 2009, 12:08 PM
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Exploding Snap Champion Posts: 1,741 Joined: 1:02pm August 11, 2005 Location: Hogwarts. |
1. What characteristics of Harry made him the symbol of Gryffindor more than the other contestants?
Nerve I would say. Harry has shown this in huge quantities ever since we first see him in P.S. 2. What do you think of Fred and George's assessment of Cedric's brain-power? Jealousy mainly. Although it wasn't his fault, Cedric beat the Gryffindor's at Quidditch & they still feel it keenly. 3. What characteristic of Fleur's justifies Jo making her sit at the Ravenclaw table? Expediency really. It was the only table without a Champion so Jo put her there & she obviously wasn't stupid either. 4. Did Viktor exhibit any signs of Slytherin tendencies in the first few chapters? No I don't think so. He did show signs of Gryffindor but his school was more Slytherin. Although as we know Slytherin's can be brave & courageous.  5. What key characteristics did the four Champions have in common? Bravery. They were all brave enough to enter (although Harry was entered he did not shy away from the tasks), to face the Dragons, to enter the lake & to face the unknown. -------------------- Born in July 1881 - Died in June 1997.
"I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me... Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." Albus Dumbledore¿ |
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Mar 25 2009, 10:19 PM
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Hitchhiker's Guide of Harry's Alchemical Journeys Posts: 2,872 Joined: 9:08pm March 20, 2006 Location: In the Alchemy Lab |
QUOTE(silviera @ Mar 25 2009, 09:00 AM)  3. What characteristic of Fleur's justifies Jo making her sit at the Ravenclaw table? 4. Did Viktor exhibit any signs of Slytherin tendencies in the first few chapters? I've been thinking about this (great questions) and in the case of Fleur, I think it has more to do with the element and symbol of RavenClaw than it has to do with the the said characteristics which the Sorting Hat points out - mainly cleverness and intellence. The symbol of the Ravenclaws is (surprise) a raven! The bird that is black yet in the right light has blue, green and even silver undertones. Ravens can be the messenger of good or evil. They have a duel personality. Air, the element connected to Ravenclaw, also has duel form. It can be both volatile and fixed. It's alchemical properties include both moisture and heat. Air is connected with motion - things that move. Fleur being part Veela has to have this duality within her. And we do see two sides to her - the beautiful haughty girl and the sweet, kind, nurturing woman that she becomes by the end of DH. Also when I think of Fleur, she always seems to be described with motion adjectives - shimmering, flowing, tossing her hair about. There just seems to be a fluidity about her! And yet she can be quite fiery when she wishes to be! As for Victor and his Slytherin qualities. I think if you look at 2 key episodes that include him: 1) When he knows his team is losing but he has the opportunity to catch the Snitch to end the game on his own terms - he does. I'd say that's a bit of cunning; 2) When Harry pleads with him to help him with the demented Mr. Crouch - he is extremely reluctant to get involved. After all there is nothing in it for him. He shows no bravery there. Yes I think he is a Slytherin - not necessarily a bad guy, just a guy that is in the game for himself. -------------------- Sorting begins soon for HBP! Follow the Lily and Stag on twitter, too! Thanks twiddlethosedials for the Siggy! |
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Mar 26 2009, 09:45 PM
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Ollivander's Phoenix Feather Plucker Posts: 4,019 Joined: 1:37am January 29, 2005 Location: In the south where no Dementor can find me |
I like the idea of the four houses and champions
Harry well deserves to be in Gryffindor no Question, the same goes for Cedric and Hufflepuff. Fleur is very Ravenclawish, she is a bit like Luna, Sybille, .. she is intelligent, airy, .. and well she arrived at Hogwarts from the air in the flying carriage. So it fits. Victor arrived in the lake, like a submarine, SLytherin-like. The Gryffindor Common Room is at water level. But I think that Victor is no Slytherin at all. He is not choosing his seat, he has to sit down there. We see that he chooses the Muggleborn Hermione from Gryffindor as his friend. For me Victor is between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. When he caught the snitch it was for helping his team and country to save a bit of glory, because they lost with very little difference. This post has been edited by Eva Hedwig: Mar 26 2009, 09:47 PM |
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Apr 1 2009, 09:36 AM
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Cauldron Bottom Measurer Posts: 114 Joined: 9:11am January 22, 2008 Location: Gazing at the azure sky .... |
Thank you all for the replies.  1. What characteristics of Harry made him the symbol of Gryffindor more than the other contestants? Given his age and unprepared-ness, Harry showed a lot more courage than the others who were older, more prepared and had volunteered to compete in the tournament. 2. What do you think of Fred and George's assessment of Cedric's brain-power? I think that was unfair of them to say that about Cedric. There was a bias because Cedric had beaten Gryffindor at quiddicth the year before and alsp the bias of other houses against Hufflepuff that all of them are duffers. 3. What characteristic of Fleur's justifies Jo making her sit at the Ravenclaw table? Fleur plainly prided herself on her beauty and intelligence. She also thought Beaxbatons' system of education was much better than Hogwarts' from what she said in HBP about students there stiiting their exams after 7 years of study instead of 5. I think Jo wanted to let us know the different ways in which we can tackle problems by making each champion sit at a different table, but I'll go into details by and by. 4. Did Viktor exhibit any signs of Slytherin tendencies in the first few chapters? We first see Viktor in the QWC where he ends the game on his own terms. One can argue that he could have at least asked his captain whether he should wait for Bulgaria to up their score so they could win, but I know that there isn't any time for that in an all-out match so I can't fault him for that. 5. What key characteristics did the four Champions have in common? All of them had nerve, a certain amount of resourcefulness and a thirst to prove themselves. For even Harry, who didn't enter the tournament voluntarily had had visions of the winner.  ................... Questions for the First Task: Coming to the First task, the Champions had to get past the dragons. Do they show what house they belong to by choosing the methods they employ in the task? Harry: Flying Cedric: Transfiguration Fleur: Trance spell Viktor: Conjunctivitis curse Whose idea seemed the most daring to you? And whose was the most cautious approach? .................... This post has been edited by silviera: Apr 1 2009, 09:36 AM -------------------- |
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Apr 1 2009, 01:52 PM
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#7
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Ollivander's Phoenix Feather Plucker Posts: 4,019 Joined: 1:37am January 29, 2005 Location: In the south where no Dementor can find me |
QUOTE '1. What characteristics of Harry made him the symbol of Gryffindor more than the other contestants? silviera: Given his age and unprepared-ness, Harry showed a lot more courage than the others who were older, more prepared and had volunteered to compete in the tournament. I like this observation, silviera, Harry is thrown into a lot of adventures involuntarily, but when faced with it, he fights in every case. Be it for the Phil.Stone, against the Basilisk, be it dementors or for Sirius, be it the Horcruxes and last not least going into the Forrest to sacrifice himself willingly. What great character he is.  QUOTE the Champions had to get past the dragons. Do they show what house they belong to by choosing the methods they employ in the task? Harry: Flying Cedric: Transfiguration Fleur: Trance spell Viktor: Conjunctivitis curse Wow, I havn't thought of that, but it's brilliant. Everyone plays to their strenghts. QUOTE Fleur having veela blood in her, would go for charming.
 Cedric a Hufflepuff tranforming, for this you need a hard work. (as the elves do and the healers and herbalists Victor: cunfunding like a Slytherin (Wronski feight) Harry: youngest and daring the most dangerous dragon, he fought in the open and face to face. This post has been edited by Eva Hedwig: Apr 1 2009, 02:02 PM |
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Apr 1 2009, 06:28 PM
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Muffin Mistress Posts: 2,178 Joined: 10:42pm March 8, 2008 Location: RG Cookie Factory - reciting: "Oven at 350 F is too warm to touch with bare hands" |
QUOTE(silviera @ Apr 1 2009, 04:36 PM) Thank you all for the replies. 1. What characteristics of Harry made him the symbol of Gryffindor more than the other contestants? Given his age and unprepared-ness, Harry showed a lot more courage than the others who were older, more prepared and had volunteered to compete in the tournament. I love your idea here, Silviera! And Harry taking on the task because he's simply not allowed not to, and then giving it his very best, is really courageous because rightly he could just 'sit around in corners' and loose each task and thus be in the Tournament but not risking anything really! I wonder how the dragon task would have turned out had Harry just been sitting around and waiting for the dragon to fall asleep or something like that? About the first task and cautiousness, it struck me as REALLY odd that Viktor didn't think of a way to get on his broom!!! Flying should be Victor's best trade and he's so confident when in the air. I think Viktor is very cautious for it or he couldn't think of a way to get his broom, but it's still odd to me! -------------------- |
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Apr 1 2009, 09:44 PM
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Hitchhiker's Guide of Harry's Alchemical Journeys Posts: 2,872 Joined: 9:08pm March 20, 2006 Location: In the Alchemy Lab |
QUOTE(silviera @ Apr 1 2009, 10:36 AM) Questions for the First Task: Coming to the First task, the Champions had to get past the dragons. Do they show what house they belong to by choosing the methods they employ in the task? Harry: Flying Cedric: Transfiguration Fleur: Trance spell Viktor: Conjunctivitis curse Whose idea seemed the most daring to you? And whose was the most cautious approach? .................... Somehow I don't see that what House the Champion came from has anything to do with how they each chose to meet the Dragon Task. Instead I feel it's more what is that person's greatest strength. Harry's strength is by far -flying. And Cedric - I always giggle when Harry splits open Cedric's bag and out spills an advanced book on Transfiguration - so I guess he is very good at that! Fleur, well, as Eva Hedwig pointed out, she would use her best skill of charming into a trance someone due to her Veela capabilities. Now Victor? Well, he is described as 'an overgrown bird of prey" (Scholastic pb pg 105), so birds, when dealing with their enemies, go for the eyes (see Fawkes' battle with the Basilisk in CoS). That seems to make sense that Victor would do that. I think Fleur was most cautious; and Harry the most daring - not for the actual way he charmed the dragon , but for thinking of using his wand to get his broom. QUOTE(Eva Hedwig @ Apr 1 2009, 02:52 PM) QUOTE '1. What characteristics of Harry made him the symbol of Gryffindor more than the other contestants? silviera: Given his age and unprepared-ness, Harry showed a lot more courage than the others who were older, more prepared and had volunteered to compete in the tournament. I like this observation, silviera, Harry is thrown into a lot of adventures involuntarily, but when faced with it, he fights in every case. Be it for the Phil.Stone, against the Basilisk, be it dementors or for Sirius, be it the Horcruxes and last not least going into the Forrest to sacrifice himself willingly. What great character he is. I mostly agree with you here Eva Hedwig with the exception of what happens in DH. Harry decides Not to act when he realizes that Voldy is after Dumbledore's wand. That feels very strange to him, he even comments that it's the only time he's ever not acted when he's been faced with a challenge. QUOTE(The-T-Dane @ Apr 1 2009, 07:28 PM) And Harry taking on the task because he's simply not allowed not to, and then giving it his very best, is really courageous because rightly he could just 'sit around in corners' and loose each task and thus be in the Tournament but not risking anything really! I wonder how the dragon task would have turned out had Harry just been sitting around and waiting for the dragon to fall asleep or something like that? That would have been so out of character for Harry wouldn't it? He just didn't have it in him to sit around and not act, but as we see in DH - Harry does just that and he is filled with doubts about it. He isn't very sure he has done the right thing until he sees Snape's memories and realizes that he had made the right choice.  To whom did Charlie Weasley send an owl after the First Task? (5 points)Please note, answers to House Point Questions must be included within posts that contain additional content to qualify. In other words, one-liner posts are not acceptable, even in the context of the game. Thank you for playing by the rules! … Oh, and please remember to indicate your house when you answer the question. This post has been edited by HealerOne: Apr 1 2009, 09:49 PM -------------------- Sorting begins soon for HBP! Follow the Lily and Stag on twitter, too! Thanks twiddlethosedials for the Siggy! |
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Apr 2 2009, 08:11 AM
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Exploding Snap Champion Posts: 1,741 Joined: 1:02pm August 11, 2005 Location: Hogwarts. |
Whose idea seemed the most daring to you?
To be honest, Viktor's was the most daring, attacking a DRAGON!!  You need some to do that! Harry's was the most obvious, to get the Dragon out of the way, the Trance Spell was very good thinking, if not done particularly well. But...And whose was the most cautious approach? I'd say Cedric's was the most cautious, he tried to distract & slip past unnoticed. To whom did Charlie Weasley send an owl after the First Task? (5 points)It was his Mother (Molly) wasn't it?  Righto ~Dumbledore's~Ghost¿~! 5 points to Hufflepuff. and 5 more points for finding the House Points question in this thread! 
This post has been edited by HealerOne: Apr 2 2009, 09:32 PM -------------------- Born in July 1881 - Died in June 1997.
"I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me... Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." Albus Dumbledore¿ |
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