The Potions Book: Friend or Foe? |
 Mar 16 2010, 10:33 PM
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#21
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Cauldron Bottom Measurer Posts: 109 Joined: 1:17am November 28, 2009  |
These are such great questions! How do you guys think of these!
Easeup- I agree that the twins inventive spirit mimics that of Snape. Of course, the twins focus is on jokes where Snape wants to do "real" magic. My take on the questions- 1. Harry trusts the Prince’s book, but Hermione never does. What does this tell us about each of them? Is Harry too trusting or is Hermione too skeptical? I think it tells us both. I think Harry is sometimes too black and white- people I like can only do good (Dumbledore and James) and people I don't like can only do bad. (Snape and Malfoy) I am also not sure the word I would use for Hermione is skeptical. She is more dogmatic than skeptical. She can't believe anything that isn't in her frame of reference. Which is odd considering her entire frame of reference completely changed at 11. One day believing dragons, magic and goblins makes you barking. The next day, it is the people who believe in Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, nargles and underaged Death Eaters who are nuts. While she does occasionally warn of situations that turn out badly, statistically it would have to happen because she is constantly telling Harry and Ron not to do anything. Don't sneak out after dark, don't try to get the Stone, don't try to open the chamber, don't go to the ministry. I don't think Hermione knew about Mr Weasley's attack until after the fact, but I am sure she would have told Harry it was just a dream if she had. She was wrong when she thought the broom was jinxed, wrong about the carriages being pulled by nothing and that the hallows were just a myth. But other times she is not skeptical enough- Snape and about Draco. I don't think she believed Harry was visited by Dobby until she met him. Not that Hermionie isn't brave or adventurous or willing to shatter a rule like the best of them. She was gung-ho to return Norbert (who wouldn't be!) even if it meant sneaking out at midnight. She was the main instigator for the polyjuice potion. She cheated to help Ron by confunding Cormac. It is just that things must be done on her terms- whether it is getting A's, breaking rules or cheating. 2. Why is the potions book so divisive? What indications do we have from the start that the book isn’t as good a friend as Harry thought? I know I am in the minority but I don't understand why the book is so bad. The spell specifically said "for enemies". To me the book would be evil if it said "for friends" and then did what it did. 4. The moment Harry works out that the potions book is not the beloved friend he had thought it was, is the moment he almost kills his ‘enemy.’ What is the significance of this? Does this mean Malfoy isn’t the ‘enemy’ he has seemed for so long? I think the real significance has to do with Harry learning his limits in what he is prepared to do to win against LV. In OotP, he talks about how he is filled with anger and hatred. He dabbles in unforgivable curses. (You have to mean it!) In HBP Harry is at a crossroads where he is envisioning his future. He thinks he has to go it alone because the good people in the fight loose and die. I think the point of sectum sempra is to show Harry what using violence really costs. He sees the effects of using magic to hurt and is instantly convinced that he can not win by any means necessary. He realizes that their are some lines that if you cross them you lose even if you win. Like Kingsley saying it is a fine line between Wizards first, to purebloods first, to death eaters first. When you start betraying your ideals to win, you are lost. 5. Harry at one point states that he’d learnt more from the Prince, his friend, than from Snape, an enemy. Why does he learn better from Snape when he sees him as a friend rather than when he regards him as an enemy in real life? I think Snape was just a miserable teacher. Out of all the Gryffindors only Hermione got an Outstanding. And let's face it. She would get an O even with no teacher. (or a dead teacher like Binns!) The only class she didn't get an O in is DADA because that is a class that you can't just learn from a book. It is about instinct and nerve and quick reactions. Harry was very motivated to do well because he was committed to becoming an auror. Even the Slytherins which Snape actually tried to teach- most of them didn't make the cut- even by Slugghorns lower standards- to continue on. Harry quickly learns from the book because he is a smart kid and a good student if given the chance to learn. Snape just never gave him the chance- like when he failed the spilled potion even though I am sure he could have easily magic-ed the stuff back into the bottle. Also, Harry did much better at potions on his OWLS specifically because Snape wasn't there torturing him and the proctor grades fairly. Now as a student- that is where Snape excelled. As a student Snape was inquisitive, daring, experimental and forward thinking. He would never of just followed what was up on the board as a student! He would take what was on the board and make it better! Funny how even the student Snape would have hated the Professor Snape. This post has been edited by cminmd: Mar 17 2010, 10:57 AM |
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Yesterday, 03:43 PM
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#22
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Just Through the Brick Wall Posts: 8 Joined: 7:41pm March 8, 2010 |
And did Snape ever share his potion secrets to Malfoy? What would of Snape done if Malfoy's potion turned out horrible? Would he just not say anything or lie, and say "Good job, your's is bad from that Mudblood Grangers"?
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