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1. How did you feel the first time you read the story when it was revealed that Professor Quirrell was the perpetrator and not Professor Snape?
I was young when I first read the book, but I seem to recall being surprised. I suspected Snape right along with Ron, Harry and Hermione. To learn that Professor Quirrell had two faces was grotesque and morbidly fascinating to my my pre-adolescent imagination. I remember being on edge, my heart pounding as I read the book late at night with a flashlight way after my bedtime.
2. How would you handle the answer Dumbledore gave on why Voldemort was after him as a baby if you were Harry? Would you have accepted it and moved on like Harry did?
Did Harry move on? I mean, he did for the present, but he doesn’t let that question go as we’ll read in upcoming books. As for me, no, I wouldn’t have been able to let go easily; I’m like a dog with a bone. Of course, it might’ve been different at age 11.
3. By the end, we discover that Harry, Ron and Hermione suspect Dumbledore of setting them up to protect the Stone and that he “taught us just enough to help.” What do you think of Dumbledore’s teaching style? Ignoring real life consequences, was it a viable option considering what Harry will have to do in the future?
Part of me is aghast that any person of authority would let a child do the work of a trained adult. However, the other side of me knows that Dumbledore already knew about the kind of deep protective magic that Lily’s sacrifice embued upon Harry, so I am actually inclined to give Dumbledore more of a break,and I doubt he was ever actually gone from Hogwarts either. His meeting at the Ministry was fabricated. He probably was just hanging around in his office waiting for the right moment to swoop in and save the day. He pretty much had to let Harry stand up to Voldemort for the reason of preparing him for a deeper sacrifice later on. The fact that Harry put his life on the line at eleven-years-old confirms in Dumbledore’s mind that Harry is capable.
[adrotate group="5"]"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
Excellent write-up RG!
1) Had Dumbledore not been called to the Ministry and had Harry, Ron and Hermione managed to talk to the Headmaster, what would he have done?
I don’t think Dumbledore would’ve done anything, because I think Dumbledore invented a reason not to be at Hogwarts. His call to the Ministry of Magic may have been fabricated in order to let Harry take action for himself. Dumbledore is the one who led Harry to seek out the Philosopher’s Stone by leaving him clues such as the mirror and the invisibility cloak. So, it’s safe to assume Dumbledore meant for Harry to try and seize the stone first before Voldemort could. I think Dumbledore, being wise and somewhat conniving, has been secretly preparing Harry to face his parents’ murderer face to face for the first time, testing Harry to see how he’d rise to the occasion. And Harry certainly does just that.
2) How much is Hagrid to blame for what is going on with Voldemort and the Stone?
Hagrid is largely to blame, because evidently he cannot hold his liquor, despite his gigantic size. Also, Hagrid has one big weakness: a big heart when it comes to dangerous creatures (Hagrid calling himself Norbert’s “mommy” points to that). Whoever gave Hagrid the dragon egg had knowledge of Hagrid’s weakness and used that piece of information to discover how to slip past Fluffy. As we’ll see in book 2, Hagrid’s fondness of dangerous creatures got him into trouble with Voldemort before.
3) Maybe you are familiar with other descents into the underworld other than the ones I mentioned above. Even if not, how do you compare Harry’s journey to the underworld with those you know of? What do you make of the katabasis as part of the hero’s journey?
Well, katabasis is the point when the hero must be tested and not be found wanting. It’s the point when the protagonist chooses either to act heroically or selfishly. Usually, a self-sacrifice must be made for the greater good and/or to save others. It’s the point on which all other points in the story hang.
The first big story is that of Jesus Christ. He faces Satan in the wilderness. Jesus pleads with God in the Garden of Gasthemene to let his cup pass from him. According to the Bible, Jesus voluntarily dies on the Cross, vanquishes sin and returns to life. In some versions, Jesus even descends to the dead (i.e. hell) to overcome death and rise again in heavenly glory. The story certainly fits with Harry’s savior status and trajectory in book 7. Harry is a suffering, sacrificial lamb figure.
The next story that springs to mind is Emma Swan becoming the Dark One and literally descending into a vault of black tar. We’ve yet to see how that story plays out, but it’s pretty safe to assume she’ll conquer evil and vanquish the dark one curse once and for all. That seems pretty similar to what we know happens to Harry in book 7, and even as early as book 1, when Harry comes face to face with his parents’ killer for the first time. Maternal true love protects Harry, much as Emma’s status as True Love personified may protect her. Harry and Emma are both “the chosen ones” of their respective stories.
Next, there’s Gandalf the Grey falling with the balrog in the mines and coming back as Gandalf the White. His transformation from dark to light happens when he looks evil in the eye (i.e. the balrog) and triumphs over it. So, that’s pretty similar to Harry facing Voldemort for the first time (and repeatedly thereafter).
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
Why are Ronan and Bane upset that Firenze helps Harry? What does Firenze think?
Centaur culture is distinct and separate from wizarding culture. The centaurs are star-gazing magi who can predict the future. Destiny is very important in their eyes, and they know that Harry is marked by destiny and linked to Voldemort in ways he doesn’t yet know. Reading between the lines, it’s not far-fetched to assume that centaurs and wizards have a tempestuous history, which is why the two different species are mostly estranged. Perhaps the wizards tried to subjugate the centaurs into the submission, because the centaurs widely consider it degrading to let humans ride on their backs. Ronan and Bane represent the perceived centaur party line not to get involved with human/wizard affairs, but Firenze takes a different view of things. He saves Harry and explains to him what Voldemort is after, precisely because Firenze knows the future and knows Harry is the best hope to defeat Voldemort, not only for humanity, but also for all magical creatures, including centaurs. The centaurs’ ability to predict the future brings up the entire fate versus freewill debate again. Ronan and Bane are very fatalistic about the prophesy surrounding Harry. Firenze, however, talks about the freedom to choose, and then he proceeds to take action by saving Harry.
Ronan and Bane both comment that Mars is shining brightly. Mars is the Roman god of war. How might that foreshadow upcoming events in the wizarding world?
War for humanity (and all magical creatures). It’s foreshadowing of the battle for the hearts and minds of wizards everywhere, as well as the very specific Battle for Hogwarts.
Considering how dangerous the Forbidden Forest is, why would a) it be allowed for students to go there to serve detention and b) Hagrid split the students into two groups and allow one to wander about unsupervised?
At face value, why any student, let alone first years, would be permitted into the Forbidden Forest, especially after Dumbldore said it was strictly off limits in the welcome banquet, is a big mystery to readers. Fang, despite his ferocious sounding name, is a coward, and Hagrid isn’t supposed to practice magic; so how are they supposed to keep the students safe? If it weren’t for Firenze, I don’t think Harry would’ve been safe.
On an equally mysterious note, Harry finds his invisibility cloak back in his dorm room with an unsigned note that reads “just in case.” This chapter leads readers to question who sent it. Of course, we know it’s from Dumbledore, so the headmaster is in the know about Harry’s detention. Dumbledore wants Harry to find out about the Philosopher’s Stone and has been leaving Harry clues like the mirror. So, did Dumbledore want Harry to go into the Forbidden Forest? Did Dumbledore ask Firenze to save Harry from Voldemort? Just how much does Dumbledore know about Professor Quirrell’s true allegiances? Dumbledore and Snape also suspect Quirrell, so why is Dumbledore letting Quirrell stay on as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? I think Dumbledore lets Harry go through these trials to prepare him for final showdown with Voldemort.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
Guessing Emma is going to come out of the vault, hence why it’s there. Why she needed to go back to the vault, we don’t know.
Why is Emma even in the dark one vault? She didn’t even stab herself with the dagger like Rumple did in S3. And to get Emma out of the dark one vault, doesn’t someone have to die? A life for a life was the bargain Neal made and paid to get Rumple out of it.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
2. Despite his background and life experiences, why do you think Hagrid is such an kind-hearted individual?
Like RG alluded to already, sometimes resilient people become the stronger for having suffered in life. Look at Harry: he was neglected, mistreated, and deprived of love for 9 years. It’s a wonder he made it out as unscathed as he did. Hagrid and Harry are a lot alike in that regard. They were both mistreated in their youth, yet they both are more compassionate having been tough it. It makes me wonder why they turned out so well despite everything. It doesn’t hurt that Harry had Ron, Hermione and Hagrid to help him. Hagrid had people like James Potter, Dumbledore, and the other Hogwarts staff on his side.
Yet, as we’ll get to later, certain individuals at Hogwarts didn’t do well emotionally because of abuse and bullying: namely Severus Snape and Tom Riddle. They, unlike Harry and Hagrid, don’t overcome adversity but instead harbor bitterness, hatred, and revenge. It’s their choices that ultimately make them who they are. They didn’t overcome their early experiences and allowed their hatred to set the course for their lives.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
There is a difference between a strict teacher and an unfairly harsh teacher. Professor McGonagall is strict, yet admired by students. Professor Snape, on the other hand, is despised for being cruel and vindictive. He knows his subject matter–potions, as well as defense against the dark arts — inside and out, but he takes out his inner pain on students. However book-smart Snape is, he lacks the emotional intelligence and empathy it takes to be a great, or even half-way decent, teacher. Snape just doesn’t have the right temperament to be a good teacher. According to Rowling, she doesn’t give him false praise either: “I don’t really see him as a hero. He’s spiteful, he’s a bully, all of these things are true of Snape, even at the end of the book [seven].” Source Snape bullies students like Neville Longbottom, Harry, Ron, and even Hermione, who is first in her year. In fact, Snape is based on a terrible teacher Rowling herself had in school.
The thing is, if Snape was really as bad as Harry, Ron and Hermione made him out to be, why would Dumbledore have let him stay at the school so long?
Concerning Snape’s teaching style, Rowling also said,
lhhicks99 asks: Why does Professor Dumbledore allow Professor Snape to be so nasty to the students (especially to Harry, Hermione, and Neville)?
jkrowling_bn: Dumbledore believes there are all sorts of lessons in life…
jkrowling_bn: horrible teachers like Snape are one of them!I thought this was a funny, tongue-and-cheek assessment of Snape’s teaching style written by a teacher.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
Once Harry and the gang have it in their heads that Snape is a bad guy, every piece of evidence–no matter how opaque, like not blinking or muttering or a half heard, disjointed conversation in the woods–is seen as confirmation of their theory. But had Snape presented himself differently would be so suspicious of him? In other words, is Snape really acting suspicious or do read his actions as suspicious because of his personality?
Probably not. There is such a thing called the Halo Effect. Had Snape been a charming, good-looking celebrity type like Professor Gilderoy Lockhart (the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts) then Hermione, and maybe even Harry and Ron, wouldn’t have suspected Snape right off the bat. As I recall, it takes sometime before Little-Miss-Know-It-All Hermione Granger even is willing to indict Professor Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Yet, Hermione was more than willing to jump to the conclusion that Snape was jinxing Harry’s broom when Snape was actually trying to save Harry’s life.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
1. Do you think Harry, Ron and Hermione are right to be so suspicious of Snape?
Even though we, the audience who have read all 7 books, are aware of Severus Snape’s complex history with Harry’s parents, 11-year-olds Harry et al are not. I was only about 11 or 12 when I first read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and I recall being suspicious of Snape myself. This is a classic example of an authorial misdirection. Rowling wants her readers to suspect Severus Snape; even his name just sounds slimy! Everything about him — from his physical appearance, to his desire to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, to his disdainful attitude towards Harry, to his association with Slytherin (“where bad wizards come from”) — reinforces the reader’s initial impression that Snape is a black hat. This again plays to the theme of “appearances can be deceiving” that Rolwing uses throughout her series.
2. What actions could Harry, Ron and Hermione take to prove that Snape is really the bad guy?
Well, that is a difficult quest, because Hermione is already convinced she caught Snape trying to jinx Harry Potter’s broom. She, along with Ron and Harry, are therefore wary of Snape being referee at the next quiditich match. When they report their suspicions to people of authority like Hagrid or Professor McGonagall they tend to dismiss the young wizards’ concerns. In reply to the question, I don’t think there is really anything the students could do to prove Snape is guilty of trying to get his hands on that stone. That is why Harry, Ron and Hermione eventually decide they must beat Snape to the stone, never suspecting that someone else could be the one trying to get his hands on it. I question why the trio hold off on reporting their suspicions to Albus Dumbledore directly. Perhaps they feel they need more concrete evidence to indict Snape; moreover, one could argue that even if the trio had reported their suspicions directly to Dumbledore sooner that Albus would’ve replied that Snape would never do such a thing as a Hogwarts professor.
3. If you could drink the Elixir of Life and gain immortality, would you?
I wouldn’t want to be immortal, since immortality can actually be more of a curse than a blessing. Movies like The Age of Adeline and books like Tuck Everlasting reveal that those “blessed” with everlasting life end up living a strange and very sad kind of existence as they not only outlive everyone else of their generation but remain ever young. The fact that they don’t appear to age puts them in danger with others who would wish to study them like scientific specimens or exploit them for monetary gain. Even in the magical world of Harry Potter having the Philosopher’s Stone is a very dangerous thing indeed as dark wizards would use it incorrectly to assert their dangerous views on others forever.
Often times immortality is read as a good thing and a noble quest because the god(s) are immortal, but there are plenty of stories about mere humans who are granted/punished with immortality and discover it is nothing grand.
Yep. See my note above.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
I just realized that I didn’t share this pic. That is Mr Gil Harris. Look at him. Can’t wait to see him in Game of silence. That smile tho. So charming so darling. I’m very excited. Happy Tuesday!
I’ve missed that smile. Good on MRJ! The best way to make someone else look like a fool (looking at you ABC) for letting you go is to thrive.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense since it’s your deepest desires. Going back to what Macy said, though, it does make one wonder if Dumbledore can manipulate the images inside so that he can see both….or if what he sees has changed over time with wisdom and perspective.
I think what the mirror reveals as person’s deepest desire can vary over time as a person grows and develops. For example, if Albus Dumbledore sever did see himself as the Master of the Deathly Hallows as a young man when he looked in the mirror, he learned from the errors of his ways as a direct consequence of what happened to his family. Now, as an older man, he deeply regrets what his ambition cost him. Albus, as an old man full of regret, sees his family, whole and in tact. When Albus cautions Harry not to dwell so much on the what could-have-beens that he forgets to live, Albus speaks from experience. It’s safe to infer that Albus has spent many a night gazing in the mirror looking at the ghosts of his family, just as Harry has. Yet, Albus was keen enough not to let the mirror drive him mad, as it has so many fine wizards and witches before him or Harry.
Basicaly, throughout her books, Rowling has given us characters who are two sides of the same coin.
Yes, they’re all foils of one another. Draco Malfoy is an excellent example of a foil of Harry Potter; Draco serves to draw a contrast to the protagonist for which the entire series is named.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
