Re: Harry Potter 5 (not really spoiler free anymore)
That's a good point I hadn't thought about. Ambition is not, in and of itself, an evil trait, and it is the one Slytherin most valued. If you can point those ambitious kids along the right path, you've got a better chance of keeping them from the Dark Arts than you would if you sent them off on their own. The trait that Slytherin most valued was purebloodedness. Ambition was a distant second. As I said, Rowling tends to write her good guys much better, much more nuanced and variegated, than her bad guys, who all tend to have unitary motivations and never change. Draco Malfoy is the prime example, but most of her Slytherin students are the same: just plain scum. My problem with Snape is that he does not appear to have any negative feelings towards his own house, even though Slytherin house produces Death Eaters, whom he cannot stand. You'd think he would at least appear conflicted, even if he had to dissemble. He certainly never seems to be even trying to nudge them back away from the path of evil - which he should know better than anyone how tempting it is and how likely it is that some of the Slytherin students seem to be heading down it. Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Harry Potter 5 (not really spoiler free anymore)
Jim wrote, re: Snape: Keeping up appearances, I imagine. He uses Occlumency to hide his true feelings from Voldermort, and favors Slytherin to demonstrate his continuing loyalty. Or at least that is my theory. I replied: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? I hadn't thought about that. Jim responeded: That's not really how I thought of it, Reggie. I was looking at it more from a standpoint of what if that little prat Malfoy tells Daddy that Snape is acting funny? It could draw suspicion. Ah, ok, that makes sense to me. And it may be that he really doesn't see the problems with the students in Slytherin (or with most of them, anyway); Also, maybe Snape feels that Slytherin is a valid choice of house (as Dumbledore must also feel, since he hasn't gotten rid of Slytherin house), and why not have some loyalty to your own house? That's probably also part of it. And of course sticking it to Harry and the Gryffindors is always a big bonus, I'm sure. I really like the twist that Harry's dad was not exactly a likeable guy, at least with regard to how he treated Snape. It finally explains Snape's attitude toward Harry, which I always thought was a little weird given that Snape was supposed to be one of the good guys. Harry got a lot of rude awakenings in this novel, finding out about how his dad and Sirius used to act, losing Sirius, Dumbledore acting in ways he didn't expect (although with a nice turnaround when they tried to arrest him), learning (or not learning) how girls act and react when they like someone, etc. Reggie Bautista _ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Harry Potter 5 (not really spoiler free anymore)
Reggie Bautista wrote: Tom wrote: S P O I L E R S P A C E Why does Snape, who clearly abhors Voldemort and all the Death Eaters, still show any favor at all to Slytherin just because it's his own house, when it is full of people who at the very leastsympathize with Voldemort? Jim replied: Keeping up appearances, I imagine. He uses Occlumency to hide his true feelings from Voldermort, and favors Slytherin to demonstrate his continuing loyalty. Or at least that is my theory. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? I hadn't thought about that. That's not really how I thought of it, Reggie. I was looking at it more from a standpoint of what if that little prat Malfoy tells Daddy that Snape is acting funny? It could draw suspicion. And it may be that he really doesn't see the problems with the students in Slytherin (or with most of them, anyway); Also, maybe Snape feels that Slytherin is a valid choice of house (as Dumbledore must also feel, since he hasn't gotten rid of Slytherin house), and why not have some loyalty to your own house? That's probably also part of it. And of course sticking it to Harry and the Gryffindors is always a big bonus, I'm sure. Maybe he thinks some of the students from that house are salvageable, and he wants to be an example of how one can be dark and moody and... well, Goth, for lack of a better term, and still not be a Voldemort sympathizer or follower. That's a good point I hadn't thought about. Ambition is not, in and of itself, an evil trait, and it is the one Slytherin most valued. If you can point those ambitious kids along the right path, you've got a better chance of keeping them from the Dark Arts than you would if you sent them off on their own. Jim ___ Eliminate pop-ups before they appear! Visit www.PopSwatter.com now - It's FREE. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Harry Potter 5 (not really spoiler free anymore)
Thanks for changing the header , Jim. Doug ~halfway through. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
