[HPforGrownups] RITA SKEETER--CHARACTER SKETCH

[Morag Traynor]

No: HPFGUIDX 18385

Jamieson Wolf posted:
<snip very funny interview with Rita>
oops, snipped question one - will have a look at it later.

>2) Do you believe that Rita lies intentionally? Or is there something
>else behind the words?

I don't think Rita does lie, particularly.  She has her slant on things, and 
is sometimes inaccurate for the sake of journalistic "colour", e.g. saying 
Harry was top of his class, or describing Hermione as "stunningly pretty".  
She would probably regard her imaginary Harry-Hermione romance as "colour" 
as well.  In other words, she's a typical journalist - just after a good 
story, but basing it on facts.

>3) What do you believe are Ritas strongest character traits?
>4) What are her worst character traits?
See answers to question 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9

>5) Do you believe that there is actually a nice person underneath all
>the deceit?

I don't know about "nice", but I do kinda like her.  She's gutsy, 
independent, a career-woman who's not easily intimidated.  She holds her own 
with Dumbledore and Bagman.  If the wizarding equivalent of Fleet Street is 
anything like the Muggle one, she will have encountered a lot of male 
chauvinism, and will have had to have courage and determination to survive, 
along with an eye for the main chance.

>6) Why do you suppose sadness and anything tragic attracts Rita? We can
>assume that its what sells the stories; but is there
>something else behind that?

I think that's pretty much it - she knows what sells, but she's not 
sentimental herself.  Much of the fun is in the contrast between her gloppy 
prose style and her crocodile-skin personality.

>7) What drives Rita to report the stories she does? This can be related
>to question six, but think about it.  Question six was:
>Why does the tragic attract her? And Question seven is: Why does she
>bother reporting it?

I thinks she likes being a reporter because she likes to be "in" on stuff 
other people don't know, and she feels powerful, able to manipulate the 
world, when she sees her stories in print.  It's not just tragedy - she 
likes a bit of "tangled love lives", scares (half-giant teaching your kids!) 
and Ministerial incompetence as well.  I think she likes to see herself as 
the Quick-Quotes Quill describes her - "attractive blonde Rita Skeeter, 
forty-three, whose savage quill has punctured many inflated reputations".  
She has a point - the Ministry *is* pretty incompetent.  But she is not a 
good listener, and misses the real story by going for paper-selling cliches. 
  Perhaps no surprise, as she's a bit of a cliche herself - but no less fun 
for that.

>8) Do you think that Rita is lonely, or just vengeful?
Neither - just a hard-bitten hack who loves her job.  She does put the boot 
in on Hermione - I think she likes the idea of the power of the press, and 
that she's not someone to mess with.  Hermione failed to be impressed, so 
she gets the treatment - OK, maybe a little vengeful, but I imagine she 
wouldn't let a grudge stand in the way of a good story.  And her vengeance 
wasn't really so terrible, as Hermione demonstrated.  She's not as powerful 
as she thinks she is - again, ably demonstrated by Hermione.

>9) What family upbringing would Rita have had? She seems to be very
>crass and loud. Would she have been poor? (again, no
>facts to back it up. So, put yourself in her place.)

Well, she seems to want to be noticed, with all those bright colours, so 
maybe she got lost in a Weasley-like crowd as a kid.  She's a hard worker, 
so probably didn't have an easy ride in life.  She wants to be seen as a 
powerful person, so probably felt particularly powerless in her youth.  
Perhaps her Dad was a journalist and she was always seeking his approval and 
attention.

>10) If you would compare Rita Skeeter to an animal, any one you chose,
>what would it be?  Why?(This ones a fun one. I
>couldnt think of a tenth question; so sue me. Oh, and the answer can >be 
>anything but a beetle. Again, be creative.)

Well, strictly speaking it's not a beetle (or is it?), but I would say a 
gad-fly.  She has a vicious bite, but livens things up a bit, and is no 
respecter of persons.

I have a question 10: we know Rita will be back, but will she go with the 
pro- or anti- Dumbledore factions that seem to be developing?  I have my 
views, but I'd like to hear what others think.


>~~~~ Thats it folks! Ive never done something like this before, so
>please, be gentle! ( or not <g>) ::Jamieson runs and hides in a pile of
>blankets, hoping to look like the boogyman::

You can come out now <bg>! "insightful and funny" Morag Traynor  "I've read 
worse - hell, I've written worse" Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet.
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