Pensieve objectivity (was : Looks aren't everything!)

[Doriane]

No: HPFGUIDX 86791

"M.Clifford" wrote:

> The memory Harry first visits in Dumbledores penseive is of 
> Dumbledore *sitting juror*. (...) As I recall Harry came from this 
> pensieve visit feeling quite normal, not so with the Memory from 
> Snapes childhood.
>  
> In Snapes memory we go to the exact opposite extreme. (...) As I 
> recall Harry came from this experience beyond perturbed. His 
> reaction was extreme deep and obsessive. Very Snape like behaviour 
> I purport. Whereas after witnessing a father condemning his 
> pleading young son to the doom of Azkaban Harry emerged with a DD 
> like reaction of calm curiousity. 
> 
> Yes I am saying that not only is the pensieve affected but also the 
> veiwer. The memory visiter is temporarily filled with the emotional 
> state of the memory. The canon strongly suggests it to me.

Ha, yes, but you're forgetting one thing : Harry is not personally 
involved in the first memory, while he is *very strongly* personally 
involved in the second one. He couldn't care less about the Crouch 
family, but he couldn't care more about his mom, dad, godfather, 
favorite teacher, less favourite teacher and most hated traitor. 
Moreover, he didn't learn anything horribly upsetting in DD's memory 
(so Crouch's son was condemned by his own father ? So what ? Harry 
already knows Crouch is no fun), while he learned *positively 
horrible* stuff in Snape's memory (namely, that his dad was a jerk 
when he was Harry's age, and that Snape has good reasons to hate him, 
which is bound to shake Harry's conviction that Snape is simply 
unfair and bitter). So MY take on the whole thing is that Harry 
didn't need to be influenced by the emotions of the memories' 
owners : his own feelings were enough.

> As well in a final supporting statement we must remember that 
> memory is MORE than the image. It IS also the emotion, the touch, 
> the odour and the sound. Emotion is a part of memory and is rightly 
> recorded along with all other sensory perception. It MUST be 
> present in the pensieve. 

But who said that the Pensieve records a WHOLE memory ? DD gave Harry 
a quick explanation of what a Pensieve is and how it works, he didn't 
get into too much detail. Maybe if he had taken more time, he would 
have explained that the Pensieve records only the facts ? Maybe he 
didn't think it necessary for Harry to know more ? Just because we 
know that emotions are a strong part of a memory doesn't mean we can 
infer that emotions must necessarily be recorded in a Pensieve.

Del