[HPforGrownups] Re: Snape's rationality and house points and other stuff

[Kathryn Cawte]

No: HPFGUIDX 51118



-------Original Message-------

From: HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com
Date: 30 January 2003 15:28:46
To: HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [HPforGrownups] Re: Snape's rationality

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Amanda Geist" <editor at t...> . .

> 
> Who said Snape treated Harry fairly? And even if they did, um, so 
what if he
> doesn't? Nobody promised fair. I think Harry will come to 
appreciate the
> ultimate effect of Snape's attitude--for Harry does not expect fair 
from
> him, and he learns to handle adversity and deal with it. Draco has 
learned
> nothing except how to sponge and whine. Who will be the better 
prepared in
> ~Amandageist, Snapologist

me:
You know this business of "Snape is mean to Harry" is stating to hack 
me off. YES HE IS! He's downright horrible to Harry at times. He's 
downright horrible to just about EVERYONE at times. We see him being 
awful to Neville and Hermione and if all the books were 2000 pages 
long we'd likely get to see him treat most, if not all his students 

Melpomene (I like that term, Snapologist! Is there a degree in that?)


I don't think I've posted on the main group before (although I tend to
gabble away on the ot group) s I'd better state my sympathies first - I
fully admit to being pro Slytherin and pro Snape.
Having said that I'd quite probably have hated him as a teacher because yes
he is mean - to everybody, admittedly he's meaner to the Gryffindors but
perhaps he's compensating for the fact that everyone else is mean to the
Slytherins. I'll admit we've never seen any real evidence of other staff
being overtly prejudiced with the house points (but that doesn't mean they
re not) although having said that te words pure dumb luck spring to mind.It
s not like they don't all know what Snape is like so I'm sure they subtly
compensate for his pro-Slytherin bias with the house points - but like I say
we don't know, for all we know in the hufflepuff/ravenclaw classes Flitwick
and Sprout could be throwing points at their own students.
So anyway I ad two points - firstly Snape's favouritism is  imho a direct
result of everybody else automatically assuming the Slytherins are always in
the wrong - what's the first thing we hear about Slytherins? There's not a
wizard who went bad who didn't come from Slytherin (shouldn't be too
difficult to defeat them then since they must be outnumbered roughly 3-1).
Uh no, I don't think so, two words for you Hagrid (or is it Ron, sorry movie
contamination here, I don't remember which says it in the books) Peter
Pettigrew (and yes I know he doesn't know it was Peter at the time, but he
thins it was Sirius so my point is still there). These kids as far as I can
tell spend seven years at school being put into the role of bad guys by
everyone else so it's hardly surprising that a lot of them do end up going
bad (not that that's the only reason anyone would become evil, but it's a
contributing factor). Reading the books we're supposed to automatically
assume that any small group of Slytherins skulking in a corner are up to
something, but when Snape accuses Harry and his friends of the same thing
(which they are) we're supposed to feel that harry is hard done by. By and
large Harry and co spend a big chunk of their time breaking school rules,
sneaking around after dark, breaking nto Snape's stores/the restricted
section of the library etc and by and large they get away with it. harry is
after all the last perosn who should be sneaking around the place (or off to
Hogsmeade) since he's practically got a target painted on his head but
Dumbledore doesn't seem to want to enforce that idea, in fact he seems to
secretly enjoy Harry's doings. It's no wonder poor Snape has no people
skills, trying to keep the Boy-Who-eeds-a-Leash alive is more than a full
time job!
Sorry, got a bit carried away - secondly all through the books Snape has not
only never done anything to harm Harry ut he's gone out of his way to try
and keep him in one piece - something Harry knows - and yet whenever
anything happens who do they automatically assume is the bad guy? Snape!
Just once I would like Harry to overlook the incredibly bad people skills of
Snape (yes I admit he's obnoxious to the kids) and thank him for saving his
life.

K
(can I swap my meideval studies ma that I'm working on for a degree in Snapology? sounds like fun)