Something I'd like to see in the Books (Long)

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 83115

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Wendy" <hebrideanblack at e...> 
wrote:
>  
> Wendy:
>  
> I can think of very few instances where *any* ethical guidance was 
> given at all. The Unforgiveable curses would be one example - the 
> kids are taught not to do them. Although I'm not sure a 
satisfactory 
> answer as to "why" was ever given. While I can personally, as an 
> adult, come up with some good reasons for not using these curses, 
> I'm not sure that all 14 year-olds couldn't use a lesson on this 
> sort of thing. And telling students, "If you do this, you'll get 
> sent to Azkaban," doesn't count. <G> Another is the fact that 
> Hermione is cautioned against mis-use of the Time-Turner, but again 
> this seemed to me to be more of a "you could really screw things up 
> if you're not careful" warning, rather than a concern of a purely 
> ethical sort. 
>  
> Okay, having said that, I do see *some* indication that there is a 
> sense of ethics in the WW, judging by Sirius' words in GoF:
>  
> (UK hardcover, p 457) "Crouch fought violence with violence, and 
> authorised the use of the Unforgiveable Curses against suspects. I 
> would say he became as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark Side. 
> He had his supporters, mind you - plenty of people thought he was 
> going about things the right way, and there were a lot of witches 
> and wizards clamouring for him to take over as Minister for Magic."
>  
> And later, Sirius also praises Moody for his actions during the war:
>  
> (p 462) "I'll say this for Moody, though, he never killed anyone if 
> he could help it. Always brought people in alive where possible. He 
> was tough, but he never descended to the level of the Death Eaters."
>  
> So there *is* a concept of ethics in the Wizarding World, we just 
> haven't seen much of it taught at Hogwarts. Perhaps JKR is assuming 
> that Hogwarts students bring with them some sort of ethical 
> framework equivalent to what people in the real world would have, 
> and she dosn't plan to specifically address this. 
>  


Geoff:
I wonder how often you come across specific ethical and moral 
guidance in any book? Quite often, in a longish book, anything in 
this direction is often cover or even subliminal. If you read LOTR 
many times, as I have, you sense that there is a moral and ethical 
framework - that there are basics which are in place and do not shift 
but which are not put over in a long moralising section. Tolkien 
wrote from a Christian perspective and you feel that in his "good" 
characters (who may not be angels remember) they are working to basic 
truths (as they appear to them within Middle-Earth).

When I taught, I had a couple of basic "bottom lines" for myself for 
dealing with pupils which I attempted to follow all my teaching 
career. I didn't have a large sheet of paper on the wall 
saying "Sir's Rules" but I operated them day by day. I am still in 
contact with a number of ex-students from years past and a number of 
them have commented on their feeling that I was trying to show them 
the best way forward and to treat them as members of the human race 
and that they are grateful that they gained something from that.

Going back to my initial point, if JKR had shown teachers spending 
time in the classroom teaching ethics etc., it would have slowed up 
the pace of the book; a number of readers would have felt that they 
were being lectured. Instead you gain a subconscious insight into the 
structure of what goes on, rather as much of our own personal 
development will have taken place without formal instruction by 
following examples - close family and role models whom, for some 
reason, we trust and feel comfortable with and, as a result, begin to 
model ourselves on. Perhaps things go wrong in the wizarding world as 
in the real world when we look at the wrong role models or lack folk 
in whom we can place a complete trust.

Geoff