Yet another defense of Snape's Occlumency lessons (long)

[nrenka]

No: HPFGUIDX 120120


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "delwynmarch" 

> Del:
>
> 2. We don't know that Snape's teaching methods are not working on
> Harry. Harry has never failed Potions, and he apparently didn't do 
> bad at all on his OWL. As for Occlumency, Harry managed to fight 
> Snape back on the very first attempt if I remember well, which would
> indicate that Snape's chosen method was indeed adequate.

On the first, it's interesting to note his realization of how much 
easier and pleasant things are when Snape is not there, which points 
towards the idea that Harry has learned something, but could probably-
possibly have learned MORE...

One the second, I tend to, in my analysis, see that as a little more 
of a fluke, given the later problems.  Even when I was an absolute 
beginner, I managed to drop a senior student nice and hard once.  Of 
course, the next time...heheh.  The hallmark of learning in a 
discipline like that seems to be consistency, and that is what Harry 
never learned--in part, I think, because Snape's teaching was not  
producing good foundations (the ability to clear one's mind, for 
instance) for the actual practice of the skill itself.

-Nora cheerfully drags in her RL experience, but finds it to address 
some issues nicely as a paradigm