CHAP. DISCUSSION: CHAP 11 The Sorting Hat's New Song

[mervin180]

No: HPFGUIDX 90821

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "kiricat2001" <Zarleycat at a...>
wrote:
 
> 2.	Would there be greater unity within Hogwarts of the tradition 
> of sorting students into houses was abolished?

I'd like to say "yes," but my gut reaction, sadly, is "no."  Teenagers
form cliques even without houses present.  I went to a high school of
about 500, and my personal experience, it wasn't until we about 17 or
18 years old that the cliques more or less disbanded, and even then
some people refused to socialize outside their peer group.

If greater unity is to be brought to Hogwarts, I think it will be a
concious choice of the students, not something that will just
"naturally" happen if the Houses were abolished.

> 4.	Throughout the series the Hat has used one or two key words 
> to illustrate the main trait of all the houses, except Hufflepuff.  
> They have been described as loyal, just, patient and hard-working.  
> In OoP, Hufflepuffs don't receive a single adjective. They are 
> simply "the rest." Is JKR short-changing the Huffs, or will they end 
> up being the glue that holds Hogwarts together?

Perhaps JKR does this to emphasize a quality in Hufflepuffs besides
"hard working" "loyal" and "patient."  Maybe this is done to
illustrate Hufflepuffs as accepting, non-discriminatory, or
open-minded.  After all, after you weed out the "brave" the "cunning"
and the "wise" you are still left with a very diverse group of
students, all to be put together in the remaining house.  Hufflepuffs
might have the admirable ability to get along with just about anyone
(not to say that this ability is not present in students of other
houses, just to say that it may be more prominent in a hufflepuff).

*** Angela P