CHAP. DISCUSSION: CHAP 11 Questn 1

[Hagrid]

No: HPFGUIDX 90841

--- "kiricat2001" <Zarleycat.> wrote:
> 
> Chap. 11 – The Sorting Hat's New Song
> 
> Questions:
> 1.	How *does* the Hat get its information?  Is it unbiased or is 
> it a Headmaster mouthpiece?
> 
ANSWERS SO FAR:
Question 1
<dumbledore11214> wote
... Hat gets its information ...  - it reads students' minds, or 
maybe to formulate it a little differently - reads into their magical 
essense.

I don't think that Hat is biased in the sense that its a Headmaster 
mouthpiece. I don't buy the idea that Sorting is predecided and Harry 
for example was bound to end up in Gryffindor. 

I think that Hat is somehow magically forced to do what founders 
wanted, but at the same time it can shake off such spell. I mean if 
Hat can wonder whether dividing Students in the different Houses is 
wrong during the dark times, surely at some point in the future books 
it may decide to do something about it.

"annemehr" < annemehr > wrote
... it is not the Headmaster's mouthpiece. I imagine NHN would 
recognise if it took on the personallities of individual headmasters, 
but the way he talks about it after the song it seems to keep its own 
characteristics.


Carol:
I was just thinking about the Sorting Hat and the challenge of making 
it into a character with a distinctive personality. I don't think 
that the Sorting Hat is the headmaster's mouthpiece, even though it 
agrees with Dumbledore on the need for unity, since according to Sir 
Nick it's made the same statement before, presumably pre-Dumbledore. 
Also, all four founders put their thoughts and preferences into it, 
so even though it was Godric Gryffindor's to begin with, I don't 
think it has a pro-Gryffindor or pro-Dumbledore bias. (If it did, it 
would never have suggested that Harry would do well in Slytherin.) I 
think it really reads the children's thoughts (some sort of 
Legilmency spell) and puts them where it thinks they'll fit. 
Sometimes, as with Seamus and Neville, it takes a long time to 
decide, and not all of the students are going to help it out by 
thinking "Not Slytherin!" as Harry did. Some of them will have no 
idea where they want to go.
Hermione says that it considered putting her in Ravenclaw. That must 
have been a tough call. It's possible that the Sorting Hat makes 
mistakes, even though it says in Book One that it's never yet been 
wrong. But I do think it has its own mind and makes its own decisions 
without being told in advance which house to put the students in. Why 
have a Sorting Hat at all if it's only the headmaster's mouthpiece?

Arya wrote:
I think the fact that the Hat has long been around well before 
Dumbledore precludes it from being his 'mouthpiece'. I'm thinking 
there is a certain sentinece to it. It's got knowledge from way back 
in the Founders' days and I think it continues to soak up a bit of 
all that goes on about it. And for what it's worth, I think we'll see 
another primetime appearance from the Hat like in CoS. It, like the 
Sword of G-dor, are Godric's relics and I think they have a role to 
play in coutering the Heir of Slytherin. Again.

AUSSIE_LOL:
The source of its info to form opinions about unity in this time is 
from:
- it's 1000 years of experience
- eaves dropping on portraits in Headmaster's office
- discussions with the headmaster, but makes it's own opinion

To decide on which house for the student:
- Mind reading ("it's all here in your head" SS Chap 7) 
- The Hat's own agenda ... 
Why didn't it put Hermoine in Ravenclaw? Or Neville in Hufflepuff? or 
any other strange sorting ... because it is trying to unite the 
school with cross sortings. For a while they have to put up with (SS 
Chap 10) "It's no wonder no one can stand her,"+"she's a nightmare, 
honestly." ... but can help be the source of respect and unity with 
that other Hogwarts house.   ~aussie~