Ron as Head Boy? Was:CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 9, The Woes

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 88790

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Shaun Hately" <drednort at a...>
wrote:
> On 14 Jan 2004 at 23:35, justcarol67 wrote:
> 
> > Back to the original question: Isn't Head Boy primarily an academic
> > honor? 
> 
> We simply don't know one way or the other. ... most schools that 
> have Head Boys and Head Girls do *not* treat it as primarily an 
> academic honour. ... A Head Boy or Girl would generally have a
> fairly good academic record, because it's often the type of position
> given based on overall achievement - but being good at several 
> things, rather than brilliant at one.  
> 
> Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
> Shaun Hately 


bboy_mn:

Once again, the ever brilliant Shaun and I are on, if not the same
track, then at least, parallel tracks.

First, I don't get the sense that Head Boy is ONLY the captain of the
Prefects. Certainly, that may be one aspect of it, but I'm convinced
that the honor is not limited to that.

As a purely academic honor, Head Boy would be similar to 'Top Boy';
the Top boy in the school. However, subtle as the distinction is, I
think Head Boy is more like 'Best Boy'; the best overal boy in the
school. The one boy (or girls) who has so distinguished himself, that
he deserves to be honored by the school before he leaves.

In that light, I think we will nearly all agree that Harry is the
'best' boy in the school, so the honor could easily fall to him. Harry
may not be the top boy in the school, but he has demonstrated again
and again, that he is definitely a very positively outstanding boy. 

However, the game is not over yet, and Ron and Neville both have
opportunities to distinguish themseleves in the next two years (book
years). 

One related, but slightly aside comment about Ron and The Mirror of
Erised, I personally don't think what Ron sees in the mirror is a list
of distinctions he specifically wants (head boy, captain, etc...). I
think what he and we are seeing is that Ron wants to stand out, he
wants to achieve, he wants to distinguish himself in positive ways. 

Reasonably, he could achieve many of the honors he view in the mirror,
but he is already on the path to defining himself and his achievements
on his own term, and not just mirroring his brothers. 

He has already shown courage and faced dangers that his brothers have
not, and he has won a 'Special Services to the School' award
(something his brothers have not) for helping rid the school of the
Basilisk, clearing Hagrid's name, and saving his sister. 

My instinct tells me that Harry will be Best/Head Boy, but Ron will
sufficiently distinguish himself to the point that the Head Boy honor
will not be necessary for him to feel proud of himself and his
accomplishments.

In summary, I agree with Shaun, who is far more knowledgable that I
am, that Head Boy is a broad school-wide honor bestowed upon a student
who has distinguished himself in a variety of ways.

Just a thought.

bboy_mn