How should Harry deal with Snape?

[huntergreen_3]

No: HPFGUIDX 107824

Kyntor:
> >> You do not stop bullies by giving into them, you stop them by
> standing up to them. Letting them have their way just reinforces
> their behavior. <<

Huntergreen previously:
> Perhaps in the case of a pure schoolyard bully, but that's not what
> Snape is, now is he? Actually, I'll go so far as to say standing up
> for yourself doesn't always work (personal experience here - it can
> just goad them). The other 'wisdom' about bullies is to stop them
by
> *ignoring* them. In the case of Harry and Snape, Harry "standing up
> for himself" would appear as disrespect and insolence in Snape's
> eyes. They are not peers or equals, Harry can't just talk back when
> Snape insults him, it doesn't work that way. 
[snip]
 This could actually help Harry
> out even if it *doesn't* get Snape to stop or change his behavior.
If
> he just ignores Snape, then maybe Snape won't annoy him so much,
even
> if he is still dripping with sarcasm, and trying to get at Harry.

Alla replied:
>> Oh, no, I disagree. As I said previously, I firmly believe that
nothing will help Harry, no matter how much he tries to change his
behaviour, untill Snape realises that Harry is not James. <<

HunterGreen:
I'm only talking about from *Harry's* end. Even if Snape doesn't 
change his behavior (which I doubt he will, he's too set in his 
ways), it might help Harry deal with it better if he adopted a 
different attitude. If he simply ignored Snape, it would make it 
easier to not take his comments to heart. If he argues and gets into 
a back and forth with Snape, that'll only make things worse. 
(honestly, sometimes letting something go is the best way to perserve 
your mental health). Look at Lupin, Snape may make his little 
comments to him, but Lupin never really reacts or seems to care. He 
takes Snape with a grain of salt, as he should be taken. 

Alla continued:
>>Therefore, I will be extremely dissapointed, if Harry stops standing
up for himself. The fact that Snape is his superiour and a bully is
twice as worse. I don't want Harry to take undeserved insults from
Snape and just swallow them.<<

It's because Snape is a superior that he has to take the insults 
(undeserved or not) and just swallow them. Snape, whether he's 
abusing it or not, *does* have authority over Harry, and its not 
worth detention or losing house points to argue over a sarcastic 
comment. When it comes to someone like Umbridge, however, I can see 
your point holding. In *that* situation, I sort of agreed with Harry 
not backing down no matter how much trouble he got in. Of course 
there's a difference between denying the return of an evil overlord 
and implying the student that he murdered died in an accident, and 
comparing a student unfavorably (and unjustly) to their father. 
Harry has to pick his battles, when it comes to Snape the fewer the 
better. Each time Harry 'stands up for himself' it just makes the 
situation worse. 

Alla:
>> If nothing else, it is good for his character not to be as 
submissive as Neville is in his interactions with Snape. Hopefully, 
after OOP, Neville will not be either. <<

In the case of Neville, I think Neville is just submissive as a 
result of his childhood, which had nothing to do with Snape. Harry 
sometimes lets himself get carried away, sometimes keeping your mouth 
shut is the best option (such as in the case of Hermione and Snape, 
as unjust as it is that he doesn't call on her when her hand is 
raised, that *doesn't* give her permission to just speak out of turn).


You are right that Snape will never change. But if Harry wanted to 
make potions more bearable, he could at least try to not CALL 
attention to himself. That's all I'm (and the others who've posted 
similar ideas) are saying.