[HPforGrownups] Re: What if other teachers behaved like Snape?

[Lady Macbeth]

No: HPFGUIDX 101619

Barbara  ( bd-bear ) said:

As for Snape, don't you think there is a line he is going over when he
singles out someone not doing anything wrong, or makes personal insulting
comments to them? Whatever your teacher did, it doesn't sound like he made
things into a personal attack on you, but that it was related more to having
you meet a higher standard academically. Please correct me if I'm getting it
wrong. I think Snape COULD do this, and maybe some of the students do
respond to that, but I think if he gets results from his students, it's more
because they are afraid of him than because he is inspiring them to do their
best and go the extra mile.

Lady Macbeth replied:

I have no doubt he crosses the line with Harry, because I am certain that
he's reading Harry wrong.  He's not the only one in the series to do it -
even people whom Harry thinks of as friends want too much to compare Harry
to his father.  Even when Harry's right there - Molly and Sirius shouting at
each other about who does or does not perceive Harry as being the same as
James - people do it to him.  Snape, unfortunately, is seemingly the only
one who had a bad experience with James.

Snape's not readying them for being their "best" - he's readying them for
the realities of life.  Yeah, he told Hermione (and the others around) "I
see no difference" when her teeth were hit with the hex and grew enormous.
He's called her an insufferable know-it-all, silly girl, ignored her
entirely.  My question is, just how did Hermione EXPECT to be treated in the
real (wizarding) world?  Obviously, she came to Hogwarts expecting that all
people are treated the same, regardless of ancestry, or the whole "Mudblood"
scene wouldn't have happened.  If there weren't someone constantly reminding
her that prejudice is very real and very now, she may have even been able to
put that off as "Oh, Malfoy's just an exception."  As we've gone further
through the series, the web of prejudice is being slowly spun out for all to
see - there's even an offhand remark that Molly has a cousin who's an
accountant, but they "never talk about him much".  And Molly's distaste for
anything Muggle, and the work that Arthur does with Muggle artifacts?

Neville Longbottom.  Poor, long-suffering Neville.  Almost worthless wizard
from an outstanding family of old and pure blood.  Should be a top wizard.
His grandmother has such high expectations, after all, he had his dad's wand
and everything.  He'd do SO much better if Snape weren't always looming over
him and always tormenting him.  Look how much better he does in Herbology!
But do we know for a fact that no one in the Order, including Snape, knows
that Neville could have also been the boy mentioned in the Prophecy, until
Voldemort made his choice?  How much does Snape know about why the
Lestranges and Crouch Jr. tortured the Longbottoms?  If Neville can't stand
a little bit of "hovering" and "torment" from a teacher in school, I'd hate
to see how he fared against much more threatening and much more real torment
from Bellatrix Lestrange, or any other Death Eaters.

That's the point I was getting at - they're living in a different world than
the muggles are.  Muggles worry about being "the best they can be" so that
they can get that better job at Wal-Mart, or so that they can get that
college degree, or so that they can get that raise from the CEO.  The
witches and wizards at Hogwarts will have to face a world torn by war and
prejudice, where survival is a key element of life, where good doesn't
always wear a white hat and evil a black hat, where Professor Snape is going
to be the least of their worries.  But, should any of what he's doing
penetrate their thick skulls, they won't go for years without being ready
(HOW long was Dumbledore going to put off telling Harry again?  Just ONE
more year?  He DESERVED to be happy?  He didn't NEED to worry?  He was JUST
a boy?).  An effective teacher doesn't just teach them something that any of
them could learn by reading a book, he (or she) teaches them how to be a
mature and capable person in the world they're going to be living in as an
adult.

-Lady Macbeth


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