CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 30 (Grawp)

[meriaugust]

No: HPFGUIDX 117146


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "elfundeb" <elfundeb at c...> 
wrote:
snip of chapter summary 
> ************
> 
> Questions for Discussion
> 
> 1.    Why do you think Filch supports Umbridge so strongly?  And 
why does Peeves support the opposite side?

Meri here: As many characters have said, he hates students and DD 
won't let him punish them the way he wants. DU, on the other hand, 
will give him a free reign to punnish those rule breakers 
who "befoul the castle." Peeves would probably have beeen chucked 
out by any other head, but DD kept him around. Peeves is just 
repaying the favor by tormenting the woman who made life miserable 
for DD. Loyalty comes in strange places, and DD isn't one to turn up 
his nose at anyone. 

> 2.    How do you react to Montague's failure to recover?  Is it 
disconcerting, or just a bit of scatological/cartoon humor (it does 
involve a toilet, after all)?  What about the contrasting attitudes 
of Ron and Hermione?  Which view, if any, does JKR endorse?  Why?

Meri: I don't know if JKR is endorsing any particular view of the 
situation, though I think she's the kind iof person who would not 
like a child to be hurt in any way, even a Slytherin. But whatever 
Fred and George did to Monty must have been pretty bad; I know I 
wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of one of their jokes. 

> 3.    Why would Molly blame Ron for the Twins' departure?  Do you 
think this is indicative of Molly's actual views, does it reflect 
Ron's own stress about his mother's expectations, or something 
else?  

Meri: Probably becuause Ron is a prefect now, he has to show 
responsibility and controll, but it is an unreal expectation, 
because no one can controll those two. Maybe at this point Ron is 
seriously considering blowing the old Hogwarts popsicle stand, too, 
and is majorly bummed out that he wasn't invited along. 

> 4.    Hagrid says if he is sacked, he could be useful to the Order 
and Grubbly-Plank would get them through their exams.  What do you 
think Hagrid's role for the order would be?  What about Hagrid as a 
teacher?  Is his statement a veiled comment about his own 
competence?  And would hiding a giant in the forest be a serious 
offense if Umbridge wasn't in charge?

Meri: I think that Hagrid's a pretty self aware guy. He gets that 
he's not the best teacher in the world, but I think he also knows 
that he does his best. GP could get them throught the OWLs, and 
Hagrid knows there are more important things that he could do for 
the Order. What they are I don't know, but judging by his resiliance 
to the spells DU and her squad cast against him it would probably be 
something right on the front lines and very dangerous. As to hiding 
Grawp in the forest, I don't know about that. DD being the accepting 
man he is would probably have tried to help Hagrid any way he could. 
Who knows, a more civilized Grawp could help liase between the WW 
and the giants? 
 
> 5.    Hagrid calls Grawp "harmless" even though Grawp caused 
Hagrid's injuries.   He needs to be tied down. Harry doubts he could 
ever be permitted to mingle with humans.   Is this a signal to 
reassess Hermione's conclusion in GoF that wizarding attitudes 
toward giants is "just prejudice"?  Do Grawp's circumstances cause 
or contribute to his wildness?

Meri: Grawp knows what he was raised in: a brutish, violent and 
uneducated world where strength rules. Even by the end of Order he 
was learning a bit. So maybe there's hope for him. It's that old 
nature  versus nurture debate, or as DD puts it, it isn't what we 
are born but what we grow up to be that matters. Hagrid was raised 
around humans, so he's been effectively civilized. Give Grawp a 
little time and maybe he could fit in, too. 

> 6.    We also learn more about the centaurs.  What do their 
attempt to ban Hagrid from the Forbidden Forest and their 
willingness to use violence  tell us about them?  Do the centaurs 
fit into the prejudice theme?  If so, how?

Meri: Centaurs seem to consider themselves above all other things. 
They are very protective of their forest home, though I'm not sure 
how much of a claim they have to it, and they are clearly very 
intellegent. But they aren't flexible or understanding or willing to 
work against what they see as fate. The fact that they are willilng 
to violently defend the status quo shows that they may very well 
prove to be a dangerous enemy for DD, if not an ally for LV. And I 
think many of them are prejudiced against humans. They are not 
willing to accept the good in the human race and are convinced that 
all humans are arrogant and ignorant. 
 
> 7.    Why does the crowd annoint Ron as the hero of the Quidditch 
match?  Ginny is conspicuously absent.  Didn't she catch the 
snitch?  

Meri: Well, maybe the other team pulled a Bulgaria: Ron's goal 
saving was too good for the other team to score and so the opposing 
seeker caught the snitch to end the game. Anyway, probably she did, 
but Ron's goal saving was pretty much a miracle, wasn't it? ;) Also 
remember Ginny really wants to be a chaser, so perhaps she doesn't 
want glory as a seeker. And, despite Ginny's upswing in confidence, 
she doesn't seem to be the kind of person who would hog a spotlight; 
maybe she let Ron take the glory. 

Meri - who was going to write something clever here, but her mind is 
strangely blank...