Learning Voldemort's Name

[Jospehine]

No: HPFGUIDX 111767

"Deb" <DBoyken at a...> wrote:
 So . . . most people flat-out refuse to use You-Know-Who's name. 
He's obliquely referred to in speaking and in print--up until very 
recently (Harry, the OotP, and then the DA), no-one but Dumbledore 
uses the man's name.

How, then, have all of Harry's classmates LEARNED the name so that 
they know to shudder, shake, fall off chairs when they hear it? I 
mean, if you've heard your whole life about "Harry Potter and He Who 
Must Not Be Named" and then you hear somebody say "Voldemort" . . . 
how DO you know that that's the same person?? (grin)

Deb in NJ

Jospehine now:
I think  this is a fun thread. There are many ways that the 
name 'Voldemort' could be picked up as a child. Through reading about 
him for example, or on the school playground. It's like swear words 
when you are at school. Someone's parent lets the name slip once, (or 
writes it down while explaining the story for learning purposes) and 
the kid runs back to school telling all his friends what he's heard/ 
learnt. They then get told off when they bring it up at home and come 
to realise that it is a 'bad word' to say. It's not until later that 
they realise what the word actually means and why it causes such 
fear. Think of the first time you heard the * word. Did you know what 
it meant? Nope, but I bet you knew you'd get in trouble for saying 
it. And only learnt what it really meant as you grew up.

The fear of the name 'Voldemort' in the wizarding world also brings 
up memories for me of Bram Stokers 'Dracula'. When travelling to meet 
the count for the first time Jonathan Harker meets many locals who do 
not refer to the Count by his name. They rather use 'devil' or 'evil' 
while crossing themselves and brandishing crucifixes, and they are 
fear stricken at the mere mention of 'Dracula'. Similarities no?

Ok, done babbling for now :)
Jospehine