Occlumency and aiki-waza (LONG!)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 126942


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "nrenka" <nrenka at y...> wrote:
> 
> This is an admittedly personal, RL experience-based attempt to 
> explain something in the books.  It makes use of an extended analogy 
> between the martial art of aikido and the practice of Occlumency, as 
> Occlumency is presented as having skills at base that are strongly 
> parallel.  It has at least one huge hole, but there are some nice 
> problems to consider when complaining about said hole.


Pippin:
I see another, rather larger hole. I believe your point was that aikdo techniques 
could not be effectively described in writing? It was game of you to try:-) In any 
case Amazon offers 248 books on Aikido -- surely the Room of Requirement could 
do as well. I've read only a few and they all stated that they were no substitute for a 
dedicated instructor, and yet...well, barring divine revelation (and I understand that 
the ancient martial arts do not) all human knowledge stems ultimately not from 
instruction but  from observation,  trial and error -- a rather sobering thought.

My contention, which I've made before, is that Snape (and Dumbledore)   knew Harry  
had successfully resisted Imperius and so they thought that Harry already knew how 
to organize his mind to resist occlumency. Hence Snape's angry statement that 
Harry is not trying, which Harry inadvertently confirmed by barring Snape's access 
to his memory of Cho. A fluke, as you say, but Snape wasn't to know that. 

I agree that the reader is encouraged to compare Snape's technique to Lupin's and 
to find Snape wanting, but it's also clear to me that JKR has stacked the deck, as 
usual. A fair comparison would have burdened Lupin with a student who loathed him 
and everything he stood for, and couldn't see the point of his subject either. Draco, 
in other words. We are carefully shown that Draco's attitude to Lupin would be the 
same as Harry's toward Snape, but we're not shown how Lupin coped with it. More 
evidence that Lupin is being placed on a pedestal so that he can topple off it with a 
loud and satisfying crash, IMO.


Pippin