What's the point of Hogwarts? Should be a summer camp. Mfterman.

[sandra87b]

No: HPFGUIDX 127737


mfterman <mfterman at y...> wrote:
> The point of Hogwarts is to give a certain basic competance 
> in a common set of skills that all witches and wizards should 
> be expected to know upon graduation, and frankly I give the 
> Hogwarts graduates a much higher percentage of useful skills 
> learned that they will continue to use for the rest of their 
> life compared to what is taught in American high schools.


Which is a fair point, and eloquently made. The difference 
between a high school diploma and the OWLs etc from Hogwarts is 
that a diploma is a platform to anything you want to do, at any university. A Hogwarts list of qualifications only gives the 
holder access to a medieval world where spells and potions 
reign supreme - how very useful.

The kids at Hogwarts may have a basic knowledge and skill set 
when they leave, but for what purpose? So they can go on to a 
bizarre university  to study something that a medieval world 
requires... something  which needs more than a flick of a wand 
to produce, more than a latin word to create... say what? 

And that brings me back to another point - what if one of the kids 
doesn't want to be in the wizard world? Say they like the muggle 
world and prefer to be there with all the modern pros and cons - 
they've got no qualifications to enable them to get to a muggle 
university and they're up a creek. The invitation to Hogwarts is 
potentially a poisoned chalice. JKR could have fleshed-out her 
world a bit more right at the start.

Those muggle Hogwart kids know what life can be like in the 
muggle world - they know the convenience, they know the 
technological aspects, they know how their muggle world ticks 
over and therefore have a lot to 'miss' when they get drawn into 
the medieval world of Hogwarts. Non-muggles would hear about 
the muggle world... and perhaps wonder who's better off.
Yes, there is a list of menial livelihoods which they can go on 
to do, and I think that just reinforces my point. Going to 
Hogwarts is a step backwards, a giant leap into a world trapped 
many centuries ago.

Sandra (still not sleeping too good and hence thinking about this 
too much!)