In Defense of Hagrid-and some Snape

[kchuplis]

No: HPFGUIDX 144038



> Magpie:
> 
Nobody has once let Malfoy off for what he actually did. Everyone has acknowledged what happens in the class, that Malfoy is whispering to his friends at the point when an important instruction is given, and that he tries to show off and that's what gets him attacked.  What I'm seeing--still--is the opposite--Hagrid getting off for his own actions that led to disaster.  <snip>


kchuplis:

Disaster? Are we referring to the Hippogriff incident as a disaster? 

> > Magpie:
> 
> No one has "condemned" him at all.  "He made some mistakes" is not 
> condemning.

kchuplis:
Then I must be reading these threads incorrectly. "Made some mistakes"is not the 
sense of sentiment I get.
> 
> Magpie:
> But the kids do live in fear of Hagrid in terms of being nervous in his 
> class.  That's the joke--that he's a joke as a teacher.  They don't respect 
> him or trust him as a teacher.

kchuplis:

I'll look for it upon second reading. I never got that feeling from my first reading. I did 
sense boredom when he switched to slugworms. 


> Magpie:
> Their brilliance in this class is due to Hagrid's faultless planning and 
> presentation.
> 

kchuplis:
What brilliance? They followed instructions. 

> Magpie:
> ??? And now we're off on another topic again.  What do Malfoy's detentions 
> that we may or may not see (he gets one from McGonagall is the only other 
> one I can think of) have to do with anything?  <snip>


kchuplis
It is just the sense I've been getting that Malfoy was seriously injured, when he was 
not and that Hagrid is somehow to blame that Malfoy was really screwing around 
during an important bit of instruction. Pretty stupid in "magic" school. I just haven't 
seen that acknowledged. I don't see him reprimmended for it either.


> Magpie:
 
> As does Hagrid with Ron, as the adult, the one on staff at the school, the 
> one who's supposed to be protecting kids. Hagrid chooses to invert this 
> relationship at every opportunity, which is why he doesn't get the respect 
> of a teacher--even a teacher like Snape.

 
kchuplis:

I don't think Hagrid *chooses* to invert the relationship. I think it is just in the nature 
of Hagrid. And yet, he *does* know more about the creatures and how to handle 
them then the students and he does impart that knowledge. I have to finish 
rereading, but it seems that it was implied that the students *were* pretty 
knowledeable on the subject despite Umbridges trying to find a problem. I could be 
wrong though. I'll keep it in mind on my reread.  Adult/child relationship reversal is 
almost an underlying leitmotif in the books. Perhaps a statement, or just something 
observed in life that leaks out in the books rather than a pointed statement.  Sirius is 
another case that was well on the way to an inverted adult/child (well, probably more 
like "young person") relationship, except he was killed. Dudley certainly rules over his 
parents. There may be others that I can't think of off hand but those stick out.  
However, that aside,  if these reems of threads are just about Hagrid making 
mistakes, I've completely misread them. I think of myself as fairly bright, but I could 
be wrong.


kchuplis