Rampant Ingratitude, was Re:Lusting After Snape

[phoenixgod2000]

No: HPFGUIDX 129434

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Amanda Geist" <editor at t...> .
> 
> I think there is a fundamental misunderstanding here. This 
discussion seems
> to assume that teaching is Snape's job. I disagree.

I would agree that this is a fundamental disagreement between us.  
Snape is a *teacher* first and foremost in my mind (or should be). 
everything else is secondary. If Dumbledore is willing to put a man 
in charge of educating minors who is not the absolutely best person 
he could find for the job, soley because he is a man who might, 
someday be useful as sleeper agent, then I will think even less of 
him than I do now.  You don't screw around with schooling imo.
 
> 
> Up until recently, Harry has been in no position to see Snape 
interacting
> with Dumbledore in any capacity that would tell him anything about 
their
> relationship outside the Hogwarts administrative structure. That 
is not a
> good sampling for a sweeping justification of Snape's internal 
attitude
> towards Dumbledore. The fact remains, that in OoP Dumbledore asked 
the two
> of them, Snape and Harry, to interact in a different way--not 
Hogwarts
> teacher/student, but fellow fighters against Voldemort. In fact, 
the
> Hogwarts relationship was used to hide the true purpose. And Snape 
did what
> I believe to be his flawed best, even though he was putting 
himself at
> risk--and Harry behaved like a child with no awareness of the 
stakes or
> magnitude.

Harry didn't have any awarness of the magnitude or the stakes.  all 
he had was the word of a man who hadn't looked him in the eyes all 
year and a person who had been making life hellish for four years. 
And this lovely person recieved express permision to violate his 
most private thoughts repeatly under a guise designed to bring Harry 
as much humiliation as possible (remedial potions).

I wouldn't be the most cooperative student in the world either.  And 
regardless of what you think about his potion teaching methods, you 
can't possibly argue that Snape was doing the absolute best to 
convey the skill.  All of his lessons basically centered 
around 'clear your thoughts and concentrate' except much more 
insulting.  

<snip>
 
> It's a fact that, of all the things Snape does or says in all five 
books
> thus far--not *one* can be ascribed with any certainty to a clear 
motive.
> And most can be ascribed, with supporting arguments, to motives 
that differ
> dramatically. So asking for examples is a bit unrealistic, but I 
ask again:
> can you show me *interpretations* of specific actions that would 
build a
> case for ingratitude throughout the sweep of the books?
> 
> ~Amanda

I've noticed that further down the list, the discussion has once 
again come around to Snapes teaching methods (a seperate issue for 
me), but I think that isn't really what I am talking about.  I think 
that Snape believes he is grateful for his second chance, but that 
in reality, he lets the man who gave him that second chance down 
every single time he takes a shot at Harry.

Snape lets him down when he picks on Harry on the first day of 
school, creating an unnecessary emnity between the two of them. 
Snape lets him down when he takes points away from Harry and his 
friends for no real reason, contributing to a more hostile 
environement between students and a teacher they should be able to 
trust.  Snape lets him down when he tries to get Harry expelled 
*every single year*. Spe lets him down when he doesn't give someone 
else the second chance he was offered (sirius). Snape lets him down 
when he lets school boy issues cloud a war that could get people 
killed. He lets him down when he creates such a hostility between he 
and Harry that Harry couldn't trust him enough to learn a skill he 
needed. 

Snape lets Dumbledore down when he treats a boy that Dumbledore 
*loves* like crap.

That is why I think Snape is an ungrateful git to a man who deserves 
better from him.

phoenixgod2000