All of a Piece (was re: The Possibilities of Grey Snape)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 143124

Lupinlore wrote:
>  <snip>
And as I say, if Snape isn't punished for the way he's abused Harry,
then JKR is a very poor writer indeed  with no idea of how to craft a
well-written and satisfactory story. <snip>


Carol responds:
I can't believe that I'm responding again when I know you'll never
agree with me. 

I've already argued that "well-written" and "satisfactory" to a
particular reader are not equivalent terms, and from the number of
offlist responses I received, it's clear that many list members agree
with me. That aside, and ignoring the question of what constitutes
"abuse" because we don't agree there, either, surely the fact that
Snape has permanently lost his teaching job (and probably his salary
for the year and whatever possessions he had at Hogwarts as well) is
sufficient punishment for this supposed abuse (which is not abuse by
WW standards, only by ours)? That's how a teacher would be punished in
the RW, is it not?

Snape has also lost his position in the Order, the (grudging) respect
of his former colleagues, his freedom, his mentor--in short,
everything except the tenuous and incomplete trust of the Dark Lord.
He is in danger from both sides, a hunted man, perhaps a haunted man
if the hell that showed in his face in "The Flight of the Prince"
reflects the remorse I believe he feels.

Punish him? He's already being punished! What "karmic" justice or
retribution for his "abuse" of the students does he deserve in
addition to his present condition? A taunt or tongue-lashing from
Harry? A Crucio from the pure-souled hero, who will no longer be
pure-souled if he ever successfully casts one?

Let's not lose perspective here. The murder of Dumbledore is one thing
(assuming that he had a choice in the matter); the use of sarcasm in a
classroom is quite another. The students at Hogwarts are exposed to
all sorts of dangers as part of their education, which amounts to a
long-term course in surviving the dangers of their particular world.
Dealing with sarcasm and unfairness is just one more life lesson, one
that RW students, all too sensitive these days, would do well to learn.

In a modern Muggle school system, run by supposedly enlightened
educational experts who put the feelings of their students above the
mastery of the subject matter, Snape's teaching methods would not be
tolerated. In the WW, which only recently stopped whipping students or
chaining them to the walls as punishment, they're par for the course.
(At least, unlike Crouch!Moody, he never turned a student into an
animal or used Unforgiveable Curses on them, and unlike Umbridge, he
balanced theory with practice and never used torture in his
detentions.) I'm sure that you would have been delighted if he had
received a reprimand from Dumbledore for docking points from Harry or
gloating when he bungled a potion. Now I'm afraid you'll have to be
satisfied with the mere loss of his teaching position. True, he didn't
lose it as the result of his teaching methods, but he lost it
nevertheless. What better Karmic retribution or poetic justice for
unfair teaching can there be?

Carol