Sadistic!Snape? (was:Snape's canon opposite/ Proving loyalty...)

[kiricat4001]

No: HPFGUIDX 140401

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "nrenka" <nrenka at y...> wrote:
 
> > Marianne:
> > 
> > And, whether or not one wants to characterize this brief 
exercise 
> > in terrorizing Neville about the possible demise of his pet as 
> > sadistic, what has always bothered me is that Snape never 
changes 
> > his approach to Neville. Obivously he knows what effect he has 
on 
> > Neville, right? I mean, Snape is a superb Occlumens so he must 
be 
> > able to "read" Neville.  And, his long career as a double agent 
> > must have honed his skills in reading people through their 
> > slightest facial ticks and reactions to a razor's edge. So, I 
can't 
> > for a moment believe he had no idea of his impact on Neville.  

Nora: 
> This has always made me wonder, too, about whether a fundamental 
> assumption is correct.  Okay, let's take as given that Snape is 
very 
> perceptive.
<snip> 

> If Snape is that perceptive, then he'd have to realize what effect 
> he's having on both Harry and Neville, right?  And so he must then 
be 
> doing it deliberately, since he doesn't change.  I think he must 
be able to have enough self-control, 
> otherwise how could he possibly be the super-spy that he is?  
Aren't 
> all of Snape's actions careful, calculated, and deliberate in this 
> model?
> 
> Now we still have the open category of "Yes, he's doing it 
> deliberately, but he's doing it for the best of reasons."  Which 
then 
> raises the question: what kinds of reasons would necessitate 
keeping 
> one student scared and lacking confidence, and building a large 
level 
> of enmity with another student who's desperately important to the 
> destruction of Voldie, something DDM!Snape must also badly want?

Marianne:
> > Maybe what it comes down to is that Snape has no idea that not 
all 
> > people will react the same way to the same style of teaching.  
> > Snape realized that Neville would bumble his way through 
Potions, 
> > and, since that was all he could do, that was all Snape 
expected.  
> > It never seemed to occur to him that perhaps trying a different 
> > tact with this student might have gotten better results.

Nora:
> Option three: he doesn't really care about Neville learning; at 
least 
> not enough to try a different tact.  

Marianne:

Option four: The Einstein Explanation.  As that illustrious 
scientist once said: 

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting 
different results." 

Maybe Snape has some sort of mental problem.

Marianne, tongue firmly in cheek