[HPforGrownups] Re: Professor Snape- Master of This School!

[Janette]

No: HPFGUIDX 162485

>
> Dantzel wrote:
> > "Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands you to
> > yield the information you conceal!"
> >
> > Does this strike anyone else as rather arrogant and perhaps power
> > hungry?
>
> Sydney:
>
> "Master" means the same as "teacher" in England-- it's a little
> old-fashioned, but it's used for Snape a lot, as he's always called
> the "Potions Master" as someone might have been called the "Chemistry
> Master" or the "Latin Master" a couple of decades ago.  So "Master of
> this School" means nothing more than "Teacher at this school", as one
> is 'Master of', rather than 'Master at'. I suppose he's simply evoking
> what little bit of authority he has over the object as he would over a
> student.


montims:
I agree - I couldn't even see what the OP meant until I saw this response.
He isn't using "master" like "Master of the Universe", and he isn't claiming
to be the headmaster - he is just identifying himself clearly for the
purpose of breaking the parchment code, and "commanding" unseen forces is a
very wizard-y thing to do.


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