Sadistic Teachers (was:Re: Teaching Styles)

[quigonginger]

No: HPFGUIDX 148148

> Neri:
> Well, I'm not sure if JKR knows at all that "horned toads" is actually
> an American incorrect term for horned lizards, or if she meant here
> several species of (real) toads that also have horns, or if horned
> toads are magical creatures. But I am sure of one thing: JKR thought
> the horned toads that Neville had to disembowel belonged to the order
> Anura (frogs and toads) and *not* lizards, since when Neville returns
> from his detention she tells us that Hermione was teaching him "a
> Scouring Charm to remove the frog guts from under his fingernails". 
> 
> Now, here is a worthy challenge for Snape apologists: prove that the
> frog guts under Neville's fingernails did not come from the lizards
> that Snape had made him disembowel. I can hardly wait <g> 
> 
> Neri

Ginger, somewhat hesitantly, replies:
Hmm, a challenge.  Well, may as well have a go at it.  No promises, of 
course.

So what we have here is the narrator stating that Neville returned from 
having been made to disembowel a barrelful of horned toads, and then, 
in the very next paragraph, the same narrator has Hermie teaching 
Neville a scouring charm to remove frog guts.

Possibilities:

1) We have a FLINT.  

2) The narrator is not a veteranarian.

3) JKR is not a veteranarian.

4) Neville was told to disembowel the horned toads, but Neville is a 
horticulturist, not a veteranarian, and, not knowing that horned toads 
were actually lizards, he grabbed a barrel of frogs by mistake.

5) After realizing his mistake in #4, Snape made him disembowel the 
horned toads, which did not stick under his nails as his nails were 
already filled with frog goo.

6) Snape made him disembowel both animals, but only frog guts are 
sticky.

There may be others.  Let's not rule out the possibility that they all 
taste like chicken and that Snape was not having the disemboweling done 
for scholarly reasons, but for culinary ones.  So it really didn't 
matter in the end.

The main point, I think, was whether or not the resemblance to Trevor 
was a sign of Snape's alleged sadism.

Had it been an actual toad, it would have been a freaky.  A frog would 
have been close enough.  A lizard wouldn't count in my book.  Since you 
have pointed out the frog guts, I have to alter my opinion and say that 
it was probably intentional.  Does that make him a sadist?  Going by 
the definition of "one who enjoys cruelty" minus the sexual part, I'd 
say he probably did enjoy giving Neville that particular detention.

It's still a close call, so others may not see it as sadistic, or may 
only see it as a bit.  I'd bet he'd rather Neville wasn't melting 
cauldrons in the first place so he didn't have to give him the 
detentions.

My final opinion?  Moderately sadistic.  YMMV, everyone's does.

Of course if we had seen Hermie gutting a kneazle or Draco gutting 
ferrets, I'd give him an upgrade.

Ginger, who freely admits to sadistic glee when I used to send home 
notes for kids' parents telling them of their child's misbehaviour.  
But only as a last resort, of course.