Names, Puns, Etymologies / Racism / Marietta

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 161005

NAMES OF SPELLS, PEOPLE, ETC:
London Granddaughter wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/160734>:

<< For the spell Expecto Patronum--James' animagus figure was a stag,
so when Harry thinks happy thoughts while needing a protector against
dementors, he "expects (expecto) his father (patronum)." >>

<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/42256> on St
Godric and Stag Patronus

<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/18672> Beginning
of long thread on 'Expecto Patronus' = 'I yearn for a father' <-
unfathered society

I also seem to recall an argument that 'Expecto' is more related to
the Latin word for 'spit' (which gave us 'expectorate') than to the
Latin word for 'expect', and therefore means 'I send forth from my
mouth a Patronus'.

Stacey wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/160608>:

<< although not a werewolf until bitten as a child, Remus Lupin's name
(which I would imagine was his birth name) foretold of his unfortunate
condition? Frankly, there was no AHA! for me as it was a dead giveaway
as soon as his full name was first spoken. Prophetic parents? Name
change upon attack? Thanks! >>

Potioncat replied in 
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/160631>:

<< As for the prophetic parents--and this has been touched on by
others in this thread-- I think it's more the author is having fun
with language and teasing the readers. I don't think the wizarding
folk give these oh-so-fitting names a second thought. >>

Maybe there is Potterverse real magic connecting names to destinies.
Someone once suggested a Naming Spell (related to Divination!) that
would generate an oh-so-fitting name that the parents, having embarked
on the spell, would be compelled to use. One of my problems believing
that is that the parents don't seem free to choose what surname to
give their child; how can it be that the surname is oh-so-fitting when
it came from patrilineal inheritance rather than Divination?

The other problem I have with it is that Remus Lupin is only one
example of a character who successfully kept a secret that was shouted
to the world by his name. To me, if the wizarding folk knew that there
was a Naming Spell or any other pattern of oh-so-fitting names, they
would give second and third thoughts to suspicious names.

So the only solution I can believe is 'the author is having fun' with
these names. I hate that solution, because speaking of the author's
free will choices suggests that these books aren't an accurate account
of real events that really happened in an unknown to Muggles part of
the real world.

Stacey wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/160624>:

<< Maybe Harry will turn toward ceramics?  >>

Or gardening.

Altho' I also love to play with names, and think James's father's
given name should have been Claibourne.

DA Jones wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/160692>:

<< Peter Pettigrew 1) Pet R 2) Pet I Grew. >>

I've never seen that suggestion before, and it's good. What I have
seen before is that both names mean to become smaller: peter as in 'to
peter out' and pettigrew as 'grew petty'.

Kenneth Clark wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/160722>:

<< what about the Lovegood? With a name like that I suspect she will
soon have a startling effect on the hormones of the male characters.
Luna as temptress? >>

Her name is Lovegood, not Lovelady. Surely it means she will never
ever feel the slightest temptation to go over to the Dark Side or use
Unforgiveable Curses.

Potioncat wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/160780>:

<< Does anyone have quibbles with the way names or spells are
pronounced in the Audio-Books? >>

Many, but the only ones that spring immediately to mind are Jim Dale's
pronunciations of Hermione as 'Hermarny'instead of Her-mi-on-ie and
Gryffindor as 'grif-fin-der' instead of 'griffin-door'.

RACISM:
Random Jordan wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/160615>:

<< Well. I think we need _some_ definition. After all, can someone say
"I hate black people, but I don't recognize the idea that they're a
separate race, since there's only one race (the human race) so I'm not
a racist, only a 'caucasian elitist'."? >>

This is about the real world, therefore OT, but that example you give
is exactly the excuse some people in India use for their abominable
treatment of people from the Untouchable caste despite them having
signed on to a UN vow not to be racist.

MARIETTA:
Steve bboyminn wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/160620>:

<< I think it is every citizens duty to stand up at all cost against
corruption and gross neglegence commited by government. >> 

There are those who very sincerely believe that their duty is to keep
their heads down and survive, so they can care for their children and
secretly teach their knowledge and beliefs to discreet disciples
(ideally including their children). That is actually what the DA was
doing, keeping their heads down and secretly studying rather than
having a protest demonstration in Diagon Alley or mailing 10,000
copies of a pamphlet explaining why Umbridge was wrong.

<< I have to believe that as much as Marietta saw the letter of the
law, and as reluctant as she was to take part in defying it, that she
saw with equal clarity that those laws were in themselves corrupt. >>

Even within the culture that we share, we cannot be certain that
Marietta saw what we see. I think it possible that Marietta still
believed that Dumbledore was trying to make a coup d'etat, that Harry
was either lying or delusional, either deliberately helping DD's
conspiracy or being used by DD, and that Cho had become delusional in
her overwhelming grief over Cedric, and possibly because of coming
down with a crush on Harry as well. Marietta had no idea that Umbridge
had sent Dementors after Harry and no idea how dramatically unfair his
trial was, nor how nasty was the letter Percy sent to Ron.

Marietta hadn't had any private meetings with DD or any Order member
or any of the Trio to set her straight about DD's and Harry's
intentions. Did Harry said anything at the DA kick-off meeting that
would convince her that he was sane and *wasn't* forming a private
army for coup purposes?

She probably started out believing that Umbridge was a good person
with good intentions. Could she have believed that reading the
Slinkhard book in class was adequate preparation for taking her DADA
OWL? I suppose at some point (maybe when Umbidge abolished the
Gryffindor Quidditch team but not the Slytherin Quidditch team?),
Marietta realised that Umbridge was evil.

Then she would have been in the position of choosing between two
evils. Trying to decide whether to break her word, betray her Best
Friend to severe punishment, and serve a clearly evil High Inquisitor.
Or to allow an evil coup-meister's private army (and IIRC they made
plenty of pro-DD and anti-Ministry jokes during their meetings) to
continue its preparation to overthrow the government and seize
dictatorial power. 

Suppose your best friend joined a Nut Cult. At first you went along
with him/her; you don't want to break your relationship with himer
just because of some silly beliefs like maybe being the re-incarnation
of superior space aliens who died in a crash-landing on Earth and
someday being re-incarnated back into the proper space alien bodies
and society when a bigger group comes to Earth and kills all the
apparent humans (including the cult members). Then after a while, it
seems to you that your harmless delusional well-intended associates
are trying to make nerve gas to release in a crowded subway station as
their part of the space alien plan to kill all humans. And it's pretty
clear that if law enforcement authorities stop them in time, they'll
be sentenced to about 30 years in federal prison like some real-life
terrorism wannabees.
	Which reminds me of the man who reported that the Unabomber's
treatise read a great deal like his brother's treatises, but only on
condition that the Feds promise not to seek the death sentence for his
brother. IIRC the Feds sought the death sentence despite their promise.

Magpie wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/160626>:

<< They aren't zits, they're close-set oozing purple pustules that are
horribly disfiguring. >> 

I think that the worst thing about them, from Marietta's view, is that
they spell SNEAK. Adding enough arranged oozing purple pustules that
no pattern can be seen would be an improvement, altho' still horrible.
I think she would think that tUrning her head into a cat head like
Hermione did in CoS would be an improvement.