Sorting and House System

[verosomm]

No: HPFGUIDX 173057

> fitz wrote:
> For those who share the point of view that the Sorting and House
> System of Hogwarts is not beneficial for the wizarding society and its
> children, what do you think can be done to change it?
> Abolishing the House system all together?
> Eliminate the Slytherin House?
> Abolish Sorting by the Sorting Hat and put the students randomly into
> each house?
> Change the ideological implication that permeates the house system?
> Put a pro-equality teacher as the Head of Slytherin to change the
> pro-pure-blood atmosphere of the House?
> Other suggestions? :)


Here are mine... keep the four houses... as part of the History of
Magic curriculum (and please, get someone INTERESTING to teach it!).
The four houses should be used to teach the kids that hard work and
loyalty (Hufflepuff), intelligence (Ravenclaw), bravery and chivalry
(Gryffindor), and ambition (Slytherin) are all qualities that can hold
positive and negative tendencies in their possessors, which is why
uniting these elements, which every human has to some extent, ends up
with the possessor being a well-rounded, well-adjusted individual
(because please let's not make it a goal for Hogwarts to turn out
another Voldy).

Divide the kids *randomly* for Quidditch and housing purposes, but let
the dorm houses be more unified... randomly mix the kids up for their
classes, instead of having "these two houses in DADA, these two in
Herbology," etc.  for mealtimes, use the hundreds of small tables (used at the Yule Ball) in the Great Hall and during the entire first year (and maybe even a few subsequent years) have assigned seats at all three meals, that change consistently, so all the first-years have time to meet each other and make friends regardless of who their dormmates are.

That said, I think JKR's point (but I am an eternal optimist) in still
having the sorting system 19 years later is that VOLDEMORT didn't want
it and only valued Slytherin traits, where all four should really be
valued.  Not to mention I think that 12-year-old James was a stuck-up,
berk-like, toe-rag like his grandfather, Snape, and Draco, at the age of 11, all of whom seemed to think there was only one good house.  I'm
guessing (like I said, eternal optimist) that it just happened that in
the previous year Gryffindor took first place either in Quidditch or
the House cup, or both, and Slytherin last, so James is more teasing
him that he's going to be on the losing team (because let's assume
these kids, as well as their sister, inherited some of their parents'
skills?)

Veronica