Slytherins as jews WAS: Re: DH as Christian Allegory/I am about to rant
dumbledore11214
dumbledore11214 at yahoo.com
Sun Jul 29 00:36:22 UTC 2007
No: HPFGUIDX 173536
> Magpie:
<SNIP>
> That symbolism is intentional, though. The Muggle-borns are the
> innocent people who are being persecuted by others with the
> Slytherins in the Nazi role. We're supposed to see them in our
mind
> as in a position like the Jews in Nazi Germany. I think that's
being
> done blatantly. She wants the Slytherins to be seen as the Nazis.
> That's not problematic (well, unless as you say you just don't
want
> that brought up at all in a book like this).
>
> The part where the Slytherins Jews is something completely
different
> and seems to be unintentional--the Muggle-borns don't conform to
any
> Nazi propaganda about Jews; they show up the lie that they're
> telling: they're not thieves, they're not any different from other
> wizards. The Slytherins actually do reflect a lot of the traits
the
> Nazis claimed Jews had as justification for persecuting them.
> <SNIP>
>
Alla:
You know, it is not the first time I read the argument that people
see Slytherins cast in the part of persecuted Jews and they see the
symbolism with jews from eastern Europe.
And of course I cannot argue with anybody's right to see that
symbolysm, intentional or not.
But this jew from eastern Europe, who as I mentioned several times
seen enough antisemitism in my life, is so scratching her head every
time this argument comes out.
I mean, whether I personally like Slytherins or not, I should be
able to see those parallels at least on intellectual level, right?
I mean, do not get me wrong, the fact that I do not see them, does
not mean that other people cannot, but just on purely intellectual
level I am trying to figure out why this so falls flat.
Why I do not see Slytherins as **any** sort of metaphor for jews,
but the contrary one - those who persecute.
Well, the first reason should be obvious for me, I guess. That word
**mudblood**. Um, as I mentioned several times in the past, this
word works for me as very direct metaphor for the most despicable,
most antisemitic nickname that every jew from former Soviet Union
encountered at least once and maybe much more in their life.
**Slytherins** are the ones who use that word, NOT anybody else,
therefore the symbolism is that they ARE who persecute, not those
who are persecuted. It how it is works for me, I am sure any other
jew from eastern europe or any part of the world, can see it
completely differently.
I also agree with you that symbolism of seeing muggleborns as
persecuted minority IS quite intentional, probably this is also why
I cannot wrap my mind around to see it backwards - somehow see those
who persecute Muggleborns as being prejudiced against.
Because **to me** it is not prejudice, it is evil, real chilling
evil and I just cannot see bigotry in anti Slytherin attitude.
I see good people standing up against Evil.
The funniest argument fot Slytherin as persecuted jews symbolism to
me is of course Snape's hooked nose. Um, why?
I have blue eyes, blond hair and all my family does and we are all
very very jewish. On the other hand, there are people with hooked
noses, who are jews and NOT jews, had never been jews, you know?
Am I suppose to think of Jew the moment I read about Snape's hooked
nose? Well, I really do not.
Oh, oh another thing that falls flat for me is the power thing. I
see for example Malfoys as being one of the most powerful families
in WW - like every door is opens towards them and for Jews in
Eastern europe, well that is really really not true in general, was
not true at least ten years ago.
As I also mentioned before, I had to fight tooth and nail, reall
with tears and sweat to get in to college I wanted and I always
**almost** got in.
Malfoys can go to any school they want ( Durmstrang, Hogwarts), I am
guessing to take any job they want, so this parallels as
**persecuted minority** falls for me again.
AS I mentioned before, I also wish that JKR would find a way to NOT
subject eleven years old to this ideology, to save little ones from
it.
I AM puzzled why Slytherin house still exists at the end with it
**to me** being so obviously House of Evil, shouldn't these kids be
going to another Houses to absorb the traits that Potterverse
considers better ones?
Or I would have enjoyed as well House Slytherin denouncing their
ideology at the end and leaving ambition as key criteria for sorting.
I mean, what is wrong with ambition, I will never know, but having
said all that, I will **never** be able to see the symbolism that
Slytherins are being prejudiced against. Fighting against evil is
not prejudice in my mind.
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