On Children and the "Other" (was:Re: On the perfection of moral virt

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 169634

 
> Alla:
> 
> I characterise it as slandering Harry at the very least, so yeah, I 
> see it as a lack of respect, moreover I always compare it to the 
> attack of the vicious dog on the innocent kid. So, yeah, poles 
> apart :)

Pippin:
Whoa! In what way is being asked a few questions by a school
teacher the same as being attacked by a vicious dog? 

Snape's instruction to the class to write all this down
shows that in fact he doesn't expect anyone to know the
answers. What is Harry's attitude? That he should only be asked
questions about things he knows and that there is
something shameful about admitting he doesn't know things
that many of the other students don't know? That *is* arrogant.


Harry's reaction to his underserved (at this point) fame is
to think he should live up to it. That's a laudable ambition...
or it would be if Harry's reputation was as positive as he 
thinks it is. He doesn't know his reputation includes 
prospective leader of the Dark Forces.  Whatever else
you want to say about Snape's first class, it squashed
that rumor so thoroughly that it didn't surface again for
a year, by which time Harry was far better equipped to
cope with it.

Pippin