[HPforGrownups] Snape as Neville's teacher (was:Re: Snape as Noble teache...

[OctobersChild48 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 168399

 
In a message dated 5/6/2007 11:20:30 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
horridporrid03 at yahoo.com writes:

Betsy  Hp:
I agree that Harry doesn't emphasize his own celebrity. But it  
wasn't Snape who caused the Gryffindor table to cheer, "We got 
Potter,  we got Potter!" at Harry's Sorting. And it wasn't Snape who 
caused  Flitwick to faint at the sight of Harry Potter in his 
classroom. Snape's  worries weren't formed in a vacuum.

Betsy Hp (standing up for Snape as  a teacher since... a while? <g>)



Sandy responds:
 I rarely read posts with Snape in the topic box,  and I rarely post because 
I am not as skilled as others at it and don't know the  books by heart like 
others do. But, without expounding on all of that, I just  have to jump in on 
this one. 
 
As to the above attributed quote: No, Snape did not  cause either reaction, 
but neither did Harry. Harry did not ask, nor did he  expect, the Gryffindor's 
to cheer or Flitwick to faint. At this point Harry is  still pretty clueless 
as to what it is all about and trying to figure it all  out. As Dana pointed 
out, he is not proud to be The Boy Who Lived, and he is not  seeking the 
attention he is getting because of it. Therefore, Snape's comment to  Harry was 
totally unfounded and unwarranted.
 
Snape's worries? Are you kidding with this? Do you  actually believe that 
Snape was worried that all of this unwanted, unsought  attention was going to go 
to Harry's head? Why would Snape be worried about this  considering how much 
he despises the boy? There is no way you can convince me  that Snape was 
worried about this. I have no doubt that the attention that Harry  was getting had 
an effect on Snape. Here was James Potter's son, and although  new to 
Hogwart's, he was already getting more attention than his father did.  That could sure 
rub some salt into some old wounds. And it doesn't help matters  any that 
Harry looks so much like James. Whether Snape ever got back at James  has yet to 
be proven, but he could sure get back at his son, and James through  his son. 
This is pure, unadulterated abuse on Snape's part. He is going to give  Harry 
as hard of a time as he possibly can, and there is nothing Harry can do  about 
it because he is just a child and Snape is his teacher. This is a total  abuse 
of power, and Snape uses it every chance he gets, starting the minute he  
takes the roll call in Harry's first class with him. He does it because Harry  
exists. 
 
Here is a passage from SS/PS, chpt. 8, pgs 158-159,  Scholastic
 
Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the  Potions lesson continued. 
Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing  up a simple potion to 
cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak,  watching them weigh dried 
nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost  everyone except Malfoy, whom 
he seemed to like. He was just telling everyone to  look at the perfect way 
Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid  green smoke and a loud 
hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed  to melt Seamus's 
cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping  across the stone 
floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the  whole class was 
standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in  the potion when 
the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang  up all over 
his arms and legs.
 
"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled  potion away with one wave 
of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills  before taking the 
cauldron off the fire?"
 
Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over  his nose.
 
"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at  Seamus. Then he rounded on 
Harry and Ron, who had been working next to  Neville.
 
"You - Potter - why didn't you tell him not to add the  quills? Thought he'd 
make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's  another point you've 
lost for Gryffindor."
 
This is your, or anyone else's idea of a good,  noble teacher?!? He shows 
blatant favoritism for one student, who just  happens to be in his House ( does 
anyone doubt that Hermione's potion turned out  just as well as Draco's? - the 
same Hermione who knew the answers to all of  Snape's questions, but who he 
totally ignored). He calls another student an  idiot (good teaching skills 
there), and blames another student for that one's  mistake and docks points from 
him. How can anyone read this passage and have any  kind of respect for Snape - 
period, much less as a teacher? This passage formed  my opinion of Snape, and 
nothing he has ever done since has altered it. There is  one more element to 
this. If, as some of you seem to believe (and I won't  argue against it), Snape 
has healing powers, why does he let Neville stand  there injured and in pain? 
Let him suffer a little longer; that will teach him a  lesson.
 
I am with Dana; the whole attitude on this list  towards Snape nauseates me. 
This is, of course, my opinion. I am willing to  concede to some points. Yes, 
he is a brilliant Potions Master. I have no doubt  that he has courage. I 
think he is on the side of good? He definitely has  healing powers. He is surely a 
powerful wizard. But he is a nasty, hateful,  spiteful man, and none of the 
aforementioned qualities can redeem him from that,  in my opinion, especially 
because of his method of teaching when it comes to  Harry and Neville. He 
blatantly picks on both of them, and not to improve their  grades or ability to 
learn, but because he hates both of them, albeit for  different reasons. This, 
imo, does not equate to a good, noble teacher. 
 
Sandy
 
 



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