Battle/Cloak/Apparate/Dobby/TMR/Virus/Shun/Boggart/Animagi/Squib//Bill/Sn
pippin_999
foxmoth at qnet.com
Mon May 7 18:38:44 UTC 2007
No: HPFGUIDX 168400
> >
> > Pippin wrote in
> > <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/168130>:
> >
> > <<What would we say of Lupin's method if Neville's
> > boggart was Jews? That they must have had it coming? >>
>
> > Catlady:
> >
> > I'd say the purpose of the lesson is to teach the kids
> > how to use 'Riddikulus' on a Boggart, not to correct
> > their morals and prejudices, and not to teach them how
> > to cope with a non-Boggart problem like a cruel teacher.
> >
>
> bboyminn:
>
> A far better question is - why would Jews be Neville's
> greatest fear?
Pippin:
"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" --whatever that meant
in biblical times, it was certainly used later as a rationale for
persecuting witches. I see no reason why that couldn't have
generated a fear which was then passed down much like
the fear of banshees or mummies, neither of which may be
'rational' in the sense of something you'd be likely to find at
Hogwarts.
My point was that whether or not Neville's fear is rational
is a separate issue from whether or not the object of his
fear should be shamed in front of the class, and "he
had it coming anyway" is hardly something that Lupin is
in a position to judge.
Steve:
> So, I agree with Catlady, the purpose of the lesson is
> to make whatever you fear funny, not to make a moral
> judgment on what it is that you fear.
Pippin:
Lupin was afraid that Harry's boggart would put the class in
a panic, but he didn't mind that Neville's boggart would make
them laugh at Snape. He seems to have avoided the subject
of Hermione's boggart, leaving her unable to fight it, perhaps
because he too thinks McGonagall isn't someone to cross.
So he does have other considerations than teaching them to
fight boggarts, but protecting Snape from ridicule was not
one of them.
Pippin
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