Battle/Cloak/Apparate/Dobby/TMR/Virus/Shun/Boggart/Animagi/Squib//Bill/Sn

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 168416

---  "pippin_999" <foxmoth at ...> wrote:
>
> > > 
> > > 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. 

bboyminn:

Sorry, but if your argument is true then shouldn't 
Neville's greatest fear be Catholics??? I don't recall 
Jews being especially big in witch burnings. Further, I 
suspect the Catholic church was more inclined to assert
absolute control over every aspect of life, than it was
to care about witches one way or another. 'Witches' were 
just the excuse to promote a much larger and broader 
agenda.


> Pippin:
> ...
> 
> 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. 
> 

bboyminn:

There is obviously some part of your argument that I
am missing, I honestly don't understand the 'shamed
in front of the class' and 'he had it coming anyway'
comments. Could you clarify? Seriously, I'm not 
being sarcastic, I really don't see the connection.

Neville's greatest fear was Snape, which makes sense,
and while his classmates did get a laugh out of it, I
think they fully understood it. I don't see Neville
shamed, nor do I see that /anybody/ 'had it coming'. 
Neville's fear is Neville's fear, it is no more 
logical or rational than anybody else's fear. I think
everyone got a great laugh out of seeing everyone 
else's fear, but 'laughed' in a fun and friendly way.
Neville was simply first, and further he acquitted
himself admirably, and likely won a degree of respect
from his fellow classmates. 


> Steve:
> > So, I agree with Catlady, the purpose of the lesson 
> > is to make whatever you fear funny, not to make a 
> > moraljudgment 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 ... So he does have
> other considerations than teaching them to fight 
> boggarts, but protecting Snape from ridicule was not
> one of them. 
> 
> Pippin
>

bboyminn:

No, protecting Snape was not one of his priorities, and
why should it be? Snape is a big boy, he can take care 
of himself; further, he can act like the responsible 
adult he is suppose to be. Neville is just a kid, and I
see no reason for anyone to pass any judgment on what
he is afraid of. If fact, I'm sure his classmates quite
understood, as like they are all afraid of Snape, though
not to the degree that Neville is. I suspect once the 
class got rolling, everyone enjoyed seeing what the 
other's were afraid of and equally enjoyed seeing them 
make that fear look ridiculous. 

I don't see that anyone was shamed including Snape. Snape
might have been annoyed, but I think he probably took a 
certain satisfaction in knowing he scared Neville to that
degree. 

As far as Harry and his suspected boggart, I think 
Lupin's concern was legitimate. Students would have 
probably been frightened beyond belief if Voldemort had
appeared in the classroom. 

As to Hermione, that is a mystery. There is no way he could
know at that time /what/ Hermione's Boggart would likely be.
So, why he held Hermione back is a mystery.

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn - currently listening to Pink Floyd -
Dark Side of the Moon.