CHAPTER DISCUSSION: PS/SS 7, The Sorting Hat

[jelly92784]

No: HPFGUIDX 188075


Discussion Questions:

1. How do you think Harry's first impressions of Hogwarts differed from those of the other first year students? It seemed like nobody knew what to expect for the sorting, but do you think those who had grown up knowing about Hogwarts were surprised by other things?

Janelle: I think that Harry's first impression would be similar to those of any muggle-born children- not having known anything about Hogwarts (including its very existence) until receiving his letter.  Other kids would probably know something about the school, the houses, the great hall- from hearing their parents talk about it.  That being said, just because they might know something about the school doesn't mean that they've been there.  Chances are all the new students were having similar experiences of fear and awe!

 
2. Who is your favorite of the ghosts introduced in this chapter, and why?

Janelle: I don't remember if this goes as far back as the first sighting, but I was always interested in the Bloody Baron and wanted to know more about him.
 
3. Is there any real-life place you thought of when you first read about the Great Hall?

Janelle: Nope.
 
4. If you were being sorted, would you have a discussion with the hat like Harry, or would you go with wherever it wanted to put you?

Janelle: I think it would depend on whether or not I knew anything about the houses going in.  I would have a reaction similar to Harry's "not slytherin" if I had heard the things that he heard before being sorted.  If I had gone in without any info though I would have just let the hat lead.

5. Do you think any of the Weasleys wished they were in a house other than Gryffindor?

Janelle: This is an interesting question.  I remember Ron being worried that he wouldn't be in Gryffindor *because* all of his family was in that house.  If that hadn't been the case I wonder which house he might have wanted to belong to.  Probably Gryffindor, but who knows?  I can imagine Ginny possibly being interested in other houses, just so she could get away from all those brothers- who seem to have teased her a lot, but at the same time, she still wanted to be like them and so would want to be in their house.  Fred and George probably would have gotten a kick out of being in Slytherin.

6. Do you think each house is the same size? Do you think any have gotten bigger or smaller over time?

Janelle: Ah, the ever-present school-population question.  Despite evidence to the contrary- I like to go with the basic idea of there being approximately 10 students in each house each year.  Of course, there might be more or less certain years, but I think the overall average would be ten.  I really do wish we knew something more about the (possible) other two girls in Gryffindor in Harry's year.

7. What do you think happened to Sally-Anne Perks?

Janelle: Do we know what house she was sorted into?  Perhaps she was the fourth Gryffindor girl but was pulled out for one reason or another: poor performance, family issues, personal issues, health, etc., leaving the year with only three girls.

8. Dean Thomas is specifically described as black in his description, but there is not a mention of race for the other students. Do you think there is racial/ethnic diversity at Hogwarts, or is Dean the only non-white student?

Janelle: There has already been a lot of discussion on this question so I'll keep it simple:  As has been pointed out, there are a few other students who are identified as having ethnicities other than white.  I think that in order to showcase her prejudices within the wizarding world, Jo had to leave out the prejudices of the muggle world.

9. If you had the banquet of your choice magically appear in front of you, what would it include?

Janelle: Tough question!  Probably some sort of chicken or steak or shrimp (or all three!), some good veggies and potatos, something with pineapple, and, of course, cheesecake and ice cream!

10. What did you think of Neville's account of his family's concern that he wasn't magical?

Janelle: I don't think it would have struck me as being too over the top at this point because so far, a lot of the story has been over the top and originally I wouldn't have known to expect anything different.  Looking at it now, within the wider context of the story- I think his uncle dangling him out the window is something akin to the abuse that Merope Gaunt and actual squibs, unfortunately, probably encounter all to regularly.

11. The first time you read the chapter, what did you think was happening when Harry had the pain in his scar while looking at Snape and Quirrell?

Janelle: I'm pretty sure that this led me down Jo's intended path of assuming that Snape was the bad guy.  I don't think that I questioned exactly what it was that caused the pain though.
 
12. What was your first impression of Dumbledore? Aside from the fact that we learn so much more about him as the series goes on, do you think that the "few words" and the way he introduces the school song are typical of him?

Janelle: I think that I liked him- precisely because of his "few words"- they were funny!  I think that those things were typical of him at the time.  I remember Jo explaining it in an interview once- she said something about how during those relatively peaceful times Dumbledore was much more whimsical and serene than he was able to be once he had Voldemort and all that entails on his mind.

13. Did you think there was any greater significance to Dumbledore's statement that music is "a magic beyond all we do here"?

Janelle: I'm sure that I didn't at the time- but I agree with what someone else said about this showcasing Dumbledore's belief that there are things (love, humanity, etc.) that outweigh magical ability.

14. How does the Gryffindor common room compare to the atmosphere at the school you attended?

Janelle: I went to US public schools and so can't compare those at all to Hogwarts.  What I can compare is my college dormitory.  We had a common room on our floor (called the "den") that had a bunch of tables for studying and some other more "comfortable" chairs.  It was a place for people to get together and hang out, sometimes play games or have meetings.  As far as seeing and interacting with people there I think it was very similar to the Gryffindor common room, but the actual room and furnishing were no where near as nice!

15. What did you think of Harry's dream the first time you read the chapter?
 
Janelle: Again- I think it led me to associate Draco, Snape and Voldemort to each other, leading me to believe Snape was the bad guy, which I'm sure is just what it was supposed to do!

Thanks for the questions!

Janelle