CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 6: Talons and Tea Leaves

[Geoff]

No: HPFGUIDX 189538

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "sherriola" <sherriola at ...> wrote:
>
> Questions:
> 1. Why did you think the Dementors affected Harry so badly, compared
> to everyone else?


Geoff: Although Madam Pomfrey was rather patronising in the previous 
chapter by indirectly suggesting that Harry was delicate, I felt that since 
Harry probably had the most troubled life of anyone there, he would feel 
the effects of them more.


> 2. Did you think anything was going on with Hermione's schedule or
> have any idea of how she was taking so many classes?


Geoff: I presumed that Professor McGonagall had organised extra classes
at different times to cover her schedule; it is something that I have known 
to be done very occasionally when I was teaching but usually  with Upper
Sixth Form pupils where there was a problem timetabling their options.
 

> 3. Did you think Sir Cadogan would become a more important character,
> or was he just comic relief?


Geoff:
Probably the latter.

 
> 4. Harry shows concern for Sir Cadogan by moving closer to the picture
> and asking if he is ok. On the other hand, Ron is scornful of the Knight
> and comments at parting that they'll call him if they need someone mental.
> Do you think the contrast in attitudes of the two boys says anything in
> particular about them? Is this an indication of their overall and eventual
> characters/personality, or is it just young teenage boy attitudes?


Geoff: It is quite usual for a group of pupils to exhibit widely varying
attitudes. Harry has had a rough time in his upbringing and has has reacted 
positively in standing up for and seeing the needs of others who have
problems - Neville as an example. Ron, on the other hand, has had to hold 
his own against his siblings and takes a rather offhand attitude to people
with problems going through life leaving a trail of devastation in his wake.
:-)


> 5. Did you think Trelawney was a true seer or a hoax? Did you expect
> any of her predictions to come true, even the simple ones? Do you think any
> of them did come true later? Just the predictions in this first lesson.
 

Geoff: Looking back from a point later in the book, it did appear that some of 
her predictions were correct - the teacup for Neville and the 16th October 
date for Lavender. As for the "leaving for ever at Easter", when I later read
about Hermione's departure from the class, I was slightly reminded of the
prophecies which surrounded MacBeth - which were true if interpreted in 
a different way to how they first seemed. My feeling was that she had some
ability as a seer but that some of it seemed to be showmanship.


> 6. Did you think Harry had truly seen a Grim?


Geoff:
No.
 

> 7. We meet our first animagi in this first Transfiguration class. Did
> you think this would be significant, or was it possibly just another fun
> magical ability?


Geoff: I did feel that this was a potentially important ability for a wizard
to possess.


> 11. What are your thoughts on Draco's actions in this lesson? Should
> he have listened more to Hagrid's instructions? Does he have any blame in
> the fact that he was injured? Should 13-year-olds be taught to interact
> with dangerous creatures?


Geoff:The class had been warned on one occasion not to insult a Hippogriff
but from my own experience with teaching, it should have been reinforced
more than once and that an experienced teacher would have kept a careful
eye on the "jokers" on the class who might be prepared to chance their arm
(no pun intended).

With regard to Draco himself, we already know that, at this point in his school 
career, he is arrogant, cocky and patronising. He can also be categorised
as being like many guys in their teens who believe that they are immortal
and that "accidents happen to other people."
 

> 12. Did you agree that Hagrid should be disciplined for this lesson or
> that Buckbeak should be executed over what happened to Malfoy? Did you
> guess the significance Buckbeak's execution would play later in the book?


Geoff: No, no and no.

 
> 13. And one for fun. Because I laughed a lot in this chapter, did you
> have a favorite funny line in this chapter?


Geoff: One was the little exchange between Harry and Ron...
Harry: "...so you're going to suffer and be very happy." Ron:
"You need your Inner Eye testing if you ask me."