[HPforGrownups] CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 1: Owl Post

[No Limberger]

No: HPFGUIDX 189453

>Zara wrote:
>1) Ron bought Harry a Sneakoscope, Hermione bought him instructions and
products
>for broom care, and Hagrid bought him the book "Monster Book of Monsters".
What
>did you think of these gifts? What do they tell us about the senders and
their
>relationships with Harry?

No.Limberger responds:
Hermione's gift was the most practical and thoughtful in that she knew how
much Harry
loves to fly, so giving him broom care products was very appropriate.
Hagrid's gift
is also very useful in that it's the book that Harry will be using for his
upcoming
class that we find out later in the book will be taught by Hagrid.  Ron's
gift is fun
and typical of the fun-loving Weasleys.

>Zara wrote:
>2) This story shows us several of the Weasleys interacting. What does it
tell us about
>the actors? What do you like/dislike about the characters in this scene and
how
>they are written?

No.Limberger responds:
The Weasleys are a fun family and get along very well with one another.
Unlike families
like the Dursleys or Malfoys, they're not preoccupied with appearances or
wealth.
In other words, they're not trying to impress anyone; they're just being
themselves
with no pretenses.

>Zara wrote:
>3) This story is also our first clue to the big Scabbers/Peter surprise in
the climactic
>scenes of the novel. What do you think of it in this context?

No.Limberger responds:
I hadn't previously.

>Zara wrote:
>4) This chapter includes information relevant to the relationship between
the Muggle
>and Wizard worlds, including Harry's History essay on witch burnings and
Ron's
>ignorance of the proper use of a telephone. What light do these details
shed on
>your understanding of this relationship?

No.Limberger responds:
Though a wizard, Harry was raised most of his life in the muggle world and
knows
it well, unlike Ron who was never exposed or used objects common to
muggles. Given how common and widely-used phones are, it's a way for JKR
to demonstrate just how unfamiliar wizards are of the muggle world.

>Zara wrote:
>In this as the third book of her series, Rowling devoted time in the first
chapter
>to recapping events an persons of significance.

>Zara wrote:
>5) What do you think of her choice to do this in PoA and other books of the

>series? It is appropriate or unnecessary?

No.Limberger responds:
I believe it's appropriate. She didn't dwell on it that much and it gives
people
who hadn't read the previous books an opportunity to know a little about
what
was in them.

>Zara wrote:
>6) Do you like how she did it? Do you agree on her choice of things to
re-introduce?
>Did you find reading these bits pleasant, annoying, repetitive, etc.?

No.Limberger responds:
Yes, I did and I agree with what she chose to re-introduce.

>Zara wrote:
>7) Why do you think Dumbledore selected Percy to be Head Boy? Do you agree
>or disagree with this decision? The other Head Boys/Girls identified in
canon are
>Tom Riddle, Bill Weasley, James Potter, and Lily Evans. From this evidence,
>what do you think is involved in choosing Hogwarts Head Boys/Girls?

No.Limberger responds:
I don't know why Dumbledore picked Percy or whether there may have been
someone else more suitable. I can think of a few who would have been
inappropriate as head boy and girl: Fred & George, Umbridge, Lupin, Peter,
and Lockhart.

-- 
"Why don't you dance with me, I'm not no limberger!"


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