CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 1: Owl Post

[poohmeg20]

No: HPFGUIDX 189375

<Snip of very nice summary>
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> Questions for Discussion:
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> 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?
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Megan:

I thought they all seemed pretty appropriate to the characters - most of us, on some level, give gifts that we would like to get ourselves if we were in the other person's situation - and I could definitely see each of the three givers picking these out.

> With his gift of the Sneakoscope, Ron also sends a story about it: how it kept going off and Percy thought it was broken, but Ron knew the Twins were putting beetles in Percy's soup. 
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> 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?
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Megan:

I thought it was well-written - with the exception of the magic, a similar scene could have probably taken place in many real-life families I know!

> 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?
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Megan:

I really didn't see it coming the first time I read the book - of course, looking back now, everything is through the filter of knowing how it ends, but at the time it didn't seem any more important than all the other details that JKR includes in the stories to make them so interesting.

> 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?
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Megan:

When I first read the book, I thought it was funny because it was really one of the earlier times in the series that she showed how muggles seem as strange to wizards as they seem to us. I thought that was a good thing to include, since it made wizards seem more "normal" in the sense that they have their own biases and quirks.

> In this as the third book of her series, Rowling devoted time in the first chapter to recapping events an persons of significance.
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> 5) What do you think of her choice to do this in PoA and other books of the series? It is appropriate or unnecessary?
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Megan:

I didn't think it was too heavy-handed - especially compared to a lot of other series, both for children and adults, where there is much more reiteration at the beginning of each book. I didn't start reading the books until after this one came out, so I read it fairly soon after having finished CoS, but it still wasn't annoying. I find it helpful when I start reading a book that is not the first in the series to have a little refresher of what's going on, personally.
> 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.?
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> 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?
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Megan:

Since we don't really have that concept in American schools, I was never really sure what was involved with being selected. I don't think it was ever mentioned that they had to apply, so they must just be selected by the teachers and/or headmaster. Maybe the teachers who are the heads of each house select them? Since the head boy seems to be in charge of enforcing compliance with school rules, Percy would be a good choice since he certainly seems familiar with the rules and is not hesitant to remind others of them. He and James Potter seem like complete opposites, though, so that must not always be the deciding factor. Perhaps Dumbledore selects people that he wants to be able to keep a close eye on, so they will be in a visible role and less able to do things out of his sight. 


> 8) Please feel free to add your own questions.
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Megan:

These were great questions! The only thing I would add is that when I first read it, for some reason I thought Wendelin the Weird would come up again - or at least the concept of why she liked to be burned, since that was so odd. Did anyone else think that would come up again?