CHAPTER DISCUSSION Chamber of Secrets Ch. 6, Gilderoy Lockhart

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 189003

Since things are so slow around here, I decided to go back and find some chapter discussion questions I didn't answer earlier.

> CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
> Chapter 6: Gilderoy Lockhart. <snip>

> 
> 1. What did you think of the human-like characteristics and development of the mandrakes in light of the fact that they are ground up and used in potions?

Carol:
I thought that it was all part of JKR's sense of humor, along the lines of Donne's "get with child a mandrake root" only on a PG level (acne and entering each other's pots like teenagers having a party). In other words, fun with language and with the supposed (very slight) resemblance of a mandrake root to the human form. Since the class was Herbology, the Wizards obviously still considered them plants. It's not as if they were kittens being ground up for potions. (might find the treatment of animals disturbing if I took that aspect of the books seriously.
> 
> 2. Why do you think Professor McGonagall's class got such a short mention in this chapter compared to Professors Sprout and Lockhart? <snip>

Carol:
We've already met Professor McGonagall and know how she teaches, so there was no need to introduce her, in contrast to the new DADA professor, who is always an unknown. (Yes, we've met dear Gilderoy and are familiar with his ego, but we haven't seen him "teach." No further classes (other than the dueling club later) are necessary to establish his ineptitude. Professor Sprout is important for the first (and last) time in this book since she's growing the Mandrakes for the potion (which Snape actually prepares but gets too little credit for, IMO, especially in the MTMNBN). MG, in contrast, has no connection with the Mandrake potion (but does later find Colin Creevey and help to carry him to the Hospital Wing).

Carol, with apologies for the lateness of this response