CHAPT DISC: Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 13: Gryffindo...

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 190046



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "nikkalmati" <puduhepa98 at ...> wrote:
>
> 
> 
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, June Ewing <doctorwhofan02@> wrote:
> >
> > Shelley:
> > > ....So also Hermione's reaction is seen as insensitive 
> > because if she were a proper Witch, she would have just 
> > accepted Trelawney as normal for this society. Instead
> > she doesn't accept those gifts as real,... <snip> <
> > 
> > 
> > June:
> > The only thing wrong with the thought of Hermione not... 
> > believe Trelawney to be the real thing is that most the 
> > staff doesn't believe her to be the real thing either. ...
> >
> Nikkalmati
> 
> But the curse put on the original Trojan Cassandra (probably 
> not Trelawney's grandmother) was that she would correctly 
> predict the future, but that no one would believe her.  See 
> the parallel?
> 
> Nikkalmati
>

Steve:

The Trojan aspect completely threw me for a second there until
I realize that 'Cassandra' is the name of a Trojan person who
warned the Trojans not to bring the Trojan Horse into their
compound. She had the gift of foresight, though it could have
just been common sense in that circumstance, but the curse of
never being believed. 

Back to Sibyll Trelawney, I suspect several things come into
play here. First, I don't think, subconsciously, even Sibyll
believes in her powers, or at least has doubts about them, but
being the granddaughter of the great Cassandra is the only thing
that makes Sibyll special. She certain is not gifted with 
intellect or other magical skill. But she seems to have a tiny
smattering of "the Gift". 

So, she tries to bluff her way through life by putting on this
mystical air that most of the students and teachers see through
right away. Illustrated, if you want people to think you are
smart, act smart, seem aloof, use big words, name drop various
philosophers and famous people that you know nothing about; if 
you want people to think you are a psychic, then act mystical, 
speak as if you understand the future, give great significances
to small meaningless superstitions. Seem to have great insight 
in the hope that people will believe you do. 

So, by trying to put on this affect of a great mystic, Sibyll
betrays herself. People, rather than thinking she is mystical,
think she is comical and can't take her seriously. Yet we 
know, as outside observers, that she does get things spookily
right, and has made several substantial and significant 
prophecies, as well as several minor ones.  

She is the real deal, but her own self-doubt, and the resulting
over-effort to counter that doubt, work against her. Being a
Mystic/Psychic is about the only talent Trelawney has, and it 
is about the only way she can earn a living. So this is important
to her. 

But again, her excess over-affectation is turned against her, 
and it actually confuses and confounds her ability to interpret
what she sees. She saw Harry's 'Grim' except it wasn't a Grim, 
sometimes a big dog is just a big dog. But she is so overly
eager to see significances in everything, that she goes too far
and as a result, no one takes her seriously.

As to Hermione, she certainly had a case to argue, but her 
insensitivity was not to argue that case, but to argue it at
that time and place. Her insensitivity was not based in a
belief that Trelawney was a fraud and a determination to prove 
it, or in her status as a muggle-born, but in simply not 
realizing that while Lavender was so emotional was not the time
for a reasoned and logical argument.

Just a few random thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn