YAY! It's kind of cheesy, I know, but I think it's all right. I got an A on it, so that's something. :P
I just got done reading it, but I didn't want to respond on FA. Because basically: I agree. LOL. I'm sure you could've gone more in-depth, but at the same time, your essay still brings up interesting points. Rowling really has a hard-on for the "good vs. evil" thing, which I personally found disappointing. I think all the houses are a little sinister, really; but I'm more of the Sirius Black persuasion, where he says that life is more gray than black or white. I guess I see that about human beings, as well (and wizards!).
Black's comment in OotP seems kind of odd in retrospect, because JKR didn't seem to acknowledge this by uniting Gryffindor and Slyhterin in DH, whom I agree are "two halves of the same whole" (Ha, my brain went to K/S for a moment, and went "GENE!"). While I don't think Slytherin are entirely "evil", she did seem to hammer that idea home throughout the books. To me, Gryffindors were always kind of awful - which a reviewer of yours pointed out, and I went "DUH." But then again, everyone seems to love the Weasleys (except us), and so they seem to gloss over their bad behavior and make them exceptions. (When "the good guys" lock "the bad guys" into vanishing cabinets, it's a-okay, but if it were the reverse OMG HOW DARE THEY OMG EVIL.)
All the houses are certainly complementary, as you pointed out. Perhaps the "good vs. evil" thing was simplified because HP is considered children's lit; when really everyone has the qualities of the other houses - which Rowling seemed to point to when Harry almost wound up in Slytherin, or when Cedric was brave in defending Harry, or that Hermione was smart enough to compete with the Ravenclaws, or when Ron was more jealous than Draco, at some points. Perhaps I'm not giving her enough credit in DH, but all of that seemed undermined when Slytherin didn't join up with everyone else in the final battle. A part of me almost seems sure that if JKR commented on Harry almost landing in Slytherin, she'd probably say it was a "Good vs. Evil" moment, instead of your view. How disappointing.
Anyway - just wanted to say I found it interesting. Has your opinion changed much since HBP and DH?
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2009-08-01 02:53 am (UTC)I just got done reading it, but I didn't want to respond on FA. Because basically: I agree. LOL. I'm sure you could've gone more in-depth, but at the same time, your essay still brings up interesting points. Rowling really has a hard-on for the "good vs. evil" thing, which I personally found disappointing. I think all the houses are a little sinister, really; but I'm more of the Sirius Black persuasion, where he says that life is more gray than black or white. I guess I see that about human beings, as well (and wizards!).
Black's comment in OotP seems kind of odd in retrospect, because JKR didn't seem to acknowledge this by uniting Gryffindor and Slyhterin in DH, whom I agree are "two halves of the same whole" (Ha, my brain went to K/S for a moment, and went "GENE!"). While I don't think Slytherin are entirely "evil", she did seem to hammer that idea home throughout the books. To me, Gryffindors were always kind of awful - which a reviewer of yours pointed out, and I went "DUH." But then again, everyone seems to love the Weasleys (except us), and so they seem to gloss over their bad behavior and make them exceptions. (When "the good guys" lock "the bad guys" into vanishing cabinets, it's a-okay, but if it were the reverse OMG HOW DARE THEY OMG EVIL.)
All the houses are certainly complementary, as you pointed out. Perhaps the "good vs. evil" thing was simplified because HP is considered children's lit; when really everyone has the qualities of the other houses - which Rowling seemed to point to when Harry almost wound up in Slytherin, or when Cedric was brave in defending Harry, or that Hermione was smart enough to compete with the Ravenclaws, or when Ron was more jealous than Draco, at some points. Perhaps I'm not giving her enough credit in DH, but all of that seemed undermined when Slytherin didn't join up with everyone else in the final battle. A part of me almost seems sure that if JKR commented on Harry almost landing in Slytherin, she'd probably say it was a "Good vs. Evil" moment, instead of your view. How disappointing.
Anyway - just wanted to say I found it interesting. Has your opinion changed much since HBP and DH?