Dont you think its a bit unfair....

[Liquid Ice]

In the sorting hats song it says the brave go to gryffindor, the cunning go to slytherin, the wise goto ravenclaw and the rest go to hufflepuff. Doesnt that kinda give the impression that hufflepuffs are just the ones no one wants?

[Scellanis]

no, its meant to give the impression that Hufflepuff accepts everyone reguardless of their talents....she doesn't abandon people just because they lack a particular personality trait she likes about herself.....

[Lizzy Bennet]

In the books, I took it as a compliement to Hufflepuff and its founder, despite the fact that the kids themselves may not be wise enough yet to see it themselves...

What I took from it is that Hufflepuff--more specifically, Helga Hufflepuff--wanted to teach all students, regardless of their talents or limitations. She wasn't particular and was willing to teach any student, without playing favourites (like our lovely chap, Snape , for instance!). I liken it to a teacher wanting to teach students regardless if they are caucasian or not, poor or rich, smart or stupid, etc. As someone who studied education at Uni, I have to admire someone who is willing to teach all simply for the love of sharing knowledge, educating students, and wanting to help students grow. We could use more teachers like that in the world.

So, to me, the problem isn't that Helga wasn't particular (in fact, I find that a good thing!)...to me, the problem is that those who are less wise choose to see that as a fault rather than a beauty. To me, it's all about looking at the glass half empty...or half full.


~ Lizzy

[Hermy]

I agree with Lizzie, the "thinking" behind Hufflepuff is similar to your "idealized" inclusive comprehensive system (which I teach in). None of this elitism, magical education for all! Hufflepuffs work hard. They are the kind of kids I love to teach, those that work hard to achieve, not necessarily those who are there through pure talent.

[azn wizard]

i dun know if this is considered unfair, but i don't like how the slytherins are excluded from things and are alwayz apart from the rest of the houses

[highsorcerer]

Well, it seems to me that the Slytherins exclude themselves. The ohters houses have friends outside their own, but the Slytherins only hang out with each others.

Examples of friendships cross-house have been Percy and Penelope, Michael Corner and Ginny Weasley, Harry and Cho, Luna and Ginny. But the Slytherins only hang out with their own kind.

[Devinci]

That fact about slytherins always seemed a little too far fetched to me. I think I said this on a post before..but to say that there isn't ONE slytherin who doesn't care about money or social status is...kind of...unimaginable. People can set out to get ahead in life without ignoring morals and mercy. I think JK should, break the taboo of the aloof slytherin in a book...cause it's really getting to me...*grumble gumble*

[azn wizard]

hopefully, it'll happen in book 6 or 7

[Lizzy Bennet]

Harry and Draco are going to, most likely, have a nasty confrontation of sorts in book 6...seeing how Draco threatened to get back at Harry for putting his (Draco's) dad in Azkaban. What will result of that confrontation is uncertain...will one Slytherin or more join the DA group? Will Draco form a counter-group and some Slytherins will protest that and/or protest what some (or their!) Slytherin parents are doing (those who are Death-Eaters)? I suppose we really will see in book 6 and in book 7!


~ Lizzy

[AccioNiffler]

I also thought the slytherrin thing was a little out there. I mean, I have a lot of slythering traits, but I'm still a nice person and dont block myself off from anyone who's not like me! I mean you can be greddy and ambitious without being a fcomplete jerk. It annoys me a little how JK hasnt done anything about this yet, she only has 2 books left!

[Lizzy Bennet]

I also thought the slytherrin thing was a little out there. I mean, I have a lot of slythering traits, but I'm still a nice person and dont block myself off from anyone who's not like me! I mean you can be greddy and ambitious without being a fcomplete jerk. It annoys me a little how JK hasnt done anything about this yet, she only has 2 books left!

Actually, I've taken her portrayal of Slytherin as her making a point. Firstly, Harry is young...he was told by Hagrid that the world isn't simply comprised of people who are good and people who are Death Eaters...that it isn't that cut and dry. Seeing as the books are from Harry's perspective, it's not surprising that he sees all the Slytherins as pure evil.

Now, you may say that JKR hasn't bothered to change that perception from any of the characters, but that isn't necessarily so. If Dumbledore felt all Slytherins were pure evil, would he continue to allow them in his school? Would Slytherin have continued to be a house at Hogwarts after its founder, Salazar Slytherin, left the school? When Hagrid said, "There wasn't a wizard who went bad that wasn't in Slytherin", I took that to mean that all the bad wizards were Slytherins, but not necessarily that all the Slytherins were or became bad wizards.

I guess my point (and I do have one ) is that perhaps JKR is trying to make a broader statement...perhaps she's writing Slytherin in this fashion in order to make us think (well, think full-stop, anyway) about how humans can, sometimes, believe one group of people is totally bad...such as judging all Muslims as evil based on what some bad Muslims have chosen to do. Rather than JKR showing us that not all Slytherins are bad like the characters think they are, she instead makes the reader think about how slanted she seems to be writing the Slytherins, thus leading us to the next thought which is "and this is what humans often do...label an entire group as evil because of some of its members". Just my thoughts, of course, I could be totally off-base, and of course, Accioniffler, I agree with what you're saying...you are a perfect example of getting JKR's subtle point about mankind's failings.


~ Lizzy

[Gower]

wow there is some really deep stuff in here.... It annoyed me a bit also that JK has given the impression that all slytherins are bad... it can't be true. Just think how close Harry was to being put in slytherin. Would that have instantly made him a bad person? of course not.

[azn wizard]

yes, humans tend to be a little self-centered, most of the time, they only think about what bad things others did and forget to reflect upon themselves....

[Violet]

wow there is some really deep stuff in here.... It annoyed me a bit also that JK has given the impression that all slytherins are bad... it can't be true. Just think how close Harry was to being put in slytherin. Would that have instantly made him a bad person? of course not.

It may not have instantly made him a bad person, but if he had been surorunded by people like Draco it could have either pushed him into becoming more like him. Or it could have given him more reason to be against people like Draco.

[Dink Meeker]

violet high wrote:

It may not have instantly made him a bad person, but if he had been surorunded by people like Draco it could have either pushed him into becoming more like him. Or it could have given him more reason to be against people like Draco.

I don't think that Harry could ever have been pushed towards the evil side. Growing up in the Dursley houshold, Draco represents everything that Harry hates.