I'd like to give a big thanks to Alice of Rabbiton for taking the notes that make this post possible. I will also point out that all phrases in quotation marks are quotes from Dr. Poe unless otherwise noted. I will also take this opportunity to remind you that all information found on this blog is a faithful representation of what is discussed in class and may not necessarily reflect the views held by me, my classmates, or Union University as a whole.
That being said, I approve of (although I may not always agree with) everything that I allow to be placed on this blog. I hope that you enjoy today's post on Love, Prejudices, and the Morality of the Unforgivable Curses.
-V. B.
A Continued Discussion of Eros
- As Rowling follows these children as they go through adolescence, she is faced with the question of when to introduce certain experiences. In the midst of all that’s going on, when do you introduce eros?
- The body is changing during this time period, so how do you introduce these new emotions? Hormones start exploding, acne kicks in, your body begins to change shape, and life just seems awkward all of the sudden.
- Sexual experimentation, in today’s society, is being pushed on much younger age groups. Since the counter-culture of the 1960's, sexual norms have basically been eradicated in American culture. Our society sees no sexual norms or boundaries; no right or wrong, there’s just what you do. "Intercourse, in our culture, is just as normal as a handshake between strangers," according to Dr. Poe. The media also gives us continuous exposure about sex.
So How Does Rowling Combat This Horrible Eradication of Morals?
- One of the subtle things she does is to wait until around age fifteen to talk about dating. She’s reestablishing what is normal, and she’s allowing them to grow up at the pace that is normal and acceptable; your emotions, your intellect, and your body is all in sequence. "They’re not talking about bedding girls; they’re talking about the horror of asking a girl on a date." This is a very subtle to establish what is normal.
- When you talk about a worldview, one of the core beliefs is sexual morals. This is what Rowling is touching on by reaffirming a healthier understanding of growing up and getting things in the proper sequence. She doesn’t make a big deal out of it. It’s just part of the story and how the characters mature in all those different dimensions.
- Hermione criticizes Ron’s “emotional range of a teaspoon” when he can’t empathize with Cho. Rowling is talking about the disparity between males and females for about a ten year period; they’re maturing at different speeds. She’s tracing that, and we see how Hermione, being more mature than Ron, has to wait for his affections and emotions to catch up with hers.
- She’s doing all this to create a new set of norms, but she’s only one voice out of many. There are millions of stories that have changed the behavior patterns of society in terms of what was acceptable, what is normal, and what is expected. If you don’t behave the way culture expects, you are "abnormal." You are like Dobby, the social deviant who doesn’t think or behave the way a house elf should.
- Christians in all cultures, at all times, are at some level social deviants. We are different from the mainstream of the culture (or at least one would hope so) and we had a profound effect on the broad culture for decades. But the West is losing its Christian foundation. Life, liberty, and happiness are products of a Christian worldview.
- Rowling doesn’t discuss it in terms of human behavior or lecture about what nice people do, but in terms of normal, everyday behavior. The narrative itself has an influence on the reader, leading them to agree with what she likes and disagree with what she dislikes. Rowling doesn’t lecture about what is right and wrong, she just builds her view of norms right into the story! By just presenting things as the normal way of doing things, the reader is just brought along with the idea that this is just the way things are.
Pride & Prejudices
- This book really highlights the idea of prejudice in a way that we haven’t seen quite as much. It comes to a head with attitudes towards things like half-breeds. Rowling touches on the acceptance of who you are and your own identity, and a lot of people deny their true selves. There are prejudices against half-giants, but she writes the story to where we dislike the ones who dislike the half-giants.
- Hermione talks about those who are prejudice about werewolves. She’s not giving out simple answers to things, and there are just some behaviors that you just don’t accept. More obvious with Fenrir than Lupin, there are extreme behaviors that won’t be tolerated (killing children).
- She also touches on the attitudes towards house elves and centaurs, even against muggles. The strangeness of the prejudices is further explored with goblins, wand carriers, and those who are not pure-bloods.
- This can become a methodology, working when Ron and Harry are discussing the dates for the Yule Bale. They’re now evaluating the appearance of girls. These evaluations that are going back and forth are very strange. Things like that are part of finding your place in Harry Potter and putting prejudice in its place.
- Jesus was always multicultural, but most cultures work at reinforcing the prejudices rather than tearing them down. In Galatians 3:28, Jesus tells us, "There are neither Jews nor Greeks, slaves nor free people, males nor females. You are all the same in Christ Jesus."
New Types of Magic In The Goblet of Fire
- The Aging Line around the goblet itself is very similar to getting an I.D. card and the right of passage that it gives you (going to certain movies, buying beer, etc).
- Apparating and the desire to do so all the time when you have your license is like driving.
- Veritaserum, the strongest truth potion, would be like sodium pentathol.
- Rowling is often dancing between magic and science, giving it a clever twist to make it make-believe when, in actuality, it does exist in reality.
- Harry lies a lot but has some very valuable secrets, so he’s incredibly worried Snape would give him the truth serum.
- Rita Skeeter and the paparazzi are being terribly worrisome.
- The Goblet of Fire is the Sorting Hat carried to the next level. It is sorting the occupants into the worthiest individuals from each school. It’s like a computer, and it does get "hacked" by Barty Crouch Jr.
- Professor Moody (aka Barty Jr.) transfigures Malfoy into a ferret, and he transforms Barty Sr. into a bone and buried him.
The Unforgivable Curses
Barty Jr. demonstrates the three unforgiveable
curses to us for the first time.
- Imperius Curse
- You can control somebody.
- Learn to manipulate people so that they do what you want them to do.
- We’ve had it used on us numerous times, and we pick up the skill if we’re not careful. You may have relatives that are really good at the Imperius Curse, only we typically call it a "Guilt-trip." It gives you total control over someone based on what you say. You've heard them before, “You do want you want.” or “Don’t mind me, I’m used to being alone.”
- Cruciatus Curse
- "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me" is the countercurse that we were all taught as kids, but it never seemed to work...
- You can torture someone with unbearable pain.
- James, brother of Jesus, wrote on this subject of the power of words to cause unbearable pain. The tongue is an incredibly powerful instrument for good and for evil. "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be." James 3:9-10
- Killing Curse
- Jesus warned us of this in the Sermon on the Mount. Thou shall not kill.
- You don’t have to use your hands; it starts with the intentions of the heart. Murder starts with the intentions of the heart.
- Harry couldn’t use the Cruciatus Curse because he didn’t mean it in his heart.
- Umbridge regularly uses the unforgiveable curses for “the greater good”.
- Kingsley Shacklebolt uses the Imperius Curse on Cho’s friend when Dumbledore’s Army has been caught by Umbridge’s interrogations.
- McGonagall uses one against Bellatrix in the Deathly Hallows.
- Harry never uses the killing curse, and he even warns Voldemort not to use it.
- Molly Weasley never utters the curse out loud, but we know she’s used it against Bellatrix.
- Our heroes later use the unforgiveable curses. “Unforgivable” isn’t a legal term, it’s invocative of the
something like the Last Judgment. Is it right for the heroes to use them? Some
things are forbidden by the state, culture, authority figures, or God.
- Is it the curse that’s the problem or is it the killing of people that’s the problem?
- Dr. Poe hopes to continue this discussion at a later time and will perhaps to have one of our professors of ethics discuss this with us!
- The idea of celebrity is introduced with Victor Krum. To what extent is Rowling’s celebrity featured in to the way she writes those passages? Does she put herself into the book? She does have insight into the experience of fame that other authors don’t know about. Rowling was surprised at her fame, and in that sense, she’s musch like Harry. She’s clearly making the case for what’s important, and in the end, friendship is more important than fame.
- A death eater (Crouch as Moody) tells Harry that he and Hermione would make good aurors, which is very ironic.
- Voldemort is already planning to kill Snape, and Harry overhears this in the graveyard. With the whole resurrection/murder/graveyard sequence, she’s now making it a horror story. It also goes back to the druid type of ritual with blood and ghastly magic; this ceremony and the resurrection of Voldemort, is the essence of evil.
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