Chapter 21: The Problem of Beauty, Shame, and Slughorn

Today we really explore the character of Slughorn and what his character bring into the story (both good and bad). We also discuss some of the potions that Slughorn introduces us to and some of the implications that they have even for our modern culture. We even talk about how shame could point to the presence of God.

Enjoy the read!

- V. B.

Percy doesn’t go through middle adolescence (separating himself from his family) until after graduating Hogwarts; his rebellion comes through as treachery to his family.
Older adults who are not your parents are a very important part of growing up.
The Hogwarts students don't expect Dumbledore to play Quidditch, but it is very important for him to be there just the same.

Slughorn

Slughorn is an expert potion master, and he whips up the most difficult concoctions, but at the same time, he’s not very good in a tight situation, and he’s not good on his feet. When Ron was choking on the poisoned mead, Slughorn was frozen solid with shock, unable to do anything to help Ron. He lacks backbone and will power.
Slughorn isn’t a man of action. However, he knows his trade inside and out, and he knows what’s of value to potions. When it comes to value, he’s absolutely entranced with all that Hagrid has strewn around his hut.
When Slughorn sees all that Hagrid has acquired as groundskeeper, he sees galleons. Hagrid, on the other hand, sees tools for helping his creatures.
Slughorn’s value system is very mercantile/materialistic; what is it worth in terms of translating it into goods for himself? How much oak-matured mead or crystalized pineapple will this get him. (In 18th century English architecture, pineapple boasted that the owner was a hospitable person. The fruit wasn’t native to England, so it was very expensive, very exotic, and very hard to import.) Slughorn isn’t satisfied with mere chocolate. Crystalized fruit is the most expensive sort of candy you can have, and it’s only the best for old Sluggy.
Hagrid sees things in terms of its use, which contrasts Hagrid’s and Slughorn’s value system.
We start to see the parts of Slughorn’s character that are his flaws. We know he has a strong intellect, but we also know he has a failure of will (he is smart enough to act, but he just can’t).
Slughorn is driven by emotions more than anything else. His driving motives are fear and lust, but his fear is what controls him most. We often see certain emotions as the dominant aspect of who a certain person is. For example, for Hermione, her defining point is intellect, and with Harry, it’s his will power that defines him. He doesn’t have time to worry about what he’s feeling, he acts and then thinks about it later.
But these traits in Hermione, Harry, and the rest of the cast of characters aren't always good. Sin happens in the heart, in the human spirit. Jesus said the problem is what’s inside a person, not outside a person; we see this going on with different characters. We can now go back and think through the different characters and see sin operating uniquely through them all and how it effects them, and the story.
Lust is Slughorn’s modus operandi when it comes to the small things. He lusts after recognition, which is a self-esteem issue dealt with in early adolescence. If Percy didn’t get through middle adolescence, then Slughorn hasn’t gotten through early adolescence. One of the major differences between Percy and Slughorn though is that Slughorn does not desire power at all, he just wants recognition. 
Slughorn is almost childish. He’s not innocent, yet he still deals with self-esteem issues. Hagrid is child-like (but he is not without sin) which gives him an air of innocence, but he deals with a great many hardships throughout the series (loosing creatures he cares about, caring for his brother, recruiting the giants, etc) and yet he takes responsibility for his actions and behaves like a man. Slughorn on the other hand runs from danger, gives into fear, and has no desire to deal with consequences. This is the difference between being child–like and child–ish.
The crowning moment for Slughorn happens in the seventh book when he puts his fear aside and decides to battle the forces of evil alongside the rest of Hogwarts. Professor McGonogall confronts him, and he feels ashamed. He sort of disappears with the Slytherins, but his great moment is when he comes back to fight with the others. The apostle Peter failed, but also he came back; like Slughorn, he slinks away, but most importantly, they both return.

Harry's Thoughts on Slughorn
After Harry and Dumbledore come to recruit Slughorn into teaching at Hogwarts, Dumbledore asks what  Harry’s impression of Slughorn was. Both Harry's thoughts and feelings are important.
Harry has a building impression of Slughorn throughout the book, but his initial impression was important.
Slughorn offends Harry in the way in which he talks about muggle borns; Harry is quick to defend them by example with Hermione’s superior intelligence.
Slughorn also collects people, which puts Harry off. He hasn’t quite recognized it or thought through it yet, but Harry has a feeling about Slughorn and then gains reasons for his dislike later. Sometimes we have feelings about people but we can’t always trust our feelings because “the heart is deceitful above all things.” Thus, we might have the wrong feels about a certain person just like Harry had a feeling about Snape too, but he was wrong in the end. You receive immediate conclusions from your feelings, and then your intellect needs to analyze these thoughts.
Harry doesn’t want to get too close to Slughorn, but he will do so at Dumbledore’s request.

Potions

One of the intriguing parts of book six are some of the potions that Slughorn whips up.

• Felix Felicis "Liquid Luck" - This is the grandest potion mentioned in Half-blood Prince, and it was very important to Harry and Dumbledore. Slughorn can make the Felix Felicis potion, one of the most complicated of all potions, yet he has only taken it twice in his life. Up to this point, we’ve seen his flaws (ruled by his belly, lustfulness, etc.) yet he has a set of pretty high values when it comes to the uses Felix. He tells the class you can’t use the potion in sports competitions.
• Love Potion - This potion plays a very important role at different points throughout this book. This potion has different fragrances unique to the smeller. Hermione smells fresh parchment and freshly mown grass. Harry smells flowers and broom handles. These sorts of scents are smells you can’t put your finger on, but they invoke the loveliest of emotions. We smell the pleasantest fragrances that we associate with the one we’re in love with.
  To Harry and Hermione, this is a barometer for their feelings. It gives them information, but they’re the ones who have to interpret it. They realize they love whoever it is that they love; in this case, it’s Ginny and Ron.

The Problem of Beauty

We have these love potions in our culture as well. Perfumes and cosmetics have a scent; what is this fragrance deal all about? Fragrance is the experience of the beautiful through our nostrils.

The problem of beauty, the very presence of beauty in the world – why is it there? Why do we experience it? It’s a driving thing for us; beauty is also one of the things that’s going on with Slughorn and his diet. We are the only living things on this planet that have such a wide-ranging diet. Humans, as a general rule, have this huge range of things we all eat. It has to taste good, which is a way of experiencing beauty. Sometimes the way food looks will determine whether or not we choose to eat it. Likewise, sometimes the way food smells either makes or breaks it for us.

 We experience beauty in a wide variety of ways, sound included. Harry thought Nick’s deathday music was ghastly, while I’m sure the ghosts enjoyed it. Some sounds are quite beautiful to us.

The human body, with all its senses and different ways of discovering things, is just as complex as the spirit. Our spirit is constantly interpreting things through our different senses, and we’re constantly experiencing the beautiful. We can’t have the experience of the ugly unless we also have the one of the beautiful to compare it to; without that comparison, the experience is just meaningless.

Humans all have a preference of beauty, yet there’s also the individual experience of the beautiful. This sometimes depends on culture. We started wearing blue jeans to be different; so, naturally, now everyone is wearing blue jeans. The universal experience of what is beautiful occurs even while we are infants. We as individuals have preferences of what is good to us that are not dictated by our particular culture.

The Matter Of Shame

He feels incredibly guilty having told young Tom Riddle about the horcruxes; he feels terrible and ashamed.

What causes people to feel shamed? It's simple, it is the Holy Spirit. Jesus told us, when the Holy Spirit comes, He will convince the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Slughorn is morbidly ashamed of what he told Tom Riddle, and that is a good thing; imagine if he hadn’t been ashamed. This is one of the arguments to the moral existence of God. You see, where does shame come from if not from God? Shame is not a universal trait of human nature. Bellatrix is not ashamed. Voldemort isn’t ashamed. Shame can't be chalked up to humans being naturally "good people". Any brief overview of history, or even a quick glance around your neighborhood will bare that out. There has to be something else going on in order to make people feel a sense of guilt.

Slughorn's Racism

Slughorn is really most of us. Most of us are nice people, and therefore, we think of racism as something only the KKK, the Nazis, or the Death Eaters do. Since we’re all these good people, we never deal with things like racism in our culture. The truth of the matter is that we are all racists, but we must recognize it first. Until then, it’s only something “bad people” do; we stereotype racism into what only bad people do.

Slughorn doesn’t feel like he’s a prejudiced man.

•  I’m sophisticated, I collect muggleborns and purebloods, but I’ll have to qualify that it’s surprising to me that a muggleborn like you is the best in your year; you’re not like us, so it is surprising, but you’ve achieved something and you can earn your way into my group . . . but you’re still a muggleborn, just in case you forgot.

Hermione is always our voice of reason in this. There’s always prejudice against house-evles, giants, and werewolves.

Madam Maxime is ashamed of what she is, and she’s responding to her culture; she wants a different identity. On the other hand, Hagrid is more mature, and he accepts himself for what he is. In every area that matters, the areas of eternal significance, Hagrid is the one you want to be. Madame Maxime is still struggling in a world that isn’t hers. She’s buying into a value system that is not of the Lord’s creation, the value system that every culture develops. Dumbledore is coming out of racism, but he’s still in remission; he’s like an alcoholic that hasn’t had a drink in a long time, but is still an alcoholic; he’s a recovering racist. To recognize that we’re racists is an extremely important part in self-awareness.

And now for a closing quote from Dr. Poe: 

“If you fry it, of course it’s good! I’d eat fried saw dust. Especially if you put some good BBQ sauce on it!” 

Chapter 20: Saints, Sisters, and Slughorn

Now we are entering into the Half-Blood Prince! A very exciting book in which a great deal happens. Join us as we explore how Rowling has set up all the important events of this book throughout the previous ones, what happens when sisters don't get along, why Professor Slughorn is important, and what is the nature of true friendship.


Also, if you would like more up-to-date info on what is going on with the blog (when things are posted, updates on our Quidditch video, and more) please "like" the page on Facebook which you can link to here!


That is all I have to say for now, so enjoy the read!


-Victor Bennet


The Half-Blood Prince
In the Chamber of Secrets, Harry accidentally ends up in Knockturn Alley, where he winds up in Borgin & Burkes. While he is there, he encounters a few objects that don't seem to be very important at the time, but wind up playing a big role in the 6th book. 

• Vanishing Cabinet
• Cursed Opal Necklace
• Hand of Glory

This gives the reader all the clues; there are no sudden or hidden clues. (This is following one of Sayer's mystery story "rules" of giving the reader all the clues to the solution ahead of time, but Rowling breaks one of her "rules" by having more than two hidden passage ways in Hogwarts. But of course... in a magical castle, she can get away with it.)
Tom Riddle’s first job out of Hogwarts just so happens to be at Borgin & Burkes. This is important because he wouldn’t have been able to collect the objects he later made into his horcruxes without the opportunities he had at the shop.


Also in Half Blood Prince, Draco goes through a great deal of character development and Lupin finally figures out that he was purposefully bitten by Fenrir Greyback. 
Snape takes the post as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor; thus, owing to the supposedly cursed position, we know something will happen to him by the end of the book.
Ginny has always had a crush on Harry, and she finally gets her man. The books don’t reveal that Ginny still likes Harry over the course of the series, but the movies give it away from time to time.  

• Now let us take a break to have a small side note on films. All the different forms of storytelling have both advantages and disadvantages to them. Typically, movies are about 2 hours long. The Harry Potter films were longer than that, and the viewers STILL didn’t think that there was enough of the book in the movie. But we have to realize that books, movies, plays, poems, and such are all mediums. The thing about novels is you can put all the details in, and you can also collaborate with the reader. What does that mean? Well, it means that books can have a greater level of detail without getting extremely boring [readers of Moby Dick, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Similarion may wish to disagree with me on this point, and I wouldn't blame them, but I mean when compared to films.] "Collaboration with the reader" means that the reader must engage the work and use their imagination to build the world that they are reading about. In film, all the imaginative work has been done by the film makers and all the viewer has to do is watch someone else's interpretation of the book. So with film, you trade the ability of active imagination for the passive viewing of visualized ideas. End of bunny trail...)

In the first book, Quirrel has a part of Voldemort literally physically attached to him. This ties in with Voldemort's ability to possess people. But it also is mirrored later when we find out what a horcrux is and what it does. We also find out what the diary really is, and without that diary, Dumbledore never would’ve been put on Voldemort’s “horcrux” trail.
Aragog, who we meet in the second book, dies in the sixth book; this also plays a critical role in getting Slughorn’s memory and advancing the story.


St. Mungo's
Saint means "Holy One", and the holy ones are the followers of Christ Jesus. The use of that term is one of the little clues she lays out, and she’s showing her colors in a very discreet way. She’s very self-consciously creating a difference between the muggle and magic worlds, and names are a big part of her attempt. She takes great care and pride in the names and words she chooses.
The sound of the names (think of "Slytherin" and "Hufflepuff"), their etemology, it’s all a part of what she’s doing. Some words don’t mean anything anymore in context, but she keeps turning the tables on what is considered the norm of our culture.
You can almost contrast St. Mungo’s to St. Brutus’, which explicitly shows the Dursley’s brutality. In the muggle world, a saint's name is applied to dentention center, whereas in the magical world, the name is applied to a center of healing.


Angry Sisters
When the book opens, we find out that Fudge has been impeached from the Ministry; we then go to Spinner’s End where Bellatrix and Narcissa have gone to see Snape. Narcissa is showing storge love towards her son, Draco. Her sister is with her, yet she doesn’t tell Voldemort that she and Narcissa have gone to seen Snape. This means she is actually betraying the Dark Lord for her sister; even Bellatrix has this tiny little corner of storge for one of her sisters (none for Mrs. Tonks). For whatever reason, she’s protecting her sister’s treachery, and she doesn’t reveal their visit to Voldemort.
Part of this is the idea that there’s a little good in everyone. From a creation perspective, everyone is made in the image of God. Rowling is developing a doctrine of sin, and we see in every character the presence of sin. We all have sin, and we all do sin. However, there’s still the mark of creation, though we may befoul it. We cannot undo what God has done, and Bellatrix’s loyalty to her sister is a subtle theological statement.
We can compare those two sisters with Harry’s mother and Petunia Dursley, and with that, we go from Spinner’s End to Privet Drive.
Aunt Petunia knows about Azkaban from Snape. When we first read the book, she talks about “that boy” and later says, “that Potter boy”. Assuming she’s referring to the same individual, we believe this to be James Potter. After finishing the last volume and beginning again, we find out that “that boy” Petunia was referring to was Snape. This is very careful writing.
There’s this issue between Petunia and Lily, and it’s certainly not agape love. Why on earth would Petunia agree to take Harry in? Dumbledore sends her a howler telling her to remember the letter that had been left on her doorstep with Harry as a baby. It turns out, Petunia kept Harry to protect him. Here we have this corner of compassion with Petunia; we even see her put her foot down with Vernon in the fifth book. Petunia isn’t necessarily evil; there are scales of evil. Voldemort is completely evil, and everyone else is gradually less evil than him.


Professor Slughorn

He is very smart, but he has a lot of biases and plays favorites in order to help himself achieve his personal goals. Slughorn has good qualities but he very self-centered. “…whose god is their belly” Philipians 3:19 He’s not interested in power or fame but he still collects people. He objectifies people.

Fear is his primary motive. He is on the run all the time, he can’t even enjoy himself. And yet in the last book, he leaves but then comes back! And he is actually dueling Voldemort at the end.

There’s a lot in the books about being called upon to make choices. “Chose you this day whom you shall serve” Joshua 24:15 The same challenge is presented to Slughorn by Professor McGonogall when she says, “We fight to the death.” She knows the importance of what lies ahead, and she wants others to know it as well.
He has his little group called the Slug Club. Harry is a member (not really of his own free will), and he doesn’t want to be. Dumbledore requires the memory, so he tells Harry that he has to be a part of the "club." Harry, however, doesn’t do a very good job of attending the dinners. (C.S. Lewis wrote The Inner Ring on this subject, and he also put this at the heart of his book, That Hideous Strength. In his book, the driving desire of the young junior member of the faculty is to become a part of the "in" crowd.) There are lots and lots of inner rings scattered around (Death Eaters, Dumbledore's Army, etc...), and you’re either in or out. The question is, how do you feel about it? Do you want to be in? Are you thankful you’re not?
Ron wants to be invited to Slughorn’s parties, but Harry doesn’t. Draco also wants to be in the inner ring, but neither Neville nor Luna will be invited in. The way that Harry dislikes the Slug Club and invites Luna to the Christmas party "just as friends" really brings up the issue of what real friendship is.
To a certain extent, Dumbledore’s Army was a different way about thinking of an inner circle. There is a difference in how you get accepted into the Slug Club and how you get into the DA. It all depends on what value system you are using to value other people. The Death Eaters are an inner circle, as were the Marauders in their time.
Rowling also makes the case that not everyone who has a reputation or intense popularity are the kind of people who you need to hang out with.

• Cornelious Fudge knows how to get along and flatter people.
• Horace Slughorn sets up the Slug Club and objectifies people.
• Gilderoy Lockhart is a pathological narcissist. 
• Barty Crouch works very hard to keep his reputation, to the point of disowning his own son.
• Percy Weasley is a self-important flatterer.
• Ludo Bagman is very puffed up by his past position on a national quidditch team, and this is his continuing basis for operation.
• Cormac McLaggen will bore you to death talking about himself; he is an attention-seeker.
• Draco is this way in the first book onward. He brags about how wealthy his parents are, how much influence his father has, and it’s a skill he cultivates to his ruin.
• It’s clear that Rowling doesn't really like these sort of people.

Shield Charms

Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes have a wide assortment of shield charm items for sale. These articles shield you in different ways, and according to Dr. Poe this could allegorize the whole armor of God. This is the whole idea between the shield and the onslaught of evil it’s protecting you from.    

Jinxes in the Bible?

Mrs. Weasley threatens to jinx Ron at the Burrow. When a jinx comes upon us, we’re inhibited in some way. This is what happened to the father of John the Baptist; he was "jinxed" so that he couldn’t speak because his lack of faith in God. John the Baptist’s father was able to speak again once his son was born and named.

Dr. Poe quote of the day: (On the Harry Potter films) “Where there is a will, there is money to be made.”

Chapter 16: Harry Potter and Sex (or the lack thereof)

Now that the title got your attention... 
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.

Dr. Poe stated that he would be interested to see if these books have changed the way the world views things as acceptable. The pulpit of the ‘60s was the movie theater, they pushed all the envelope and created norms. So how have these books and films made any cultural change in the generation of "Millennials" that have been so observed in the series.  


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.

What Are the Ethics Behind The Unforgivable Curses?

•    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!

Parting Thoughts...

•    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.

Chapter 10: Halloween, Death, and the Occult in Harry Potter

First things first! Today (March 1st) is Ron’s 32^nd birthday.

Now that we have that out of the way, I have some exciting news of my own! We now have another individual contributing to this blog! My fellow student, Alice of Rabbiton, has graciously allowed me to use her notes as well as my own on this blog. Thus, together we shall strive to give you a fuller and more wholistic view of this class.

Enjoy! And spread the word!

-Victor Bennet

Death

Where do we encounter death in the books?

- Lilly and James are murdered by Voldemort. What is Voldemort’s attitude towards death? He is afraid of death but will kill anyone without hesitation. And yet he gives Lilly a way out of death if she chooses it. Harry miraculous escapes death.

- Killing animals is a bit different. Killing a unicorn is especially wrong. There are different levels of “bad.” (5-)

- Ghosts are all over Hogwarts. Prof. Binns is even a ghost. Professor Binns, the History of Magic Professor at Hogwarts, died one day; he continued teaching as a ghost. The ghosts of Hogwarts stayed at the castle after their deaths, and they play an important part in the stories. They also reflect a certain opinion of death.

- Did Harry kill Quirrel? He tries to stop Quirrel from killing him, but he does not mean to kill Quirrel.

- Nicholas Flamel is going to die because the Philosopher’s Stone will be destroyed. Dumbledore says that “To a well organized mind, death is just another great adventure.”

- Dumbledore’s attitude towards death: death is an adventure, and there are far worse things than death. Dumbledore erected the tombstones in Godric’s Hollow, and he chose the inscriptions upon the stones. The last enemy to be defeated will be death.

- Hagrid tells Harry that Voldemort doesn’t have enough left of him to even die.

- Ron, Harry, and Hermione were willing to risk it all to take on the defenses guarding the Philosopher’s Stone, no matter the cost, to keep Voldemort from returning to full power.

Rowling subtly explores a lot of attitudes in our culture towards death.

Neville

Neville is an orphan and an only child. And he has no family of his generation or his parent’s generation. His family isn’t well off, but they are “comfortable”. His grandmother berates him and tries to make Neville live up to his fathers legacy. It is only when Neville is able to do his own thing that he thrives, and yet he loves his grandmother and she loves him. Neville is receiving the brunt of his grandmother’s grief for her son, Neville’s father. Neville is forgetful and very uncoordinated. When we meet him, it is because he lost his toad.

Therefore it is clear from the very beginning (in Dr. Poe’s eyes) that Neville will be a hero of the story.

Part of Neville becoming a great hero, is that you have to feel the great change take place within Neville as a sense of spiritual transformation. She draws you in, makes the case of future change and growth, and she intrigues you with the way things could be.

She doesn’t denounce Neville’s grandmother, but by the end of the story, the grandmother has seen what was in Neville all along. Neville and his grandmother adore each other completely, but Neville gains the confidence to do what he’d enjoy rather than just what she wants him to do.

Edger Allen Poe & Art.

Art is at the center of a culture and is an artifact of a culture; it represents the core beliefs and values of a culture. There were so many struggles with art over the centuries because the cultures were collapsing. Rowling took a great stand, as many movie makers did in the twentieth century, and she managed to create a sustained effect. Part of that is how she wants you to feel when you read her novels; she’s not trying to lecture you to teach you something, but she’s trying to get you to feel something.

“Before you can have art, there has to be entertainment.”

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

We meet Dobby for the first time. Harry goes back to the Dursley’s for the summer, and over the summer, a new character is introduced: Dobby the House Elf. He just pops up in Harry’s room, and he’s going to get Harry in trouble. Harry doesn’t like Dobby’s method of protecting him.

Harry doesn’t understand or like what Dobby is doing to try to save Harry’s life.

The mysteries of this book are why Dobby is trying to save Harry, who is the heir of Slytherin, and where is the Chamber of Secrets? Harry is the most likely candidate to be the heir of Slytherin because he can speak parseltongue. Harry doesn’t know he can speak Parseltongue, and there’s never been a witch or wizard who was a Parseltongue that didn’t end up becoming a dark sorcerer. When Moses cast down his staff in the court of Pharaoh, God transformed the staff into a serpent. This instance, like Harry’s ability, shows serpents in a somewhat better light.

Eve is the first parseltongue, but it runs in the family. Thus, we’re all Parseltongues, we’re all sinners, and we all have our little chats with Satan. We have all fallen short of the glory of God.

The whole idea of the serpent explored here takes us to the idea of the animagous. The first great animagous was Satan, but the greatest animagous is Jesus Christ. The Lord of Glory, Creator of Heaven and Earth, should empty himself and become a servant? That’s even more important than turning into animals. Jesus is the greatest one because He is God and yet able to become human. 

Halloween

In all of the books, there are important days. There are never any birthdays celebrated, though we do know of Harry’s. However, Sir Nicholas’s deathday is celebrated, which elaborates a little more towards the attitude toward death (opposed to birth). There is also Halloween (All Hollow’s Eve). On Halloween in Harry’s first year, the troll is let into the dungeon and vanquished by Harry and Ron. Halloween = All Hallows Eve (Deathly Hallows), All Saints Day celebrates all Christians that have died for their faith. This day celebrates the martyrs and those who have vanquished evil with their deaths. On Halloween, Lily and James Potter died, and Voldemort was also vanquished. On All Saints Day, evil is vanquished, but you’re not protected from dying.

On Halloween during Harry’s second year, the saints are under attack. Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave the deathday party, and the first attack has occurred. In order to have a martyr, someone has to die, and we see the first attack on this Halloween.

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

Christmas

Another holiday celebrated at Hogwarts is Christmas which is meant to celebrate the incarnation of God. There’s a breakdown in the passing on of the faith, and today is a culture that knows almost nothing of Christianity. That’s why, though they celebrate Christmas, Christianity, as a religion, is never mentioned in the books. All these elements are subtle. These books are very much intended for a secular audience.

“Christianity is one generation away from extinction.”

When we get to the last book, “for the greater good” is a vile and despicable philosophy that is prevalent; this means that someone’s going to get shafted so that others do all right. She teaches a generation that it’s not okay by writing for her culture’s feelings and brute reactions.

Dark Magic and the Occult in Harry Potter

Harry and Ron get to Hogwarts by means of a flying car, land in a Whomping Willow, and the car goes rogue. The car, like Riddle’s diary, can think for itself; it throws them out and heads off into the Forbidden Forest, yet it rescues them in their time of need.

Riddle’s diary is also considered occult. Wesley says “never to trust anything that thinks for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain.” Whenever we get into the occult in the books, there is always a warning. McGonagall and Dumbledore warn about divination, Wesley about Tom Riddle’s diary, and so on.

What’s the source of power for the occult? Like an Ouija Board or Tarot Cards, this is an aspect of the occult powered by the demonic. Rowling recognizes this, points to it, and she critiques it; you don’t dabble in things like that, even if, like voodoo, they’re a form of religion.

Chapter 6: A Biblical History of Wizards

Today we talked about the great "wizards" of the past that founded our houses and some of the spells, magic, and wonderful things that they have done. 

Moses

Returned to Egypt to free the Israelites, God turns his staff into a snake and Pharaohs magicians do the same thing, but God's snake eats them.

Curses and plagues. "Transfiguration" of water and blood. The curse of death was over everyone, but there was a way out if they put blood on there door.

Snakes show up everywhere in Harry Potter.

In C. S. Lewis' The Silver Chair, the sorceress is a green and silver snake (just like Slytherin.) 

Elijah

He was a prophet. Has a showdown with the prophets of Baal. Raises people from the dead.

Dumbledore and McGonagall both dislike divination. Divination is VERY different from prophesy. The difference lies within the source of the power. Divination is trying to pry truth away from the universe. Rowling is very negative about divination over all.

St. Patrick

Drove the snakes out of Ireland. Showed the power of God to the druid priests. Had visions.

St. Anthony

The founder of monasticism.  Ironically, leaves his sister at a convent so that he can go and start monasticism. Numerous encounters with the demonic. His biography was a favorite of St. Augustine.

Paul

Well-educated, survived stoning and snakebites, divine encounter with God, and many other things. 

Peter

Seen as the leader of the disciples. Walked on water (briefly). Healed the lame and sick. Simon the Sorcerer wanted to buy power from Peter, and then Peter condemned him, but this actually brings about Simon’s redemption. Peter also had visions. Goes to Cornelius’ house and has to explain how Gentiles now have the Holy Spirit. (Almost like Muggles suddenly becoming magical)

Elisha

Parted the Jordan River. Purified water by adding salt. Cursed those that made fun of his baldness. The widow’s oil and flour never runs out. Floating axe head.

Rowling bases much of her magic from the Biblical prophets.

A prophet (“Nabi” Hebrew means “gusher” you can’t ever shut them up) is not teller of the future. God said that telling the future was the sign that God would use to show that they are true prophet.

Prophecy have 3 forms. Shot term (within a few years), medium term (a few generation’s later), and long term (usually dealing with the coming of Jesus and the end times) prophecies.

For a long time there has been a movement to try to prove a logical reason for all the miracles in the Bible, but they always fail or are hung up on one thing or another. One explanation is that God only intervenes if it is a matter of conversion, but if that were the case, Elisha's axe head miracle makes no sense. 

Divination

Important around the world. People wanted to know what is going to happen. Through the years there have been many methods of divinations. The Bible doesn’t say that divination and necromancy can’t be done, it says NOT to do it.

Rowling has a lot to say about the dead and always says that trying to call up the dead is a bad idea. (This is different from the Hogwarts ghosts, but we will cover that later)

Canaanites

Believed the gods wanted human blood. They would drink the blood of their first-born child to gain the power from the god, cook the child and then eat it. 

God tells Abraham to have nothing to do with the cult, but then asks him to sacrifice his one and only son, but then God intervenes and provides a lamb. God is always limiting sacrifice more and more until there is just one sacrifice to atone for all sins.

Israelites are constantly drawn back to this Canaanite cultic worship and God has to continually punish them for it. 

Basic elements of the historical Gospel (pre-1910, since then the “gospel” is seen as something different)

1. Creator God (if you don’t accept that, nothing else makes sense)

2. God spoke through the prophets (this is what makes the Bible    

    different from all other holy books, the fact that it has prophecy 

    and they come true)

3. Jesus is fully human and fully God incarnate.

4. Jesus died for our sins.

5. Jesus rose from the dead.

6. Jesus is exulted to the right hand of God.

7. Gift of the Holy Spirit

8. Second coming

The prophets didn’t do the miracles under their own power, but with the power of God. That is what makes miracles different from black magic.

We start talking about the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone next week! 

- V. B.

Dr. Poe quote of the day: “A house divided against itself cannot stand. And see! You are all sitting!”