| halfbreedlover | Date: Thursday, 2013-04-04, 18:38 | Message # 1 |
 Just Received their Letter
Group: Slytherins
Messages: 9
Status: Offline
| Discussion questions- as with the Harry thread, some of these are my own, others are based off of questions from CoS.
1.) How has your perception of Dumbledore changed throughout the series?
2.) How did Dumbledore help Harry grow? Do you think Harry had a similar impact on Dumbledore?
3.) Was Dumbledore secretive by nature, or was this just a necessity in war?
4.) How did his experiences as a young adult, both with Grindelwald and the tragedies of his family, shape him?
5.) Was Dumbledore right in refusing the Office of Minister?
6.) Was Dumbledore at all responsible for what happened to Tom Riddle?
7.) Why was he so accepting of outcasts and misfits like werewolves, giants and the like?
"Today's cure is tomorrow's headache." Karl Pilkington
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| Yoana | Date: Thursday, 2013-04-04, 20:39 | Message # 2 |
 Just Received their Letter
Group: Muggles
Messages: 2
Status: Offline
| Hi! First post here.
1.) How has your perception of Dumbledore changed throughout the series?
I think Dumbledore had a great character development act and the inclusion of his backstory in the last two books greatly added to the effect. I liked that he was revealed to be somewhat ruthless and rather Machiavellian, because it gave him some depth, and added to the story - the situations he had to deal with were often impossible so he had to make difficult decisions.
2.) How did Dumbledore help Harry grow? Do you think Harry had a similar impact on Dumbledore?
I believe Harry gave Dumbledore hope for the future that wouldn't be able to see, and that's a lot for someone who knows he's dying in a world petrified by an imminent threat of violence and oppression. As for Harry, I think Dumbledore helped him grow mostly by gentle nudging in the right direction, but Harry had what it took from the very start.
3.) Was Dumbledore secretive by nature, or was this just a necessity in war?
I'm not sure. I think he must have grown rather secluded after his early life disappointments.
4.) How did his experiences as a young adult, both with Grindelwald and the tragedies of his family, shape him?
There's the seclusion that I mentioned, he was intensely private. And I think one can see the need to do good that drove him throughout his life, which I think could be a reaction to his part in Ariana's death - this is a parallel to Snape's arc, in my opinion. Maybe that's why he was the only one who had any capacity or will to look past Snape's horrendous deeds and see the potential for redemption.
5.) Was Dumbledore right in refusing the Office of Minister?
Yes, I think he was, and I love that we only learn why in the last book, because it was very relevant to Harry's dilemma at the end of it. He was wise and knew his weaknesses, and he had already witnessed the devastating effects of power placed in powerful hands firsthand.
6.) Was Dumbledore at all responsible for what happened to Tom Riddle?
I don't think he was. You can't punish pre-emptively, so he couldn't have locked him away, and given the evidence of Riddle's popularity in school, he was too outnumbered to do anything about his suspicions.
7.) Why was he so accepting of outcasts and misfits like werewolves, giants and the like?
I believe one reason is that wise people are above prejudice, because they see the bigger picture and aren't hindered by petty superstitions and stereotypes. Another is perhaps his remorse for his youth when he earnestly believed in his own superiority.
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| Iggy | Date: Friday, 2013-04-05, 01:18 | Message # 3 |
 Just Received their Letter
Group: Students
Messages: 5
Status: Offline
| Ooooh, awesome! I'm only going to answer a few questions now, and may get back to the others later.
1.) How has your perception of Dumbledore changed throughout the series?
Haha, well, keep in mind I was 11 when I first started reading the books, so my first impressions were those of a little kid. :P
I mostly saw Dumbledore as a wise mentor sort of character, a very powerful and understanding adult that Harry could turn to when things were at their worst. Things changed a little after HBP came out. I began to see a more strategic side of Dumbledore than I'd previously noticed (though in hindsight, it was always there to an extent).
DH just blew my mind. I wasn't upset that DD was revealed to have had a darker side in his youth (in fact, I love it!  ) but it certainly came as a surprise and I had to look at DD in a whole new light on rereads.
3.) Was Dumbledore secretive by nature, or was this just a necessity in war?
Considering that DD shows himself to be a competent instructor, a man of wit, and has accrued all sorts of accolades and positions, I'm inclined to think he's capable of holding the attention and respect of a wide variety of people. This doesn't really tell us whether or not he prefers keeping to himself, but I think it does tell us that he is very socially capable and has in the past made multiple acquaintances.
He does, I admit, have a lot in his past that he'd rather keep to himself, but I don't see that as being secretive "by nature." As to keeping secrets about the war, I think that's only practical considering Voldemort's Legilimency and the importance of his plans regarding the Hallows and the Horcruxes.
5.) Was Dumbledore right in refusing the Office of Minister?
Yes, for two reasons. First, Hogwarts is mentioned in the books as being a very special place, like a second home, for all sorts of people. I believe that this is, to an extent, true for Dumbledore. I think he knew he belonged there.
Second, I think the Ministry is portrayed as a very corrupt system. Scrimgeour, once a battle-hardened Auror, becomes preoccupied with his image to the point where he asks Harry to be their poster child. Combine this with the fact that the place is taken over incredibly early (and rather easily) by the DEs. I think DD knew that being part of that system couldn't be good for him, especially after his experience with Grindelwald.
6.) Was Dumbledore at all responsible for what happened to Tom Riddle?
Well, since he was a teacher at Tom's school, I can't really absolve him of all responsibility. However, keep in mind that DD was 1) Not Tom's Head of House and therefore was not directly responsible for Tom's extracurricular welfare, and 2) Not in charge of the school, having to answer to the much more lenient Dippet. So while he does have a certain amount of responsilibilty for Tom simply from being his teacher and an adult in his life, I think that a lot more of the responsibility rests on Dippet, Slughorn, and, of course, Tom himself.
7.) Why was he so accepting of outcasts and misfits like werewolves, giants and the like?
He'd screwed up big time himself when he was a teen. To piggyback off Yoana's comment about his remorse, I think his sense of guilt does prevent him from feeling as though he is superior to these outcasts. After all, he was far more of an active participant in his and Gellert's plans than, say, a random kid who was one day bitten by a rogue werewolf, of a giant who was simply born into an outcast society.
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| Fawkesfan1 | Date: Saturday, 2013-04-06, 01:54 | Message # 4 |
 Third Year
Group: Gryffindors
Messages: 122
Status: Offline
| 1.) How has your perception of Dumbledore changed throughout the series?
Definitely. He was almost a mythical character (like Merlin -- and after finding out that he was human and made mistakes, even more so, since Merlin too made mistakes). Really liked him as a character, seeing him help Harry both directly and indirectly.
After I found out that he was in a way 'grooming' him for his fight against Voldemort (imho), I kind of felt like Snape about it, rather incredulous. Not that he cared about Harry in any way per say, but I don't know how any one could really feel the same after finding out something such as that. Lost some respect for him after that.
2.) How did Dumbledore help Harry grow? Do you think Harry had a similar impact on Dumbledore?
Yes he did, he showed that he cared about him. He might have cared too much, but I think that getting to know Harry helped to make him grow as well, and realize that it isn't a bad thing in terms of getting to know someone and to care about them.
3.) Was Dumbledore secretive by nature, or was this just a necessity in war?
I think he was, especially after what had happened to his sister, Ariana. He probably was ashamed of what happened.
4.) How did his experiences as a young adult, both with Grindelwald and the tragedies of his family, shape him?
It probably made him feel more shut off from his family, more secretive, less likely to trust others completely.
5.) Was Dumbledore right in refusing the Office of Minister?
Definitely. He knew his own weaknesses and flaws (as in wanting power -- not quite in the same way as Voldemort, but still...) better than anyone else, and didn't want to be tempted. He figured that he'd do more good in terms of teaching children the ways of magic.
6.) Was Dumbledore at all responsible for what happened to Tom Riddle?
Maybe. In the sense that he didn't let Slughorn know that Voldemort/Tom Riddle was trying to use him.
7.) Why was he so accepting of outcasts and misfits like werewolves, giants and the like?
I think it was due to the loss of his sister Ariana. It made him somewhat more empathetic towards beings that were different than he was, unlike Voldemort and Umbridge.
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