2. Dumbledore often says "Sometimes we sort too soon..." How is this applicable to you? Do you see sorting as something fluid when you're younger, and more stable when you're older? Explain a situation where you've acted more like a Ravenclaw in the past, but would act like a person in a different house now. How do Severus Snape and Peter Pettigrew play into this concept? (Here, have a big softball thrown down the center of the plate)
I think that when we're younger and our lives are so strange and undergoing so many changes, we like to think that we know exactly what kind of person we are, because doing so brings us comfort in an uncertain time. Being a teenager sucks, and to establish yourself as one type of person makes it that much less painful. At least this is how I feel it's applicable to me. When I initially applied to HiH, I was in the middle of completing the IB diploma at a school that I hated, where I felt alienated because I was so far away from the people that I truly considered my best friends. Because people often came to me for school advice, I told myself that that was my thing. That was what made me special, the fact that I'm smart, and I clung to it just a little bit too much.
I think that once we reach that certain age where something happens to make us realize what's really important, that's when we realize what idiots we were when we were younger. For me, it was reaching college and realizing just how important activism is to me (and always has been). In general, I see sorting as something that can be fluid when we're younger, and become more stable when we're older. Some get it right immediately, but some get it so very wrong. I always felt that Draco Malfoy, for instance, wasn't a Slytherin so much as he felt that he had to be and forced the mindset upon himself.
I would say that in eleventh grade, in particular, I spent too much time living inside my head. I thought about anything and everything too much, and was completely miserable as a result of it. I didn't make friends with the people that I wanted to make friends with at the time, because I was too stuck inside myself. I didn't take chances, I never went out when I wanted to, etc. I think that it's a Ravenclaw hangup to live inside your head a bit too much, to focus too much on your cerebral side. If I were to do that year over, I would take more chances. I would act more like a Gryffindor and would have done more with my daily life. I have learnt in the past year that even when I have some reservations, going out and just doing stuff is better for me. I never wind up regretting it, except for that one time with too much goldschlager. I'm too social and affable a person to allow myself to get wrapped up and cower in my room.
In the case of Snape and Pettigrew, I don't believe that either of them were sorted incorrectly. Snape, from the very beginning, strove for something more with his life. He wanted to gain some higher position, show the world that he was capable of power and recognition. This is why he compromised his friendship with Lily, this is why he joined up with Voldemort. The only reason that he changed sides was for her, because he believed the work he did on the other side would save her life. It wasn't because he believed in the cause, it wasn't because he considered it to be the right thing. It was out of love for Lily, and love is not something that Slytherins are excluded from by any means. He just realized a little bit too late that power was never the most important thing in life.
I really despise Pettigrew, as you know. However, I can't deny that it's a little bit impressive that he was able to make such a drastic break from the beliefs of his friends. Yes, it was treacherous and vile, but it was also surprisingly bold. And isn't that what Gryffindors are known for, their boldness? There are many types of Gryffindors, as we all like to stress, and they express the house traits in many ways. Just because I don't agree with Pettigrew's actions doesn't mean that I can deny that he belonged there.
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timeasmymeasure
holy tl;dr, batman!
Date: 2009-03-24 06:40 pm (UTC)I think that when we're younger and our lives are so strange and undergoing so many changes, we like to think that we know exactly what kind of person we are, because doing so brings us comfort in an uncertain time. Being a teenager sucks, and to establish yourself as one type of person makes it that much less painful. At least this is how I feel it's applicable to me. When I initially applied to HiH, I was in the middle of completing the IB diploma at a school that I hated, where I felt alienated because I was so far away from the people that I truly considered my best friends. Because people often came to me for school advice, I told myself that that was my thing. That was what made me special, the fact that I'm smart, and I clung to it just a little bit too much.
I think that once we reach that certain age where something happens to make us realize what's really important, that's when we realize what idiots we were when we were younger. For me, it was reaching college and realizing just how important activism is to me (and always has been). In general, I see sorting as something that can be fluid when we're younger, and become more stable when we're older. Some get it right immediately, but some get it so very wrong. I always felt that Draco Malfoy, for instance, wasn't a Slytherin so much as he felt that he had to be and forced the mindset upon himself.
I would say that in eleventh grade, in particular, I spent too much time living inside my head. I thought about anything and everything too much, and was completely miserable as a result of it. I didn't make friends with the people that I wanted to make friends with at the time, because I was too stuck inside myself. I didn't take chances, I never went out when I wanted to, etc. I think that it's a Ravenclaw hangup to live inside your head a bit too much, to focus too much on your cerebral side. If I were to do that year over, I would take more chances. I would act more like a Gryffindor and would have done more with my daily life. I have learnt in the past year that even when I have some reservations, going out and just doing stuff is better for me. I never wind up regretting it,
except for that one time with too much goldschlager. I'm too social and affable a person to allow myself to get wrapped up and cower in my room.In the case of Snape and Pettigrew, I don't believe that either of them were sorted incorrectly. Snape, from the very beginning, strove for something more with his life. He wanted to gain some higher position, show the world that he was capable of power and recognition. This is why he compromised his friendship with Lily, this is why he joined up with Voldemort. The only reason that he changed sides was for her, because he believed the work he did on the other side would save her life. It wasn't because he believed in the cause, it wasn't because he considered it to be the right thing. It was out of love for Lily, and love is not something that Slytherins are excluded from by any means. He just realized a little bit too late that power was never the most important thing in life.
I really despise Pettigrew, as you know. However, I can't deny that it's a little bit impressive that he was able to make such a drastic break from the beliefs of his friends. Yes, it was treacherous and vile, but it was also surprisingly bold. And isn't that what Gryffindors are known for, their boldness? There are many types of Gryffindors, as we all like to stress, and they express the house traits in many ways. Just because I don't agree with Pettigrew's actions doesn't mean that I can deny that he belonged there.