So I was up really, really late last night reading and marking a student paper (just a couple more to go). In between reading and marking, I was trying to advance my way, slowly, through the Pottermore site. It's a beautiful, creative site, but my ancient computer, which has connectivity/page load problems, was not happy. I would often have to begin loading things, skip off the site, work for a while, then go back when the page had fully loaded.
With one thing and another, I didn't hit the "sorting ceremony" until 1:30 am.
A word to the wise. Do not let yourself be sorted in your Hogwarts house at 1:30 am.
Another word to the wise. Go with your first gut instinct on responses. Do not second-guess yourself and try to be whimsical (which relates to "do not do this at 1:30 in the morning").
And a final word to the wise: don't take the sorting hat quiz when you've been reading Martin Luther. I know, I know, I'm probably the only person on the planet who would mix these two activities...but still. I mean, Luther was wonderful, but he did have that "sin boldly" thing going on, which may account for the fact that the darn website put me into...
Slytherin!
Are you through laughing?
Me neither.
This is just such a riot. I am so not Slytherin. And I don't say it just because all the baddies came from there. There is nothing about the Slytherin temperament, even its stronger, more positive aspects, that feels remotely like me.
I am not ambitious.
I view power very cautiously (believing that in the human realm, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely...and loving that in the kingdom realm, God the all powerful shows us his power by being freely willing to give it up).
I do not feel tempted by the dark arts. They make me angry. They repel me. When I am feeling especially full of spiritual health and vigor, I am most tempted to laugh at them because I recognize how pitiful and derivative they are.
And my view of "greatness" (since Slytherin is all about seeing "greatness" in its students)? Well, my favorite picture of greatness is Jesus picking up the basin and towel.
So tell me...how did I end up being chosen for Slytherin? Perhaps it's my deep love for the colors green and silver (for real...I do love those colors...but of course colors weren't part of the quiz, so I don't think that could really be it).
Or maybe it's all that poetry I wrote about Snape seeping back through my consciousness.Or perhaps it's that answering irrevocable questions at 1:30 in the morning thing.
If you've not been sorted into Pottermore yet, take my advice -- go into it fresh as a daisy and answer with your first instincts. Because now I'll never know if I'm really a Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Gryffindor, and I know I'm one of the three. I've always suspected Hufflepuff (not intelligent enough for R, not brave enough for G, and deeply, truly prize faithfuless and behind the scenes perseverance).
2 comments:
What always gets me about the House sorting is, are you sorted according to temperament, or what you value? Because as a kid I was always stupidly brave, but even then I valued loyalty and trustworthiness over bravery or brains (and certainly over ambition). So would I have ended up in Gryffindor, for my natural bent, or Hufflepuff, for what I choose as important?
I also really, really want to know (I'm re-reading the Harry Potter series right now, so all these questions are fresh in my mind) about the lesser magic schools. Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang are described as the three biggest and best in Europe - which has to indicate that there are smaller European magic schools, right? And what about other continents? How do American and Canadian witches and wizards get trained? Or Asian, or African? Does Hogwarts ever do exchange programs?
I confess, I find myself far more interested in the details of this magical world Rowling has created than in the actual Harry Potter storyline itself.
Louise, I know what you mean. I've often wondered about those questions too. Temperament and values are not necessarily intertwined. I value courage highly, for instance, but I do not see myself as a very brave person...though I think I could be very brave given certain circumstances. So I've often wondered if I wouldn't be sorted into Gryffindor as a Neville type person.
And of course quiz generators (which can make me laugh sometimes) often feel so random -- can they really measure either temperament or values? One of the best moments in HP, for me, comes when Harry helps choose his own path by telling the Sorting Hat where he doesn't want to be. The whole nature/nurture, choice/determinism issue in HP world fascinates me.
I suspect JKR got carried away with the details of her secondary world too -- sometimes to the point that it distracted her from the story. But it's hard to mind. She has created such a fascinating, complex world, but really only given us a tiny glimpse of it...
I was on your blog the other day and meant to leave you a note about your recent post on Lloyd Alexander. We recently introduced our daughter to Prydain and she is in love with the books! I am way overdue to write a post about her response to Black Cauldron. Such good stories (and I am loving reading them aloud and doing the different voices...)
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