BOOK: The Goblet of Fire CHAPTER: 8 & 9 SYNOPSIS: Everyone attends the Quidditch World Cup, and later on that night, the Dark Mark is cast mysteriously in the woods, while Muggles are being harassed by Death Eaters. FOR TOMORROW: 10
This is a little late, but I laughed out loud at the descriptions of the clothes the various wizards/witches wore to make them seem like muggles. The thing I don't get is that the Howgwarts students don't seem to have any issues with muggle clothing. They always seem pretty well dressed (in the movies), though I can't stand the various Weasley haircuts.
I agree with you about the clothes - another continuity slip on JKR's part. I also find it odd that the wizards are so uninformed about Muggles in general when there are only a couple of wizard-only towns in all of England. Surely they must be integrated somehow. Has anyone thought about what kind of schooling children receive before Hogwarts?
I think jkr said once they are largely homeschooled before going to hogwarts. I gather (from side comments here and there) that although there are only a few all-magic villages and places, the magical community mostly keep to themselves. they have floo powder, for example, and the knight bus, and of course they can apparate (adults) so they generally go to work and come home and do their shopping without having to mix with muggles much. the burrow is out in the middle of nowhere, they have a back yard (garden) and their own small field with apple trees planted all around the edges (so they can ride broomsticks as long as they don't fly too high.) malfoys live in a large manor house, and presumably could have servants other than house elves, and have space to grow a garden to feed themselves.
I know of a family with about seven kids who turned their one acre lot into a small farm and put in solar "ekeltricity" and hot water and became nearly self-sufficient just on one acre...surely the wizards can do similarly.
it's no wonder mrs weasley didn't know about stamps...she's never mailed a letter to a muggle's home before, and all of her mail is delivered by owl. etc., etc.
Imagine a homeless kid growing up with his family wherever they can; many of them don't attend school on a regular basis because they don't have a fixed location for their place to stay, and can't always get to the school...they don't have TV to tell them how other people--those with homes--live, they can't even get library cards without an address (try it sometime). In Arizona, you can't even get on welfare without a permanent and stable address. Then they get to Junior high age and Dad finally gets a job, and they get an apartment, and have culture shock because there are teens with many changes of clothing, and they have big houses with wasted space, and several cars per family...the same sort of analogy could be drawn for wizards who never need to move in muggle society.
it's mostly the older wizards who have problems adjusting to muggle things, though, and apparently many of them live a lot longer than muggles...I believe it's stated that Dumbledore's something around 150, and nowhere near dying from natural causes despite his age. There's no telling how old archie is in his muggle nightgown...but I love his statement about a healthy breeze.
This is a little late, but I laughed out loud at the descriptions of the clothes the various wizards/witches wore to make them seem like muggles. The thing I don't get is that the Howgwarts students don't seem to have any issues with muggle clothing. They always seem pretty well dressed (in the movies), though I can't stand the various Weasley haircuts.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the clothes - another continuity slip on JKR's part. I also find it odd that the wizards are so uninformed about Muggles in general when there are only a couple of wizard-only towns in all of England. Surely they must be integrated somehow. Has anyone thought about what kind of schooling children receive before Hogwarts?
ReplyDeleteI think jkr said once they are largely homeschooled before going to hogwarts. I gather (from side comments here and there) that although there are only a few all-magic villages and places, the magical community mostly keep to themselves. they have floo powder, for example, and the knight bus, and of course they can apparate (adults) so they generally go to work and come home and do their shopping without having to mix with muggles much. the burrow is out in the middle of nowhere, they have a back yard (garden) and their own small field with apple trees planted all around the edges (so they can ride broomsticks as long as they don't fly too high.) malfoys live in a large manor house, and presumably could have servants other than house elves, and have space to grow a garden to feed themselves.
ReplyDeleteI know of a family with about seven kids who turned their one acre lot into a small farm and put in solar "ekeltricity" and hot water and became nearly self-sufficient just on one acre...surely the wizards can do similarly.
it's no wonder mrs weasley didn't know about stamps...she's never mailed a letter to a muggle's home before, and all of her mail is delivered by owl. etc., etc.
Imagine a homeless kid growing up with his family wherever they can; many of them don't attend school on a regular basis because they don't have a fixed location for their place to stay, and can't always get to the school...they don't have TV to tell them how other people--those with homes--live, they can't even get library cards without an address (try it sometime). In Arizona, you can't even get on welfare without a permanent and stable address. Then they get to Junior high age and Dad finally gets a job, and they get an apartment, and have culture shock because there are teens with many changes of clothing, and they have big houses with wasted space, and several cars per family...the same sort of analogy could be drawn for wizards who never need to move in muggle society.
it's mostly the older wizards who have problems adjusting to muggle things, though, and apparently many of them live a lot longer than muggles...I believe it's stated that Dumbledore's something around 150, and nowhere near dying from natural causes despite his age. There's no telling how old archie is in his muggle nightgown...but I love his statement about a healthy breeze.
Romana