It seems to me that Hogwarts doesn't have much in the way of the humanities, unless there are a bunch of classes and clubs we just don't know about because Harry isn't involved in them. On the one hand, it makes sense that a school focusing on magic might not bother with the more artistic side of things, since presumably wizards might do things the same way as Muggles when it comes to writing a story, singing a song, making a sculpture or something of that nature.
Still, I'd think they could have more of an outlet for students who are so inclined. While there is some opportunity for creativity in such classes as Charms and Transfiguration - and, inadvertently, Trelawney's class essentially is a creative writing class - there doesn't seem to be a drama club, a literary magazine or student newspaper, a hall where there are displays of student-generated work... One of my favorite additions to the third movie was the choir of toad-toting kids. I definitely don't remember any mention of that in the book, but I love the idea of there being an official Hogwarts choir, and I guess this would indicate the possibility there may be a lot more going on at that school than we get a glimpse of. I for one would be really interested to see how wizarding paintings are made, since their occupants are ever so much more vivacious than those in Muggle paintings...
On a side note, I wonder what the educational system is like pre-Hogwarts? I wouldn't think there would be enough witches and wizards of the same age to have schools on the local level. I mainly think of this with the Weasleys, since they're such a big family and we see so much of them. I'd think one of them might have mentioned something about their previous schooling experiences, but I can't recall that they have. Might they have been home schooled? Gone to a Muggle school? Or is there some sort of institution like Hogwarts for younger kids?
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2 comments:
Great musings, Erin!
I would hope that there would be at least some opportunities for music at Hogwarts, given Dumbledore's love of it. "A magic beyond all we do here!"
Colin Creevy would make a great cub reporter or member of a photographic club.
And how right you are that it would be fun to see how wizard paintings are painted. I wonder if we couldn't speculate a bit given the tantalizing glimpses Rowling gives us of how certain "ordinary" things work in wizarding homes -- Molly's cooking, for instance, is an interesting mix of muggle cooking methods and magic, so it seems to me that the wizarding world still values creativity. She doesn't just whip a dish of something out of thin air; she still makes things "from scratch" (and is renowed for her cooking) but uses magic to speed things up (like a knife that can cut veggies while she goes about doing other things -- I WANT one of those!). Likewise, I wonder how she knits those Christmas jumpers? Probably a lot like Hermione does in GoF with the elf hats, by enchanting the needles. And yet apparently it still takes some innate creativity and skill since Hermione's hats are pretty awful at first, and we're given to believe her knitting improves as the year goes on.
I don't know why, but I've just always assumed that pre-Hogwarts, kids in the wizarding world are homeschooled. I would think that maybe families focus their energies on teaching kids more ordinary/useful things (cleaning charms, for instance?) but I don't think the books bear that out entirely, since Ron seems to have no clue how to do any magic when he first goes to Hogwarts ("turn this stupid fat rat yellow!).
Hmm...interesting thoughts indeed. Thanks for raising them!
Re-watching GoF the other night, I was struck by the band heralding the Tri-Wizard tournament - so a choir and a marching band are in place at least... Dumbledore must approve! Speaking of music, I've just learned that the "wizard rock" band Harry and the Potters are doing a free concert in Buffalo on July 24th; I'm tempted to check it out...
You're right, a lot of work does seem to go into cooking and knitting, even if there isn't direct physical contact. One would presume, for instance, that Hermione would have to be concentrating on what she wants her needles to do while managing to forego the interference of her fingers. Incidentally, I love that little exchange between Arthur and Kingsley toward the beginning of OotP, when he tells him in an undertone at the office to drop by for dinner because Molly is making meatballs. :D
The homeschool option makes sense to me... I'd think the parents would want to give their children some grounding in wizarding ways, and doing it from home would probably be more practical given their limited numbers, and more comforting since the kids are rather young to be off at boarding school by themselves... Plus it would explain why so many first-years are downright terrified upon entering Hogwarts! It's bound to be intimidating in any event, but for students who've never been to a regular school before that would be quite a culture shock!
That's true about Ron... Though throughout the books his magical skills rarely are far beyond the mediocre. Poor Ron... It's so hard for him to find a place in the spotlight. The wizarding world's Bobby Fischer perhaps? :-P
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