| Saturday, 28 July 2007 |
| the sorting |
Now that Potter mania has rightly descended upon the English speaking world, I feel that its time I settled a long standing desire of mine to write an entry about the Sorting.
Yes, the whole process of getting sorted by the Sorting Hat, that mysterious hat that talks and sings. The process that every student that enters Hogwarts has to go through, where they find their family away from home.
Ever since I became a fan of the books, I've always had a desire to get sorted. I've always wondered which house the Sorting hat would have decided to place me in, or rather, which house I would have desired to be placed in.
Would it be Gryffindor, 'where dwell the brave of heart'? Or Ravenclaw, 'where those of wit and learning will always find their kind'?
Would it be Hufflepuff, 'where they are just and loyal'? Or even Slytherin, surrounded by other 'cunning folks who use any means to achieve their ends'?
I think it speaks alot about your character based on the kind of House you identify yourself with, a sort of reflection of your character. Kind of like a personality test really, which I absolutely love doing.
I must say, in the very beginning, I've always desired to be placed in Slytherin. A house filled with power hungry people, children of great ambition, people of sharp and cunning minds. I felt a mysterious draw towards the house that produced so many dark wizards, people like Severus Snape, the Malfoys, Bellatrix and ultimately, Lord Voldemort himself.
But would I be suited to be in Slytherin? I have long fantasied that I could be someone who is evil, cruel and cold-hearted, who could detach his mind from his heart, someone ambitious, cunning, manipulative, someone purely concerned with his own self motive and self preservation.
But as I grew older, I find that I don't hold a single tread of the Slytherin system of beliefs in me, except that yes, I think I can be a little self centred at times and that I do experience that occasional stab of cruelty and malice to people of lower social class or intelligence, even race, especially when they annoy me. This is something that I liken to the way the majority of Slytherins are prejudiced against wizards of non-pure blood births.
I readily admit that I see things in a very class conscious way. My first impressions of people are often tainted by my own thoughts about their upbringing, their social status etc, which I know, is a very despicable act, but I can't help it because of the way I was brought up in a constant upper middle class environment. I think I'm too spoilt and used to the world being educated, informed and reasoned, so much so that I view people of a lower class upbringing to be less worthy or intelligent.
BUT, in my own defence, I'm like Professor Slughorn. Though I may have initial doubts about someone's character based on his or her social class etc, I will readily change my views if that person impresses me. I guess I'm more of a meritocrat. I like people who impress me, who are successful or possess something in their personality that endears me to him/her.
So even though I may have a little subconscious prejudice against others of different social status, race etc, I have no trouble liking them if they do something that impresses me. Still rather despicable, but I guess I'm just like that.
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Of all the four houses, I deem Hufflepuff the one house that I will NEVER ever be sorted (or choose to be sorted) into. NEVER EVER.
Hufflepuff is the house of do-gooders, the house which values hard work, loyalty, patience, friendship and fair play above all else. While I place utmost value on hard work and also loyalty in friendship, I feel that I am most unsuited for life in Hufflepuff because I value my personal freedom and identity too greatly.
Hufflepuffs, to put it simply, strike me as the kind of people who sacrifice bits and pieces of their personality, desires and wants to fit the demands of the majority, the fit in with the rest of the crowd. I think they are the ultimately social creatures, they feel out out of place if they aren't together as a group, they feel out of place if they are forced to think and act on their own accord.
I need room to be myself, to think as an individual. I need my own personal space, my own thought window and world that I can sink into without intrusion. I cannot survive in an environment where I'm forced to live, work and exist together with a group of people 24/7, having to be patient with others all the time, having to compromise my own personality and self to meet the general consensus of people. Absolutely not.
Ask me to work with others from time to time, and I would be happy to. Ask me to work with others in an environment where everyone is good-natured and happy 24/7, I think will turn mad and would start ripping your guts out to feed the crows flying about.
And personally, if you ask me, I think I do my best magic when I work alone.
Oh and having to be good all the time would drive me mad - can you imagine? Playing fair, being hundred percent loyal, putting in hard work every single day of your school life? Sounds so dull and boring. I prefer some opportunity to, once in awhile, do something rebellious, reckless even evil.
Hufflepuff just sounds so boring.
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Ah Gryffindor. The house that receives so much attention in the books, simply because majority of the characters on the side of good are from this noble house.
This is the house which values courage, chivalry and boldness above all else. Here 'dwells the brave at heart, where daring, nerve and chivalry, set Gryffindors apart'.
But I think Gryffindors have something more in them than just a unlimited source of courage and bravery, I think Gryffindors are also inculcated with the value of being self sacrificial, being noble, always doing things 'for the Greater Good'. Their courage comes from being able to stand up, not only for themselves, but for other people as well.
And also that they have a streak of idealism in them; they are very idealistic people, very driven and passionate about how they want to live their lives, how they want to change their lives, how they want to help and change OTHERS' lives as well.
Am I a Gryffindor? At the very least, I think I am more a Gryffindor than a Hufflepuff. I don't think I am a very courageous person, but I am definitely very very idealistic.
I am someone who is very caught up with the 'Grand Notions of Life', caught up with the nobility of being able to 'Change the World', living a life with 'illusions of Grandeur'. When I was younger, I remember finding it horrifying that the world can be so different from the idealistic, perfect world that I'm used to living or being in, that things can so be different out there, and people can be so different from what you expect them to be (and maybe, to a certain extent I still feel that way right now).
I used to have grand dreams about liberating the world, making a difference, changing the way people live, think, feel. Being a leader of a revolution, being someone who revolutionizes the world, who makes it a better place. Being someone important.
As much as they try to deny it, I think Gryffindors love feeling that they are important people, and I do too. But whether or not I am courageous enough to make the effort, to take the steps to achieve all these grand desires and put forth all these grand notions is another matter altogether.
I think courage comes in all sorts of packages. While I'm not one of those few who dare to do courageous feats like jump across buildings or climb Mount Everest or save a child from a burning building, I think my courage comes from believing in what is right and taking a stand and not backing down. Even if the stand I'm taking isn't the most popular or supported option, once I've made my stand, I won't back down.
I guess that's where my courage is. I believe strongly in what I think, I dare to say what I have to say, I dare to type what I want to and have to type. Nothing much, but it means alot to me.
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And now Ravenclaw. This is honestly, the house where I feel, I would be most at home. And that yes, I would definitely ask the Sorting Hat to put me there.
Ravenclaw is the house where those possessing intelligence, wit and knowledge go to. Ravenclaw is the place where people who love to think, love intellectual challenge find their place in Hogwarts. I'm not being vain here, but I think (see, I love to think!) I'm sufficiently intelligent enough to be warranted a place here.
Unfortunately, we don't really get to see lots of Ravenclaws in action in the books. The most notable of Ravenclaws would be Luna Lovegood, the adorable, slightly dotty blonde who has such a crazy belief system that she believes almost everything and anything under the sun.
And I guess the fact that someone as flippant as Luna can be sorted in Ravenclaw says something about Ravenclaws in general, that its not merely being intelligent that counts here, its about being open to intellectual ideas and thoughts. Its the thought process that counts, not what is produced by it.
I guess I'm alot like Luna. I like to keep my options and beliefs open, so much so I very readily change my views and opinions concerning matters if something logical and convincing has been put across to me.
Its all about being mentally malleable and flexible. Never let your mind be stuck in a rut, always think and come up with new interesting ideas, new fantastic connections, always reason with your thoughts, wrestle with your emotions, and then you'll achieve wonders from it.
Afterall, 'Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure!'
Another thing about Ravenclaws is that they are probably the only house that values independent thinking and individual freedom of thought. Yes, that's another thing that I value so much. Individual identity - its all about having your own beliefs, your own thoughts, your own way of thinking, viewing life. Freedom of self thought leads to freedom of self identity.
And where else but in Ravenclaw, the house which encourages you to think freely, to 'use your brain!' would you be able to develop your own personal notion of self?
Its here that I feel that I would be able to daydream all there, be able to be caught up in my own world of personal thoughts, conclusions and dreams, and enjoy the personal space and solitude that I so fiercely protect and desperately seek.
In the end, being a Ravenclaw, is all about being yourself. Being able to look yourself in the mirror, and tell yourself that you are who you are, being proud of your own beliefs, being proud that you are able to think so differently, so uniquely, so introspectively, so readily. Because really, its the thought that counts.
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In conclusion:
I'm abit of everything.
Prejudice and a degree of self-importance from Slytherin.
Hard work and loyalty to friendship from Hufflepuff.
Idealism and a dash of courage from Gryffindor.
But mostly the love of individual and intellectual freedom, from Ravenclaw.
I guess it all boils down to which house you'll choose to be in. And I have no doubt as to which house that will be.Labels: fanboy, harry potter, soul |
posted by voldemort33 @ 11:14  |
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