Question about Harry Potter.
Jan. 8th, 2005 09:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conuly
What are the wizards so afraid of?
They've got law after law to keep them from being discovered, but why? What are they scared will happen? They make a point of teaching that muggle attempts to kill witches fail because muggles can't recognize witches (and anyway, witches and wizards can't be killed by muggles), so they're in no danger. Hagrid's idea that "well, then everybody would want magical solutions to their problems" doesn't ring quite true. So what if everybody wants a magical solution to their problems? Shouldn't it be up to the individual witch or wizard to decide if they're going to sell it? And if you don't want to give magical solutions to your problems, okay. Don't. End of problem. In fact, a substantial number of muggles already know about the wizarding world, it doesn't seem to have caused any real problems.
I don't see how the muggle world is a threat to the wizarding world, but because of this fear we've got: you can be arrested for using magic where a muggle can see, or if you're underage (I think this almost *must* be related, and I have a separate rant about this as well). There's a non-insignificant market of charmed muggle objects, this would probably be smaller if muggles knew enough to be wary. And there's an entire department or two of the government devoted to keeping people hidden.
Remember McGonagall's words in PS/SS? About how "it'd be a fine thing if the muggles found us", something like that? Well, what if they did find out about wizards and witches? What would happen?
The first, most obvious thing is that a lot of people would lose their jobs. Not only had they failed miserably at hiding the wizarding world, but it's all a moot point now anyway.
Secondly, muggle science needs some dramatic rewrites.
Third, society changes drastically.
Okay. I can see how this would be a problem, but where's the inherant harm in any of this? A little upheaval, and then we're all back to normal, business as usual.
They've got law after law to keep them from being discovered, but why? What are they scared will happen? They make a point of teaching that muggle attempts to kill witches fail because muggles can't recognize witches (and anyway, witches and wizards can't be killed by muggles), so they're in no danger. Hagrid's idea that "well, then everybody would want magical solutions to their problems" doesn't ring quite true. So what if everybody wants a magical solution to their problems? Shouldn't it be up to the individual witch or wizard to decide if they're going to sell it? And if you don't want to give magical solutions to your problems, okay. Don't. End of problem. In fact, a substantial number of muggles already know about the wizarding world, it doesn't seem to have caused any real problems.
I don't see how the muggle world is a threat to the wizarding world, but because of this fear we've got: you can be arrested for using magic where a muggle can see, or if you're underage (I think this almost *must* be related, and I have a separate rant about this as well). There's a non-insignificant market of charmed muggle objects, this would probably be smaller if muggles knew enough to be wary. And there's an entire department or two of the government devoted to keeping people hidden.
Remember McGonagall's words in PS/SS? About how "it'd be a fine thing if the muggles found us", something like that? Well, what if they did find out about wizards and witches? What would happen?
The first, most obvious thing is that a lot of people would lose their jobs. Not only had they failed miserably at hiding the wizarding world, but it's all a moot point now anyway.
Secondly, muggle science needs some dramatic rewrites.
Third, society changes drastically.
Okay. I can see how this would be a problem, but where's the inherant harm in any of this? A little upheaval, and then we're all back to normal, business as usual.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-01-08 09:29 pm (UTC)I think that the wand is the medium through which magic becomes available to the largest section of wizardry. Magic is in each person but they need that specific medium to get it out, and it is very very specific, limiting that person's leeway in the magic compartment. Think if you will about ollivander's line " the wand chooses the wizard".
Also, a wand does not allow for full exploitation except for the owner of that wand. Neville couldn't do squat with Hermione's wand in Ootp.
There are variations there, true, but I think it shows that there is probable proof there in suggesting that wandless magic is very rare and limited.
Further more,
the floo power is an interesting example, and I had to consider it for a moment. Then I made the connection, at least in my mind.
It's just another medium. a wand, the floo powder, a crystal ball, ... they all help channel the magic inside a person.
A wand is to floo powder what spells are to floo travel.
They are not the essence of magic, just the external way of getting magic to behave to the caster's intent.
The essence of magic is the essence itself inside the wizard/witch, not the manifestation of it.
There are of course
* the broom : the broom channels the magic, allowing for travel in the air.
* spells : incantation and directed effort through a wand make for the supposed manifestation of a witch/wizard's will.
* etc...
I think that it's probably this mindscape that is apparent in JKR's world, though that is my humble opinion. I might be 100 percent wrong and I'd be okay with that, her world is extraordinary enough to have inspired these conversations in the first place.
Still, I think by the before mentioned criteria, one could assume that wandless magic is extraordinary in itself and very rare.
To perform magic you need to have the means/mediums available to you. Any display of wandless magic seem to provoke a lot of respect in JKR's world, like a true Seer (very rare), Dumbledore's ability to weave a little wandless magic, etc...
*waves*