I will refrain from posting a full review of the film. It was definitely good, very action packed, but not my favorite of the eight. I had trouble with some of the changes they made from the book (I almost always do), especially the fact that they left out Harry's struggle with Dumbledore - his wondering about the past and what he really knew of the man. I had just finished re-reading the book, and it bothered me that this major theme was missing from the movie. Anyhow, I digress.
JP and I spent a while processing the movie (Sydney Moulton - I'm still happy to have our process the film phone call, even if it is a bit after the fact). We talked about this last movie, and then about the Harry Potter story in general, Rowling's writing style, and her ability to bring to life richly-developed characters.
We talked about the characters we loved (Dobby, Hermione, Snape and Neville, among others) and the ones we despised (Bellatrix LaStrange - oh how much I loved when Molly Weasley took her out). Our thoughts about the characters were largely the same, both of us feeling the way Rowling probably wanted the reader to feel. However, on one character, we disagreed.
JP strongly dislikes Draco Malfoy and his punk-self while I struggle with him as a character, especially in this movie. Draco's life is unfortunate in many ways. He grows up indoctrinated by his mother and father, brought up to believe the "racist" lie that purebloods have some sort of superior status. He's a "bad" kid, constantly picking on the good guys and bringing them trouble. However, he's not ALL bad.
Despite his upbringing, Slytherin ways, and his evil pride, in Half Blood Prince, Draco struggles to fulfill Voldemort's orders to kill Dumbledore. He just can't do it. In Deathly Hallows, he won't tell Bellatrix that it's truly Harry who has been brought in by the snatchers, and he struggles to fight Harry in the Room of Requirement. I think that he's struggling against his desire to do good, to be on the same side as Harry and the role he's created for himself. Draco has gone a long ways down the path he's taken - he's a Death Eater, the son of Lucius and Narissa Malfoy, and he's filled the "bad kid" role for so long. But it's clear to me that, at least in part, that isn't who he wants to be. He just struggles to break out of that mold he's been in for so long.
And that, my friends, is the prototype of my favorite students to teach. I love to work with kids who are a bit "rough around the edges". The ones that have almost made it up in their minds that they are not-good students and so they try to act like poor students, but you can tell that really, deep down, they'd love to succeed. Or the ones that are the trouble makers. They've been the problem child for so long that it's almost a part of their DNA, and they act like they enjoy that role, but you can tell, really, they'd love to break free from those chains. I love teaching those kids. I love trying to help them see the sparks of goodness underneath the layers of disappointment, failure, and struggle, and helping them "take off" those layers, until they find the person they want to become. It's one of the reasons I enjoy teaching upper elementary so much - those layers can still come off, they haven't solidified. Kids have the opportunity to stop being the "Death Eater" or the "bad guy" and become their best selves. And oh, how I love to help them make that transition.
I had a student once who was much like this. He was smart, and a great kid, who had been hardened by many circumstances in his life. He constantly got into trouble, and was rude to the other students, and especially to me. He made me cry on numerous occasions, both from his harsh words, and my frustration with him not living out his potential. It took nearly two years of hard work, showing him his successes, pointing out his goodness, and showing him love for him before he finally opened up, and trusted me enough to try to change. It was hard for him to attempt to alter his identity, knowing that he would sometimes fall into old habits and need to pick himself back up and try again. But this student made tremendous improvements, ended up receiving a "most improved student" award, got perfect scores on his standardized tests, is in honors classes in middle school, and gave me a hug, as we both shed tears, on his last day of elementary school. Oh what a sweet day that was!
All teachers love having Hermiones. Students who succeed, love learning and want to be pushed to greater heights academically. However, if Draco Malfoy was a rising 5th grader - I'd want him to be in my class too.
1 comment:
Beautiful post, as always darlin. I'm glad the world has people like you to love those who are difficult for the rest of us to identify with.
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