Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Sorry that there wasn't an update yesterday. I was off at Cedar Point with the boys Josh and Zach, and boy did we have a blast. I want to thank them on here for a very wonderful day yesterday. You both put up with my motion sickness so well, and gave me a nice long break from rollercoasters after lunch. Even though I was sick for the half of the day, I'm glad that I made you both laugh, and as you have told me you will have lasting memories of that day, some which include, "WHY DID I DO THIS!!!!!!" on the millenium force. You two are the very best, even when Josh is laughing at me on the rides instead of asking me if I'm alright the way Zach was. <3
That being said, we move on wards!
It is clear to me as I am reading Prisoner of Azkaban that it was once my favorite Harry Potter novel. My binding is so worn that I can lay the book down on a table and it will stay open on the page I am reading without me having to hold it. Obviously it is this way for good reason; Prisoner of Azkaban has never failed to make me laugh out loud every ten pages. Most of it consistent banter between hilarious characters that introduced in the book like Stan Shunpike, the Knight Bus conductor, Sir Cadogan, the painting of a short and stout knight that is loud and bold, and Professor Trelawny, who is by far the most absurd character Jo has ever written for the series.
I remember anxiously waiting for the movie of PoA to come out because I wanted to see Marge blow up like a balloon. I hate that woman so much, I laugh derisively at her as she boobs off into the night sky, her shrieks growing fainter and fainter. As I am re-reading this one, I noticed something that I overlooked the many times I have read this book. First bear this in mind before continuing on, Aunt Marge is absolutely not a kind and considerate woman. She is her brother Vernon but in a woman's body, therefore, she is just as unpleasant as he is. Knowing this I looked at Harry through her eyes for a moment in the book a found a startling discovery as to why she may hate him so much. Marge has no idea that Harry is a wizard, the only things that she knows about Harry are the things that she hears from her brother and sister-in-law, and of course they never have a good thing to say about him. Marge was told that Harry got dumped on her brother's doorstep because her sister-in-law's irresponsible sister and her husband got into a car crash. She was made to believe by her brother and Petunia that Harry's parents were most likely alcoholics and that is how they got into the car crash in the first place. The Dursleys never confirm Marge's guesses about Harry's parents lives, but they never discount them either. This just gives Marge more of a reason to hate Harry besides her already being an unpleasant character in the first place.
Reading this book makes me amazed at how Jo really goes into the little details about the wizarding world. She even makes up their own little phrases to say, that is different from what we have heard in the 'muggle' world. When Harry is on the Knight Bus, Stan and Ern, the bus driver, are talking about the guards of Azkaban and Ern says, "Talk about summat else, Stan, there's a good lad. Them Azkaban guards give me the collywobbles." It's brilliant! Instead of saying that they give him the shivers or the shakes she makes up an entirely different word for it for them.
Another thing that I noticed with the Knight Bus scene is that Jo clearly makes sure to show the reader all of the different classes involved in their society that is very similar to ours. There is Harry, who is upper middle class, has enough money to buy plenty of things, and there is Stan and Ern who talk differently than most of the other characters in the novel. They aren't exactly Hagrid's style, but they are different in which they take short cuts with their words and uses the wrong pronouns. It is most apparent when Fudge comes into the scene and wants a 'private parlor' to talk to Harry so that he won't have to be interrupted by Stan and Ern. It is just another reason why Jo is so brilliant, and I really appreciate the difference in social class and how she writes the characters from each class.
One thing that confused me so much as a kid while reading this book was the scene when Ron takes Scabbers into the pet shop in Diagon Alley. I remember because it catches me off guard every time. Here is the conversation between Ron and the woman who works at the Pet Shop.
"It's my rat," he told the witch. "He's been a bit off-color ever since I brought him back from Egypt."
"Bang him on the counter," said the witch, pulling a pair of heavy black spectacles out of her pocket.
Bang him on the counter?! Every time I read this line, I think, "What? What the heck will banging him on the counter do for Scabbers? It's gonna hurt that rat even more!" and every time I read on, I think, "Wow, Dawn. It's a British saying." Even though I read on and realize that she means put him on the counter, I wish that Ron would bang him on the counter anyway. The little berk Peter deserves more than a banging.
Onto funny quotes I have read so far. There are literally so many that I love in this book that I had to limit it to five, but a very funny five they are, and they go as follows:
1. This is Fred an George talking to Harry about Percy being annoying ever since he was made Head Boy.
...George heaved a sigh. "We tried to shut him in a pyramid," he told Harry. "But mum spotted us."
2. The mirrors in the rooms at the Leaky Cauldron all talk, and this time the mirror says something absolutely hilarious to Harry after he overhears that Sirius Black wants to kill him.
"I'm not going to be murdered," Harry said out loud.
"That's the spirit, dear," said his mirror sleepily.
3. This quote is another from the twins when they talk about Malfoy being a hypocrite for making fun of Harry for feinting when the dementors came onto the Hogwarts Express.
"That little git," George said calmly. "He wasn't so cocky last night when the dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he, Fred?"
"Nearly wet himself," said Fred, with a contemptuous glance at Malfoy,
4. This scene is just too much to type all of it out. This is probably my most favorite scene in the whole book, apart from Hermione slapping Malfoy of course, but it is when the trio are trying to find their way to Divination, and they are going to be late, so they get help from Sir Cadogan, the plump knight in a painting on the seventh floor. Just read the whole scene over again. It is the funniest character banter she may have ever written for the HP series.
"Farewell, my comrades-in-arms! If ever you have need of noble heart or steely sinew, call upon Sir Cadogan!"
"Yeah, we'll call you," muttered Ron as the knight disappeared, "if we ever need someone mental."
5. This is one of my favorite McGonagall lines in HP. It is the scene after Trelawny predicts that Harry will die, and McGonagall is trying to convince the class not to hold any merit to what she says, as she predicts the death of a student at the beginning of every year ever since she became employed at Hogwarts.
"You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework for today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in."
That concludes that blog entry for today. Sorry that I missed yesterday, but I'll have another big one for you tomorrow. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment