Publish Problem of Wands

1 files changed, 81 insertions, 68 deletions

diff --git a/faith/problem-of-wands.rst b/faith/problem-of-wands.rst
index 49101a7..00de361 100644
--- a/faith/problem-of-wands.rst
+++ b/faith/problem-of-wands.rst
@@ -2,84 +2,97 @@ The Problem of Peter Pevensie and The Problem of Wands
 ######################################################
 
 :date: 2019-10-17T19:00:08
-:status: draft
 :category: faith
 :tags: review, harryPotter, blogComment
 
 (my comment on the discussion under “`Summer Vacation`_” by 
 Forrest_of_Holly)
 
-I have rather complicated history with the Deathly Hallows. 
-I have bought the book six hours after it was published (no 
-I couldn’t bother myself to get up at midnight) while on the 
-work-related conference in Birmingham (I am a Czech from Prague 
-otherwise), read it over-night, so I flew home rather blurry, and 
-I thought that it is the best book of the series. Longer I think 
-about that (and longer I participate in the discussions about it 
-on the Internet), more I am discouraged. It seems to me that 
-Horcruxes, whole camping area, and the finale is very much 
-under-thought plotcruch and that the whole book is just thinly 
-covered one large plothole. Certainly whole idea about the 
-transfer of ownership of wands seems to me more like *deus ex 
-machina* more than anything else.
+I have rather complicated history with the Deathly Hallows.
+I have bought the book six hours after it was published (no I
+couldn’t bother myself to get up at midnight) while on the
+work-related conference in Birmingham (I am a Czech from Prague
+otherwise), read it over-night, so I flew home rather blurry,
+and I thought that it is the best book of the series. Longer I
+think about that (and longer I participate in the discussions
+about it on the Internet), more I am discouraged. It seems to
+me that Horcruxes, whole camping area, and the finale is very
+much under-thought plotcruch and that the whole book is just
+thinly covered one large plothole. Certainly whole idea about
+the transfer of ownership of wands seems to me more like *deus
+ex machina* more than anything else.
 
-Of course, Ms Rowling has to struggle with the bane of all 
-children/young-adult books, which I called The Problem of Peter 
-Pevensie. In the finale of the first book from The Chronicles of 
-Narnia series, we should believe that thirteen year old 
-(magically slightly grown older) boy defeated in the fair battle 
-the mightiest of all witches of the superhuman size. It is barely 
-possible to do it in the book, where the suspense of unbelief is 
-more simple, but when they tried to make a film from the Narnia 
-Chronicles, the result is a pure disaster: thirteen year old boy 
-fighting adult warrioress just looks ridiculous, whatever film 
-magic you apply (similarly, it turned impossible to make a good 
-film Aslan … whatever they tried he looks still like a overgrown 
-plush toy).
+Of course, Ms Rowling has to struggle with the bane of all
+children/young-adult books, which I called The Problem of
+Peter Pevensie. In the finale of the first book from The
+Chronicles of Narnia series, we should believe that thirteen
+year old (magically slightly grown older) boy defeated in the
+fair battle the mightiest of all witches of the superhuman
+size. It is barely possible to do it in the book, where the
+suspense of unbelief is more simple, but when they tried to
+make a film from the Narnia Chronicles, the result is a pure
+disaster: thirteen year old boy fighting adult warrioress just
+looks ridiculous, whatever film magic you apply (similarly,
+it turned impossible to make a good film Aslan … whatever
+they tried he looks still like a overgrown plush toy).
 
-The same problem applies to the Harry Potter series: we need to 
-believe that a seventeen year old boy (with substandard training 
-in the magical defence) beat adult superwizard who has otherwise 
-no adversary equal to him (and whom we seen in the end of the 
-sixth volume battle with Albus Dumbledore in show of incomparable 
-strength). The only way how to get around it and not finish 
-completely ridiculous is to arrange some trick (or make it 
-a group battle with Harry’s allies on his side … e.g., the finale 
-of “`Escape by SingularOddities`_”). However, if you consider the 
-subtle net of intrigues and stratagems which all must to fall in 
-proper places for whole thing to work and Harry survive, it is 
-absolutely crazy to consider that as a reasonable war plan. If 
-this was the best Albus Dumbledore came up with, then his 
-strategical thinking was not very impressive. So, that’s my 
-opinion on the seventh book of the series. (and don’t let me 
-start on films: day after the last battle, when still plenty of 
-dangerous criminals are running through the land, the main hero 
-and the primary target of any possible assassination is 
-effectively wandless, because he didn’t repair his original wand, 
-and broke The Elder Wand).
+The same problem applies to the Harry Potter series: we need
+to believe that a seventeen year old boy (with substandard
+training in the magical defence) beat adult superwizard who
+has otherwise no adversary equal to him (and whom we seen
+in the end of the sixth volume battle with Albus Dumbledore
+in show of incomparable strength). The only way how to
+get around it and not finish completely ridiculous is to
+arrange some trick (or make it a group battle with Harry’s
+allies on his side … e.g., the finale of “`Escape by
+SingularOddities`_”). However, if you consider the subtle
+net of intrigues and stratagems which all must to fall in
+proper places for whole thing to work and Harry survive,
+it is absolutely crazy to consider that as a reasonable war
+plan. If this was the best Albus Dumbledore came up with,
+then his strategical thinking was not very impressive. So,
+that’s my opinion on the seventh book of the series. (and
+don’t let me start on films: day after the last battle,
+when still plenty of dangerous criminals are running through
+the land, the main hero and the primary target of any possible
+assassination is effectively wandless, because he didn’t
+repair his original wand, and broke The Elder Wand).
 
-Now technically (using only arguments from the inside of HP 
-universe) to the problem of wands. Obviously, any disarming 
-cannot lead to the change of ownership of a wand, that would be 
+It is remarkable how Harry Potter in the whole series, even to
+its end and to the defeat of Tom Riddle, IS **NOT** a superhero
+á la Marvel films. In the last chapter (before Epilogue) of
+DH, he is probably a way more battered and more experienced
+but still distinctively seventeen-year old teenager, not even
+a graduate of Hogwarts, who overcomes the evil mostly just by
+using weird semi-legal tricks and technicalities. There is
+no doubt in my mind that if he had to meet Voldemort in the
+fair head-to-head battle á la the duel between Voldemort and
+Dumbledore in the Department of Mysteries, he would end up
+(as somebody called it) like Sackville-Baggins of Hardbottle
+facing a barlog.
+
+Now technically (using only arguments from the inside of HP
+universe) to the problem of wands. Obviously, any disarming
+cannot lead to the change of ownership of a wand, that would be
 crazy. “`The Wheel Is Come Full Circle by White_Squirrel`_\ ”
-came with the limit, that there must be an intent of the winner 
-of the duel to use the acquired wand as his own, not only to 
-disarm your opponent. That actually works in the Deathly Hallows 
-situation (more or less, it doesn’t explain very well how Draco 
-Malfoy became owner of the Wand of Destiny in the first place, 
-but both Harry in the Malfoy Manor, Dumbledore in the duel with 
-Grindewald, and Grindewald stealing the wand from Grigorovitch 
-work), and it can limit the potential misuse of the rule in the 
-normal magical life. Another alternative is to limit this 
-ownership exchange theory just to the Elder Wand (or any possible 
-special super-wands) and all other wands just follow the 
-Ollivander’s mantra of “wand choosing her master” and make wand 
-transfer effectively impossible (meaning, every wand works 
-somehow for every wizard/witch, but the ones which haven’t chosen 
-their owner, work very poorly; but that doesn’t explain how 
-Hermione battled successfully against Bellatrix Lestrange using 
-her own wand, which she did not acquire in the duel with her). It 
-is just a mess.
+came with the limit, that there must be an intent of the winner
+of the duel to use the acquired wand as his own, not only to
+disarm your opponent. That actually works in the Deathly Hallows
+situation (more or less, it doesn’t explain very well how
+Draco Malfoy became owner of the Wand of Destiny in the first
+place, but both Harry in the Malfoy Manor, Dumbledore in the
+duel with Grindewald, and Grindewald stealing the wand from
+Grigorovitch work), and it can limit the potential misuse of
+the rule in the normal magical life. Another alternative is to
+limit this ownership exchange theory just to the Elder Wand
+(or any possible special super-wands) and all other wands
+just follow the Ollivander’s mantra of “wand choosing
+her master” and make wand transfer effectively impossible
+(meaning, every wand works somehow for every wizard/witch, but
+the ones which haven’t chosen their owner, work very poorly;
+but that doesn’t explain how Hermione battled successfully
+against Bellatrix Lestrange using her own wand, which she did
+not acquire in the duel with her). It is just a mess.
 
 .. _`Summer Vacation`:
     https://archiveofourown.org/works/18853210