1) Do you have a favourite scene or line in Goblet?
If I had to choose a favourite scene or line in Goblet, it would have to be the scene at the end of the book when Hermoine was able to get her revenge on Rita Skeeter, with Rita in a glass jar.
2) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire opens in Tom Riddle, Sr.'s parents' home, unlike the previous three books which opened in the Durseleys' home. This chapter is most unusual in the Harry POtter canon, in that it is not told from Harry's viewpoint. How does the change of setting for the beginning of this book affect the tone of the book? Why do you think Rowling departed from the expected setting for the beginning?
It affects the tone of the book in that you find out that Voldemort is a half-blood, not the pure-blood wizard that he so clearly admires. I also think that affects the book in that we see that Voldemort is ruthless and nothing will stop him from murdering somebody that is perceived to be a threat to him. I think the reason that Rowling departed from the expected setting for the beginning because she wanted to introduce something more sinister and that Voldemort and his supporters were starting to gain traction.
3) At the World Cup, mask-wearing wizards torment the muggles:"A crowd of wizards, tightly packed moving together with wands wands pointing straight upward, was marching slowly across the field. Harry squinted at them...They didn't seem to have faces...Then he realized that their heads were hooded and their faces masked". Compare this moment of torment to other times when groups of people have worn hoods and masks to cover their identities. What does the masking of a face tell us about the nature of evil?
It basically tells me that those who are masked up and perform such acts are basically cowards and without the mask, they would never consider performing such acts. It also tells me that they wish the acts to be impersonal as much as possible and that a mob mentality is very powerful.
4) How does young Crouch manage to trick everyone into thinking he is the real Moody?
Through a curse and the use of Polyjuice Potion.
5) After Harry hangs around with the mermaid people to make sure all the hostages are rescued, he is awarded points for his "moral fiber." Do you agree with this prize? How much moral fiber does Harry show?
Personally I do agree with this prize. I think he does show quite a bit, in that he puts his own personal gain aside and just get Fleur's younger sister, knowing that he may not win the second task.
6) When Harry faces death from Voldemort, he refuses to cower before him and refuses to answer his questions. At one point, Voldemort tries to get Harry to bend to his will by answering a question. Instead of succumbing to the Imperio demand, Harry's will takes over: "I will not, said a stronger voice, in the back of his head, I won't answer..." Then when Voldemort moves to kill him, Harry "knew one thing only, and it was beyond fear or reason: He was not going to die kneeling at Voldemort's feet...he was going to die upright like his father, and he was going to die trying to defend himself, even if no defense was possible..." Did Harry have this much will power and courage in the first book? What significant events helped him develop the courage he now has?
No. The significant events that helped him develop the courage that he now has was the killing of the Basalik in the second book, the ability to stand up to a professor and Lupin's belief in him that he could defeat Voldemort.
7) A lot of elements that come into play in later books are introduced in Goblet. Can you think of some examples?
One example would be the nature of Voldemort's true parentage and how he became an orphan. Another would be the battle between Harry and Voldemort that will take place in the end.
8) Harry tells Sirius and Dumbledore what happened in the graveyard. When Harry told of Wormtail piercing his arm with the dagger, … Sirius let out a vehement exclamation and Dumbledore stood up so quickly that Harry started. Dumbledore walked around the desk and told Harry to stretch out his arm. Harry showed them both the place where his robes were torn and the cut beneath them. “He said my blood would make him stronger than if he’d used someone else’s,” Harry told Dumbledore. “He said the protection my – my mother left in me – he’d have it too. And he was right – he could touch me without hurting himself, he touched my face.” For a fleeting instant, Harry thought he saw a gleam of something like triumph in Dumbledore’s eyes. But next second, Harry was sure he had imagined it, for when Dumbledore had returned to his seat behind the desk, he looked as old and weary as Harry had ever seen him. So what’s up with that “gleam of triumph” in Dumbledore’s eyes?
I think the gleam of triumph in Dumbledore's eyes is knowing that Voldemort will probably succumb to his own evil desires and also to the fact that he knows that Harry has the capability to defeat Voldemort.
9) In the hospital wing after Harry’s ordeal, this exchange takes place: “Severus,” said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, “you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready…if you are prepared…” “I am,” said Snape. He looked slightly paler than usual, and his cold, black eyes glittered strangely. “Then good luck,” said Dumbledore, and he watched, with a trace of apprehension on his face, as Snape swept wordlessly after Sirius. Where did Snape go? What was Dumbledore asking him to do?
I think what Dumbledore had Snape do was to round up the Order of the Phoenix and to get Sirius out of hiding and into Sirius' former home.
10) After the ordeal Harry has been through in the graveyard, Professor McGonagall wants to take Harry to the hospital wing. Dumbledore stops her, saying “He will stay, Minerva, because he needs to understand. Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery. He needs to know who has put him through the ordeal he has suffered tonight, and why.” What do you think is the significance of this? Is Dumbledore right?
The significance of this is that Dumbledore recognizes that Harry is finally understanding what he has to do and that Voldemort has to be defeated and that Harry is the only one that can defeat him. And he, Dumbledore, has to let Harry learn on his own and be allowed to take risks without Dumbledore being there every time. I think he is right.
11) Later on, Dumbledore says to Fudge, “You place too much importance, and always have done, on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!” Who are some of the people Dumbledore might be thinking of when he says this?
I think he is referring to people like Harry and Hermoine, who aren't pure-bloods, and possibly even Neville, who despite the fact that he isn't the brightest bulb in some subjects, is able to surprise people with how much he does know.
