Beedle Discussion: Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump
Since nobody volunteered I'll take this story discussion as well. :)
Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump
1. Apart from The Three Brothers, this is the only other Beedle story to be mentioned by name in Deathly Hallows. Jo has said she liked the name but had trouble thinking up a story to go with it! What did you think when you first read the title?
2. How do you think Babbity Rabbity got her name in the story?
3. This story bears some similarity to the Muggle tale The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen. Was Andersen inspired by a copy of Beedle? :) How do you think the stories are similar? How are they different?
4. The king decides that 'only he should have the power of magic'. How does this relate to the HP series as a whole?
5. Babbity smiled, and did not trouble to raise her wand, for no magic can raise the dead. This theme is also brought up in The Three Brothers. Why do you think it was so important to Beedle?
6. Did you think that Babbity was actually dead or did you guess the twist in the tale? (I didn't!)
7. Why was Babbity a washerwoman when, according to Dumbledore, 'achieving perfect, spontaneous human to animal transformation requires much study and practice'? She obviously had a lot of power to accomplish this feat.
8. Why do you think Lisette de Lapin ('lapin' being the French for 'rabbit') decided to become an advisor to Henry VI?
9. Dumbledore notes that though Animagi cannot speak, they do keep 'all their human thinking and reasoning powers'. Did this change the way you thought about the Marauders and Rita Skeeter or confirm your suspicions?
10. The Cruciatus Curse was actually legal during Beedle's lifetime and was only made illegal some fifteen years after the International Statute of Secrecy was passed. Why do you think it took so long to make these three curses Unforgiveable?
Feel free to add any questions or observations of your own!
Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump
1. Apart from The Three Brothers, this is the only other Beedle story to be mentioned by name in Deathly Hallows. Jo has said she liked the name but had trouble thinking up a story to go with it! What did you think when you first read the title?
2. How do you think Babbity Rabbity got her name in the story?
3. This story bears some similarity to the Muggle tale The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen. Was Andersen inspired by a copy of Beedle? :) How do you think the stories are similar? How are they different?
4. The king decides that 'only he should have the power of magic'. How does this relate to the HP series as a whole?
5. Babbity smiled, and did not trouble to raise her wand, for no magic can raise the dead. This theme is also brought up in The Three Brothers. Why do you think it was so important to Beedle?
6. Did you think that Babbity was actually dead or did you guess the twist in the tale? (I didn't!)
7. Why was Babbity a washerwoman when, according to Dumbledore, 'achieving perfect, spontaneous human to animal transformation requires much study and practice'? She obviously had a lot of power to accomplish this feat.
8. Why do you think Lisette de Lapin ('lapin' being the French for 'rabbit') decided to become an advisor to Henry VI?
9. Dumbledore notes that though Animagi cannot speak, they do keep 'all their human thinking and reasoning powers'. Did this change the way you thought about the Marauders and Rita Skeeter or confirm your suspicions?
10. The Cruciatus Curse was actually legal during Beedle's lifetime and was only made illegal some fifteen years after the International Statute of Secrecy was passed. Why do you think it took so long to make these three curses Unforgiveable?
Feel free to add any questions or observations of your own!