The Weasley Family Group Discussion...

I didnt come up with these questions. These have come from a thread at Chamber of Secrets Forums at Mugglenet.com.

The Weasley family: A group discussion - Chamber of Secrets

I thought; Let's see what Harry Potter Chat says about it too

1) Do you think that anyone gets "lost" in the Weasley family? It's a big group with a lot of strong personalities there. Does everyone get a fair look in?

2) How do you think that Molly and Arthur's relationship has impacted on their brood and how they see the world.

3) What do you think about the fact that we rarely see the entire Weasley Clan together? Is this just "bad fortune" or is there something askew with the family dynamic.

4) How big an impact did Percy's abandonment of his family from GOF to DH have on his siblings? We've seen that Arthur gets quietly angry and Molly gets tearful. Is there anything Percy's fellow siblings could have done?

5) The Weasleys were like a real family to Harry. What's your view on this given that there were already 7 kids in the family already.

6) If you filled out the poll above, why was the character you choose your favourite?

7) Who are least alike in the Weasley family? Who's most alike? Is there an element of peer pressure on those who are least like the others? Who's the most misunderstood?

Given Arthur doesn't seem so highly motivated, do you think that his children are "over achievers". The have been very successful in their fields and indeed in school (think quidditch captains, head boys, prefects etc). If so, where do they get this drive?

1) Do you think that anyone gets "lost" in the Weasley family? It's a big group with a lot of strong personalities there. Does everyone get a fair look in? I think everyone get a fair look in...but to a degree i believe that Ron is less attened to when it comes to his parents. They dont neglect him or anything...but the face that he has 5 brother above him and a sister below...he's often not as seen.

2) How do you think that Molly and Arthur's relationship has impacted on their brood and how they see the world? Yes. Parents have huge imapcts on their children's ideas and views of life. Though i am guessing Molly and Arthur have old their children that they dont have to beelive what their parents are saying.

3) What do you think about the fact that we rarely see the entire Weasley Clan together? Is this just "bad fortune" or is there something askew with the family dynamic? I think that it's just a case of bad fortune. The fact that Bill and Charlie and now Percy have each finished school and have gone out into the world means that tyey cant exactly get home just beacuse everyone else is there. I think that the Weasley family is just a normal family with grown up children doing their own thing.

4) How big an impact did Percy's abandonment of his family from GOF to DH have on his siblings? We've seen that Arthur gets quietly angry and Molly gets tearful. Is there anything Percy's fellow siblings could have done? I think that it did disrupt the whole balance of the family. Molly for one has always kinda relied on the fact that her children are safe and around her. And Percy storming off like that has knocked her around a bit. It made her defeces lower and made her more stressed. She would have been wondering all through that time how he was and whether he needed her help or something. Arthur would have been the same...but was more able to keep it toghether...and just blew his top occasionally. He would have realised that Percy could take care of himself, no matter how angry he was at him. Molly - being his mother, would stress about him constantly.

5) The Weasleys were like a real family to Harry. What's your view on this given that there were already 7 kids in the family already?
I think The weasley's subconsiously "adopted" Harry into the family. After leaving for Hogwarts...Harry came across the Weasley's, and from then on almost had a mum and dad to love and to love him. Molly actually trats him like a son.

7) Who are least alike in the Weasley family? Who's most alike? Is there an element of peer pressure on those who are least like the others? Who's the most misunderstood? I am least like Percy. I am not stuck up and i o NOT do good at school lol. I am most like Ginny i think as she is not only a girl, but she has the same personality and attitude that i have. The most missunderstood would be Fred and George. Molly always thought they were going to waste their life with the joke shop, and really it was an awesome buisness for those two.

Given Arthur doesn't seem so highly motivated, do you think that his children are "over achievers". The have been very successful in their fields and indeed in school (think quidditch captains, head boys, prefects etc). If so, where do they get this drive? I think he is motivated,. Just not how Molly finds it best for the family and though he isnt a high acheiver...i think he has achevied what he wants to acheive, and that he is happy with his life.

Forget Question Six...there was a poll with it and i forgot to take that question out.

didnt fucas in your questions but my favorite weaslly is fred becose he always helped harry potter even with his death

1) Do you think that anyone gets "lost" in the Weasley family? It's a big group with a lot of strong personalities there. Does everyone get a fair look in?

Ron when he was younger, perhaps, and I think actually Percy among the siblings, at the very least, which may have had something to do with his distance from his family later on.
2) How do you think that Molly and Arthur's relationship has impacted on their brood and how they see the world.
Molly and Arthur's relationship and general personalities both greatly effect the Weasley brood- they see love, family, friendship as probably the most important things in the world, and many of their most basic views come from their parents. Mr and Mrs Weasley's stability in their marriage allows for a very optimistic and trusting viewof relationships, love, goodness, etc.
3) What do you think about the fact that we rarely see the entire Weasley Clan together? Is this just "bad fortune" or is there something askew with the family dynamic.
I don't really think it has to do with either so much as the fact that it's 9 people across a wide age span all leading different, busy lives, especially with the two oldest sons who are in different countries normally altogether. Just getting 9 people together isn't an easy task.
4) How big an impact did Percy's abandonment of his family from GOF to DH have on his siblings? We've seen that Arthur gets quietly angry and Molly gets tearful. Is there anything Percy's fellow siblings could have done?
It made, at least as far as Percy's younger siblings, extremely angry and feeling somewhat betrayed. I don't think their antagonization of Percy helped the situation but I'm not really sure they could have done anything else- and their reactions were understandable. Maybe Bill or Charlie, whom as older Percy may have respected more, could have tried to talk to Percy, but Percy was definitely a Weasley in stuborness as well- he wouldn't have come back until he was ready to come back.
5) The Weasleys were like a real family to Harry. What's your view on this given that there were already 7 kids in the family already.
The Weasleys are tight-knit but they're a big, tight-knit family, so there is room for Harry to fit in as a sort-of adopted son. The Weasleys are, in a way, Harry's surrogate family, but there is still a definite disconnect- he's a close family friend and maybe something along the lines of a favorite cousin but he's also definitely not a Weasley child. And the fact that Harry is the orphaned Boy-Who-Lived probably does make a difference- he seems to stay with the Weasley's frequently as Ron's best friend (in a way so does Hermione) but you notice that even though Ron is certainly not the only son he seems to be the only one who has friends living over as far as we know.
6) If you filled out the poll above, why was the character you choose your favourite?
I think Fred and George are probably my favorite, followed by Ginny and then Bill.
7) Who are least alike in the Weasley family? Who's most alike? Is there an element of peer pressure on those who are least like the others? Who's the most misunderstood?
Percy and either the twins or Ron- probably the twins. Well the twins are most alike, and then I thought Bill and Charlie or maybe Bill and Ginny. Yes, especially on Percy, who is most misunderstood.
8 )Given Arthur doesn't seem so highly motivated, do you think that his children are "over achievers". The have been very successful in their fields and indeed in school (think quidditch captains, head boys, prefects etc). If so, where do they get this drive?
Every child rebells against their parents in one way or another- I think the Weasley children's ambition comes from a combination of wanting to be different from their parents, from wanting to succeed in order to prove something about their financial status (think of how Ron is ashamed that he is poor) and from wanting to distinguish themselves from their many siblings.

That last question really bothers me. Why do they (the question writers) not consider Arthur motivated? He did something he loved. He loved his family and spent time with them. We don't have a clue how much money he made - but maybe he made a decent living and it just cost a bundle to raise a slew of kids - his choice. He appeared unsuccessful by the world's standards, but I think he was very successful. He could look at himself in the mirror. I think for the most part, his family enjoyed his company if not looked up to him (I think many did look up to him).

Motivation is hard to quantify.

McD- I think that the wording of the question is perhaps somewhat questionable, but that the point itself is valid.
As I said in my response, I think all the Weasley children were ambitious in a way that Mr. Weasley was not- they were all motivated, yes, and Mr. Weasley did succeed on certain levels but there was a distinct streak of ambitious drive in the Weasley children to be leaders, to be successful (and not merely in personal goals), to be recognized, and to be respected. Head Boy, Quidditch Captain, Ministry power-hungry, wildly successful- financially as well- buisness owners, right hand man-war hero, fiercely independent young resistance leader.
I don't know about you, but I have an issue imagining Mr. Weasley Bat-Bogey Hexing someone when they were being annoying.

You are talking about motivated toward what the world sees as success. I am only pointing out that there are other types of motivation.

I see this with the kids I teach. They are motivated in many ways. Just not motivated to make good grades perhaps. It doesn't mean there is no motivation - just not the STANDARD motivation. They have chosen the unusual to motivate them. That's what I'm saying about Mr. Weasley. I believe he was motivated - just not in the standard way. Muggle things motivated him - his family motivated him.

He reminds me of some of my C students.

NOW if the question had talked about success instead of motivation . . . .

C students? XD Ouch.

Oh, no, mcD, I meant to say I agree with you as far as Mr. Weasley being motivated, albeit in a non-standard way. The diffrentiation I meant to make was that I felt the Weasley children had the AMBITION that Mr. Weasley lacked.

(Or, in another way, the Weasley children were more Slytherin- and thus "successful"- than Mr. Weasley.)
Roflmao!