At one point, Harry even writes an essay on how witch burnings were “completely ineffective.”
This is actually the biggest problem I have with the HP universe. For one thing, as a history geek, I find it kind of offensive, because it essentially dismisses all of the real people that suffered and died for nothing. And honestly, the witch burnings ought to be the reason that the Death Eathers are waving around, using it to point out how violent/irrational/dangerous muggles can be. Even if the adult witches and wizards could escape burning, what about the children? And what about all of the various ways the inquisition like to torture people? Magic doesn't make you immune to pain.
And even assuming all witches and wizards managed to escape harm during the witch burnings because of how ineffectual muggles are, the Death Eaters still ought to be making the point that sure, they may not have gotten us, but they wanted to. And look at how many of their own kind they slaughtered in their irrational fear.
But I suspect that would give more credit to muggles than Rowling wants too, and it would certainly make the Death Eaters greyer than she wants.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-03-30 06:26 pm (UTC)This is actually the biggest problem I have with the HP universe. For one thing, as a history geek, I find it kind of offensive, because it essentially dismisses all of the real people that suffered and died for nothing. And honestly, the witch burnings ought to be the reason that the Death Eathers are waving around, using it to point out how violent/irrational/dangerous muggles can be. Even if the adult witches and wizards could escape burning, what about the children? And what about all of the various ways the inquisition like to torture people? Magic doesn't make you immune to pain.
And even assuming all witches and wizards managed to escape harm during the witch burnings because of how ineffectual muggles are, the Death Eaters still ought to be making the point that sure, they may not have gotten us, but they wanted to. And look at how many of their own kind they slaughtered in their irrational fear.
But I suspect that would give more credit to muggles than Rowling wants too, and it would certainly make the Death Eaters greyer than she wants.