Posts tagged harry potter

bronzedragon:

I think that one aspect of Slytherin/power that isn’t explored by JKR at all is the idea that wanting power doesn’t have to be “wanting power over others” or “wanting the power to DOMINATE THE WORLD.” (In general, Rowling gets rather fixated on certain types of power and about how “those who are best suited for power are those who have never desired it,” thus screwing over all Slytherins because by definition they desire power, but I’ve talked about this a bit.) 

Anyway, one aspect of Slyth that gets overlooked is that Slytherins want power - but power doesn’t have to be about dominating others, it can be as simple as wanting power over your own life, the power to control your own destiny. And people who want power are often people who haven’t had power; someone who’s never been able to determine the course of their own life or who’s been oppressed by others is more likely to want power for themselves.

And that’s a form of ambition, and to ignore that in favor of a sweepingly negative characterization of Slytherin is always one thing I’ve disliked about the series. Power doesn’t have to be something you impose on others; ambition is simply the desire to do something, it doesn’t have to necessarily mean becoming Minister for Magic or being remembered for what you’ve done, as long as you’ve accomplished whatever it is you set out to do.

(Source: condesces, via maya-brooks)