Review Assignment: "Smackings and Whackings" (a written essay with a story)

Gurgi is initially a pest, but Taran tolerates him.  Dobby too is initally a bit more than a pest: in his zeal to protect Harry from the Basilisk, which he knows that his master Lucius Malfoy plans to arrange to have released from the Chamber of Secrets, he intercepts and burns Ron's and Hermione's letters to Harry, does magic that could have got Harry into trouble, seals the gateway to platform 9 and 3/4 so that Harry and Ron have to find another way to Hogwarts that gets them into trouble with Snape, and finally enchants a Bludger to injure Harry, hoping that Harry will be sent home.  But Harry tolerates him and finally tricks Lucius into freeing him.  Even afterwards, Dobby annoys Harry by punishing himself whenever he lets his anger at the Malfoys show, but Harry continues to treat him like an equal.

Gurgi is Taran's constant companion, and when Taran and his other two companions are captured, Gurgi follows them.  Dobby cheerfully does whatever Harry asks him to do, for example he spies on Draco.  When Taran and his two companions are tied up by the hands, Gurgi frees them.  Dobby rescues Harry and his companions from Malfoy Manor.  Gurgi sacrifices himself by jumping into the Black Cauldron rather than letting Taran do it, but is revived by the three witches, a deal that Taran makes with them in return for giving them his magic sword.  Dobby is killed by Bellatrix's knife as he is Disapparating with his friends out of Malfoy Manor, and unfortunately there is no way to revive a dead being in the Harry Potter universe; so all Harry can do is to bury him.  In both cases, the relationship is one of equality, showing that both Harry and Taran satisfy Sirius' criterion for being good people.

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Once the witches revived Gurgi, the four friends (Taran, Princess Eilonwy, Fflewddur and Gurgi) returned to Caer Dallben.  Dallben praised Taran for his heroism although Taran said that he prefers to be a Pig Boy.

"Why are you giving up your dream of being a hero to look after pigs?"  asked Gurgi.

"I've already been away from the farm too long," answered Taran. "Dallben had to look after his pigs by himself, taking time away from working his magic.  Now that I'm back, I want to relieve him of that task so that he has more time to work his magic."

"I can look after the pigs," said Gurgi.  "Don't give up your dream!  You'll regret it!"

"You've already done more than enough for me!" said Taran.

"And you've treated me like an equal," answered Gurgi.  "I still want to serve you any way I can."

Taran thought for a while and finally decided to accept Gurgi's offer, if only to make Gurgi happy.  Of course, he no longer had his magic sword, but there was a way to obtain another one: after all, Dallben was an enchanter.  He asked Dallben for enough money to buy a sword and then asked Dallben to enchant it for him.  Dallben was reluctant at first, but he finally decided to do so to encourage Taran to realize his dream of being a hero, and it was a good thing that he did.

One night, while Dallben, Taran and Gurgi were all asleep, a gang of four burglars, each of them armed with a sword, broke into Dallben's farmhouse and began searching it for valuables to steal.  One of them tripped over something in the dark, and the noise awoke Dallben.  Not knowing that the noise was made by burglars, Dallben too made a noise, startling the burglars.  Fearing that he would escape and go to the police, they rushed at him to kill him with their swords.  Taran, who was awakened by all the racket, grabbed his enchanted sword and rushed to protect Dallben.  He was outnumbered four to one and he was no master swordsman, but because his sword had been enchanted, he managed to disarm all the burglars and they fled empty-handed, leaving even their swords behind.

"Once again, you're a hero!" said Dallben.

"And once again, I have Gurgi to thank," said Taran.  "He made it all possible by taking over my job as Pig Boy."

Review Assignment: "When We Want Music"

I would write a song to be sung by the Horned King because I could sing it: the actor who plays the Horned King has a bass voice and so do I.  He would sing it to Taran, Princess Eilonwy and Ffewddur Fflam while they are hung up by their hands watching his servants bring the Black Cauldron into view.  In the song, he gloats over them and boasts about having obtained the Black Cauldron.  He says that he is going to bring the undead to life and turn them first on his three captives and then on anyone else who dares to oppose his quest for world domination.  And then he reveals that he has no regard for anyone, even his own servants, a reference to his shabby treatment of his right-hand Goblin Creeper.  Finally he compares himself to another villain whom we all know and hate.  Here are the words.

I am the Horned King,
A devilish sort of guy,
And now that I've got the Cauldron,
The three of you will die.

I'll bring to life the undead
And turn them loose on you.
If anyone else opposes me,
Then they will perish too.

I'm not the sort of master
Who's loyal to his slaves.
If any servants fail me,
I'll send them to their graves.

I have no love for anyone.
I'm of the meanest sort.
There's no one else as bad as me
Except Lord Voldemort!

I also wrote the music including the piano accompaniment.

The mp3 file of me singing the song to the accompaniment of a synthesized piano is on my web site.  Here is the URL: http://www.info2.uqam.ca/~walsh_t/music/Horned_King.mp3

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