Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

by

J. K. Rowling

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Quick-Quotes Quill Symbol Analysis

Quick-Quotes Quill Symbol Icon

During her interviews, Rita Skeeter uses her Quick-Quotes Quill to take notes for her. The quill is acid green, moves of its own accord, and is presumably to blame for Rita Skeeter's exaggerated and inflammatory articles. During Harry's first interview with Skeeter, he watches her test the quill by telling it only her name. The quill, however, records not just Skeeter's name, but her age, observations about her appearance, and tidbits about her reputation. In this way, the quill itself shows Harry that he can't trust everything he reads--by seeing the quill in action, he discovers that even if he or someone else tells the truth, that doesn't mean that the truth will actually end up in the papers. Instead, what does end up in the papers is filtered through someone else with goals and an agenda all their own--and in the case of Harry and his participation in the Triwizard Tournament, that agenda has little to do with the truth.

Quick-Quotes Quill Quotes in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire quotes below all refer to the symbol of Quick-Quotes Quill. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
History, Community, and Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
Chapter Eighteen Quotes

"Testing...my name is Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter."

Harry looked down quickly at the quill. The moment Rita Skeeter had spoken, the green quill had started to scribble, skidding across the parchment:

Attractive blonde Rita Skeeter, forty-three, whose savage quill has punctured many inflated reputations--

Related Characters: Rita Skeeter (speaker), Harry Potter
Related Symbols: Quick-Quotes Quill
Page Number: 304
Explanation and Analysis:
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Quick-Quotes Quill Symbol Timeline in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The timeline below shows where the symbol Quick-Quotes Quill appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter Eighteen
Reading, Critical Thinking, and Truth Theme Icon
...can interview Harry and leads him to a broom cupboard. She asks to use a Quick-Quotes Quill and stands the acid green quill upright on a piece of parchment. When she tests... (full context)