Friend or Foe, Number 2

Passage from the text:
"He laid his hand on the hobbit's shoulder in friendly fashion; but Frodo felt the hand trembling with suppressed excitement. He stepped quickly away, and eyed with alarm the tall Man, nearly twice his height and many times his match in strength.
'Why are you so unfriendly?' said Boromir. 'I am a true man, neither thief nor tracker. I need your Ring: that you know now; but I give you my word that I do not desire to keep it. Will you not at least let me make trial of my plan? Lend me the Ring!'...
Frodo dodged aside and again put the stone between them. There was only one thing he could do: trembling he pulled out the Ring upon its chain and quickly slipped it on his finger, even as Boromir sprang at him again. The Man gasped, stared for a moment amazed, and then ran wildly about, seeking here or there among the rocks and trees."

Pg#: 390

Commentary [Connect]:
There's something about people being too excited about something that turns you off; know what I mean? It just sows distrust- there's something strange about it that causes an instinctual aversion. As if there's something disordered about that desire in them to obtain something. Like something wicked will be done. Or worse. I think everyone has experienced this at one time or another...

Fortunately for Frodo he has a magic ring that will let him escape from any situation. I fear Frodo might have to relive this event until he is rid of the Ring- and that's bummer.

By the way, do you remember what I said in that earlier blog? Frodo did it again! I'm not sure if the ends justifies the means here- that could be an ethical question for another blog post though.

#40

We Look to Our Surroundings for Advice on What to Do In Times of Danger

Passage from text:
"'I said to myself: 'dreaming again, Sam Gamgee,' I said; and I said no more just then. But I've been thinking since, and now I'm not sure. What do you make of it, Mr.Frodo?''
'I should make nothing of it but a log and the dusk and sleep in your eyes, Sam," said Frodo, 'if this was the first time that those eyes had been seen.......
'Gollum, maybe?'"

Pg #: 374

Commentary [Prediction and Whatnot]:
So Gollum is moving in on his Ring and the company has noticed. I think what's interesting here is not only that there is an ominous mood to the conversation but that everyone prior to this conversation was thinking this same thing, that Gollum was pursuing them, and yet no one bothered to voice their suspicions up till now- their something-ith day of travel. Life lesson; communicate how you feel about weird things because more than likely someone else is thinking the same exact thing.

Examples:
"Does it smell like smoke in here?"

"Was that guy creepy, or what?"

"I feel a quiz coming on next class period."

I also predict that the character spheres of both Gollum and Frodo are going to get infinitesimally close to touching- without making contact- until one, final, dramatic, allegorical, climax finál.

#39

What Questions May Arise

Passage from the text:
"'[W]hy cannot I see all the others and know the thoughts of those that wear them?'

'You have not tried,' she said. 'Only thrice have you set the Ring upon your finger since you knew what you possessed. Do not try! It would destroy you. Did not Gandalf tell you that the rings give power according to the measure of each possessor? Before you could use that power you would need to become stronger, and to train your will to the domination of others. Yet even so, as Ring-bearer and as one that has borne it on finger and seen that which is hidden, your sight is grown keener. You have perceived my thoughts more clearly than many that are accounted wise. You saw the Eye of him that holds the Seven and the Nine. And did you not see and recognize the ring upon my finger? Did you see my ring?' she asked turning again to Sam.'
'No, Lady'"

Pg #: 357

Commentary [Character Development]:
So Frodo has changed, for the better or the worse. Now he can "see" things and know things better than before. But is this good?
Whether or not it is, it's unfortunate that Frodo has to experience the darkness of the Ring (why is it capitalized all the time anyways?) in order to be wiser or more cunning. While being able to see and know the thoughts of all the others that bear their own rings is interesting, I'm not sure that it will work to Frodo's benefit. Frodo is a weak hobbit that has already succumbed to the power of the ring three times. Who's to say he won't try again? And hop on over to the dark side while he's at it... But Frodo knows better, right?

#38

Peace Be With You

Passage:

"We live in a day and age characterized by an extraordinary amount of agitation and lack of peace. This tendency manifests itself in our spiritual as well as our secular life. In our search for God and holiness, in our service to our neighbor, a kind of restlessness and anxiety take the place of the confidence and peace which ought to be ours. What must we do to overcome the moments of fear and distress which assail us all too often in our lives? How can we learn to place all our confidence in God and abandon ourselves into his loving care?.... Since peace of heart is a pure gift of God, it is something we should seek, pursue and ask him for without cease."

Pg#: Back Cover of Searching for and Maintaining Peace of Heart

Commentary [Parallels]:

In a world where money is king, drugs make you happy, and sex is synonymous with love there is no peace to be had. How can there be? If I'm too occupied with my sycophantic, entrepreneurial endeavors that will eventually lead to my "big success" my oodles of riches how am I live with my busied existence? If I rely on "natural" substances to escape/manipulate/skew reality, to my detriment, without which I'm not sure that I can be happy, where is my purpose? If I subscribe to the belief that sex will automatically lead to love or that it's something to be dealt out loosely and freely, how am I ever meant to go past pleasure and enter into self-giving? And of course these are rhetorical questions meant to illicit a firm "I don't know", but, isn't there some grain of truth that is gained by them? To be sure, Jacques Phillippe does not spend the whole of his book diatribe-ing about the various poses in which society today lies in the disturbed, agitated shadows of assuring the safety and success of one's own life at all costs.

#37

What's In a Symbol?

Passage from the text:
"In dealing with symbolism one enters an area where reflection, synthesis, and contemplation are more important than investigation, analysis, and science. One cannot apprehend a symbol unless one is able to awaken, in one's own being, the spiritual resonances which response to the symbol not only as sign but as "sacrament" and "presence." Needless to say, when we speak of symbol here we are interested only in the full and true sense of the word. Mere conventional symbols, more or less arbitrarily taken to represent something else, concrete images which stand for abstract qualities, are not symbols in the highest sense. The true symbol does not merely point to some hidden object. It contains in itself a structure which in some way makes us aware of the inner meaning of life and of reality itself. A true symbol takes us to the center of the circle, not to another point on the circumference. A true symbol points to the very heart of all being, not and incident in the flow of becoming."

Pg#: 55

Commentary [Deciphering]:
So symbols aren't just things that tell you what other things are.
This symbol here indicates that the image near to it is a registered trademark.

Symbols also go past a mere representation of something else.

What the each of the above symbolize is rather obvious, from left; first aid, nurse, hospital beds, nurse tending to a patient, man with an arm sling, prescriptions, blood testing, family doctor, shots, balance between grains and fruits, "natural" acupuncture (because of the leaf), and labs.

Religious symbols are usually the best at capturing Merton's purest sense of the symbol



One might say that what characterizes a good symbol is that it's purpose and symbolism is not immediately known...

#36

"The Street is for Celebration"

Passage:
"A city is something you do with space.

A street is a space. A building is an enclosed space. A room is a small enclosed space.

A city is made up of rooms, buildings, streets. It is a crowd of occupied spaces. Occupied or inhabited? Filled or lived in?

The way the buildings are lived in. And what goes on in the streets."

Pg#: 46

Commentary [Reflection]:
I feel as if Merton could write about anything. The expanse of his style is impressive. This is the beginning of his commentary on unity, habitation, and love within the world's most ubiquitous framework of civilization, the city.
The first six sentences are truths, common ground (axioms), that everyone can stand on. The nuances in meanings that Merton then plays on are whether or not these spaces are occupied- like a bathroom or a hotel, or inhabitated- like a fishbowl or a neanderthal's cave; in essence, filled or live in.

And what is he trying to say here?

That it is not simply enough for something to function as something else, that the way in which things are done is just as important as what is done. Are these city-dwellers a community or a conglomeration of private, separate lives? This will determine whether or not the "street is for celebration."

#35

Symbol or No Symbol

Passage from the Text:
"This morning I said Mass, through no fault of my own, in a white chasuble which had, on the back, a picture of a lighted candle up against a design of a Gothic rose window. Now already on the altar two large candles were burning with bright flames perfectly and unobtrusively fulfilling their symbolic function. What possible sense could be made by a picture of a candle on a celebrant's back? We have no rose window in our chapel. But certainly the fact that we have none does not mean that we need one, still less that the need can be partially fulfilled by a picture of one- and, of all places, on the chasuble! An added note of absurdity came from the fact that the candle was realistically presented with a notch melted out of one side!"

Pg #266-267

Commentary [Love of Thomas Merton]:
There's a reason why I love Thomas Merton. This last piece is one of them. I never truly thought about the importance of religious symbolism [or lack theirof] in Catholic Churches and art. What surprised me was how much his argument made sense. If a candle by a rose window signifies nothing in particular in the church in which Thomas Merton celebrates- or nothing in particular at all- then truly, what is the point? He really got me thinking. Then he started talking about the sensationalism found in stained-glass windows and that really got my blood boiling. I was ready to put Disputed Questions down, but thought it better to stick it through. The reason why I was mad was because I knew everything he was saying was true, I had simply not accepted those truths yet and made them my own.

The title of the section this passage appears in is called Absurdity in Sacred Art, by the way.


In case you're curious.....



















that robe-looking thing is a chasuble.

#34

Paradox

   People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

            If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

            If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

           If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

            What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

            If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

            The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

         Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

         In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

by Mother Theresa

Commentary:

I feel this poem details the trails and troubles of any Christian attempting to live out his/her faith in an authentic way. So often the world will twist once-good intentions into dark demeanor-ed plans. Too easily virtue can be misinterpreted for vice, tables flip and things turn for the worst. If everything turned out perfectly every time, we might pride ourselves on our great achievements. But God's ways are not our ways.

"Then why did I do it?" Mother Theresa answers "it is between you and God."

#33

Absolute Power Corrupts... Gradually

Passage from the text:
"'I wish you'd take his Ring. you'd put things to rights...' [Said Sam.]

'I would,' she said. 'That is how it would begin. But it would not stop with that, alas! We will not speak more of it. Let us go!' [Said the Lady Galadriel.]''

Pg#: 357

Commentary: [Reflection]
I find it interesting that all that are wise in the land of Gondor have little interest in taking the ring for themselves. Further musing will lead to a piercing truth; that wisdom is found in acknowledging one's weakness- not in self-reassured strength.
As I continue to lead ConQuest I realize the limits of my capabilities as a leader. I'm not one of those thrown-into-chaos and thrive kinda persons- I'm one of those thrown-into-chaos and panic kinda persons [though this is my perspective, having never been thrown-into-chaos :)]. I know that, as of yet, I'm not a great improvisor, so I have to carefully plan out each meeting. In a similar way, the Lady Galadriel knows her limits as a wielder of power- the above conversation proves her wise enough to know that she would succumb to the temptation to utilize the ring in a pernicious way.

#32

Clever Empathy

#31
Passage from the text:
"'Come!' said Aragorn. 'If I am still to lead this Company, you must do as I bid. It is hard upon the Dwarf to be thus singled out. We will all be blindfold, even Legolas. That will be best, thought it will make the journey slow and dull.'
        Gimli laughed suddenly. 'A merry troop of fools we shall look! Will Haldir lead us all on a string, like many blind beggars with one dog? But I will be content, if only Legolas here shares my blindness"

Pg #s: 337-338

Commentary: [Character comment]
I feel like Aragorn's smarts come to the fore here. No one wants to humble themselves to the status of a blindfolded follower- but Aragorn has a innovative solution. It kinda hit me a page after this encounter how intelligent that decision actually was. Neither Legolas nor Gimli wanted to be blindfolded and if everyone is equally blindfolded everyone at least feels equal to everyone else- if that makes sense. In that same grain- I think it's interesting how the different-type-of-creature dynamics are working out here; elfs are obviously opposed to dwarfs and man is peacemaker.

The group may be grieving over their beloved Gandalf, though they are surely not wanting for a leader.

Beautitudes of the Sunflowers

Reader's Blog #30
Passage from the text:

These sealed sunflowers
stand to the sermon of the sun,
attentive the lean,
silent as seed.
How blessed
are the poor,
the meek,
the pure.
This earth will be theirs;
their eyes will see.
How blessed
and tall,
their heads still green.
They wait
for the sun
on faces unseen.

-Rita A. Simmonds

 

Commentary: [Reflection]

 

I think this poem emits an attitude of humility. The sunflowers are acting like seeds, though they are seeds no longer, "silent"- dead. These sunflowers are unassuming, "green", patient, accepting of what comes to them. Their "faces" have yet to be seen- and when they open according to the Sun's good time they will be fruitful with a head replete with more seeds.  And if they didn't follow the sun, or if they opened before the time was right, those sunflowers would whither.



Doom

Passage from text:
"They looked back. Dark yawned the archway of the Gates under the mountain-shadow. Faint and far beneath the earth rolled the slow drumbeats: doom. A thin black smoke trailed out. Nothing else was to be seen; the dale all around was empty. Doom. Grief at last wholly overcame them, and they wept long: some standing and silent, some cast upon the ground. Doom, doom. The drum-beats faded."

Pg#: 323

Commentary: [Rhetorical Device]
I don't think that it's a coincidence that the drum-beat and "doom" are held synonymous in onomatopoeia. Since a chapter ago that "doom" sound has been closing in. Now in the wake of Gandalf's alleged death "doom" has truly set in. How will the company continue on? Will there be more Orcs and Balrogs where that came from? The gang had been leaning so much upon Gandalf as their guide and leader- now only sorrow and an impending sense of "doom" fills that place. The group must forge on if they are to be rid of the ring and those drum-beats.

That Just Happened.

Passage from the text:
"With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard's knees, dragging him to the brink. He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss. 'Fly, you fools!' he cried, and was gone."

Pg#: 322

Commentary: [Rhetorical devices, other texts, predictions]
Never is it expressly said what a "Balrog" is- the creature is briefly described in a series of movements leading up to this climactic fall of Gandalf. I think Tolkien did this to play on the terror of the unknown in a way. When I fear something, often the cause is because I'm not fully aware of what the thing is that I fear. The reader is placed in the same position as Frodo is. Frodo doesn't know what a Balrog is- just that it's attacking Gandalf and that he should be afraid of it.

I feel as if this chapter directly correlates with the end of the 6th book in Harry Potter. When Dumbledore dies everyone feels abandoned and lost- it seemed as if so long as Dumbledore was alive and well that the magical world was safe (no matter how many evils assailed Harry). As Gandalf is now away from the group (though maybe not gone forever) I surmise it is in desperation too.

Gandalf is coming back. He has to.

The Gang's Security

Passage from the text:
"'Steady! Steady!'" cried Gandalf as merry and Pippin pushed forward, glad to find a place where they could rest with at least more feeling of shelter than in the open passage. 'Steady you do not know what is inside yet. I will go first.'"

Page #: 305

Commentary: [Reflect on Character]
Gandalf is being such a dad right now with the protector motif going on and an angered encouragement to follow the leader. Not to mention the fact that Gandalf is kinda wise and he's willing to be the first one in danger. The group is kinda relying alot on him right now.

A Firm Farewell

Passage from the text:
"'I am sorry,' said Gandalf. 'Poor Bill has been a useful companion, and it goes to my heart to turn him adrift now. I would have traveled lighter and brought no animal, least of all this one that Sam is fond of, if I had had my way. I feared all along what we should be obliged to take this road.'"

Pg#: 294

Commentary: [Reflect]
Gandalf is sure to make clear that "the animal is not coming with us." Like a father that tells his children that the dog cannot come on the road trip, Gandalf tells the hobbits and company that Bill the llama cannot accompany them. The very fact that the pack-mule must be abandoned indicates a change in the dynamic of the story. The road ahead of them is too perilous and narrow for just anyone to come along. At the same time, I'm almost certain that Bill will pop up latter in the trilogy- he can't not- Sam loves the beast with much familiarity and it'll make for a cute Kodak moment for when things get slow on the journey ahead.

Stay Warm

10/7/12
Passage from the text:
“A cold wind flowed down behind them, as they turned their backs on the Redhorn Gate, and stumbled wearily down the slope. Caradhras had defeated them.”

Pg#: 286

Commentary: [Relate]
The bitter cold of defeat. How humbling. The gang tried to brave the cold mountains instead going through Moria and they’ve failed.

Sometimes there is no easy way out. The hard work that is necessary for the job to be completed cannot be circumvented. If there’s no way above it, below it, or around it, you gotta go through it. Fear lurks in the shadows of the minds of those who wish to thrive, keeping them from advancing. Should the spectres of doubt gain more credence, permanent indecision would become more likely. It is courage that the group needs right about now.

Said the Night Wind to the Little Lamb, Do You See What I See?

10/1/12
Passage from the text:
“Elrond raised his eyes and looked at him, and Frodo felt his heart pierced by the sudden keenness of the glance. ‘If I understand aright all that I have heard,’ he said, ‘I think that this task is appointed for you, Frodo; and that if you do not find a way, no one will. This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of the Great. Who of all the Wise could have foreseen it? Or, if they are wise, why should they expect to know it, until the hour has struck?”

Pg#: 264

Commentary: [Comparison]
So I feel like Frodo is really making his way into his christ-figure about now. Only Frodo can throw the ring into the fires of Mordor. Only Jesus could throw sin back into hell. When it talks about the “Wise” I get flashbacks from the movie The Nativity Story. The three magi the whole time are like “who would’ve thunk... Bethlehem...whoa.” I think being born in the Shire might also be the equivalent of being born in a manger.

It'll Never Break!

9/28/12
Passage from the text:
    “‘White serves as a beginning. White cloth may be dyed. The white page can be overwritten; and the white light can be broken.’

‘In which case it is no longer white,’ said I. ‘And he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.’”

Pg#: 252

Commentary:
    I’ve done this more than once myself. I remember I once bought a snow globe/music box from Goodwill. I wanted to see how far the music box spring would turn so I turned it past tight. The snow globe recovered the first time. Then I did it again to see what the real limit was. The spring never turned again. I still don’t think I’m on “the path of wisdom.”

Trust Issues Much?

9/27/12
Passage from the text:

“We guarded this creature day and night, at Gandalf’s bidding, much though we wearied of the task. But Gandalf bade us hope still for his cure, and we had not the heart to keep him ever in dungeons under the earth, where he would fall back into his old black thoughts.”

Pg#: 249

Commentary: [Prediction]
    I’m really digging Gandalf story time. Foiled again! He trusted the elves to keep Gollum in prison and they failed him yo. What’s up with that? Gandalf is pretty wise, but if he would only start screening the people he trusts. First it was the the owner of the Prancing Pony that completely forgot about the note he was to give Frodo. Now someone biffed on their babysitting duties. I predict that in the future, Gandalf will trust someone with a semi-important responsibility and they will fail him- perhaps even Frodo with the Ring.

May Patience Not Lead to Inaction

9/26/12
Passage from the text:
“I let the matter rest, watching and waiting only, as we have too often done.

‘Time passed with many cares, until my doubts were awakened again to sudden fear. Whence came the hobbit’s ring? What, if my fear was true, should be done about it? Those things I must decide. But I spoke yet of my dread to none, knowing the peril of an untimely whisper, if it went astray. In all the long wars with the Dark Tower treason has ever been our greatest foe.’”

Pg#: 245

Commentary: [Connect]
    Within the past week I have noticed that I hardly have time for social events or time with friends anymore; I wondered why. I especially disliked not getting to go to Catechism study on Thursdays (homework overload days). After working on homework for an ungodly amount of time last week I had it figured out. I have plenty of things on my school schedule to keep me busy. I’ve recently taken a page from Gandalf (pun intended) and have decided to observe the amount of time I spend doing work this week to see if it’s manageable at all and if I can make more efficient uses of my time so that my life is more than school. Telling Mr. Gebes I want to drop a class before I observe my schedule would be an “untimely whisper.”

Missing the Mark

9/25/12
Passage from the text:
“There was a hush, and all turned their eyes on Frodo. He was shaken by a sudden shame and fear; and he felt a great reluctance to reveal the Ring, and a loathing of its touch. He wished he were far away.”

Pg#: 240

Commentary: [Connect]
I’m pretty sure that Tolkien intended for the Ring to symbolize sin. So far Frodo has worn the ring thrice; once to make sure that the Ring still worked, another time the ring was in his pocket and it slipped on his hand by chance, the last time was when the Black Riders were upon Frodo and out of fear he put it on. Curiosity, carelessness, and a lack of firmness were the causes of Frodo’s ring dawning. Sin evokes shame when brought into the open. So far the ring seems to represent sin (in general); Frodo is 33 and he’s been sent on a mission to get rid of the ring (which would support a Christ figure theory).

I think the ring is important...

9/24/12
Passage from the text:
“Fruitless did I call the victory of the Last Alliance? Not wholly so, yet it did not achieve its end. Sauron was diminished, but not destroyed. His Ring was lost but not unmade. The Dark Tower was broken, but its foundations were not removed; for they were made with the power of the Ring, and while it remains they will endure.”

Pg#: 238

Commentary: [Rhetorical Analysis]
I’m liking the parallel structure here. It gives an air of officialness to the Council and to the speaker, Elrond. That the Ring is spoken of as the essential piece to the powers of evil makes Frodo’s job all the more harder. The author presents these words from the mouth of the most respected person in the World of Lord of the Rings which equates the quote with the the basis for the book.

That awkward moment when you check your pocket for The Ring...

9/20/12
Passage from the text:
“Not all that was spoken and debated in the Council need now be told. Much was said of events in the world outside, especially in the South, and in the wide lands east of the Mountains. Of these things Frodo had already heard many rumors...”

Pg#: 234

Commentary: [Literary Analysis]
I think little prefaces like these help make the story more convincing. That there are things that I don’t know but that were still said in the Council adds a hint of reality to the plot. Without those two lines the novel could have gone on, though with them it makes Frodo’s world seem like it’s own. The juxtaposition between intense dialogue and description to this third person informative helps to further solidify (if it wasn’t already) the idea that Frodo is someone that lived, that the book is simply a chronicled window into his adventures.

Love at First Sight.

9/19/12
Passage from the text:
“Near him sat the Lady Arwen. To his surprise Frodo saw that Aragorn stood beside her; his dark cloak was thrown back, and he seemed to be clad in elvin mail, and a star shone on his breast. They spoke together, and then suddenly it seemed to Frodo that Arwen turned towards him, and the light of her eyes fell on him from afar and pierced his heart.”

Pg#: 232

Commentary: [Prediction]
I hesitate to say that Frodo and Arwen will become romantic. He’s a hobbit, she’s an elf- I hear those things don’t work out well. But aside from that she’s an interesting character. When Frodo first sat down at the feast table he took a moment to stare in awe at Arwen’s beauty. The way she was physically described was flattering and too extensive not to have her appear later on in the story. Arwen has an aura about her that seems to capture Frodo- pierces his heart even. I'm not sure if that means she's got him figured out or the gaze was just that striking or he has a thing for her or all of the above. I think Frodo will either be friend-zoned soon or in a relationship with the prettiest girl in Rivendell (which would include a “Frodo, please come home alive” dynamic to it I’m sure).

Real Men Sing Songs.

9/18/12
Passage from the text:
“There he wandered long in a dream of music that turned into a running water, and then suddenly into a voice. It seemed to be the voice of Bilbo chanting verses. Faint at first and then clearer ran the words.

Earendil was a mariner

that tarried in Arvernien;

he built a boat of timber felled...”

Pg#: 227

Commentary: [Response]
Earlier year this year dear Mrs.Clifford pedagogically posed this question to me:

“Why do you think the author includes so many songs in the text?”

I’d like to take a moment to answer this question.

I’ve mused a bit on why Tolkien decided to include written verse in his first installment of the Lord of the Rings. I think there are multiple reasons why he choose to do this. The expanse of characters that sing throughout the novel is impressive: Frodo, Sam, Strider, the Elvin peoples, Tom Bombadil; I think even Gandalf manages a line or two of song. But why does almost everyone sing? Well, logic will tell us that if many characters in the book sing then many persons within the same fictional setting probably also sing. It’s commonplace for hobbits and elves, but for who else is it commonplace for? If we went back to the times of the Jewish people we would find that there were persons that memorized whole stories of ancestry and recited them for the preservation of history. The songs that the characters in Lord of the Rings sing are not wholly reserved to relationship woes or other painful topics [as today’s modern music is], they usually have something to do with a story or some history. Tolkien is consistently using rhythmic oration to set the mood of the novel as one of an older- more traditional time.

I also think that prose is not enough for Tolkien. He’s all about the subtle hinting and whatnot. What better place to do that than in a well-placed poem? That’s right, there is no better place. By the way,

Frodo, Sam, Strider, Tom Bombadil and Gandalf are men. And they sing songs.

Frodo: Ever-young

9/17/12
Passage from the text:
“‘Here is a friend that you have long missed.’
The dark figure raised its head and uncovered its face.
‘Bilbo!’ cried Frodo with sudden recognition, and he sprang forward.
Pg#:224

Commentary: [Analysis]
Frodo is still very much a kid at heart. I’m pretty sure Bilbo was the only father-figure he ever had in his life. Frodo has missed him much. Like a little kid who sees mom or dad finally come home Frodo jumps up to greet his guardian and friend. Such behavior might not be fitting for one who is to face more Black Riders; but, nonetheless Frodo unashamedly shows his affection for Bilbo in an eager moment’s embrace. Perhaps the welcome is not as childish as I make it to be, though, it cannot be denied that Frodo is very much innocent, unaware of reality.

When the Body Betrays the Spirit

9/14/12
Passage from the text:
“‘Yes, it all comes back to me now,’ said Frodo: ‘the tremendous roaring. I thought I was drowning, with my friends and enemies and all. But now we are safe!’
Gandalf looked quickly at Frodo, but he had shut his eyes. ‘Yes, you are all safe for the present. Soon there will be feasting and merrymaking to celebrate the victory at the Ford of Bruinen, and you will all be there in places of honour.’”

Pg#: 218

Commentary: [Analysis]
Gandalf is one of those characters who will try his best to make things seems as if they’re okay- even when they’re not. If he did not hide his real thoughts those he wished to encourage might not be encouraged. The quick glance that Gandalf gives Frodo is significant because it betrays his usual mien and reveals Gandalf’s worry. That Frodo thought himself to be in true peril this early in the journey is bad. Matters have become dangerous faster than Gandalf had expected. I can imagine Gandalf's relief as he realizes that Frodo is oblivious to his anxious glance: that Frodo does not see- and that Frodo does not see.

Harry Potter and the Deliverance of the Ring

9/13/12
Passage from the text:
“‘But talking would stop me thinking and wondering, which are quite as tiring,’ said Frodo. ‘I am wide awake now, and I remember so many things that want explaining. Why were you delayed? You ought to tell me that at least.’
‘You will soon hear all you wish to know,’ said Gandalf. ‘We shall have a Council, as soon as you are well enough. At the moment I will only say that I was held captive.’”

Pg#: 214

Commentary: [Connect]
These bedside chats between mentor and mentee remind me of the conversations between Dumbledore and Harry Potter at the end of a tragic adventure. In some ways the same is true. Frodo was in a bind on account of his deadly black magic shoulder wound and the Black Rider fiasco; he needed someone with healing powers to patch him up quick. Bam. Tragic adventure. Gandalf decides to unveil some of the hidden knowledge that has been kept from Frodo for his safety. Pow. That’s what Dumbledore and Harry do; first book- Prof Quirrel, second book- Huge Snake = Harry ending up on a hospital bed, Dumbledore telling him important stuff. The whole dynamic between Gandalf and Frodo and Dumbledore and Harry is so similar in the first place- both old men are “god figures” in the sense that whenever they’re around nothing can go wrong and that they know all the answers: both young men are seeking something, they have a mission, they must be brave.

Beware the Treacherous Seas

9/12/12
Passage from the text:
“His sword broke and fell out of his shaking hand. The elf-horse reared and snorted. The foremost of the black horses had almost set foot upon the shore.
At that moment there came a roaring and a rushing: a noise of loud waters rolling many stones. Dimly Frodo saw the river below him rise, and down along its course there came a plumed cavalry of waves. White flames seemed to Frodo to flicker on their crests and he half fancied that he saw amid the \water white riders upon white horses with frothing manes. The three Riders that were still in the midst of the Ford were overwhelmed”

Pg #: 209

Commentary: [R]
Frodo is about to luck out and then out of nowhere this fortunate wave of awesome washes over his enemies. I was once in a similar bind. I was in Cancun once with my family when I was about 7. I wanted to wade in the ocean, so I waded in the ocean. After I while the ocean waded on me. I got caught by the tide and found myself way far out (I couldn't get back to shore). My spanish skills back then were approaching fluency. So, in Mexico, the spanish-speaking country, as I was about to drown I called out “Help me!” No one helped me. But the anecdote does not end there, else I wouldn’t be here to tell the story. Mis padres spotted me sloshing around on the shore and found someone that could swim to come and get me.

El ocean es infiel

Slow Fade

9/11/12
Passage from the text:
“Frodo’s pain had redoubled, and during the day things about him faded to shadows of ghostly grey. He almost welcomed the coming of night, for then the world seemed less pale and empty.”

Pg #: 207

Commentary: [R]
I think we’ve all had those sick moments (especially during allergy season when my nose becomes a faucet and my head feels like a balloon) where we’re like “I just kinda want it to stop already so... Do I get to meet Jesus today..?” Frodo is there, nighttime and his reality are synonymous. During springtime when everybody starts cutting their grass I really want to go hibernate. It’s less suicidal, more desolate, almost like a subdued desperation.

He Works Hard for No Money

9/10/12
Passage from the text:
“‘Have you often been to Rivendell?’ said Frodo.
‘I have,’ said Strider. ‘I dwelt there once, and still I return when I may. There my heart is; but it is not my fate to sit in peace, even in the fair house of Elrond.’”

Pg #s: 196-197

Commentary: [R]
I kinda get the “there’s work to be done” feel from this conversation between Frodo and Strider. I think Strider shows how industrious he is when he says “it is not my fate to sit in peace.” Industriousness is a great virtue to have. Next to perseverance, persistence, and fortitude, it’s that habit of getting stuff done the right way. Type “A” personalities are naturally industrious, for everyone else it’s a bit harder to acquire the trait. Pope John Paul II was industrious too ;).

Take a moment to appreciate

Habituation

9/7/12
Passage from the text:

“The desire to do this laid hold of him, and he could think of nothing else. He did not forget the Barrow, nor the message of Gandalf; but something seemed to be compelling him to disregard all warnings, and he longed to yield. Not with the hope of escape, or of doing anything, either good or bad: he simply felt that he must take the Ring and put it on his finger. He could not speak. He felt Sam looking at him, as if he knew that his master was in some great trouble, but he could not turn towards him. He shut his eyes and struggled for a while; but resistance became unbearable, and at last he slowly drew out the chain, and slipped the Ring on the forefinger of his left hand.”

Pg#:191

Comments and Questions: [R]

Here we witness the weakness of hobbit (and human) nature. The Black Riders are coming and Frodo has to choose between ring or no ring. The conflict had been building up -this is the third time Frodo has worn the ring. The more times something is done the easier it becomes to do again in most situations. Whether or not the act is morally good or bad, it is very human to become habituated to any stimuli. Gandalf told him never to put on the ring. When Gandalf says never to do something- you just don’t do it. Frodo knows that dawning on the ring is bad. He does it anyways, his reason is subjugated to his emotions (of fear) and he gives in. Few times is fear ever a good reason to do anything. We pay the consequences when we give in to our own “ring”. The key is not to have the ring in your pocket in the first place.

Clearly Clairvoyant

9/6/12
Passage from the text:
“He held out his hand, and showed a single pale-green jewel. ‘I found it in the mud in the middle of the bridge,’ he said. ‘It is a beryl, an elf-stone. Whether it was set there, or let fall by chance, I cannot say; but it brings hope to me. I will take it as a sign that we may cross the Bridge: but beyond that I dare not keep to the Road, without some clearer token.”

Pg#: 196

Questions and comments: [P]

I predict that the mangy bunch are going to encounter...

~A~ Help. It has been too long on the road.  The group is tired, hungry, and injured. We’re not ready for Gandalf yet but someone needs to lighten the mood with some wisdom or food. They won’t make it to Rivendell in the state they’re in. The gem could be whispering “friends are near”.

~B~ A bit more dramatic climbing action could help further enthrall the reader. Perhaps Pippin could be killed off without too many plot repercussions (it could even add to the awareness of possible future events. I kinda want the Black Riders to make a move already (which means something big is going to happen- authors don’t make such a compelling effort for small potatoes); though with the amount of time they’ve spent stalking Frodo the encounter needs to be heroic and “turning-point-esque.”

~C~ Both.

Hobbit-see, Hobbit-do

9/5/12
Passage from the text:
“Strider laid his hand on his shoulder. ‘There is still hope,’ he said. ‘You are not alone. Let us take this wood that is set ready for the fire as a sign. There is little shelter or defence here, but fire shall serve for both. Sauron can put fire to his evil uses, as he can all things, but these Riders do not love it, and fear those who wield it. Fire is our friend in the wilderness.’


Pg#: 185

Comments and Questions: [R]
Strider is really evolving as the leader of the hobbit gang. He still has hope though times are tough. He is working with what he has. I have observed a few leaders myself. When they’re not at it (not cheerful, smiling, encouraging, or loving) their followers aren’t at it either. You know what I mean be “at it.” The leader’s mood directly affects their mood (and sometimes it’s just that one-way street). When the leader has hope those that look up to that leader- if only for instructions- have hope too. A fiery hope may I add...

Friend or Foe

9/4/12
Passage from the text:

“With your leave, Mr.Frodo, I’d say no! This Strider here, he warns and he says take care; and I say yes to that, and let’s begin with him. He comes out of the Wild, and I never heard no good of such folk. He knows something, that’s plain, and more than I like; but it’s no reason why we should let him go leading us out into some dark place far from help, as he puts it.”

Pg #s: 162-163

Comments and Questions: [R]

It is hard to trust people sometimes. Though, I have never been in a situation where I would have to place complete trust in someone right after meeting them. Strider wants to help Frodo so bad... The danger in that though is evident for Frodo.

Trust is a must. I know persons that hold leadership positions and sometimes it is hard to assign others tasks that they know they could do well. It is those moments when a little less control and a bit more faith in others is what the leader needs. Frodo’s situation is a much more dire one; however, I can relate to the difficulty in trusting others.

Under the Guise of Tom Bombadil

Passage from the text:
"He reappeared, hat first, over the brow of the hill, and behind him came in an obedient line six ponies: their own five and one more. The last was plainly old Fatty Lumpkin: he was larger, stronger, fatter (and older) than their own ponies. Merry, to whom the other belonged, had not, in fact, given them any such names, but they answered to the new names that Tom had given them for the rest of their lives. Tom called them one by one and they climbed over the brow and stood in a line. Then Tom bowed to the hobbits."

Pg#s: 141

Comments & Questions:
As Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin make their way out of the forest after a scary encounter with death, the jovial Tom Bombadil retrieves the group’s lost ponies. What I find interesting about the wording in this passage is that it exactly parallels Genesis. My inclination that Tom was an “Adam, the first man” character was completely confirmed after this paragraph. What first clued me in was when Tom explained the history of all of the Old Forest in a perfectly blissful fashion- it was not a pleasant story either. If “Adam” was still living he might be able to do the same. Aside from his constantly cheerful demeanor, Tom seems to resemble man at the height of creation. No matter what, he’s always happy. Tom is constantly singing and dancing, his meals and fire-side stories are something to write to the Shire about, he refers to himself as “master” in relation to the rest of the forest, and his wife, Goldberry, is just as perfect, beautiful, lovely and blissful as Eve would have been in Eden. When given the ring, it does not do the same things to Tom as it would do to anyone else that were to slip on the ring. From Genesis,

“Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock...” Genesis 2:19-20

Tom clearly names the hobbits’ ponies. And those are their names. They come obediently too. That Tom is truly master of the Old Forest and all those animals relates to Adam’s primacy over the domain of creation.

When Push Comes to Shove

Passage from the text:
“There is a seed of courage hidden (often deeply, it is true) in the heart of the fattest and most timid hobbit, waiting for some final and desperate danger to make it grow... But the courage that had been awakened in him was now too strong; he could not leave his friends so easily. He wavered, groping in his pocket, and then fought with himself again; and as he did so the arm crept nearer. Suddenly resolve hardened in him, and he seized a short sword that laid beside him, and kneeling he stooped low over the bodies of his companions. With what strength he had he hewed at the crawling arm near the wrist, and the hand broke off; but at the same moment the sword splintered up to the hilt. There was a shriek and the light vanished.”

Pg#: 137-138

Comments and Questions:
I’d like to think that I would be willing to die for someone; however, one can never be sure until the time comes. After being seen off by Tom Bombadil it is not too long before the four run into trouble. A darkness has swept over the group and Frodo finds himself lying stiff, but awake, on a stone slab while his friends on either side of him are unconscious and in similar sorts. Frodo faces a decision that could have dire consequences; put on the ring and save himself or take up the sword and risk his life to save his friends. The courage that Frodo shows in this selection is not ordinary. Rather than yielding to the selfish temptation to keep himself (and only himself) alive,  instead he does what must be done to rescue his friends. Frodo’s courage is certainly gospel courage.

"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13)

Wherefore Art Thou Ernest?

TKC!

John Mester 1

John Mester
AP Literature
Mrs.Clifford
8/30/12

A Treatise on Earnestness

The Importance of Being Earnest is a comical play set in London, 1895. Perhaps the most noticeable feature of the play is its humor. Many jokes are made, many paradoxical things are said, but Oscar Wilde manages to fit in a storyline between all the shenanigans. Perhaps I am not capable of laughter, but I personally did not find this play too funny. The female characters are capricious and easily change their minds while the male characters are deceptive and will do anything to marry the women.  Most of the jokes are dry and poke fun at the seriousness of the upper class or social institutions in general.

Jack and Algernon are two men that are bent on marrying Gwendolen and Cecily, respectively. Their double-life escapades have allowed them each to live under two identities in the city and in the country. Jack is Ernest in the city and Jack in the country. Algernon is Algernon in the city and Bunbury in the country. To get away from their lives as Jack and Algernon the two pretend to go and visit their counterparts (which they call their brothers) whenever the feel the need. The whole play is centered around the lie that Jack’s name is Ernest (which is the only reason why Gwendolen wants to marry him)

“Gwendolen.

...my ideal has always been to love someone of the name of Ernest. There is something in that name that inspires absolute confidence. The moment Algernon first mentioned to me that he had a friend called Ernest, I knew I was destined to love you.”- Act 1

This lie causes Ernest much anguish and things turn for the worst when he tries to fix it. The story has to do with his name being revealed (or not).

From the beginning of the first act the main conflict is established and continues throughout the play. Jack tries to kill off Ernest in the minds of his country friends by coming back and spreading the tale of his brothers death. But, his plans are foiled when Algernon decides to go “bunburying” under the pseudonym of Ernest. Long story-short, Jack’s false identity is found out; however, in the last scene he finds something that could have saved him all the guilty trouble in the first place.

“Jack

Lady Bracknell, I hate to seem inquisitive, but would you kindly inform me who I am?

Lady Bracknell.

...You are the son of my poor sister, Mrs. Moncrieff, and consequently Algernon's elder

brother.

Gwendolen.

[[To Jack.]] ..What is your Christian name, now that you have become someone else?

Jack.

Good heavens! . . . I had quite forgotten that point. Your decision on the subject of my name is irrevocable, I suppose?

Jack.

...what name was I given?...

Lady Bracknell

Being the eldest son you were naturally christened after your father.

Jack.

[[Irritably.]] Yes, but what was my father's Christian name...

[[Rushes to bookcase and tears the books out.]] ...Moncrieff! Lieutenant 1840, Captain, Lieutenant-Colonel, Colonel, General 1869, Christian names, Ernest John. [[Puts book very quietly down and speaks quite calmly.]] I always told you, Gwendolen, my name was Ernest, didn't I? Well, it is Ernest after all. I mean it naturally is Ernest.”-Act 3

That the main conflict is solved by a last second chance-encounter should indicate how comical the play is.

The last scene in which Jack finds out that his true name is really Ernest is a significant part of the play because the ongoing conflict that Jack’s name is not Ernest ,as Gwendolen would like it to be, is resolved. Jack can marry Gwendolen and Algernon can marry Cecily. It is the final crescendo of the plot in which the main issue is resolved. It ties up the rest of the play as a whole. The play as a whole is vain and worldly, and not very serious at all. This final scene reveals the hollowness of the play- the characters have little depth and the overall irony obscures any possible moral of the story.

“Jack.

Gwendolen! [[Embraces her.]] At last!

Lady Bracknell.

My nephew, you seem to be displaying signs of triviality.

Jack.

On the contrary, Aunt Augusta, I've now realized for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest.”- Act 3

The author is sure to include the title of the play as the last words of the act. It is a comedy through and through.

Works Cited

Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest in Plays, Prose Writings and Poems. , London, Everyman (1930) pages 450–509
"'The Importance of Being Earnest': The First Stage Production, 1895." Victoria and Albert Museum. Web. 30 Aug. 2012. <http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-importance-of-being-earnest-first-stage-production/>.