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.