There is similar symbolism in this section to the rest of the book. The treasure represents the selfish desires of all beings. Prized above all by Thorin, however, the Arkenstone is the key artifact. It represents Thorin's past, family, and power. Without it, all the other treasure is meaningless to him.
The novel, which is a prequal to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has much foreshadowing in it, which will likely be seen in the movie adaptation that is set to be released in two parts. The first is set for release in December of next year, and the second should follow later in 2013. The movies look to be quite as entertaining and amazing as the adaptations of Lord of the Rings.
This is an article about the filming of the movie, which is currently taking place in New Zealand, which is where the others were shot as well.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2011/03/21/2011-03-21_the_hobbit_movie_new_zealand_production_begins_ian_mckellen_gandalf_blogs_behind.html?r=news
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
IRP Blogpost 11
“There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
This quote sums up two of the most important themes of the book. One is that Bilbo, the hobbit, has much much more to him than meets the eye. Hobbits are small beings, and throughout the novel, Bilbo has surpassed the expectations of the dwarfs, Gandalf, and even himself. He played such a large role in events and situations that were much bigger than him.
The other theme that this quote refers is the power of treasure. The whole journey was made in the place in order to recover the treasure from the dragon, and conflict surrounded the treasure later between elves, humans, dwarfs, goblins, and Wargs. Every faction in the novel was after riches, for many different reasons.
This quote sums up two of the most important themes of the book. One is that Bilbo, the hobbit, has much much more to him than meets the eye. Hobbits are small beings, and throughout the novel, Bilbo has surpassed the expectations of the dwarfs, Gandalf, and even himself. He played such a large role in events and situations that were much bigger than him.
The other theme that this quote refers is the power of treasure. The whole journey was made in the place in order to recover the treasure from the dragon, and conflict surrounded the treasure later between elves, humans, dwarfs, goblins, and Wargs. Every faction in the novel was after riches, for many different reasons.
IRP Blogpost 10
SPOILER ALERT! The following contains information pertaining to the culmination of the novel.
In the final section of the novel, the plot is resolved in several different ways. At the start, the elves, humans and dwarfs are at eachother's throats because the dwarfs refuse to share the spoils. Bilbo, a hobbit with no side in the conflict, reaches out to the elves and humans by giving them the Arkenstone, the prized object that Thorin most wanted to recover from the dragon. In doing this, Bilbo knowingly forced the sides into cooperation. The two factions are forced to ally when an enemy horde of goblins and Wargs comes trying to take the treasure for themselves. Thorin is mortally wounded in the battle, and on his death bed he regrets his selfish actions and hopes that the races will get along better in the future. The eagles come just in time to turn the tide of the battle, and the allied forces of good triumph over the goblins and Wargs. Bilbo departs to return to the Shire with Gandalf, and they spend time in Mirkwood and Rivendell on their trip back. Bilbo completes his long and arduous journey.
This is a map of all the areas that Bilbo traveled throughout the book. The Shire is to the left, Rivendell in the center, and Mirkwood and the Lonely Mountain to the right.
In the final section of the novel, the plot is resolved in several different ways. At the start, the elves, humans and dwarfs are at eachother's throats because the dwarfs refuse to share the spoils. Bilbo, a hobbit with no side in the conflict, reaches out to the elves and humans by giving them the Arkenstone, the prized object that Thorin most wanted to recover from the dragon. In doing this, Bilbo knowingly forced the sides into cooperation. The two factions are forced to ally when an enemy horde of goblins and Wargs comes trying to take the treasure for themselves. Thorin is mortally wounded in the battle, and on his death bed he regrets his selfish actions and hopes that the races will get along better in the future. The eagles come just in time to turn the tide of the battle, and the allied forces of good triumph over the goblins and Wargs. Bilbo departs to return to the Shire with Gandalf, and they spend time in Mirkwood and Rivendell on their trip back. Bilbo completes his long and arduous journey.
This is a map of all the areas that Bilbo traveled throughout the book. The Shire is to the left, Rivendell in the center, and Mirkwood and the Lonely Mountain to the right.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
IRP Blogpost 9
Towards the end of the novel, the dragon, Smaug guarding the treasure is slain with much effort and sacrifice by the humans and elves. They band together to form a giant army and march towards the Lonely Mountain, where the dwarfs are going to recover the treasure that Smaug had left unguarded. The humans and elves attempt to reason with the dwarfs, who have barricaded themselves in the mountain in an attempt to keep all the treasure for themselves.
This shows the class differentiation between races of beings in Middle Earth, which is a major theme in the novel. The dwarfs see themselves as superior beings and do not want to share their wealth with any other race. This is similar to the class differentiation that can be seen in The Motorcycle Diaries between the native indigenous population and the European immigrants. Also, it is similar to the superiority that the Argentinians feel they have over the other South American countries. This shares similarities as well, although not as severe, as racial segregation that occurred in the United States during the Civil Rights period, which continues in present-day society.
Article on continual racial segregation in the U.S. http://www.flcourier.com/flnation/4671-thousands-march-against-return-of-racial-segregation-in-north-carolina
This shows the class differentiation between races of beings in Middle Earth, which is a major theme in the novel. The dwarfs see themselves as superior beings and do not want to share their wealth with any other race. This is similar to the class differentiation that can be seen in The Motorcycle Diaries between the native indigenous population and the European immigrants. Also, it is similar to the superiority that the Argentinians feel they have over the other South American countries. This shares similarities as well, although not as severe, as racial segregation that occurred in the United States during the Civil Rights period, which continues in present-day society.
Article on continual racial segregation in the U.S. http://www.flcourier.com/flnation/4671-thousands-march-against-return-of-racial-segregation-in-north-carolina
IRP Blogpost 8
Throughout all the discord between friends--dwarfs, and men and elves--the main character Bilbo, a hobbit, is able to remain pleasant. He sees all the bad that is going on, and he is just looking for peace. This is another one of Toklien's ways of making the story different from other epic journeys, which are usually violent. In those as well, the main character usually possesses some heroic traits, such as great strength. Bilbo, however, is a little hobbit and is not very strong at all, although he is very sneaky and cunning. These traits are usually not those typical of a hero, but in this instance they are.
This conflict arises from the treasure, which in fantastic epics is the thing that the hero is seeking, but in this novel conflict comes about because of it. Again, Tolkien shows the reading that his story is different from other epics. The gold and treasure is being sought by everyone, but when they finally get it, happiness is not achieved, but instead more problems are started.
These problems are similar to those that arose after World War I because they both resulted from good, but in actuality they made things much worse. Germany was made to pay everything for the war, which made conditions in that country terrible.
Article about the effects of the Versailles Treaty: http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/03/02/reporters_scholars_and_patriots
This conflict arises from the treasure, which in fantastic epics is the thing that the hero is seeking, but in this novel conflict comes about because of it. Again, Tolkien shows the reading that his story is different from other epics. The gold and treasure is being sought by everyone, but when they finally get it, happiness is not achieved, but instead more problems are started.
These problems are similar to those that arose after World War I because they both resulted from good, but in actuality they made things much worse. Germany was made to pay everything for the war, which made conditions in that country terrible.
Article about the effects of the Versailles Treaty: http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/03/02/reporters_scholars_and_patriots
IRP Blogpost 7
At this time in the novel, the antagonist Smaug has been slain. Even though the dragon is gone, the victors cannot come to agreement about how to split the treasure amongst everyone. The dwarfs do not want to share because, after all, it was their treasure in the first place and they feel that it belongs to only them. The humans and the elves just want to be repaid for sacrificing their homes and lives to defeat Smaug.
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world" (Tolkien 230).
This quote sums up the conflict that supplants the real evil at the end of the novel. It shows that if they all did not care as much about gold, then they could continue on happily through their lives. However, they cannot and more conflict ensues, even though it could be avoided easily if they were not so selfish. This is a lesson that the book can teach anyone; selfishness causes conflict, which can be avoided by a little compromise.
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world" (Tolkien 230).
This quote sums up the conflict that supplants the real evil at the end of the novel. It shows that if they all did not care as much about gold, then they could continue on happily through their lives. However, they cannot and more conflict ensues, even though it could be avoided easily if they were not so selfish. This is a lesson that the book can teach anyone; selfishness causes conflict, which can be avoided by a little compromise.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
IRP Blogpost 6
Themes and Ideas:
“Somehow the killing of this giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark. . . made a great difference to Mr. Baggins." (Tolkien 156)
This quote underlies one of the major themes of the book: the triumphant underdog. From the start, we know that Bilbo is a hobbit. This means his small stature does not make him fit well into the role of hero, yet he is the hero of the novel. Continuing on this line, Bilbo's companions are all dwarfs, a similarly short race of beings. This quote tells us that Bilbo has killed a larger, fiercer, scarier beast: a giant spider. Bilbo faced a being that certainly should have killed him, but with all his cunning, he was able to defeat the creature. This is a possible moment of foreshadowing because a common trait among young heroes is to be able to conquer more powerful adversaries.
Image of biblical underdog winning
David & Goliath
“Somehow the killing of this giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark. . . made a great difference to Mr. Baggins." (Tolkien 156)
This quote underlies one of the major themes of the book: the triumphant underdog. From the start, we know that Bilbo is a hobbit. This means his small stature does not make him fit well into the role of hero, yet he is the hero of the novel. Continuing on this line, Bilbo's companions are all dwarfs, a similarly short race of beings. This quote tells us that Bilbo has killed a larger, fiercer, scarier beast: a giant spider. Bilbo faced a being that certainly should have killed him, but with all his cunning, he was able to defeat the creature. This is a possible moment of foreshadowing because a common trait among young heroes is to be able to conquer more powerful adversaries.
Image of biblical underdog winning
David & Goliath
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