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

IRP Blogpost 5

Symbols:
Sting-the name Bilbo gives his sword is a symbol for the type of damage he is able to do to his opponents; Bilbo is not a very powerful being and thus he does not wield a particularly powerful weapon.
The Ring-Bilbo finds the ring when he encounters Gollum. The ring is a symbol for evil, which can be seen in how it affects Gollum. The ring also infatuates Bilbo, which shows evil's true power.
Spider-the gigantic spider that Bilbo slays in this section represents the huge odds that the band of dwarfs is facing in their journey, and Bilbo will help them succeed.
Video about giant spiders: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/bugs-animals/spiders-and-scorpions/tarantula_goliath.html
Connections and Questions:
Riddles-there are many instances where riddles are used in mythology, such as the Sphynx's riddle in Greek mythology.
Gandalf helps the group so much, would they be able to complete their quest without him? Do all fantasies have some kind of perfect, constant helping force like Gandalf?
Why is Bilbo so willing to help people he never met before the journey? What keeps him ticking?

IRP Blogpost 4

New characters:
Elrond-elf king who helps the dwarfs and Bilbo on their quest.
Gollum-creature who is consumed by the ring
Beorn-half man and half bear creature who lives in Mirkwood
Eagles-help the group through the Misty Mountains

Places:
Mountain interior-place where goblins take the dwarfs and Bilbo
Misty Mountains-large mountain chain that must be crossed to reach destination
Mirkwood-another obstacle lying in the way of their destination

Events:
Bilbo and the dwarfs are taken into a mountain by a horde of goblins. Gandalf helps them escape, but Bilbo is accidentally left behind. He meets Gollum and finds the ring. Using the ring, which makes the wearer invisible, Bilbo escapes. With Gandalf's help once again, the group winds up meeting up again after all crossing the Misty Mountains unscathed, a difficult feat. As they travel through Mirkwood, Beorn helps them evade the goblins by telling them of an alternate route through the forest. The group ignores the advice of Gandalf and strays off the path, which gets them captured by spiders. Bilbo, wearing the Ring, lures the spiders away and frees the dwarfs. Thorin is captured by elves.

RAFT 1 2/25/11

Dear Che,

I am writing to tell you to tell you about the important lessons you learned and the ones you could have learned from the time Ernesto spent in Chile. While there, you saw the angry face of adversity and oppression shown by the communist couple simply looking for work. The simple struggle to survive certainly had its effect on you, and for the first time you saw the suffering proletariat. But what you should have learned as well was to not take things for granted. Along the long, winding road through Chile, you acted like some kind of celebrity by staying in strangers’ houses and taking their food without payment. Your cover of being an expert in leprosy allowed you to do this, but really you were just taking from the people and not giving anything back. This goes against the communistic views you showed later in life; you were not pulling your weight. You did not pay any heed to the kindness with which you were being showed, and when a man wanted some payment for using his shelter, you denied him and when on your way. Certainly, taking and giving nothing back to society is not the message you wish to pass on. Although you did learn some valuable lessons, more important ones were there to be learned.

Sincerely,

Ryan

IRP Blogpost 3

Themes and Ideas:
The theme of contrasting mythical wizards and dragons with mellow, non-adventurous hobbits is introduced in the first section of the novel.
The author uses many asides and parentheses to talk directly to the reader, which adds a personal feel to the story-line, as if the narrator is sitting across from the reader, adding his own side comments. This also adds a comedic aspect to the novel.
Bilbo is almost as naive as the reader to all the happenings in far-off lands, so when Gandalf and the dwarfs have to explain something to him and Tolkien has to explain something about the world to the reader, both tasks can be accomplished at the same time.
The dwarfs come into Bilbo's house unannounced, eat all his food, drink all his wine and beer, and expect him to help them out on their quest. This all points to Bilbo being taken advantage of by other people in this section, and possibly the rest of the book as well.

IRP Blogpost 2

Symbols:
-burglar: Bilbo is called a burglar even though he has never been on any adventures in his life and he prefers a quiet life. It symbolizes his inner personality and foreshadows change in his lifestyle.
-tea: Bilbo invites Gandalf for tea, but instead he gets a bunch of dwarfs who don't want tea. This symbolizes the unexpected events that might occur throughout the book.
-gold & jewels: these symbolize the vanity that all dwarfs have. Also, they are important for Thorin, whose family's treasure is held by Smaug.

Connections & Questions:
The books is similar to other fantasy novels, such as A Game of Thrones, which is the first in a seven-part epic series. It is similar in that there are many made-up kinds of creatures, like dwarfs, wizards and dragons in both books.
This first section in The Hobbit also resembles one of the opening scenes in the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy when Gandalf again visits Bilbo, but that time Bilbo is at the end of his life and Frodo is about to begin his journey. In The Hobbit, Bilbo is about to begin his journey.
Another connection is to the current revolution in Egypt. Although on different scales, the dwarfs are trying to overthrow Smaug from his pile of treasure, and in Egypt the middle-class is revolting against the "president" Mubarak.
link to article about Egypt's revolution: http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/3697.cfm

Why did Bilbo let all the dwarfs in his house so easily?
Does Bilbo actually have a decision in going with the dwarfs or not? Would Gandalf let him not go?
Why do the dwarfs, who don't seem to really want Bilbo to go with them, choose Bilbo and not another dwarf to make their number of companions fourteen?

IRP Blogpost 1

People:
-Bilbo Baggins: main character; Lives in the Shire; is a hobbit, which is a little person, smaller than a dwarf
-Gandalf: wizard; friend of the dwarfs; is very old, lived for hundreds of years;
-Thorin: main dwarf; ancestors were wealthy, but lost treasures to Smaug
-Smaug: dragon who stole Thorin's ancestor's gold and jewels; sleeps on big pile of treasure in a far-away mountain
-Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur: other dwarfs that are helping Thorin

Places:
-The Hill: where Bilbo lives and first section takes place
-The Mountains: where dwarfs are from, where Smaug lives, and where they are headed

Events:
Gandalf visits Bilbo, who doesn't remember him at first. Gandalf says he'll return Wednesday for tea, but on Wednesday thirteen dwarfs turn up unannounced. Bilbo is baffled and irritated by the sudden presence of a throng of dwarfs in his home, asking for food and various non-tea drinks. Gandalf finally turns up and they discuss the mission that Thorin is leading the other dwarfs on. They need one more person, or else their number will be the unlucky thirteen. But aside from being the fourteenth member of the group, Gandalf says "and here is our little Bilbo Baggins, the burglar, the chosen and selected burglar" (Tolkien 22). This underlies the fact that Bilbo's size will come in very handy later in the book when they try to break in to the mountain where Smaug the dragon lives to try and steal back the treasure. This quote also shows some of Bilbo's character traits, by calling him a "burglar".

Independent Reading post 0

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

180 Degrees South Response

Quote: "The end is useless...but I find I learn something along the way....If you take a spiritual journey & you compromise the process you have failed...you are a [jerk] when you start and an [jerk] when you finish."

This quote is pertinent to many of the ideas the movie gets across. It says the journey is the important part; the ends don't matter nearly as much as the means. The process of completing something greater is more valuable than the end product. Jeff Johnson found solace in this idea because although he did not complete his journey, the lessons he learned along the way were worth more. This translates into my life greatly because I will be going off to college next year, and it's important for me to grow along my journey. I must to pay attention to all the lessons along the way, and although in the end college is about getting a degree, all the experiences I have during that time will be just as important, if not much more.