It's me again...I'm back to riddle the cyber world with more of my ranting.. =) (you know you've missed me!) ;-)
Anyway, as I lie in on one of my closest friends couches unable to sleep, I find myself thinking about my life. I am currently working at a part-time job that I hate more than anything and yet I am unable to quit because I know my family would blame me for doing so.
I feel uncertain about everything I do except for my family and friends. They are the only thing that makes sense in my life and yet they are the ones I feel like I can't talk to at all! I hate all of these strange paradoxes that keep me up at night. (they give me headaches too) I can't help but wonder where I'll be in a few short months with my life and where I will end up by this time next year. I must confess that my original plan of living my life uncertain of where things will end up is actually starting to scare me for the first time ever. I feel like I am just stuck, dangling in mid-air, going absolutely no where.
While I am afraid I know this is the only way to do things and that trying to control my life will only cause me more heartache in the end. I just wish I could let it go instead of stewing over things. But that is unfortunately who I am, I am a worrier and I can't stop that for whatever reason.
I am now going to stop my foolish ranting and attempt to get some sleep...(I doubt I will get much, but it is worth a try!) As for the rest of it...Wish me luck! I'm going to need it!
Until Next Time.
XOXO,
Julia
Monday, December 5, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
One of My Favorites
I am in a very weird mood today...maybe it's from all the stupidity that is surrounding me right now...I don't know...I thought the uncertainity of the world would do me some good, that it would somehow make me stronger and more understanding of things than I used to be when I was a control freak that had to have everything figured out...I was wrong...I just makes me feel like the world is slipping out from under my feet, like I am a puppet on strings just dangling in mid-air with no place to go. I desperately want someone to cut my strings, but I know if and when that happens, I will fall and then who will be there to catch me? Through all of this inner turmoil I find solace in my one true passion, literature...One of my favorite poems and my hope for a better tomorrow is Frank O'Hara's "Having a Coke with You." For those of you who are movie buffs, you may have run across this incredible poem in the brand new film "Beastly." Either way, you should really add it to your life, because it does the soul a lot of good...So, here it is... I hope you like it as much as I do. =)
That is such a beautiful poem and right now I am trying my best to remember that my life doesn't end or begin at 24..I choose when I want to truly start living; my body can be alive and functioning without there truly being an ounce of life inside, just like someone who feels close to physical death can truly feel the most alive only then...I don't want to waste my time dwelling on all the wrong things, but I must confess it is difficult not to...Until I can figure out what I am doing I guess I'm stuck with taking things one step at a time...What more could I do??
Until Next Time..
XOXO,
Julia
HAVING A COKE WITH YOU
is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne
or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona
partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian
partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt
partly because of the fluorescent orange tulips around the birches
partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary
it is hard to believe when I'm with you that there can be anything as still
as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it
in the warm New York 4 o'clock light we are drifting back and forth
between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles
and the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint
you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them
I look
at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world
except possibly for the Polish Rider occasionally and anyway it's in the Frick
which thank heavens you haven't gone to yet so we can go together the first time
and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism
just as at home I never think of the Nude Descending a Staircase or
at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me
and what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them
when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank
or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn't pick the rider as carefully
as the horse
it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience
which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I am telling you about it
—Frank O'Hara
That is such a beautiful poem and right now I am trying my best to remember that my life doesn't end or begin at 24..I choose when I want to truly start living; my body can be alive and functioning without there truly being an ounce of life inside, just like someone who feels close to physical death can truly feel the most alive only then...I don't want to waste my time dwelling on all the wrong things, but I must confess it is difficult not to...Until I can figure out what I am doing I guess I'm stuck with taking things one step at a time...What more could I do??
Until Next Time..
XOXO,
Julia
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Only Speak When Spoken To
I'm at it again...Finally made it back home from vacation and I am happy to say there really is "no place like home.." at least for me anyway.. =)
I had a surprise text and phone call from a certain "special guy" while driving home...I have to admit that I was shocked and then happy to hear from him after what seemed like an eternity of playing silent treatment with him...Unfortunately, we had an awesome night talking on the phone and even making "plans" to go on a date..it seemed like a magical night when I hung up the phone, and that feeling continued on until the next day when reality burst the bubble and he started acting the exact same way he always does.. =S to that the only comeback I have is "MEN" ugh!!
Now, I'm playing this game of "I won't speak until I am spoken to" and i have to admit that i hate it 100%
I had a surprise text and phone call from a certain "special guy" while driving home...I have to admit that I was shocked and then happy to hear from him after what seemed like an eternity of playing silent treatment with him...Unfortunately, we had an awesome night talking on the phone and even making "plans" to go on a date..it seemed like a magical night when I hung up the phone, and that feeling continued on until the next day when reality burst the bubble and he started acting the exact same way he always does.. =S to that the only comeback I have is "MEN" ugh!!
Now, I'm playing this game of "I won't speak until I am spoken to" and i have to admit that i hate it 100%
Friday, July 15, 2011
What I've Learned....
It's me again!! I am posting again tonight in order to provide the cyber-world a taste of what I have learned about myself for today..
I've learned that I tend to overwhelm myself very easily by over thinking and then dwelling on every single detail...This action results in the direct reaction of my body freaking out as well causing me to randomly want to bawl my eyes out or just plain curl up in a dark place and hide for the rest of the day or week. lol!
While I am the only single gal left amongst my friends in our small little town, I am perfectly okay with it for now..After spending only 2 days in a row with an awesome 4 month old that makes my heart melt every time he laughs or smiles at me, it has occurred to me that I have things in my life that I want to do and experience before I take on the challenge that being a parent is...My friends may believe/be prepared for that already, but from where I sit in my single and fabulous, only 24 years old chair, the work of college is over and down with and the world is an open invitation for some adventures! I have dreams, goals and desires that all end with me one day having and loving my beautiful family, but before I can ever think of being "momma" I have to first be me!! =D
The last thing that I have learned is that I have a deep and overwhelming attachment to my family, and it is going to take the deepest love and strongest act of God to get me to ever move away and leave them...I would be perfectly content for that to never happen, but if it did or had to, then I wouldn't be able to do it for anyone else than the man that I loved more than anything else...It would also take a great deal of trust in God to get me through it as well...
Well, that is enough self-discovery for one day...Let's hope tomorrow is just as interesting with less tears in the morning!! lol! (I couldn't stop myself from crying like an idiot for absolutely no good reason what so ever! it was mortifying!!)
Until Tomorrow.
XOXO,
Julia
I've learned that I tend to overwhelm myself very easily by over thinking and then dwelling on every single detail...This action results in the direct reaction of my body freaking out as well causing me to randomly want to bawl my eyes out or just plain curl up in a dark place and hide for the rest of the day or week. lol!
While I am the only single gal left amongst my friends in our small little town, I am perfectly okay with it for now..After spending only 2 days in a row with an awesome 4 month old that makes my heart melt every time he laughs or smiles at me, it has occurred to me that I have things in my life that I want to do and experience before I take on the challenge that being a parent is...My friends may believe/be prepared for that already, but from where I sit in my single and fabulous, only 24 years old chair, the work of college is over and down with and the world is an open invitation for some adventures! I have dreams, goals and desires that all end with me one day having and loving my beautiful family, but before I can ever think of being "momma" I have to first be me!! =D
The last thing that I have learned is that I have a deep and overwhelming attachment to my family, and it is going to take the deepest love and strongest act of God to get me to ever move away and leave them...I would be perfectly content for that to never happen, but if it did or had to, then I wouldn't be able to do it for anyone else than the man that I loved more than anything else...It would also take a great deal of trust in God to get me through it as well...
Well, that is enough self-discovery for one day...Let's hope tomorrow is just as interesting with less tears in the morning!! lol! (I couldn't stop myself from crying like an idiot for absolutely no good reason what so ever! it was mortifying!!)
Until Tomorrow.
XOXO,
Julia
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Finding My Fit
Hello fellow bloggers,
I am writing to you from stormy Georgia this evening...I am spending a long weekend and a first time vacation with a friend here...there is just one strange thing, I am totally and completely uncomfortable! =S
This should come as no surprise to me, I am always uncomfortable in strange/unknown places, the thing that bothers me the most tonight is my irrational desire to cry because of that "out of place" feeling...Everyone is friendly and very inviting, but there is still something lacking in everything I say and do around them...I'm absolutely terrified that I am going to put my foot in my mouth and embarass myself in front of my generous hosts and my friend! Never in my life has a vacation been so stressful...
I really wish I knew why I only wanted to cry at the drop of the hat every time I take a minute to think about home...I am losing my marbles it feels like.. BLAH!! If I don't get over this soon I am going to be very unhappy!! lol! (as if I'm not already, duh.. hence the tears!!) oh well, I guess I am going to have to eventually embrace the fact that I am not a normal human being and that I have always been and will always be a freak of nature for the rest of my life! hahaha! I have suddenly realized in my exhausted state why I haven't been successful in my search for Mr. Right, I am a freak of nature, therefore, nobody is interested! hahaha!! I guess I'll just have to find someone equally freaky! ;-)
Well, this is going to be goodnight for now.. I am uber tired!
Sweet dreams everyone!
XOXO,
Julia
I am writing to you from stormy Georgia this evening...I am spending a long weekend and a first time vacation with a friend here...there is just one strange thing, I am totally and completely uncomfortable! =S
This should come as no surprise to me, I am always uncomfortable in strange/unknown places, the thing that bothers me the most tonight is my irrational desire to cry because of that "out of place" feeling...Everyone is friendly and very inviting, but there is still something lacking in everything I say and do around them...I'm absolutely terrified that I am going to put my foot in my mouth and embarass myself in front of my generous hosts and my friend! Never in my life has a vacation been so stressful...
I really wish I knew why I only wanted to cry at the drop of the hat every time I take a minute to think about home...I am losing my marbles it feels like.. BLAH!! If I don't get over this soon I am going to be very unhappy!! lol! (as if I'm not already, duh.. hence the tears!!) oh well, I guess I am going to have to eventually embrace the fact that I am not a normal human being and that I have always been and will always be a freak of nature for the rest of my life! hahaha! I have suddenly realized in my exhausted state why I haven't been successful in my search for Mr. Right, I am a freak of nature, therefore, nobody is interested! hahaha!! I guess I'll just have to find someone equally freaky! ;-)
Well, this is going to be goodnight for now.. I am uber tired!
Sweet dreams everyone!
XOXO,
Julia
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Keep on Keepin' On...
Hello again,
I am doing the very best that I can to stay busy and not dwell on the fact that my due date for student loans is gradually getting closer and that I still have yet to hear back from any of the "real" jobs that I have applied for...I have to admit that it is a genuine struggle to not let the impending date loom over my head like a giant boulder just waiting to mash me into the ground, but I'm doing the best I can by planning fun events with really good friends. I'm looking forward to the prospect of going to GA with a friend to visit some girlfriends that she has down there, it will be the first real road trip I have ever been on without my family..In fact, aside from youth group trips when I was in high school, this will be the first real trip/vacation I have had since I was 6 or 7 years old...I went to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN when I was 12, but that was with my family for my brothers 16th birthday so I don't really class that as a vacation.
As of now I'm still struggling with the fact that my life is no different now than it was when I was in high school...I am dying to have freedom with my life and the ability to have my own place, but I'm still realizing that I'm not in that place just yet...I mentioned this the other day, but it is still in the back of my mind...I also mentioned the fact that I don't really have time for a guy in my life, but that isn't really the case either...I tell myself that I don't have the time, when in all reality I just don't have anyone interested in me right now..I can't really blame them, I don't really see myself as much of a catch right now..maybe if I wasn't living at home, without a job I would honestly be more of a catch to someone...oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait for that too...
The idea that I have to wait for everything to come to my life really bites...I find myself dreading being in this place...It reminds me of "the waiting place" in Dr. Suess' "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" The "waiting place" always seemed like the worse place to be, but somehow without even wanting or intending to end up there I have managed to be detoured there anyway...Believe me, you do NOT want to end up here in the "waiting place" it isn't fun at all...However, if you do end up here you may want to see if I'm still here, so look me up..lol! No, honestly if you find yourself in the waiting place like I have, take a little time to feel bad about it, because if you don't you'll never figure out how to get yourself out of this place to begin with..Once you've felt genuinely bad about it, you can then pick yourself back up, dust yourself off and figure out what to do to get out of it...I'm still on that journey, I'm blinded searching for a way out, I'm trying to find the place with "boom-bands" playing, but I haven't gotten there yet.. =) I'll let you know if it works out for me or not..
For now, I'm content to keep on keepin on...or as someone else might put it I'm going to keep on truckin until I find where I'm supposed to be...I have to admit this blog helps, it gives me someone to tell this to..most of you don't know who I am and those of you who do know me don't really care to let me rant and rave...Thanks for that...until next time...
I am doing the very best that I can to stay busy and not dwell on the fact that my due date for student loans is gradually getting closer and that I still have yet to hear back from any of the "real" jobs that I have applied for...I have to admit that it is a genuine struggle to not let the impending date loom over my head like a giant boulder just waiting to mash me into the ground, but I'm doing the best I can by planning fun events with really good friends. I'm looking forward to the prospect of going to GA with a friend to visit some girlfriends that she has down there, it will be the first real road trip I have ever been on without my family..In fact, aside from youth group trips when I was in high school, this will be the first real trip/vacation I have had since I was 6 or 7 years old...I went to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN when I was 12, but that was with my family for my brothers 16th birthday so I don't really class that as a vacation.
As of now I'm still struggling with the fact that my life is no different now than it was when I was in high school...I am dying to have freedom with my life and the ability to have my own place, but I'm still realizing that I'm not in that place just yet...I mentioned this the other day, but it is still in the back of my mind...I also mentioned the fact that I don't really have time for a guy in my life, but that isn't really the case either...I tell myself that I don't have the time, when in all reality I just don't have anyone interested in me right now..I can't really blame them, I don't really see myself as much of a catch right now..maybe if I wasn't living at home, without a job I would honestly be more of a catch to someone...oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait for that too...
The idea that I have to wait for everything to come to my life really bites...I find myself dreading being in this place...It reminds me of "the waiting place" in Dr. Suess' "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" The "waiting place" always seemed like the worse place to be, but somehow without even wanting or intending to end up there I have managed to be detoured there anyway...Believe me, you do NOT want to end up here in the "waiting place" it isn't fun at all...However, if you do end up here you may want to see if I'm still here, so look me up..lol! No, honestly if you find yourself in the waiting place like I have, take a little time to feel bad about it, because if you don't you'll never figure out how to get yourself out of this place to begin with..Once you've felt genuinely bad about it, you can then pick yourself back up, dust yourself off and figure out what to do to get out of it...I'm still on that journey, I'm blinded searching for a way out, I'm trying to find the place with "boom-bands" playing, but I haven't gotten there yet.. =) I'll let you know if it works out for me or not..
For now, I'm content to keep on keepin on...or as someone else might put it I'm going to keep on truckin until I find where I'm supposed to be...I have to admit this blog helps, it gives me someone to tell this to..most of you don't know who I am and those of you who do know me don't really care to let me rant and rave...Thanks for that...until next time...
Monday, June 20, 2011
Guess Whose Back!!
Hey all you blog followers out there...I'm back!! =D
I believe it has been awhile since I have written on here. And now I am officially able to write about anything and everything I want to! I am so excited to have the freedom to write about whatever I want to without having to answer to a professor about it..
Tonight the biggest subject I want to talk about is my life after college..As most of you know I graduated in May 2011 and I haven't looked back since..(okay, so maybe I've looked back a couple of times and had a few peeks in my rear view mirror as well..but that's it I promise!) The truth is, life after college hasn't been what I thought it was going to be at all! I've done really well with my job searches, devoting a portion of every single day to searching and applying for jobs..which is really exhausting when there isn't very many jobs to choose from right now..I really don't want to be one of those English majors with those shirts that says, "I'm an English major...Do you want fries with that?" Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing anyone that works in the fast food industry, I just don't want to prove some of my family members right by going through 5 years of college just to end up with a minimum wage job, making less than they do...trust me I know that they are just trying to make themselves feel better for not going to college, but their words still have weight..
To explain, I have been told that getting a degree and building up all of those student loans was just plain ridiculous because that degree is no guarantee that I will get a job that is better than what other people have who didn't go to college...I am so ready to become the adult that I am supposed to be, I want a place of my own, I want to have my own responsibilities and be able to buy my own groceries and the things that I want...I'm so ready for the next chapter in my life to begin...but it seems like I'm stuck in neutral instead..I get so frustrated with myself for wanting things that seem so unreachable right now, but isn't that what we are supposed to do with our lives? From a young age we are asked repetitively, "what do you want to be when you grow up? where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15, 20 years? where are you going to go to college? what are you going to do after college? where is your life going?" all of these questions are shoved in our faces the moment we are old enough to answer them, which is basically when we learn to talk! It is no wonder we are so hell-bent to focus on our futures, instead of our present lives..
I have so many feelings welling up inside of me, I feel like I'm going to explode..So this was the only way I knew to prevent that..lol..I'm going to make a change, I'm going to do my best to embrace my life the way it is right now...while I want to have all of those things I mentioned earlier, it is just impossible to have them right now, just like it is impossible for me to have a guy in my life right now..but that is a completely different conversation and blog..for now I'm going to stop ranting and just take some time to readjust...I have to admit that having this blog really helps...I also like knowing that only my close friend knows that it exists..It is comforting to know that she won't think I'm crazy like some people do..
Well I feel better..Thanks for listening to my ranting, and if you didn't make it through to the end, it's okay, I completely understand! lol! =D I really do feel better now..
I believe it has been awhile since I have written on here. And now I am officially able to write about anything and everything I want to! I am so excited to have the freedom to write about whatever I want to without having to answer to a professor about it..
Tonight the biggest subject I want to talk about is my life after college..As most of you know I graduated in May 2011 and I haven't looked back since..(okay, so maybe I've looked back a couple of times and had a few peeks in my rear view mirror as well..but that's it I promise!) The truth is, life after college hasn't been what I thought it was going to be at all! I've done really well with my job searches, devoting a portion of every single day to searching and applying for jobs..which is really exhausting when there isn't very many jobs to choose from right now..I really don't want to be one of those English majors with those shirts that says, "I'm an English major...Do you want fries with that?" Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing anyone that works in the fast food industry, I just don't want to prove some of my family members right by going through 5 years of college just to end up with a minimum wage job, making less than they do...trust me I know that they are just trying to make themselves feel better for not going to college, but their words still have weight..
To explain, I have been told that getting a degree and building up all of those student loans was just plain ridiculous because that degree is no guarantee that I will get a job that is better than what other people have who didn't go to college...I am so ready to become the adult that I am supposed to be, I want a place of my own, I want to have my own responsibilities and be able to buy my own groceries and the things that I want...I'm so ready for the next chapter in my life to begin...but it seems like I'm stuck in neutral instead..I get so frustrated with myself for wanting things that seem so unreachable right now, but isn't that what we are supposed to do with our lives? From a young age we are asked repetitively, "what do you want to be when you grow up? where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15, 20 years? where are you going to go to college? what are you going to do after college? where is your life going?" all of these questions are shoved in our faces the moment we are old enough to answer them, which is basically when we learn to talk! It is no wonder we are so hell-bent to focus on our futures, instead of our present lives..
I have so many feelings welling up inside of me, I feel like I'm going to explode..So this was the only way I knew to prevent that..lol..I'm going to make a change, I'm going to do my best to embrace my life the way it is right now...while I want to have all of those things I mentioned earlier, it is just impossible to have them right now, just like it is impossible for me to have a guy in my life right now..but that is a completely different conversation and blog..for now I'm going to stop ranting and just take some time to readjust...I have to admit that having this blog really helps...I also like knowing that only my close friend knows that it exists..It is comforting to know that she won't think I'm crazy like some people do..
Well I feel better..Thanks for listening to my ranting, and if you didn't make it through to the end, it's okay, I completely understand! lol! =D I really do feel better now..
Friday, April 15, 2011
Final Tolkien Friday Class *Sigh*
Well...it is finally official...the semester is ending and that means the official end of my college career! I will be graduating May 9th...I'm still in shock, it is one of those circumstances where you know that it will end eventually, but when the end finally arrives you are surprised that it is here...(no matter how long you've been in school!)
I was looking forward to the very last Tolkien class today. I was greatly anticipating the conversation about Beren and Luthien. (Awesome story) and to my shock, disappointment and uncertain happiness the class was cancelled. *sigh* I was happy just because it was a knee-jerk reaction for any senior to celebrate when they hear a class has been cancelled, even if it is a class that they enjoy! As soon as I expressed my happiness I was immediately ashamed and to be honest sad. It hit me that there would be know more awesome discussions about J.R.R. Tolkien and that my awesome class for the semester had actually come to a 'faster than the speed of light' end. It never fails that the classes you don't want to end, end way too soon and the ones you want to end, take forever to get everything finalized.
Now the only thing left for me to do with my Tolkien class is take the final (which is open book and online) and then finish up my 12 page paper on Gollum! I've thoroughly enjoyed the class and even if you can't tell it from my ramblings on this blog...I've learned a lot...
Until Next Time *My Precious*
XOXO,
Julia
I was looking forward to the very last Tolkien class today. I was greatly anticipating the conversation about Beren and Luthien. (Awesome story) and to my shock, disappointment and uncertain happiness the class was cancelled. *sigh* I was happy just because it was a knee-jerk reaction for any senior to celebrate when they hear a class has been cancelled, even if it is a class that they enjoy! As soon as I expressed my happiness I was immediately ashamed and to be honest sad. It hit me that there would be know more awesome discussions about J.R.R. Tolkien and that my awesome class for the semester had actually come to a 'faster than the speed of light' end. It never fails that the classes you don't want to end, end way too soon and the ones you want to end, take forever to get everything finalized.
Now the only thing left for me to do with my Tolkien class is take the final (which is open book and online) and then finish up my 12 page paper on Gollum! I've thoroughly enjoyed the class and even if you can't tell it from my ramblings on this blog...I've learned a lot...
Until Next Time *My Precious*
XOXO,
Julia
Saturday, April 9, 2011
The Silmarillion
So it is Saturday! The topic for discussion in yesterday's class was The Silmarillion or as I like to call it, the Tolkien Bible...That is because the first 150 pages of this book really reads like the Bible...However, the subjcet matter is all about the creation of Middle-Earth and all of the beings that live there.
I have to admit that the content is very complex, because there is a lot of explanation regarding family lines and how different races were created, but it is still extremely fascinating to me...Once you get past the initial confusion and really start to focus on what the content is saying, it becomes pretty interesting.
I find it fascinating that Tolkien wrote this before the Hobbit or LOTR books. It shows just how detailed his thoughts and ideas about the world and characters were. As an aspiring writer I find his abilities and talents to create not only a mythical world that seems so really, but along with it languages that can really be spoken and a history that can really be traced, are truly remarkable. He is a genius in every sense of the word and I find myself so envious of him. And yet he seemed humble, telling in a letter that all stories end up in the same place eventually, lining the wastepaper basket! (I don't know if his comments were truthful or if he was being snarky, which he could've been...How could he NOT have known what kind of masterpiece he had compiled?) Whether he was being honest or not, I find myself in unending awe of him and I wish I could be like him...but who doesn't wish that??
Anyway, back to the Silmarillion...We will be discussing the second part of the book next week..Which should be more exciting, because this half reads more like a story or narrative. It also tells about Beren and Luthien (these are the names Tolkien had engraved on his and his wife's headstones...so romantic!) which is an epic love story, of the first human and elf couple..I'm really excited and can't wait to finish up with these stories!
Until Then..
XOXO,
Julia
I have to admit that the content is very complex, because there is a lot of explanation regarding family lines and how different races were created, but it is still extremely fascinating to me...Once you get past the initial confusion and really start to focus on what the content is saying, it becomes pretty interesting.
I find it fascinating that Tolkien wrote this before the Hobbit or LOTR books. It shows just how detailed his thoughts and ideas about the world and characters were. As an aspiring writer I find his abilities and talents to create not only a mythical world that seems so really, but along with it languages that can really be spoken and a history that can really be traced, are truly remarkable. He is a genius in every sense of the word and I find myself so envious of him. And yet he seemed humble, telling in a letter that all stories end up in the same place eventually, lining the wastepaper basket! (I don't know if his comments were truthful or if he was being snarky, which he could've been...How could he NOT have known what kind of masterpiece he had compiled?) Whether he was being honest or not, I find myself in unending awe of him and I wish I could be like him...but who doesn't wish that??
Anyway, back to the Silmarillion...We will be discussing the second part of the book next week..Which should be more exciting, because this half reads more like a story or narrative. It also tells about Beren and Luthien (these are the names Tolkien had engraved on his and his wife's headstones...so romantic!) which is an epic love story, of the first human and elf couple..I'm really excited and can't wait to finish up with these stories!
Until Then..
XOXO,
Julia
Monday, April 4, 2011
LOTR
I'm a little behind on that second blog for Friday, but got a little sidetracked...
The discussion on Friday covered all three books in the LOTR Trilogy. The biggest things discussed was the character of Gollum. Whether or not his tumble into the fires of Mount Doom was really an accident or him unconsciously knowing that he had to destroy himself and the Ring if he wanted to keep it forever. This discussion had some back and forths to it. Some believed that it was entirely accidental, (I was one of them) because in my mind without the "accident" of him falling it wouldn't have been a providential occurrence and Gollum would've been a martyr. Tolkien doesn't want Gollum to be seen as a martyr, or at least I don't think he does, because in Tolkien's mind Gollum was a damnable creature that made all of his decisions based on selfish reasons.
This dicussion led to another interesting question. Was Gollum redeemed in the end of the story for being the one to destory the Ring? I have to admit at first I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but the more I thought about how Tolkien felt about his own character, the more I decided that Gollum probably wasn't redeemed for his choices in the end, because he didn't want to be and because he wasn't really in a state of mind to be redeemed. He was happy because he had the Ring and he wasn't really thinking about anything else in that moment.
The third and final thing discussed was this...Who was the hero of the story? Was it Frodo, Sam, Gollum, Aragorn, Gandalf?? Who did you think the true hero was? And that question is what I leave for anyone out there reading this to ponder...Who do you think the hero is?
This Friday is the Silmarillion...should be interesting..
Until Then.
XOXO,
Julia
The discussion on Friday covered all three books in the LOTR Trilogy. The biggest things discussed was the character of Gollum. Whether or not his tumble into the fires of Mount Doom was really an accident or him unconsciously knowing that he had to destroy himself and the Ring if he wanted to keep it forever. This discussion had some back and forths to it. Some believed that it was entirely accidental, (I was one of them) because in my mind without the "accident" of him falling it wouldn't have been a providential occurrence and Gollum would've been a martyr. Tolkien doesn't want Gollum to be seen as a martyr, or at least I don't think he does, because in Tolkien's mind Gollum was a damnable creature that made all of his decisions based on selfish reasons.
This dicussion led to another interesting question. Was Gollum redeemed in the end of the story for being the one to destory the Ring? I have to admit at first I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but the more I thought about how Tolkien felt about his own character, the more I decided that Gollum probably wasn't redeemed for his choices in the end, because he didn't want to be and because he wasn't really in a state of mind to be redeemed. He was happy because he had the Ring and he wasn't really thinking about anything else in that moment.
The third and final thing discussed was this...Who was the hero of the story? Was it Frodo, Sam, Gollum, Aragorn, Gandalf?? Who did you think the true hero was? And that question is what I leave for anyone out there reading this to ponder...Who do you think the hero is?
This Friday is the Silmarillion...should be interesting..
Until Then.
XOXO,
Julia
Friday, April 1, 2011
A Little Tolkien Fun
Hello All...
I am going to be writing 2 blogs...This one is just for fun since I missed writing this past Friday. (It was Spring Break!) Anyway...I was recently sent a video that I thought was so funny and so much fun, that I had to share it with everyone else.
I hope it doesn't offend and major Tolkien fans, because I really like Tolkien too, but I just really liked this video also. I don't think it does any real harm, it just pokes fun at the Lord of the Rings.
With that said..I hope you get a laugh or at the very least a smile from this. I know I did!
--Julia
I am going to be writing 2 blogs...This one is just for fun since I missed writing this past Friday. (It was Spring Break!) Anyway...I was recently sent a video that I thought was so funny and so much fun, that I had to share it with everyone else.
I hope it doesn't offend and major Tolkien fans, because I really like Tolkien too, but I just really liked this video also. I don't think it does any real harm, it just pokes fun at the Lord of the Rings.
With that said..I hope you get a laugh or at the very least a smile from this. I know I did!
--Julia
Friday, March 18, 2011
Return of the King
It's Tolkien Friday again! =)
It is hard to believe that we actually finished the trilogy today...we will be discussing it in full after Spring Break, so I guess next Friday I can discuss some other aspect of Tolkien! Anyway, today was the third book and the majority of the class time was spent discussing a number of different subjects.
There is a paper assignment for the class, so I have been mulling over ideas in my head and looking through some various scholarly journals and books to get some ideas. I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to write a paper on Smeagol/Gollum, but I didn't know exactly what it was I wanted to say. I am pretty sure that my topic has been chosen and I now have a direction that I want to go in. Which is a rare and shocking occurrence for me, because I usually stew about different topics and then I struggle to choose one and then a week before it is due I have to ask the professor for help and so this time I think I have managed to break that cycle and I have to admit that I am happy that I could.
Anyway, back to Tolkien...One of the biggest subjects or themes whatever you want to call it that I noticed in the whole Trilogy, not just the third book is this struggle of will. In class it was basically said that the Ring is a embodiment of Sauron's will since he made it, and therefore it gets its own power by slowing breaking the will of others. For Sauron the Ring allows him to rule over others and take away their will. This then would mean that the power of the Ring is the domination over will. However, I am not going to sit here and tell you that if you believe differently you are wrong, because there is no ONE answer. While there is only one ring it is an enigma with several possible answers to the puzzle. However there is a very strong emphasis on the term "will" in the books, I would encourage anyone and everyone to pick up the books and read them again or for the first time and see if you don't notice the term "will" when you do. Since I have been discussing the aspect of will I have seen the word at least three or four times in only a short amount of time.
Another aspect that fascinates me about the whole story is the Ringwraiths and what they are. It is incredible to think that they could or are the 9 Kings doomed to die and it was that fear of death that helped to make them what they now are. The thought that occurred to me was that once the Kings became the Wraiths they no longer had to worry about dying, because now they were even worse off as "undead" servants to Sauron and the Ring. They no longer have a will of their own, instead they are bent to the will of Sauron and the Ring and they only act upon what Sauron wants. While they are physical beings, it is hard to say that they are human, because it seems to me that once any character in the Trilogy loses or gives up their will they cease to be human and become something else. The Ringwraiths become a shadow of themselves and in a way Gollum is the side of Smeagol that has no true will, only the action to get back his precious.
Next Friday is Spring Break, so it is untelling what I will write about. I'm looking forward to the break, even though I will still be working on my homework and everything else. The Silmarillion is the next thing we will be reading. I can't wait, I have officially caught the Tolkien Bug...
Until next time...
XOXO,
Julia
It is hard to believe that we actually finished the trilogy today...we will be discussing it in full after Spring Break, so I guess next Friday I can discuss some other aspect of Tolkien! Anyway, today was the third book and the majority of the class time was spent discussing a number of different subjects.
There is a paper assignment for the class, so I have been mulling over ideas in my head and looking through some various scholarly journals and books to get some ideas. I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to write a paper on Smeagol/Gollum, but I didn't know exactly what it was I wanted to say. I am pretty sure that my topic has been chosen and I now have a direction that I want to go in. Which is a rare and shocking occurrence for me, because I usually stew about different topics and then I struggle to choose one and then a week before it is due I have to ask the professor for help and so this time I think I have managed to break that cycle and I have to admit that I am happy that I could.
Anyway, back to Tolkien...One of the biggest subjects or themes whatever you want to call it that I noticed in the whole Trilogy, not just the third book is this struggle of will. In class it was basically said that the Ring is a embodiment of Sauron's will since he made it, and therefore it gets its own power by slowing breaking the will of others. For Sauron the Ring allows him to rule over others and take away their will. This then would mean that the power of the Ring is the domination over will. However, I am not going to sit here and tell you that if you believe differently you are wrong, because there is no ONE answer. While there is only one ring it is an enigma with several possible answers to the puzzle. However there is a very strong emphasis on the term "will" in the books, I would encourage anyone and everyone to pick up the books and read them again or for the first time and see if you don't notice the term "will" when you do. Since I have been discussing the aspect of will I have seen the word at least three or four times in only a short amount of time.
Another aspect that fascinates me about the whole story is the Ringwraiths and what they are. It is incredible to think that they could or are the 9 Kings doomed to die and it was that fear of death that helped to make them what they now are. The thought that occurred to me was that once the Kings became the Wraiths they no longer had to worry about dying, because now they were even worse off as "undead" servants to Sauron and the Ring. They no longer have a will of their own, instead they are bent to the will of Sauron and the Ring and they only act upon what Sauron wants. While they are physical beings, it is hard to say that they are human, because it seems to me that once any character in the Trilogy loses or gives up their will they cease to be human and become something else. The Ringwraiths become a shadow of themselves and in a way Gollum is the side of Smeagol that has no true will, only the action to get back his precious.
Next Friday is Spring Break, so it is untelling what I will write about. I'm looking forward to the break, even though I will still be working on my homework and everything else. The Silmarillion is the next thing we will be reading. I can't wait, I have officially caught the Tolkien Bug...
Until next time...
XOXO,
Julia
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The Two Towers
"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."
--J.R.R. Tolkien
Hello Again...I'm a little behind on my blog for this week, but yesterday was pretty crazy, in a good way. I added the poem above because I absolutely love it. This is one of my favorite parts of the books.
I really enjoyed the Two Towers more than first book, mostly because there was more action and less background information. However, I miss Rivendell and Elrond. Some of my favorite parts in the book have to be when Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli discover Gandalf is alive and has returned. I also enjoy Treebeard or Fangorn who is the embodiment of C.S. Lewis in the world of Middle-Earth.
There is one thing that I tended to notice more than anything in the book. The swords of the men held a lot of importance to them, especially Aragorn's sword Anduril. The section that mostly comes to mind is when the men of Rohan shouts that "Anduril fights again." It seemed to me that in that moment the sword struck more fear into the enemy than Aragorn did on his own. I could only imagine how great that sword must be if just the mere sight and name of it creates fear. That would certainly be a mighty weapon to wield.
The last section that really freaked me out, (becaues Gollum always freaks me out) is the whole section with Sam, Frodo and Smeagol/Gollum. There was one section that really surprised me, but I didn't really think about it as much until we started discussing it in class. It was the section where Frodo almost seems possessed by the Ring, he calls the ring "it" and gives it a power all of its own. He really becomes a frightening thing. It is that moment that you can see how the ring even effects Frodo.
For the most part I enjoyed this book more, but that is because of all the excitement and action that takes place in it. The description of Isenguard is fascinating to me and I love that Gandalf returns in this book.
Next week is the third and final book. The Return of the King. This will be the most difficult book for me to read, because I know how it ends and while I'm ready to finish it, I don't really want the adventure to ever end.
Until Friday.
XOXO,
Julia
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."
--J.R.R. Tolkien
Hello Again...I'm a little behind on my blog for this week, but yesterday was pretty crazy, in a good way. I added the poem above because I absolutely love it. This is one of my favorite parts of the books.
I really enjoyed the Two Towers more than first book, mostly because there was more action and less background information. However, I miss Rivendell and Elrond. Some of my favorite parts in the book have to be when Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli discover Gandalf is alive and has returned. I also enjoy Treebeard or Fangorn who is the embodiment of C.S. Lewis in the world of Middle-Earth.
There is one thing that I tended to notice more than anything in the book. The swords of the men held a lot of importance to them, especially Aragorn's sword Anduril. The section that mostly comes to mind is when the men of Rohan shouts that "Anduril fights again." It seemed to me that in that moment the sword struck more fear into the enemy than Aragorn did on his own. I could only imagine how great that sword must be if just the mere sight and name of it creates fear. That would certainly be a mighty weapon to wield.
The last section that really freaked me out, (becaues Gollum always freaks me out) is the whole section with Sam, Frodo and Smeagol/Gollum. There was one section that really surprised me, but I didn't really think about it as much until we started discussing it in class. It was the section where Frodo almost seems possessed by the Ring, he calls the ring "it" and gives it a power all of its own. He really becomes a frightening thing. It is that moment that you can see how the ring even effects Frodo.
For the most part I enjoyed this book more, but that is because of all the excitement and action that takes place in it. The description of Isenguard is fascinating to me and I love that Gandalf returns in this book.
Next week is the third and final book. The Return of the King. This will be the most difficult book for me to read, because I know how it ends and while I'm ready to finish it, I don't really want the adventure to ever end.
Until Friday.
XOXO,
Julia
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Fellowship of the Ring
Friday, February 25, 2011
Midterm
So I managed to survive the midterm. Thanks again to my awesome friends who allowed me to use their notes. (meaning they e-mailed them to me before the exam. I didn't sit and look off of them. Just thought I should clarify.) The midterm was everything I expected and more...my hand is still killing me and I feel like I have a Tolkien hangover! =) I guess I could have a real hangover and that would be even worse, so I won't complain about my Tolkien hangover anymore. Well I'm going to stop typing now. My hand still isn't quite right, it hurts to type. Next week is Fellowship of the Ring! <3
Friday, February 18, 2011
Boethius-The Consolation of Philosophy
It's Friday again!
Today's blog is happening while class is going on, because this subject matter makes my brain fry. Seriously, there are times when I think I hear a faint sizzling sound in my ears. (just kidding!) However, this subject matter really does make my brain hurt and I honestly have trouble understanding it. I honestly feel like they talk in circles and this is the second time I have read and attempted to comprehend The Consolation of Philosophy. Here is what I sort of grasp, (I'm sorry, it isn't much and it is going to be very basic and random!)
There are two Boethiuses (?) (not sure if that is the correct plural or not! haha...moving on), a real living man who wrote The Consolation of Philosophy and there is a character in the book named Boethius.
The real Boethius wrote The Consolation of Philosophy in isolation after his life was taken away by an evil man named Cyprian who wanted more power. The real Boethius and the character Boethius have similarities. (okay, enough background information..mainly because that is all I remember!)
The basic question that Boethius is trying to answer is this: Why do bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people? This is of course an honorable question because everyone at some point in their life has asked this question. While I understand what question Boethius is asking, I am not ashamed to admit that I do not understand the answer.
I am not a philosophy major and I do not pretend to be some brilliant human-being that can understand all kinds of things. This is way beyond my comprehension level and really makes my life more difficult. This is what I have gathered from the class and I honestly wouldn't have gotten this on my own at all.
Lady Fortune is a fickle woman who can give you false goods, (the things we love in life) but can also take them away from you as well. These false goods, (fame, power, wealth, public office, and pleasure) aren't true happiness because they aren't really our own. Now, somewhere in all of this providence, fate, chance and free will come into the picture which ultimately brings about the understanding of true happiness.
According to Lady Philosophy true happiness = True Good which comes from the one true God.
This has been the most painful blog I have had to write the whole time. Mainly because this has been the most painful reading I have had to tackle so far. My brain hurts now and I am not even sure what I typed makes sense. I apologize if it doesn't. Thanks for suffering along with me.
Until Next Time.
XOXO,
Julia
Today's blog is happening while class is going on, because this subject matter makes my brain fry. Seriously, there are times when I think I hear a faint sizzling sound in my ears. (just kidding!) However, this subject matter really does make my brain hurt and I honestly have trouble understanding it. I honestly feel like they talk in circles and this is the second time I have read and attempted to comprehend The Consolation of Philosophy. Here is what I sort of grasp, (I'm sorry, it isn't much and it is going to be very basic and random!)
There are two Boethiuses (?) (not sure if that is the correct plural or not! haha...moving on), a real living man who wrote The Consolation of Philosophy and there is a character in the book named Boethius.
The real Boethius wrote The Consolation of Philosophy in isolation after his life was taken away by an evil man named Cyprian who wanted more power. The real Boethius and the character Boethius have similarities. (okay, enough background information..mainly because that is all I remember!)
The basic question that Boethius is trying to answer is this: Why do bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people? This is of course an honorable question because everyone at some point in their life has asked this question. While I understand what question Boethius is asking, I am not ashamed to admit that I do not understand the answer.
I am not a philosophy major and I do not pretend to be some brilliant human-being that can understand all kinds of things. This is way beyond my comprehension level and really makes my life more difficult. This is what I have gathered from the class and I honestly wouldn't have gotten this on my own at all.
Lady Fortune is a fickle woman who can give you false goods, (the things we love in life) but can also take them away from you as well. These false goods, (fame, power, wealth, public office, and pleasure) aren't true happiness because they aren't really our own. Now, somewhere in all of this providence, fate, chance and free will come into the picture which ultimately brings about the understanding of true happiness.
According to Lady Philosophy true happiness = True Good which comes from the one true God.
This has been the most painful blog I have had to write the whole time. Mainly because this has been the most painful reading I have had to tackle so far. My brain hurts now and I am not even sure what I typed makes sense. I apologize if it doesn't. Thanks for suffering along with me.
Until Next Time.
XOXO,
Julia
Friday, February 11, 2011
The Hobbit
It's me again! I am so excited to write this blog about The Hobbit today. I just want to start by saying if anyone is reading this and has never read The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien, you need to read it. If you have read it, but it has been awhile, you need to read it again. This was the first time I had ever read The Hobbit, even though I "read" the Lord of the Rings when I was a 6th grader. I say "read," in quotations because I was still very much a child at the time that I read the books and honestly don't have that good of a memory of them. I really wonder if I honestly gave them the proper reading that I would now at that age. As a middle-schooler I was more concerned about drama, which most children are and so my reading habits, while strong at that point were still growing and developing. So, what this random rant that has nothing to do at all with The Hobbit, is saying is that I am basically starting over even with The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Now, on to the story at hand.
I was very intrigued with The Hobbit right from the start. It read very much like a children's book, which I learned later was the entire purpose of the story, it was in fact written for children. The main character and hero of the tale is Mr. Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit if you haven't already figured that out, who lives in a hobbit-hole that is in the ground. (where most holes usually are.) Anyway, the whole story revolves around Bilbo and his great adventure that he has. This is typical for most stories, but of course there is a twist. Being a hobbit, Bilbo is supposed to only enjoy being at home and staying at home. Hobbits don't usually go on adventures or even leave their houses except to enjoy their gardens outside of their homes. (Even though it doesn't really mention this from the book.) Anyway, the book focuses on Bilbo's trip to the Lonely Mountain with group of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield. Bilbo is actually selected by a wizard named Gandalf to go on the trip with the dwarves, even though he never tells Bilbo this, and sort of manipulates him. Okay, so I think I've given you enough of a summary, if you want to know more you either need to read the book or look up the spark notes. Because I am getting on to what I learned from the book as well as what I found interesting and excited.
If you don't already know, The Hobbit is the prelude to The Lord of the Rings, it tells the beginning of the story, how "the ring" came to Bilbo and ultimately how "the ring" ended up with his younger cousin Frodo Baggins who is the unlikely hero of that Trilogy. Anyway, I took what little I remembered from the books and put that into what I was about to learn in The Hobbit. Needless to say I was completely shocked to discover that Bilbo was not always Bilbo the adventurer. I was surprised to learn that Bilbo was not at all interested or excited about going on this adventure, even though his mother was Belladonna Took. (The Took Family in the hobbit world were known for being strange because they loved going on adventures.) Bilbo was more like the Baggins side and liked his hobbit-hole, until he was basically forced into going on the adventure by Gandalf. Something else I was surprised about was my misunderstanding of how Bilbo came to be the owner of the ring of power. I always thought he had taken it from Gollum, but I was surprised again to learn that he merely found it on the floor of a cave tunnel, while trying to find a way out and escape from goblins. He defeats Gollum in a battle of wits instead.
I found The Hobbit to be nothing like I anticipated. It was better than I expected because it took everything I believed or thought I knew and flipped it upside down. Bilbo wasn't always a hero or a great adventurer, he became that. To me, The Hobbit has a moral, it tells anyone that reads it that you can become more than you are as long as you try hard enough and are willing to overcome the obstacles that will ultimately stand in the way of your goal, because it is those obstacles that will make you want you want to be. I want to say so much more about the story and all of its wonder and excitement, but I am afraid that I will never stop writing if I do.
The basics of The Hobbit are as I said above, but they also serve as an answer to those who want to know and understand more about The Lord of the Rings and how all of the events in those novels came to happen. It is a fascinating and thrilling tale about a hobbit who becomes more than he ever thought he could. He goes from being a scared, fainting, shrieking hobbit at the beginning to a bold, courageous, quick-witted hero and adventurer in the end. Bilbo's tale takes you on a journey that could easily be your own, which is the magic of J.R.R. Tolkien, but it also leads you to want to know more about the things Bilbo discovers and encounters and it eventually makes you desire to read the rest of the tales, which are of course (as I have said multiple times now) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which picks up the story of "the ring," its effect and impact on Bilbo's younger cousin Frodo
I end with this, the story was amazing and I learned a lot things. I wish I could share them all, but I really need to stop writing now. Anyway, It was a fun read and I can't wait until I start The Lord of the Rings. Next week is The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. I have read this once before, but I didn't really grasp it then, so my next blog will be interesting. I hope I didn't bore anyone too much. =) Sorry if I did!
Until Next Time.
XOXO,
Julia
I was very intrigued with The Hobbit right from the start. It read very much like a children's book, which I learned later was the entire purpose of the story, it was in fact written for children. The main character and hero of the tale is Mr. Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit if you haven't already figured that out, who lives in a hobbit-hole that is in the ground. (where most holes usually are.) Anyway, the whole story revolves around Bilbo and his great adventure that he has. This is typical for most stories, but of course there is a twist. Being a hobbit, Bilbo is supposed to only enjoy being at home and staying at home. Hobbits don't usually go on adventures or even leave their houses except to enjoy their gardens outside of their homes. (Even though it doesn't really mention this from the book.) Anyway, the book focuses on Bilbo's trip to the Lonely Mountain with group of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield. Bilbo is actually selected by a wizard named Gandalf to go on the trip with the dwarves, even though he never tells Bilbo this, and sort of manipulates him. Okay, so I think I've given you enough of a summary, if you want to know more you either need to read the book or look up the spark notes. Because I am getting on to what I learned from the book as well as what I found interesting and excited.
If you don't already know, The Hobbit is the prelude to The Lord of the Rings, it tells the beginning of the story, how "the ring" came to Bilbo and ultimately how "the ring" ended up with his younger cousin Frodo Baggins who is the unlikely hero of that Trilogy. Anyway, I took what little I remembered from the books and put that into what I was about to learn in The Hobbit. Needless to say I was completely shocked to discover that Bilbo was not always Bilbo the adventurer. I was surprised to learn that Bilbo was not at all interested or excited about going on this adventure, even though his mother was Belladonna Took. (The Took Family in the hobbit world were known for being strange because they loved going on adventures.) Bilbo was more like the Baggins side and liked his hobbit-hole, until he was basically forced into going on the adventure by Gandalf. Something else I was surprised about was my misunderstanding of how Bilbo came to be the owner of the ring of power. I always thought he had taken it from Gollum, but I was surprised again to learn that he merely found it on the floor of a cave tunnel, while trying to find a way out and escape from goblins. He defeats Gollum in a battle of wits instead.
I found The Hobbit to be nothing like I anticipated. It was better than I expected because it took everything I believed or thought I knew and flipped it upside down. Bilbo wasn't always a hero or a great adventurer, he became that. To me, The Hobbit has a moral, it tells anyone that reads it that you can become more than you are as long as you try hard enough and are willing to overcome the obstacles that will ultimately stand in the way of your goal, because it is those obstacles that will make you want you want to be. I want to say so much more about the story and all of its wonder and excitement, but I am afraid that I will never stop writing if I do.
The basics of The Hobbit are as I said above, but they also serve as an answer to those who want to know and understand more about The Lord of the Rings and how all of the events in those novels came to happen. It is a fascinating and thrilling tale about a hobbit who becomes more than he ever thought he could. He goes from being a scared, fainting, shrieking hobbit at the beginning to a bold, courageous, quick-witted hero and adventurer in the end. Bilbo's tale takes you on a journey that could easily be your own, which is the magic of J.R.R. Tolkien, but it also leads you to want to know more about the things Bilbo discovers and encounters and it eventually makes you desire to read the rest of the tales, which are of course (as I have said multiple times now) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which picks up the story of "the ring," its effect and impact on Bilbo's younger cousin Frodo
I end with this, the story was amazing and I learned a lot things. I wish I could share them all, but I really need to stop writing now. Anyway, It was a fun read and I can't wait until I start The Lord of the Rings. Next week is The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. I have read this once before, but I didn't really grasp it then, so my next blog will be interesting. I hope I didn't bore anyone too much. =) Sorry if I did!
Until Next Time.
XOXO,
Julia
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Stay Tuned
I'm back again!
So my weekend did not go as planned at all and an illness kept me sidelined from my Tolkien class on Friday. Actually, a 30 minute wait at my doctor's office kept me from class. Once my doctor confirmed that I wasn't contagious I had intended to try and make it to class. The 30 minute wait made that impossible and I was heartbroken, because I was looking forward to discussing the works we had read.
Beowulf has always been and probably will always be one of my favorites, even though I have read it what seems like 100 times at least. (okay, so it hasn't been that many, it just seems that way.) Anyway, my illness has put me behind on my schedule, so I am going to do the unthinkable and skip the Anglo-Saxon works and will write this coming Friday all about our next reading J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.
Sorry for anyone looking forward to my discussion of the Anglo-Saxon works. I wasn't prepared for a cold!
Until next Friday.
xoxo,
Julia
So my weekend did not go as planned at all and an illness kept me sidelined from my Tolkien class on Friday. Actually, a 30 minute wait at my doctor's office kept me from class. Once my doctor confirmed that I wasn't contagious I had intended to try and make it to class. The 30 minute wait made that impossible and I was heartbroken, because I was looking forward to discussing the works we had read.
Beowulf has always been and probably will always be one of my favorites, even though I have read it what seems like 100 times at least. (okay, so it hasn't been that many, it just seems that way.) Anyway, my illness has put me behind on my schedule, so I am going to do the unthinkable and skip the Anglo-Saxon works and will write this coming Friday all about our next reading J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.
Sorry for anyone looking forward to my discussion of the Anglo-Saxon works. I wasn't prepared for a cold!
Until next Friday.
xoxo,
Julia
Friday, January 28, 2011
Tolkien
I'm back! *evil laughter* =D
So today's class was very interesting and insightful. As I assumed, we spent most of the class time discussion On Fairy Stories, which honestly still confuses the hell out of me. The basic gist that I have gathered from my own interpretation as well as from what we discussed of it in class is this. Tolkien's take on the issue of fairy-stories is that they are not the "fairy-tales" that we tell our children at bedtime, instead, a fairy story is about Faerie. What is faerie? Well, based on what Tolkien says, faerie is a realm or place, but the fairy-stories are not just about this realm of Faerie, it is more than that, Faerie is also a state or nature of being. While I grasped at this concept slightly while reading, On Fairy Stories, I must admit that listening to what everyone had to say (which wasn't many) during the discussion, really helped me to gather my thoughts.
Another thing it did was give me one Tolkien sized headache. =) While headaches are not enjoyable aspects of life, I have to admit that it is a sign for me that Tolkien's essay had me so confused and in such deep contemplation that it caused me to give myself a headache trying to decipher the answers. (I'm not even sure what I am typing right now makes any sense! That is how much my head hurts right now. Don't worry, I'll live through it.) The thing that I discovered the most about On Fairy Stories is that I don't have to have all the answers right now, the more I learn, the more I will be able to link back to what he was saying in this piece and the more I will come to understand, but it will take time. Let us hope I am patient enough to learn something little by little. Patience is not my strong suit at all.
The last thing we discussed was Leaf by Niggle. I have to be honest, our discussion made me see things about the story I had originally overlooked. While I grasped the basics of the story, I missed the subtle hints (ok, so they were kind of obvious hints) that Tolkien was making about the misconception of doing good deeds and nothing else will get you into heaven or in Niggle's case "the mountains." Once that aspect was pointed out I understood the rest of the story better. The journey Niggle takes was obviously death, but I didn't get that the place he arrived at was a kind of purgatory or limbo until now. I feel stupid admitting to that, but I have to be completely honest, I didn't see that aspect. I knew that Niggle's Parish was an easier form of purgatory that continued to teach him whatever lesson he needed to learn (kinship, companionship) before he could continue on to the mountains, but for some reason I didn't see the full picture until it was being discussed in class. Lastly, I never realized how much Leaf by Niggle encompassed our views of life. In essence, I am Niggle, willing to help others, but only to get them to shut up and leave me alone. Maybe I will one day find myself in a form of earthly purgatory, a place where I will have to learn all the lessons that Niggle had to. Who knows! =) I really enjoyed this story, I will admit that it was difficult discussing it in a sensible way after discussing all of On Fairy Stories, but somehow it worked out. I have rambled on enough for now...
Next week is Anglo-Saxon lit. (Beowulf, The Wanderer, The Seafarer, etc.) I'm looking forward to it!
Until next Friday...
XOXO,
Julia
So today's class was very interesting and insightful. As I assumed, we spent most of the class time discussion On Fairy Stories, which honestly still confuses the hell out of me. The basic gist that I have gathered from my own interpretation as well as from what we discussed of it in class is this. Tolkien's take on the issue of fairy-stories is that they are not the "fairy-tales" that we tell our children at bedtime, instead, a fairy story is about Faerie. What is faerie? Well, based on what Tolkien says, faerie is a realm or place, but the fairy-stories are not just about this realm of Faerie, it is more than that, Faerie is also a state or nature of being. While I grasped at this concept slightly while reading, On Fairy Stories, I must admit that listening to what everyone had to say (which wasn't many) during the discussion, really helped me to gather my thoughts.
Another thing it did was give me one Tolkien sized headache. =) While headaches are not enjoyable aspects of life, I have to admit that it is a sign for me that Tolkien's essay had me so confused and in such deep contemplation that it caused me to give myself a headache trying to decipher the answers. (I'm not even sure what I am typing right now makes any sense! That is how much my head hurts right now. Don't worry, I'll live through it.) The thing that I discovered the most about On Fairy Stories is that I don't have to have all the answers right now, the more I learn, the more I will be able to link back to what he was saying in this piece and the more I will come to understand, but it will take time. Let us hope I am patient enough to learn something little by little. Patience is not my strong suit at all.
The last thing we discussed was Leaf by Niggle. I have to be honest, our discussion made me see things about the story I had originally overlooked. While I grasped the basics of the story, I missed the subtle hints (ok, so they were kind of obvious hints) that Tolkien was making about the misconception of doing good deeds and nothing else will get you into heaven or in Niggle's case "the mountains." Once that aspect was pointed out I understood the rest of the story better. The journey Niggle takes was obviously death, but I didn't get that the place he arrived at was a kind of purgatory or limbo until now. I feel stupid admitting to that, but I have to be completely honest, I didn't see that aspect. I knew that Niggle's Parish was an easier form of purgatory that continued to teach him whatever lesson he needed to learn (kinship, companionship) before he could continue on to the mountains, but for some reason I didn't see the full picture until it was being discussed in class. Lastly, I never realized how much Leaf by Niggle encompassed our views of life. In essence, I am Niggle, willing to help others, but only to get them to shut up and leave me alone. Maybe I will one day find myself in a form of earthly purgatory, a place where I will have to learn all the lessons that Niggle had to. Who knows! =) I really enjoyed this story, I will admit that it was difficult discussing it in a sensible way after discussing all of On Fairy Stories, but somehow it worked out. I have rambled on enough for now...
Next week is Anglo-Saxon lit. (Beowulf, The Wanderer, The Seafarer, etc.) I'm looking forward to it!
Until next Friday...
XOXO,
Julia
Friday, January 21, 2011
First Tolkien Discussion Delayed
Hello All..
I wanted to provide a quick update on the blog. Due to winter weather, my professor cancelled our Tolkien course for today. While I am not providing a summary of what took place in the class each week as part of this blog, I was hoping to attend class in order to better organize my thoughts regarding the readings, especially the ones we had to complete for this week. Our readings for today's class discussion were; On Fairy Stories, Leaf by Niggle, Mythopoeia, and 6 different scholarly journal articles on a variety of the readings.
While I could easily attempt to explain my thoughts and feelings on these works, I would rather wait until next Friday to do so. On Fairy Stories is an extremely dense work and takes a lot of critical thinking to help process and understand what it says. The poem, Mythopoeia, is my favorite of the readings for this week. It was like nothing I have ever read before, and I found myself captivated by it.
My favorite lines go as follows:
That is all I have for today. I will add my discussion about the other readings next Friday, so stay tuned.
Until Friday.
XOXO,
Julia
I wanted to provide a quick update on the blog. Due to winter weather, my professor cancelled our Tolkien course for today. While I am not providing a summary of what took place in the class each week as part of this blog, I was hoping to attend class in order to better organize my thoughts regarding the readings, especially the ones we had to complete for this week. Our readings for today's class discussion were; On Fairy Stories, Leaf by Niggle, Mythopoeia, and 6 different scholarly journal articles on a variety of the readings.
While I could easily attempt to explain my thoughts and feelings on these works, I would rather wait until next Friday to do so. On Fairy Stories is an extremely dense work and takes a lot of critical thinking to help process and understand what it says. The poem, Mythopoeia, is my favorite of the readings for this week. It was like nothing I have ever read before, and I found myself captivated by it.
My favorite lines go as follows:
"The heart of man is not compound of lies,I highly recommend this poem to everyone, it doesn't take long to read and it is a beautiful piece.
but draws some wisdom from the only Wise,
and still reclass him. Though now long estranged,
man is not wholly lost nor wholly changed."
--Mythopoeia by J.R.R Tolkien
That is all I have for today. I will add my discussion about the other readings next Friday, so stay tuned.
Until Friday.
XOXO,
Julia
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Talkin' bout Tolkien
Hello again...
I am back to inform anyone and everyone reading my blog that I am required to choose one topic to write about weekly. While I was looking forward to mindlessly rambling about the random events that strike my fancy throughout the semester, having one solid topic may prove beneficial to everyone, including me. Now, having said that, I already have my topic selected. It is one of great interest to me and I am very excited to be blogging about it.
From here on out, my blog posts will occur on Fridays after my weekly J.R.R. Tolkien course. I will blog about the readings we are assigned in the course and what I ultimately learned from them. This will not be a play-by-play of the course and what takes place, instead it will be an in depth look at how I process and eventually understand the readings as I see them. Since the reading list for this class is quite extensive, I'm really excited to be blogging about this particular subject and I hope those following feel the same way. If not, then it will be like mindlessly rambling to you and you probably won't actually read everything I say. =)
Anyway, that is the game plan. I'm looking forward to sharing my Tolkien experience with everyone. This should be fun!
XOXO,
Julia
I am back to inform anyone and everyone reading my blog that I am required to choose one topic to write about weekly. While I was looking forward to mindlessly rambling about the random events that strike my fancy throughout the semester, having one solid topic may prove beneficial to everyone, including me. Now, having said that, I already have my topic selected. It is one of great interest to me and I am very excited to be blogging about it.
From here on out, my blog posts will occur on Fridays after my weekly J.R.R. Tolkien course. I will blog about the readings we are assigned in the course and what I ultimately learned from them. This will not be a play-by-play of the course and what takes place, instead it will be an in depth look at how I process and eventually understand the readings as I see them. Since the reading list for this class is quite extensive, I'm really excited to be blogging about this particular subject and I hope those following feel the same way. If not, then it will be like mindlessly rambling to you and you probably won't actually read everything I say. =)
Anyway, that is the game plan. I'm looking forward to sharing my Tolkien experience with everyone. This should be fun!
XOXO,
Julia
Monday, January 17, 2011
Brand New Blogger
Hello and welcome to my new blog, Julia's Journal. This blog is nothing fancy, I created it for an assignment in one of my final college courses. My professor wanted the class to create a weekly blog and write about anything of interest to us.
Therefore, I am giving anyone and everyone that reads this blog fair warning..my posts will be at random, and will consists of various topics that have piqued my interest during the week. I may even write more than just weekly, but that is not definite either.
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to visit my new blog. I hope you aren't disappointed already. Stay tuned for more..
Until Next Time,
Julia
Therefore, I am giving anyone and everyone that reads this blog fair warning..my posts will be at random, and will consists of various topics that have piqued my interest during the week. I may even write more than just weekly, but that is not definite either.
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to visit my new blog. I hope you aren't disappointed already. Stay tuned for more..
Until Next Time,
Julia
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