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

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

The Fellowship of the Ring

I'm back again...  

         As most of you don't know, I have been suffering from a rather annoying head-cold or sinus infection, I don't really know what. Anyway, this illness has really screwed up my weekly routine and has put me on the sidelines for the majority of the week. In order for me to get any form of sleep I have been taking Vick's NyQuil before bed. The other night I had taken my NyQuil and even had some Vick's Vapor Rub that I used in an attempt to breathe better. I still needed to read more of my book so I picked it up just before I went to bed. I manged to finish the chapter, but I ended up falling asleep while reading into the next chapter. The dream that followed was the most unusual dream I have had thus far. (and I can have some pretty weird dreams.) It was strange because it was of The Fellowship...Here is what I recall of my very strange Tolkien Dream. (Enjoy!)

         I literally woke up in Middle Earth, I had apparently been sleeping and when I woke up I was on the ground in a bedroll. My companion in my dream was talking to me. When I sat up I was amongst some of my closest friends. According to my notes that I wrote on the dream, it was me, my friend "Nic" and a few other random "friends" we seemed to be a strange mixture of Elf/Human half-breed. I say this because we had the ears of elves, but we were more cynical than most of the elves in the LOTR series and we had more attitude.


Anyway, we were on our own journey, what it was I don't know...However, we ended up crossing paths with the Fellowship who were on their journey to Mordor before everything happened and Frodo and Sam go off on their own. The funny thing about this dream was another additional character who had hobbit-like qualities, but mostly threatened to shank people with his sword named "Pakistani sting." This is funny because he usually did it regardless of what the person did to this man and every time he would stab you he would make a sound similar to the knights who say "Ni" only he would drag out the sound a little more than them.  


        The fun part comes when my friend "Nic" and I join the Fellowship and travel with them towards Mordor. At one point Frodo got on "Nic's" nerves so she "muted" him and basically sealed his mouth with magic so he couldn't whine about his troubles anymore. It was hilarious because she told him, "when you stop acting all whiny and douchey to the rest of us, then I'll give you your voice back!" I still laugh every time I think about it. He stopped eventually, but I think it was Legolas who convinced her to give him back his voice. (btw, Nic, Legolas ended up being totally in love with you! lol! I apparently knew or was betrothed to one of Elrond's sons?! which is funny because I honestly didn't know his character had sons! lol! so weird!) (and now I've embarrassed myself! haha!) anyway, it's too late now! I've got to keep going!   


          Anyway, my dream (which seems to have lasted forever,) ended with us all in a battle against Orcs. In I'm assuming my version of Moria. Our half-hobbit friend was really good at shanking the orcs with his Pakistani sting which was the funniest memory of the dream for me. Anyway, I woke up when I had the unfortunate luck to dream that we were being chased down the tunnels by orcs and goblins and we were fighting like lunatics to get away from them. The next thing I knew, just when the fight was really getting good, my alarm clock went off and scared the hell out of me.  

         I hope you enjoyed my twisted Vick's NyQuil version of the adventure. If you are wondering no I didn't ever finish the dream and yes I did know everyone who was in it, but I will keep their names unknown.   Anyway, that was my adventure. I'm sure I will get made fun for a least a week for dreaming something this silly, but I honestly blame the medicine...I can't wait for next week..Book 2 and it is going to be awesome.Until Then.XOXO,Julia