Beowulf Freewrite

When reading this very dense article, there was a lot that really stands out in regards to Tolkien and his works. I have left the page number out, purposely.

“Nearly all the censure, and most of the praise, that has been bestowed upon The Beowulf has been due either to the belief that it was something that it was not. ”

This was something that really stuck out to me, mainly because this can relate to Bilbo Beggins in The Hobbit. Bilbo seemed like an ordinary Hobbit to his friends and all the people he met along the way, but by the end of it, he really showed a different, and better side of himself. Also, you can relate this to how Tolkien intended his book to be for children, but was it really? The way this story truly plays out is how characters become a character they never intended to be and it always took people by surprise. However, the praise for Tolkien’s novel, The Hobbit, was believed to be what it was,  it the characters ended up being what they weren’t, especially with his dense character development for specific characters in his book. Beowulf was looked more differently to Tolkien than anyone else because he saw a true meaning behind it than just the hero’s, and I think that’s where Bilbo really fits into this. He seems normal and kind of a weird fit in with all of these people, but once acknowledged for all of his things, it really becomes evident that he was something other people had originally thought he was not. By comparing the poem and Bilbo would really have no use to this, but it just shows how Tolkien took his works and really brought out the true meaning of Beowulf and the significant of the seemingly insignificant.

Foils of Bilbo

Hello all,

Many times recently it has been brought up that The Hobbit develops what a Hobbit is, and then explicitly what they aren't by having Bilbo act very Tookish. It has got me thinking about how this is a foil of Thorin's development. Thorin begins to change and falls into the bad habits of dwarves around gold, and treasures, slowly falling before our eyes. On the other hand, Bilbo's entire arc is about going against the grain for development, becoming brave, strong, clever.

I think this is another great example of Tolkein using known literary techniques to help add a layer of meta-character relationships within his story. Both characters start with an inkling of their actions - which leads to drastic change within themselves, lives, and behaviors. I think this allows readers to become excited when they recognize this especially in younger audiences. This doesn't make this necessarily immature or simplistic though - using devices that many generations can enjoy and recognize simply gives the story greater length in life as well as accessibility.

I suppose that's all,
Elendil

Rules and Promises--"Riddles in the Dark"

"Riddles in the Dark" is perhaps my favorite chapter in The Hobbit.  It introduces the reader to the Ring, to Gollum, and to the event that set forth the events of The Lord of the Rings.  Yet, never before had I deeply considered the role of ancient rules in the great riddle battle between Bilbo Baggins and Gollum.  It seems somewhat odd that I would neglect such a detail.  After all, had I been in Bilbo's shoes lost in the deep darkness of the mountains discovered only by a strange creature intent on devouring me whole, I do not believe I would have put my life on the line through answering riddles.  For one, I am not very adept at answering or asking riddles, but also I would be in possession of a sword and might have used that first when approached by a mysterious creature in the bowels of a goblin pit.  All this made me wonder why both Bilbo and Gollum were content to settle such a matter through a game and whether Bilbo himself would have held to the outcome had he failed to answer one of Gollum's questions.

Gollum himself was intent on breaking the rules of the game by failing to live up to his promise to show Bilbo out if he lost.  When he could not answer Bilbo's famous question concerning pockets and their mysterious contents, Gollum resorted to what would have been cold-blooded murder had he the Ring in his possession.  So while Gollum adhered to the rules during the game, when he had lost, he discarded them and would have carried on in his wicked ways had he the tools to do so.

Bilbo suspected this treachery and was prepared to respond should Gollum suddenly attack him, but I wonder what Bilbo would have done if he could not devise an answer to Gollum's last question.  Would he have allowed himself to be eaten?  If I were in Bilbo's shoes, would I?  Absolutely not.  Thus, could it be possible that both Bilbo and Gollum were prepared to break the ancient rules of riddling when they first agreed to such a game?  I think this is highly likely unless both were firm in their belief that they would walk away victorious and were willing to put their lives--or dinner--on the line.  Perhaps, though, Bilbo had an inkling that Gollum would live up to his word and show the hobbit out, though I believe Bilbo was overall distrustful of the creature, and such unwarranted trust would be terribly naive.  Ultimately, Bilbo probably felt as though he had no other choice and did not wish to antagonize such a dangerous character who was bent on having hobbit for supper.

Whatever the explanation might be, I was glad that a new element was added to my enjoyment of this scene.  I wonder what other subtleties lie within The Hobbit just waiting to come out into the light!