And he lived happily ever after until the end of his days

This was a great class. If I'm being honest, coming into this class I was concerned that I was going to be in way over my head. I thought that you all would know way more about Tolkien than I did, and I would basically be playing catch up. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a wide variety of experiences with Tolkien present in the class. It all worked out very well. Through the semester, I get much more comfortable in class, and I feel that many of you did as well. We truly became a fellowship throughout the course of the semester. I'll definitely miss this class, and I'll miss getting to nerd out with all of you.

Stay healthy and safe everyone
-Haleth AKA Atlin

The Appendix

Reading The Return of the King, you always feel like you have way more reading left than you actually do. Once the ring is destroyed, there is still a hefty chunk of pages in your right hand (assuming you're reading a hard copy). Even after the scouring of the Shire, there are well over 100 pages remaining in the text. This is because of the appendix. Tolkien added it in general Tolkien fashion, and filled it with so much information that no one could possible remember it all, no matter how many times you read it. You could devote years to any particular section and still find things left to study probably.

The way I used to read books, I would skip the introductions and the appendices in the rare book that had one. I was primarily interested in the actual text of the story and that was about it. That has changed somewhat, but I still find myself reading about half of the introduction to a book and then just skipping it. That being said, it took a lot of me to start that appendix. I knew that the story was over, and I was not particularly interested on reading 100 pages on Tolkien's development of his language, which is kind of what I was expecting. Fortunately, there was much more information than that, and a lot of it was very interesting and definitely added to my understanding and enjoyment of LOTR as a whole. There were definitely some sections that I read the first paragraphs and then kind of skimmed the rest, and I did not devote too much of my life to staring at the family trees in the appendix either. If anything, I liked the maps the most.

I'm glad the appendix is there though. Other books that I read or shows that I watch, I feel sad when they are over, because I am not ready to say goodbye to the characters yet. I felt this way after watching Game of Thrones (I haven't read the books yet, but they are next on my reading list once this class is over and Tolkien loosens his clutch on my spare time). But with Lord of the Rings, you're never done. There is always more information that you could learn. And that is cool. Most authors could only dream of that.

Frodo's Mission

Personally, I feel that Frodo's mission was successful, but ultimately it wasn't because of him, at least at the end. He choked at the end. It is certainly reminiscent to Isildur. He had the opportunity to destroy the ring, but he just couldn't do it. To me, especially in the books, Frodo doesn't really seem like the hero of the books. He is definitely a necessary character, but if anything he is more of a martyr. We watch the ring destroy Frodo. All of the other protagonists seem to grow throughout the books,  but Frodo is torn down. He is not the same Hobbit on the return journey. It seems that Frodo's personality is as much of a casualty of the books as other characters who actually die, like Theoden or Boromir.

It truly is a disappointment at the end when Frodo comes up short, but it certainly reaffirms the importance of Sam. It also shows that even the Hobbits are not immune to the corruption of the ring. I would doubt many other people would be able to bear the ring in Mordor itself without being torn apart from the inside out though. It is amazing that Frodo was able to deal with it as long as he did, and we are just lucky the he finally cracked at the very end. If he caved any sooner, the mission would have almost certainly been a failure, and the realm of Middle-earth would be destroyed by Sauron and his forces.

Denethor

Myself, like most of you probably, never really liked Denethor. He seemed like just a big jerk. I still largely stand by that. Both the movies and the books don't really give Denethor a good light. He is rude to Pippin, who is just trying to help, he doesn't trust Gandalf, he almost kills Faramir, and he essentially gives up on his city in a time of crisis.

But think about the situation that Denethor is in. The power of Mordor is growing, and Gondor is on the front lines. The only thing between Sauron and the rest of the world is Gondor. He loses his eldest son and heir, and he believes that he lost his only other son. An outsider is coming in and telling him how to rule, and the prospect of Aragorn coming back and taking the throne essentially makes Denethor obsolete. His entire livelihood is under threat, and he doesn't know what to do about it. It would have been easy for Tolkien to write Denethor with the nobility of Aragorn, but instead he choses Denethor to break. If anything, that makes him more realistic than many of the other characters. In the face of almost certain doom, and the threat that life will never again be the same, it takes a hero not to be phased. Most of us, if not all of us, wouldn't be able to handle it. I certainly don't know how I would behave when faced with my own mortality like Denethor is.

I still think he is a jerk, but at least I can see his humanity now.

Shelob

As a child, there were two scenes in LOTR that I always dreaded watching. The first was the troll scene in Moria, and the second was Shelob's lair. I don't know what it is about spiders. I'm not an arachnophobe by any means, but I certainly understand people who are. Spiders just seem so alien. In the animal kingdom, there aren't many organisms that rival the sheer creepiness of spiders. They have too many legs and too many eyes.

This is probably why Tolkien chose Shelob to be a spider. She wasn't the first spider in Middle-Earth either. Ungoliant was an even more deadly spider in The Silmarillion who reeked havoc on Valinor. Spiders just seem evil. It is easy to imagine a giant spider trying to ruin my day. It is an easy method for Tolkien to portray his antagonist to the reader. It is harder to picture a Balrog or Gollum without any other knowledge. But a spider? Everyone can get in. Everyone could picture the terror of walking through a cave, and running into copious amounts of spider webs. It just strikes a certain fear into your heart. I certainly would never want a run-in with Shelob. I think I'd rather take my chances with Smaug.

The Breaking of the Fellowship Continued

I'm sure everybody was sad, like I was, the very first time they read/watched LOTR and witness the Fellowship of the Ring break apart. At the end of the first book really isn't the only time that the Fellowship breaks though. Throughout the books, the Fellowship continues to fragment into smaller and smaller groups. The first instance of this was the death of Gandalf in Moria. The next and probably the most important break was at the fall of Boromir when Frodo and Sam split off to head directly towards Mordor. Merry and Pippin are also removed from the Fellowship at that time when they are captured by orcs.

Although Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli eventually rendezvous with Merry and Pippin in Isengard, they aren't with them for that much longer for the rest of the books. The last time that most of the Fellowship is together before the destruction of the ring would be when Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli meet the hobbits after the ents seige Isengard. After that, they head towards Edoras. Gandalf and Pippin go on ahead on Shadowfax while the rest travel more slowly. The next break in the Fellowship is when Merry is left behind in Edoras while Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli travel to the Path of the Dead.

Sam and Frodo get separated temporarily at Shelob's Lair, and are only reunited once Sam rescues Frodo from the orcs. Gandalf and Pippin move on to Gondor, and Gandalf really isn't with Pippin that much, so most of Pippin's experiences in Gondor are by himself. The only characters that don't really have their own independent journeys at some time or another between the Council of Elrond and the destruction of the Ring are Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. This is an interesting choice because those three, along with Gandalf, are the most capable to adventure independently. Tolkien doesn't decide to give these stronger and more experienced characters any epic solo adventures in LOTR. Instead he gives this to the hobbits, who are the most unexpected people to  be able to survive in such a harsh environment by themselves.

Tolkien as a Nature Writer

One of my favorite genres is nature writing. Edward Abbey is my favorite author, and he is among a rank of other favorites like Thoreau, Wallace Stegner, and Aldo Leopold among others. The more that I read Tolkien, the more similarities between Tolkien and these other authors. Particularly within the universe of Middle-Earth, natural themes and forces play strong roles. A great example of this is the power of Fangorn Forest in The Two Towers. It is a classic man-versus-nature story, except in  this one, nature is capable of literally fighting back. Tolkien draws focus on the damage that man can do to the surrounding ecosystems, and how it isn't a "victimless crime." With deforestation, pollution, and other forms of environmental degredation, there are organisms being harmed. The behaviors of man undermine the integrity of these ecosystems.

Years ago, someone proposed a thought experiment to me (to be honest I can't remember if it was in a conversation with someone, or I read it somewhere) which I found to be profound. If trees could scream, would we still cut them down? While this seems like a childish example, if you think about it, the "screaming" is less important than the concept that nature can feel pain. If we could see this pain, would we still be inflicting it? Now of course, even if we could, this would not be an end-all to our problems with environmental harm, but it would at least make us think twice about the effects that we are having on the natural world around us.

Now I don't know enough about Tolkien to know his history with nature, but the way he writes demonstrates that he obviously holds a respect for the power of nature. The power and beauty of trees is a particular recurrence in his works. The Hobbits have to escape Old Man Willow with the help of Tom Bombadil in The Fellowship of the Ring, and Fangorn Forest are both instances of more-personified power held by trees and tree-ish organisms. The two trees of Valinor in The Silmarillion are essentially the epitome of nature anywhere, and possess a light which was duplicated in  the Silmarils. The White Tree of Gondor, which was created in image of one of the trees of Valinor, is another tree which reflects beauty and power.

Another important aspect of nature writing is the documentation of the beauty in even the small things (the significance of the insignificant). Thoreau's Walden Pond wasn't some remote body of water in the New England wilderness (if that ever even existed), but instead a pond in the forest a few miles from civilization. Ralph Waldo Emerson lived in this town, and Thoreau would occasionally stop by for a meal. This proximity to the comforts of society did not stop Thoreau from noticing and appreciating the profound natural beauty of Walden Pond. He loved the changing of the seasons, the birds, and his bean-fields. Although I don't know if Tolkien was familiar with Thoreau (personally I would doubt if an Oxford professor would trouble themselves with American transcendental literature), but Thoreau's appreciation of the beauty of his surroundings reminds me of hobbits. They love the growing grass, the leaves of the trees, and the green gardens outside of their hobbit holes. Maybe there is space for a naturalist like Thoreau in the Shire.

The Breaking of the Fellowship

From a young age, the breaking of the Fellowship of the Ring always surprised me. It just didn't seem like they lasted that long. I originally thought that the Fellowship wasn't worthy of having the book/movie named after it (remind you  I was very young), because they didn't even make it an entire book. By the time the Council of Elrond occurs, half of Fellowship has already happened. Besides the goings on in Moria, the Fellowship was largely devoid of any grand adventure that is present in  the rest of LOTR. This opinion of mine was formulated based upon the movies, but once I read the books, it didn't change. 

I still the think the Fellowship could have lasted longer if some decisions were made differently, but then it would be an entirely different story, like what we discussed in class on Tuesday. It is apparent to me now that the forming of the Fellowship is not the purpose of LOTR, but instead it is merely a vessel that Tolkien uses to begin the journey of each member. It gave each individual a sense of a collective objective, despite the great differences in tribulations that each member will see in the upcoming books. Elrond could have easily sent out Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn to destroy the Ring, but instead he sent nine (the antithesis of the ringwraiths???). Each of these nine would fulfill their own purpose throughout the upcoming journey. 

Also, I think it is incredibly ironic that we broke our class Fellowship on Thursday. It seemed fitting given the turmoil going on right now. 

Reflection of the Multimedia Project

I greatly enjoyed watching all of the groups videos this week. I think everyone did a fantastic job. Although I had already read all of the stories that were presented in videos, I still learned new information, and saw new perspectives on the material that I already had at least some degree of familiarity with.

Now personally I greatly dislike creating media projects such as this. I am not a talented filmmaker, artist, or even very creative with anything visual. The only kind of visual art/work that I have ever had any real interest in doing was photography. All throughout my school career, I would have far rather written an essay than made a collage, drawn a picture, or made a poster. Even in elementary school I was never interested in the kind of projects that teachers were so fond of having us do. Let's just put away the crayons and colored pencils and give me some math problems. I still look at glue sticks with distaste.

In my schooling, I have also traditionally had a distaste for group work. It's not because I am antisocial, or don't work well with others for any reason. But I feel like I usually just get work done faster when I can just sit down by myself and do it. That also avoids the juggling act that many group projects are of trying to arrange times and locations to meet, as well as getting every group member on the same page in  regards to the vision of the project/assignment.

Now it would be a great conclusion to this to say that this project was different, and I had my eyes opened to the great benefits of visual projects and group work. That isn't the case though. But this project was certainly different than other projects I have done in the past, however. I feel like I did in fact gain a benefit from this, particularly because of the collaboration. If I was just assigned to write an essay on my topic, I probably would have found it easier, but I also would have missed some of the unique insights of my teammates.

This class seems like an ideal setting for group collaboration. Everyone has different experiences with Tolkien, and even with everyone reading the exact same work, no two people will read it the same way. Tolkien's profound talent for writing and nuance makes it impossible to gather all of the information in one reading, but when you have an entire class reading it, that helps make up the difference. Because of my group members, I feel like I have read the work we were assigned more times than I actually have, which not only helps me gain knowledge and understanding, but also just saves me time. Its like reading it three times for the price of one.

So although I dislike visual projects, and I also tend to view being assigned group work grudgingly, I see the value in this project.

Concerning Hobbits

Tolkien's choice of the race of hobbits as the main protagonist of both The Hobbit and LOTR has always interested me. They are obviously designed to be the most relatable characters in  the books, which is ironic because Man is literally a race in the books, and a race which I personally consider myself to be a part of. But in regards to Men, I can't personally relate to the ideas of kings, nobility, and great and victorious battles. I far prefer the quaint and peaceful life of the Shire, although I couldn't bear to be cooped up in Hobbiton my whole life. I'd be more of a Took probably.

I also feel that the Shire most closely resembles a realm that might have actually existed at some point on Earth, if you substitute the quirks of hobbits for more human features. There is little to no use of magic and other "unearthly" things in the Shire, and you could easily picture it existing somewhere in medieval Europe. The exception is that the hobbits are not ruled by a king or some form of feudal lord. Instead, they institute some form of democracy, which isn't really demonstrated anywhere else in Middle-Earth, where power is gained either through kinship or violence.

Sam is the most relatable character to me. He is seemingly the most normal, and unaccustomed to grandiose adventures and even grander mischief. Throughout the entire trilogy, Sam thoughts keep returning to his garden and his father, much like Bilbo's thoughts would keep returning to his armchair in The Hobbit. Despite this, Sam repeatedly becomes the underappreciated savior of the books, much like R2D2 in many ways. Not too much attention is paid to him, but in the end when he is needed, he is there.

The Silmarillion and Genesis

Of all the stories in the Bible, Genesis is one of the most frequently told. It is also one of the most well-known stories. This I attribute largely to two factors, first, that Creation stories are almost always vital for developing a strong understanding of a religion, and second, the fact that it occurs at the beginning of the Bible, so everyone attempting to read the Bible starts with Genesis. Even if the reader doesn't make it all the way through (because let's face it, once you get out of the Torah, it gets pretty dry), they will read Genesis.

The story told in Genesis (whether you believe it or not) have been extremely important in the development of Christian or Christian-adjacent literature. The story finds its way into countless works, a notable example being Grendel's kinship with Cain in Beowulf. Genesis also gets adapted and retold quite frequently. My favorite instance of this is East of Eden, which is a retelling of Genesis that takes place in the Salinas Valley in early-20th century California.

Tolkien's Silmarillion also features his version of Genesis. Although there are obviously traces of other cultures' creation stories, Tolkien's own religion becomes more apparent than in much of his other works. The first instance of this would be Melkor's rejection of Ilúvatar's greater plan, which draws obvious parallels to Lucifer's rejection of God's plan in the Bible. As Lucifer became Satan, Melkor became Morgoth. There is also a "Fall" in Tolkien's work that resembles the Fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis and their exile from the Garden. This is when the Noldor leave Valinor in pursuit of the Silmarils, but attack their fellow elves, the Teleri. The fall of the Noldor divides elvenkind, which plays a major role in the rest of the history of Middle-Earth, just as the Fall of Man did in Genesis.

Significance of the Seemingly Insignificant

I found the conversation in class about Tolkien's use of the seemingly insignificant was extremely interesting. Now that I look back on my working knowledge of Tolkien, I recognize this as a greater pattern. One of the largest and most glaring of these examples is the One Ring in the Hobbit. It plays an important role in the book, but it doesn't show the massive world-changing power and potential that is shown in LOTR.

Another example of the significance of a small token would be Lady Galadriel's gift to Gimli, of three strands of her hair. Although to all of the other parties involved,  this gift seems strange and small, but to Gimli it was of profound importance. Not only does it show a rare display of kinship among dwarves and elves, but the fact that it comes from an elf of such high stature as Galadriel is of utmost importance. Although the gift of three strands of her hair doesn't hold the more magical powers of some of her gifts to other members of the fellowship, it doesn't mean that the gift was cherished any less.

Thinking back through what I have read of Tolkien's works, this theme of insignificant events or items becoming important seems to occur quite frequently.

Thoughts on the Hobbit freewrite

Here I will post my freewrite, as well as some thoughts I have on it that I have since developed.

Freewrite:

Bilbo Baggins was designed to be a relatable character. Only through him are we able to  truly place ourselves within the realm of Middle-earth at the time of the setting of this story. He is a man who is comfortable with where he is in his life, and he more or less fears change, much like all hobbits. Tolkien foreshadows that he is different then some hobbits, however, based upon his relation to the Tooks, who are notorious for their adventures and misadventures, a fact which will continue to play itself out in the Lord of the Rings with Pippin. This is a character who is definitely full of adventures (particularly misadventures) and resembles a problematic child in many ways.

Bilbo however takes this Tookishness inside of him and lets it take him on  a glorious adventure to places far away. Most people would not just invite a bunch of strangers into their homes to make a mess of the place, and eat all their food. The politeness within Bilbo is the reason why he does this, instead of some deep and hidden desire for adventure. But as the dwarves tell them their story, he becomes intrigued. This intrigue ebbs and flows throughout the course of the book, but it is enough to get him out of the door, which is arguably one of the hardest steps of the entire journey, despite the peril which lay ahead of him. This is a very difficult step for most things that I do as well. Once on the journey, it is incredible, but the actual breaking of inertia, aka getting up, putting your shoes on, and going out the door to see whatever the world has in store, is the hardest part.

Bilbo is relatable in this regard that he just wants to stay home, read, and drink tea. He continuously thinks about the comfort of his own home while he is away on his magnificent adventure. I do much of the same. Like when I go backpacking, and my legs are sore, I am exhausted, my bed is uncomfortable, and I am cold. I question my sanity about why I left in  the first place, just to put myself in a situation of discomfort. But when I remember those trips, I don't remember the achy limbs, but instead the magnificent setting in which I can be a part of. I feel that Bilbo looks back on his journey in much of the same way. He recalls the discomfort he was in, but that isn't the lasting influence that the trip has set.

In  regards to the question of Bilbo being socially conservative, I feel that that is a pretty obvious yes. He does have that inner liberal  inside of him egging him on, that his mind has to keep in check so he doesn't find himself in to much trouble. But ultimately that voice prevailed, and he started on the journey. It probably helps that when he woke up that first morning, he was running late. This helped him make the decision, because he made it before he had any time to stop and think about it. He didn't even have time to grab a hat or a pocket handkerchief. This is probably why Gandalf was there in the first place, because he knew that if Bilbo wasn't in a rush, the sedentary hobbit within him probably never would have left. He would have stayed in his hole to whine and mumble as he cleans up the mess that the dwarves had left him after breakfast. It is because he didn't have time to  think that he abandoned his hole and started off down the road, not knowing when or if he would ever return.

I do also feel that Bilbo did not comprehend the true danger of the trip that lie ahead. This is evident in the fact that he thought the adventure would start at the shores of Long Lake, and there would be no danger  up until that point. But how wrong he was. If he fully understood the stakes of his actions, he almost certainly would have pulled his covers up over his head that morning, instead of rushing out the door to join the curious company of dwarves that he had met only the night before, and under much unpreferable circumstances to a hobbit.

Discussion:

Since I wrote this, I was reminded of another instance in the book that I feel perfectly exemplifies the changes that Bilbo undergoes throughout the course of this book. I believe that Tolkien documents two main turning points for Bilbo, which changed the course of his life forever. The first one, him leaving his door to go on the adventure, I talk about above. The second instance occurs in Chapter 12, as Bilbo is walking down the hallway of the secret entrance into the mountain. At one point, he stops and has a tremendously difficult time continuing. Tolkien explains how the act of bravery that it to take the next step was the most courageous thing that Bilbo has ever, or would ever do. 

I think it is notable that neither of these events occurred directly in the face of danger. That one step that he took out his door, or down the hallway, was not immediately consequential to life or death, but it was simply starting on a path that he had never been down before. Both steps were taken with uncertainty about what lay immediately ahead, and Bilbo's capability to face that uncertainty shows the growth that he experiences. 

-Haleth

My name is Haleth

I am Haleth, son of Helm Hammerhand, and next in line to become King of the Mark. My father was the ninth King of Rohan. He was the one who attempted to withstand a great invasion of Dunlendings. His famous last stand was at a prolonged seige of Helms Deep (named in his likeness), where he defended the fortress during the long winter.

Unfortunately I was not able to take over the throne upon his death, as I was overtaken at Edoras and stood as one of the last defenders of the Golden Hall, Meduseld. My younger brother was also slain during the seige of Helm's Deep, with my father.  The throne instead went to my cousin Fréaláf Hildeson, who ruled for 39 years.



I couldn't find too much information about my character, but I will make sure to keep a more keen eye out as I continue the readings for this class. I'm sure I missed some references in the Lord of the Rings, and maybe there are some elsewhere as well.