One of my absolute favourite passages in Lord of the Rings comes at the end of the chapter “The Siege of Gondor” in Return of the King. It is overwhelming in its darkness until, at the end, light and hope break in. It is a fantastic moment of eucatastrophe within the larger narrative, when all... Continue Reading →
On my About page, I describe my wife as the most Melian-esque woman I know. When she read that, my wife asked what exactly that meant. She looked up Melian, but wasn't entirely sure what I was getting at, which or her characteristics I was suggesting flourished in her. I told her that the first... Continue Reading →
A personal one today. I tell my students when we begin reading The Hobbit that I am sharing this story with them to really illustrate the power of literature and stories to impact our lives. This is usually the last novel we read in the year, and as a senior English teacher, this means it... Continue Reading →
This past week in my classes, I engaged the students in a discussion of the ethics around Bilbo's actions in the latter half of the novel. I offered the question: What is the difference between a burglar and a thief? On one level, this is a bit of a vocabulary check, and many of the... Continue Reading →
When Kili and Fili rock up on Bilbo's doorstep, they joyfully exclaim, "Let us join the throng!" Bilbo can only whimper at their use of the word "throng," as he has no idea yet how many more dwarves are about to show up. But for the young dwarves, there is an almost festive, celebratory spirit... Continue Reading →
Throughout The Hobbit, Bilbo's two halves—Baggins and Took—continue to clash. His Tookish half, representing adventure, curiosity, and a bit of wildness, has lain dormant for many, many years until the dwarves arrive on his doorstep and begin singing of the Lonely Mountain far away. Then, Tolkien writes, "Something Tookish woke up inside him." This conversion... Continue Reading →
Something Tookish 