Like many who smoke pipes in the modern world, I was drawn to them by the works of Tolkien. Neither of my parents were smokers of any sort, and while my stepfather smoked cigarettes during the first year or two that I knew him, he quit and has remained tobacco free ever since, almost thirty... Continue Reading →
In three recent posts, I have been discussing Gandalf's words at the end of The Hobbit: 'You don’t really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit?" As I was copying the passage out into my Tolkien Commonplace Book, I thought to myself that... Continue Reading →
A few weeks back, I wrote about Boromir being my favourite character from Lord of the Rings, and I mentioned that I was curious (and slightly concerned) to learn how my students would receive him, how they would deal with his attempt to take the Ring from Frodo and with his subsequent death. "The Last... Continue Reading →
In my last two posts, I have been discussing Gandalf's words at the end of The Hobbit: 'You don’t really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit?" I have focused so far on the words managed by mere luck and suggested that luck... Continue Reading →
In my previous post, I discussed a possible interpretation of Gandalf's words to Bilbo at the end of The Hobbit: "You don’t really suppose, do you, that all your adventure and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit?" In that post, I argued that Gandalf was here referring the higher idea... Continue Reading →
Bilbo’s decision to hand over the Arkenstone to Bard and Thranduil in chapter 16 of The Hobbit is momentous, and it is a very wise and courageous act. It reveals a hobbit who has come to think beyond himself, to risk his own safety to help save the lives of his friends. "The Arkenstone" by... Continue Reading →
Sometimes while reading you come across an image that sticks in your minds for days, weeks even. I want to talk about one of those today. It's been lingering in my mind for over two weeks since I read this passage from The Hobbit with my students. Here it is in context: 'The key!' shouted... 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 →
As the Fellowship is travelling south down the River Anduin, they come upon the towering statues of the Argonath, their massive arms and hands held up in silent warning. As Frodo looks at Aragorn who is looking at the "kings of old," Frodo has a sort of vision: "The Argonath" by John Howe Frodo turned... Continue Reading →
When Bilbo first finds the Ring, he keeps it a secret from his friends. Gandalf's perceptive eye notes that Bilbo is hiding something, but the dwarves are as oblivious as ever. Bilbo withholds this detail from his recap of his encounter with Gollum, chuckling as he gives a somewhat believable lie—to a noisy folk like... Continue Reading →
Something Tookish 