I know it's been a while since I last posted. It has been one crazy semester. I have finally found a few minutes to sit and write about the Hobbit. So, without further ado, I'll tell you about a lesson from Thorin. It'll be short and sweet, but still important.
For those of you who have not read the book, Thorin is a dwarf prince without a home. In his childhood Smaug the dragon took over his home in Erebor. During the attack, the elves living nearby brought their army, but turned away when they saw it was a hopeless endeavor. Thorin's heart hardened toward any elves after that day and as a result will have nothing to do with any elves. This hatred is further incited when Thorin and the rest of the company are captured by the wood elves of Mirkwood, the very same elves who refused to help his grandfather in the attack on the lonely mountain.
Whenever Thorin is approached with the idea of wielding an elvish blade or seeking refuge with elves, even if they are not woodland elves, he refuses. Gandalf recognizes this and chastises him, saying that he is not his grandfather that the past is in the past and he needs to just let it go. Okay, so I may have pulled that last little bit from Disney, but who's counting ;-) The rest of it is what he said in a nutshell.
We can learn from Thorin's hate and unwillingness to forgive. He has the stubbornness of his people ingrained within him. For us, if there is someone who has wronged us in the past, we should be willing to forgive them and let bygones be bygones. Thorin slowly realizes this as the story comes to its climax. It's easier to hold a grudge and stay angry at someone for the rest of your life, but does that really make you happy? Thorin's pride and stubbornness kept him from gaining valuable allies; the hate he kept inside made him bitter and cold. Forgive and forget. You will be all the happier for it.
It's just one more week until the final installment in this saga comes to theaters. I hope y'all are planning to see it at some point.
Let me know what you think, if you agree or disagree. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Happy reading!
Showing posts with label tolkien. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tolkien. Show all posts
December 9, 2014
November 6, 2014
In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit...
Hello readers!
I know it's been a little while since I last posted. This past month has been hectic, between Midterms and Halloween and work. I'm ready to get back in the groove.
So, in case you haven't already figured it out, I love reading fantasy. It's my favorite genre to read. So it should come as no surprise when I tell you that, in honor of the new movie coming out in December, I'm going to talk about one of the best classic fantasy novels, the Hobbit. I will give a warning to those who have not read this book: this post may contain spoilers, so if you want to read it first, go read the book (it'll only take a couple of hours) and then come back. :-)
In a previous post, I talked about why I choose fantasy as my favorite genre, and why others choose it. One of the books I mentioned was the Hobbit. It is, in my opinion, the book that any fantasy reader should learn to read fantasy with, and the one fantasy adventure they should have on their bookshelf, no matter what.
So what is the Hobbit? Well, it is the story that kicks off J. R. R. Tolkien's most famous work, the Lord of the Rings. With fantastic (no pun intended) prose and magnificent imagery, we are introduced to the One Ring and how it came to be in Bilbo Baggins' possession.
It begins with the classic "In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit...", hence the name of this post. It is, perhaps, one of the most oft quoted lines by fantasy fans. Not too many pages past this line the reader is audience to an amusing exchange between Bilbo and Gandalf the Grey, discussing the logic behind wishing someone a good morning. For me, personally, it just introduces the reader to the sassiness that makes up part of Gandalf's personality.
In a sense, this story can be taken as a fable, or a story which contains a moral lesson. In fact, if you look at it with that view, there is more than one lesson to be learned from this adventure. The first lesson, and perhaps the main lesson to be taken away, is to be willing to step out of your comfort zone. The Hobbits of the Shire were a peaceful, nonadventerous people, and Bilbo was one of the most respectable Hobbits. So you can imagine that when he decided to go adventuring across Middle Earth, the rest of the Hobbits shook their heads and muttered about it for the entire year he was gone. They said, in not so many words, that he had lost his mind, that he was no longer respectable. This perception followed him into his later years, which you can read about a little in Fellowship of the Ring. But on this journey, he realized that a Hobbit can go on adventures and come home perfectly fine. In fact, he surprised himself and the dwarves he accompanied. It is constantly implied that those who come into contact with Bilbo are continually amazed at the courage of Hobbits. In essence, the take away is if you believe in yourself, you can surprise even yourself with what you can accomplish.
Well, that's all I have for now about this amazing book. As I was writing this, I was inspired to write about the different lessons that can be learned from this story until the movie comes out. So, check back every week or so until December 17, which is the date the final installment in the trilogy (I know, a trilogy out of one book?) is released in theaters.
In the meantime, I want to hear your thoughts about this book, or any of Tolkien's other works. Tell me what you think about this lesson to learn.
If you haven't experienced this story yet, stop what you're doing, turn the computer off, go find a copy of The Hobbit, and sit down in a comfortable chair with a cup of something hot and read. You won't be disappointed.
Happy reading! :-)
I know it's been a little while since I last posted. This past month has been hectic, between Midterms and Halloween and work. I'm ready to get back in the groove.
So, in case you haven't already figured it out, I love reading fantasy. It's my favorite genre to read. So it should come as no surprise when I tell you that, in honor of the new movie coming out in December, I'm going to talk about one of the best classic fantasy novels, the Hobbit. I will give a warning to those who have not read this book: this post may contain spoilers, so if you want to read it first, go read the book (it'll only take a couple of hours) and then come back. :-)
In a previous post, I talked about why I choose fantasy as my favorite genre, and why others choose it. One of the books I mentioned was the Hobbit. It is, in my opinion, the book that any fantasy reader should learn to read fantasy with, and the one fantasy adventure they should have on their bookshelf, no matter what.
So what is the Hobbit? Well, it is the story that kicks off J. R. R. Tolkien's most famous work, the Lord of the Rings. With fantastic (no pun intended) prose and magnificent imagery, we are introduced to the One Ring and how it came to be in Bilbo Baggins' possession.
It begins with the classic "In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit...", hence the name of this post. It is, perhaps, one of the most oft quoted lines by fantasy fans. Not too many pages past this line the reader is audience to an amusing exchange between Bilbo and Gandalf the Grey, discussing the logic behind wishing someone a good morning. For me, personally, it just introduces the reader to the sassiness that makes up part of Gandalf's personality.
In a sense, this story can be taken as a fable, or a story which contains a moral lesson. In fact, if you look at it with that view, there is more than one lesson to be learned from this adventure. The first lesson, and perhaps the main lesson to be taken away, is to be willing to step out of your comfort zone. The Hobbits of the Shire were a peaceful, nonadventerous people, and Bilbo was one of the most respectable Hobbits. So you can imagine that when he decided to go adventuring across Middle Earth, the rest of the Hobbits shook their heads and muttered about it for the entire year he was gone. They said, in not so many words, that he had lost his mind, that he was no longer respectable. This perception followed him into his later years, which you can read about a little in Fellowship of the Ring. But on this journey, he realized that a Hobbit can go on adventures and come home perfectly fine. In fact, he surprised himself and the dwarves he accompanied. It is constantly implied that those who come into contact with Bilbo are continually amazed at the courage of Hobbits. In essence, the take away is if you believe in yourself, you can surprise even yourself with what you can accomplish.
Well, that's all I have for now about this amazing book. As I was writing this, I was inspired to write about the different lessons that can be learned from this story until the movie comes out. So, check back every week or so until December 17, which is the date the final installment in the trilogy (I know, a trilogy out of one book?) is released in theaters.
In the meantime, I want to hear your thoughts about this book, or any of Tolkien's other works. Tell me what you think about this lesson to learn.
If you haven't experienced this story yet, stop what you're doing, turn the computer off, go find a copy of The Hobbit, and sit down in a comfortable chair with a cup of something hot and read. You won't be disappointed.
Happy reading! :-)
September 5, 2014
My Top Ten Books
Okay, so I was challenged on Facebook recently to post 10 books that have stayed with me from the first time I read them until now. This list was hard to come up with, because I have more than 10 books that have remained as part of my constantly read collection. But, after a few minutes of contemplation, I finally came up with a list, and have decided to not only share it with my friends on Facebook but to share it with my readers as well. So, without further ado, here is my list of 10 books which have stayed with me since the first time I read them.
1. The Bones of Makaidos - this is my all time favorite from Bryan Davis. It wraps up beautifully the story world of Dragons in Our Midst. I'll try to post more about this particular book and the story world in a later post.
2. The Chronicles of Narnia - if you paid any attention to my very first post on this blog, you probably will not be very surprised to see this on my top 10 list. Anyone who calls themselves a book lover has to have this wonderful series on their bookshelf. My copy just so happens to have a place of honor right in the middle of my bookshelf.
3. Nancy Drew - the Nancy Drew books are the second series for me to really read after I started reading chapter books. In my opinion, nothing beats a good mystery, which also just happens to be a quick and easy read.
4. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - I can't really find many words to describe this book other than to say that it is a classic that must be read by all who enjoy a good adventure/romance classic. Or really all in general.
5. The Magic Treehouse - ah, my first chapter books. I cannot tell you when I read my first Magic Treehouse book, but I can tell you that most of my library trips as a young girl consisted of finding the next book, or books, to read. Confession time: I still have yet to read every single one that has been published, as the author is still writing these adventures, and even now as a young adult I find myself checking bookstores and libraries just to see what the next adventure is and making plans to check out the ones I have not read.
6. The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy - this is the book that I asked my mother to read to me just about every single night. To this day I do not know why it appealed to me so much, but I loved that book.
7. The Hobbit - this is the first book by Tolkien that I read all the way through. It is somewhat of a quick read, since it was originally written for children, but it is still a great story.
8. Calico Captive- I found this book on the library's bookshelf while searching for a new story. I love to read historical fiction and historical romance, and this book combines the two wonderfully. The fact that it is written by Elizabeth George Speare makes it even better.
9. The Little White Horse - I don't think I have to explain this book very much, since I have practically poured out my heart about it in an earlier post. The only thing I can really say here is what I said on Facebook: A fairy tale set in England. What could be better?
10. White Fang- while I have not read the actual book, I have read the children's version of it, and thus am familiar with the story. I fell in love with it, and have made myself very familiar with it. It is one of my goals to read the book in its entirety at some point in my adult life.
So, that is my top ten list. I hope I have given some books that you have never read before and that I have inspired you to go find them.
Part of the challenge was to pass it along to ten other friends. Since I can't call out anyone in particular on here, I challenge everyone who reads this post to come up with their own list of 10 books and pass the challenge on to 10 (or more) of your friends.
I'd love to see what your top ten books are. Tell me in the comments!
Happy reading!
1. The Bones of Makaidos - this is my all time favorite from Bryan Davis. It wraps up beautifully the story world of Dragons in Our Midst. I'll try to post more about this particular book and the story world in a later post.
2. The Chronicles of Narnia - if you paid any attention to my very first post on this blog, you probably will not be very surprised to see this on my top 10 list. Anyone who calls themselves a book lover has to have this wonderful series on their bookshelf. My copy just so happens to have a place of honor right in the middle of my bookshelf.
3. Nancy Drew - the Nancy Drew books are the second series for me to really read after I started reading chapter books. In my opinion, nothing beats a good mystery, which also just happens to be a quick and easy read.
4. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - I can't really find many words to describe this book other than to say that it is a classic that must be read by all who enjoy a good adventure/romance classic. Or really all in general.
5. The Magic Treehouse - ah, my first chapter books. I cannot tell you when I read my first Magic Treehouse book, but I can tell you that most of my library trips as a young girl consisted of finding the next book, or books, to read. Confession time: I still have yet to read every single one that has been published, as the author is still writing these adventures, and even now as a young adult I find myself checking bookstores and libraries just to see what the next adventure is and making plans to check out the ones I have not read.
6. The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy - this is the book that I asked my mother to read to me just about every single night. To this day I do not know why it appealed to me so much, but I loved that book.
7. The Hobbit - this is the first book by Tolkien that I read all the way through. It is somewhat of a quick read, since it was originally written for children, but it is still a great story.
8. Calico Captive- I found this book on the library's bookshelf while searching for a new story. I love to read historical fiction and historical romance, and this book combines the two wonderfully. The fact that it is written by Elizabeth George Speare makes it even better.
9. The Little White Horse - I don't think I have to explain this book very much, since I have practically poured out my heart about it in an earlier post. The only thing I can really say here is what I said on Facebook: A fairy tale set in England. What could be better?
10. White Fang- while I have not read the actual book, I have read the children's version of it, and thus am familiar with the story. I fell in love with it, and have made myself very familiar with it. It is one of my goals to read the book in its entirety at some point in my adult life.
So, that is my top ten list. I hope I have given some books that you have never read before and that I have inspired you to go find them.
Part of the challenge was to pass it along to ten other friends. Since I can't call out anyone in particular on here, I challenge everyone who reads this post to come up with their own list of 10 books and pass the challenge on to 10 (or more) of your friends.
I'd love to see what your top ten books are. Tell me in the comments!
Happy reading!
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