LOTR Read-Along: Two Towers {Book IV, Ch. VI-X}

I did not anticipate liking this book as much as I did. It is, I confess, my least favorite of the movies; I thought I would feel the same about the slow pace of the book as I did about the slow pace of the movie. Nothing could be further from the truth! The book allows us in the thoughts and the emotions of the characters that is all but impossible in a movie. One of my classes is reading The Scarlet Letter and they told me that they would not have figured out who the father was so early if they had not seen the movie. Movies do such a wonderful job with interpersonal communication but often miss the mark when it comes to internal dialogues and nuanced conversations. This is very true of The Two Towers. The dialogue of the second half - between Frodo and Sam, Frodo and Gollum, Gollum and Sam, Faramir and the hobbits - all of it is immensely important to the story, adding the depth to the narrative for which fantasy is so well-known. The majority of this is lost in the medium of film (I am not saying the film is terrible, just different).

Talk about a cliff-hanger! I felt so badly for Sam in that last chapter. It is a wonder that he did not have a heart attack, truly, because of the wild disparity of the emotions he experienced in such a short span. I have a feeling I am going to devour The Return of the King.

1. What two impossible choices must Frodo make in Chapter VI? Why, do you think, does Tolkien keep putting his characters through this kind of thing?

2. In Chapter VIII Frodo, Sam, and Gollum encounter the Wraith King. Why is Frodo not tempted to hide using the Ring?

3. Sam, speaking of adventure stories, says, "I used to think that they were things wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for... but that's not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them". Do you agree or disagree? The stories that really matter (in your opinion), are they sought out or do they happen and the characters have to deal with them/

4. What are your thoughts on Sam's choices in Chapter X? Would you have done the same? Done something differently?

We are starting the last book this week. Time has flown by. We are reading Ch. I-V of The Return of the King. Hope y'all have a great week!

LOTR Read-Along: Two Towers {Book III, Ch. VII-XI} + {Book IV, Ch. I-V}

It is two for one week on the blog! Or, more truthfully, I have been so busy that I missed last week's discussion post so they are combined this week. Not quite as catchy. I started a new temporary job and it is taking a bit to get settled in. So, my sincerest apologies. I hope it will not happen again.

A lot has happen in these chapters! Just because I have not been blogging does not mean I have not been reading. In fact, events from The Two Towers have made their way into my teaching lately as examples. It is heartening how many high school students at the school I am at enjoy LOTR. This balances out how disheartening it is that they could not tell me that David was king of Israel (I'm at a Christian school). Anyways, these sections of the larger story are particularly interesting to me because of the pacing. I literally could not put down the book when reading about the Helm's Deep and Isengard and the reunion of the majority of the Fellowship. Then comes the long and grueling road of Frodo and Sam. It was hard, I admit, to make myself read every word and to not skim. It is just so, well, boring after the excitement of the previous chapters. The more I pondered it, however, the more I appreciate Tolkien's genius in giving Frodo and Sam the second half of the book. One cannot appreciate the contrast between the two paths of the Fellowship as well if the boring and come before the exciting. We would not have realized how boring the boring is if we did not know how exciting it could be. Are you tracking with me?

Why is this important? Because the more I read the more I am in awe of Frodo's determination. His is the path less desirable, for multiple reasons, but most especially because it is the most difficult, the least rewarding, and the loneliest. He has only Sam for company, which is nothing to sneeze at, but Sam is not an equal the way others were. He cannot share the fears and doubts of Frodo just yet. Frodo is the wise council, he has no where else to turn at this moment. And his decisions affect not only him but sweet Sam as well. While Frodo is not facing the dangers of battle, his is the greater fight of simply putting one foot in front of the other. How often do I overlook this in my own life? Those who are faithful in the every day little things, not just the big, showy ones? In Sunday School this morning the teacher spoke of how Barnabas was the unsung hero of the early Church. I believe the movies make Frodo something of an unsung hero, while the book is the praising of Frodo, of giving his story the attention it deserves in a way that highlights the strength of his character.

Book III, Ch. VII-XI
1. Why does Aragorn try and parley with the Orcs? What is the essence of his message?

2. What is the Ents role in these victories? Do you prefer the movie version or book version of this?

3. Saruman relies on the power of machines instead of that of nature. What is the result of this? Why do you think Tolkien continually draws attention to the strength of nature?

4. Why does Gandalf not intercede when Saruman is addressing Theoden?

5. Why does Pippin want to see the Stone again? What is driving him?

Book IV, Ch. I-V
1. How has Frodo changed since the beginning? How are these changes marked?

2. Think on Sam's reaction to Gollum vs. Frodo's. Which one do you feel your own reactions align with most closely?

3. Why does Frodo make a distinction between swearing on the Ring and swearing by the Ring?

4. What kind of feelings does Gollum illicit? Is he truly a sympathetic character? Why or why not?

5. What makes Faramir so different from his brother Boromir? How would the Fellowship have been different had Faramir been a part of it instead?

We are finishing up The Two Towers this week. I cannot believe we are already almost to the last book. I hope y'all are enjoying this amidst the business of life. Have a wonderful week :)

LOTR Read-Along: Two Towers {Book III, Chapters I - VI}

It is so hard for me not to race through this book. The Two Towers starts off exactly where the Fellowship left off (since all three were originally written as one book) and it does not slow down much. New characters are introduced, old friends are reacquainted, and small hopes keep the Company pushing forward. The ties that bind the Company are strained by distance, treachery, and the unknown but still remain strong. I love how loyal the are to one another, no matter how tough the situation. Sometimes that loyalty means one must stick to the path that leads away from the others, no matter how hard that is or unwise it seems. I fall in love with this world a little bit more with every word I read. I so hope y'all are doing the same!

1. Aragorn spends a good bit of the first and second chapters second guessing his decisions. How does this differ from what we have seen of him thus far? Would you have done anything differently?

2. "Well, we have no time to ponder riddles," said Gimli. "Let us bear Boromir away!" "But after that we must guess the riddles, if we are to choose our course rightly," answered Aragorn. "Maybe there is no right choice," answered Gimli.
Do you think Gimli has the right of it? Is there always a right answer?

3. What does nature tell Legolas and Aragorn, and even Gimli when he pays attention? How does "reading" the signs it provides help or hinder them? Why is nature affected?

4. Tolkien constantly refers to Treebeard's eyes. What do they look like? What do they seem to contain? Are they truly "windows of the soul"?

5. Is hope important? How important is it to the Fellowship? What different ways has hope been manifested thus far?

(Bonus!) Which Norse deity does Gandalf resemble with his gray cloak, hat, and staff?

I wish I could tell y'all all of the Old English/Old Norse materials used in crafting the Rohirrim. I could not read that chapter without trying to interpose our world on to it. It was close enough that I could pretend that Middle Earth was our own history. Anyways, hope y'all have a great week and enjoy Chapters 7-11 :)