On 7/6/05, Jim Davis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > -----Original Message----- > > From: G [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 11:39 AM > > To: CF-Community > > Subject: Re: The Ents are going to war. > >
> This story is about the power of the small, regular people of the world when > pressed to do great things (not surprising since Tolkien lived through the > German blitz). It's how those small people can affect big things even if > history doesn't always give them the credit they deserve. Just a quibble point, Oxford was never really bombed, so Tolkien never really experienced the German bombing campaign like London or Coventry. However he was in the nastiest parts of the western front in the first world war, like the Somme and Paschendale, so your theme still holds up. > > Most people's argument with the book is Tolkien's sense of small scale in > the giant world. "Only nine people are sent to destroy the ring! Why not > send an army? Why can't Gandalf send Frodo on the backs of the Eagles? Why > don't the wizards do real magic?" and so forth. > > Well... it's just not that kind of book. ;^) When I first read it as a kid I couldn't understand why they just did not tie Frodo up with the ring, then using an eagle, dive bomb him into the Cracks of Doom. As for using an army to ge the ring to Mt. Doom, there's a lot to be said about inconspicuousness. Nine people wandering in the waste is a lot less noticable than 10,000 well armed soldiers. for every soldier the west could send on this, Sauron could send 100 to stop them. In the meeting at Rivendell in the first book this was discussed. Also what occurred at the Council of Rivendell was discussed in much greater depth in Christopher Tolkein's War of the Ring than in the Fellowship of the Ring. > > It's not a perfect story... I was never thrilled about the paths of the dead > (although it did dramatically highlight Aragorn's acceptance of his > birthright and is a major turning point for the character). I would have > also liked to see the dwarves out in force to honor the old alliances > (except for Gimli he just plain forgot the dwarves). Tolkein covered that fairly well too - in the 2nd book and the appendices Gimli was told of the attacks by Sauron on the dwarven kingdoms. They could not send any forces because there was nothing left to send, everything was used for the defense of the mountain (the dwarven kingdom that was re-established at the end of the Hobbit). The appendix of LOTR gave a fairly good timeline for that entire sequence. larry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=17 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:163109 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
