FF Thursday October 13

On October 13, we began class with an in class writing about either the Dragon-hoard, or Bilbo and Smaug. While discussing what we wrote for the dragon-hoard, students mentioned that Smaug seemed more intelligent than the other seekers in the novel. His relationship with the treasure was deeper, and the treasure became a part of him since he wore it on his body. However, the other seekers in the novel simply see the treasure and want it. While conversing about Bilbo and Smaug, it was said that Bilbo’s riddles are different, as he doesn’t speak as formally. Furthermore, it was mentioned that during his encounter with Smaug, Bilbo tries to buy more time to come up with a plan, and tries to confuse him.

Next, we discussed the roles of birth and ancestry in the novel. The class had mentioned that Thorin is confident and proud of whom he is due to his grandpa. Also, it was concluded that characters that didn’t have ancestry couldn’t be as high up. This was supported by the fact that Bilbo and several others needed ancestral background in order to gain respect. Ancestry gives motivation to either live up to it, or deem it. In the novel, Gollum, Smaug, the Trolls, and goblins lacked ancestors, and didn’t have anything to prove, therefore, not being as prestigious.

We then moved on to our discussion leaders, who were Ericka and Michelle. They had first talked about the background of the author and the novel. Also, they had talked about the essay they had read, “Where’s Mama?” from which they summarized that there were no female characters in it since the author lost his mother at a young age. Furthermore, it was also mentioned that the author believed that a boy and a girl could not be friends, but rather there had to be a love relaitonship.

We then discussed the questions they had come up with related to the novel. During this discussion, we talked about how Thorn was prepared since he was there for the mission, whereas the rest were there since they were promised a share of the treasure, showing how fit the dwarves were for the journey. Also, we talked about why Bilbo was praised for what he accomplished, yet was blamed very easily for almost anything. The class had concluded that this was because everyone relied on him, and when he was unable to live up to their expectations, he would be blamed for it. Moreover, we had conversed about why Smaug tells Bilbo that he will come to a bad end if chooses to go with the dwarves. The class had mentioned that this was because Smaug believed that the dwarves were greedy, and was able to detect their smell, whereas he was unable to do so for the hobbits. During the discussion questions, we had also talked about why Bilbo doesn’t reveal the existence of the ring to Gandalf, which was because the ring makes him greedy, and also because he didn’t want to disappoint him. Lastly, the class discussed Gandalf’s main role in the novel, which was to be Bilbo’s protector and to see how he reacts to situations.

8 AM class:

In discussing The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien as a class, we talked about the different groups of characters. Each group values treasure and wealth in a different way. We also compared and contrasted Smaug and Golem and the different riddle games they played with Bilbo and used these interactions to analyze Bilbo’s character. The many kinds of creatures in Tolkien’s world have different temperaments and perspectives.

Every kind of creature in The Hobbit values treasure for different reasons. Smaug the dragon, for example, guards the treasure at all times even though he appears to have no practical use for it because he does not spend it nor trade it. He keeps it as a trophy. The men, however, use treasure for their livelihood. And the men, as well as the dwarves feel entitled to part of the treasure as it had once belonged in part to both of their ancestors. The one common trait the different groups all share in this regard- the dragons, men, and dwarves- is that they are all willing to fight for this treasure. Bilbo, however, the one hobbit in the story is the one character not invested in the treasure. He even willingly gives up the piece he had taken for himself, the highly valuable Arkenstone, in order to bargain with the men and the elves in an attempt to make peace between the feuding groups. So, though we see treasure-seeking as neither good nor bad as it serves many purposes (the cause of fighting between the groups as well as peace-making) it is clear that it drives the plot of the story.

Another common theme, in addition to treasure-seeking, is riddles. Bilbo used riddles against both Smaug and Golem. The dragon however, is slightly cleverer, as he tries to get Bilbo to reveal his identity by speaking in riddles. Both want to find and kill Bilbo, but Golem’s tactic is more obvious, as he challenges Bilbo to a riddle contest. If Bilbo loses, Golem gets to eat him and if Golem wins he must help Bilbo out of the cave. Also, by comparing Bilbo’s interactions with these characters, it is possible to track his personal growth. Bilbo encounters Golem first, and he manages to outsmart him by luck when he happens to shout out the right answer to his final riddle. When he faces Smaug however, Bilbo speaks deliberately and manages to mislead him with his tricky turns of phrase. -Rachael Dearborn