The Hall of Fire

Well, I quite like the fox. :) But its inclusion, I think, adds to the perception that in the first chapters of LOTR we're just biding our time, treading water if you will, before hitting the rapids of this great river of a tale. There are many, it seems, who love LOTR with great passion and who wil...

I agree that Meisel's essay is pretty solid, although I don't really see much more depth to her assertions than can be found in any reasonably knowledgeable discussion of Tolkien's themes. It really is a more of a surface overview of the topic as opposed to a detailed and substantive examination. Fo...

This is a good indication of how Tolkien fully intended that people would read his work multiple times, and find new connections each time. Perhaps. Or perhaps a clear demonstration of the depth of his love for this world. It had to have depth and meaning for him and so he lovingly returned and ret...

Maybe it senses my unimportance.

Sheesh......it's like we're having some kind of two-for-one special in this thread. Double posts galore! :suspicious: Choice of POV is a crucial one for an author, and with a good one, never accidental. This is something that is worth watching throughout LOTR. Yes! I very much think that Tolkien kne...

DP

I don't believe in a "god" that cares one whit what happens to the individual, so based on my personal and professional experiences, I have no qualms with society removing internal threats permanently . I, too, don't believe in a god that cares what happens to the individual, but I believ...

I don't interpret LOTR as containing an anti-capital punishment statement Even without getting of ahead of things and looking to the climax of the story, it is evident from reading Gandalf's actual words that he is saying that even those who "deserve" death should not be put to death. In ...

It doesn't take much digging, Voronwë. What Rumsfeld said on Sept. 11th, 2001: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/04/september11/main520830.shtml Independent verification of what Rumsfeld said: http://www.outragedmoderates.org/2006/02/dod-staffers-notes-from-911-obtained.html A Sept./Oct. 2001 t...

Before I even attempt to add any comments about the thread topic at this point, I'd like to request some clarification from solicitr on his last two posts. Solicitr, you said: Either civilization or Islam will survive the 21st century; not both. And then: Who on earth is advocating the extermination...

I was horrified. Those of you who know me from other discussions will remember how psychotic I can be about "spoilers". I sometimes wonder if my phobia dates back to the first reading of the "Foreword" of "Fellowship of the Ring". I can well understand that reaction if...

Speaking of the LotR films, I think there’s a simple formula for the quality of the battle scenes – are Legolas and Gimli present? If not, they’re often great. If so, they’re usually absurd. An excellent observation! :D I don't get Bogart and I guess at this late date I never will. Since this seems...

I love the Forward because I love reading Tolkien's voice. I think I knew that forty years ago, when I read it for the first time, even though I had no idea who this man was. I liked him, the stuffy old codger. I had just turned sixteen, and during the same week that I began reading LOTR, I had watc...

BTW, Kurosawa didn't use black and white in SS and other early films just because it was "artsy." Color film stock was beyond the budget of Japanese studios until the mid-60s. He didn't have a choice, as I understand it. I can't recall the camera lingering on shots of spewing blood, eithe...

Yes, yes. War is Hell. But the Seven Samurai isn't really about war . It's about a little village that hires a rather scruffy bunch of ronin to protect their crops (and their women) from being pillaged by an even more scruffy bunch of bandits. I think we're supposed to empathize with the villagers,...

I do remember being totally uninvested in any of the characters and actively disliking some . Well, to be fair, a lot of the main characters were supposed to be rather dislikable. I thought that added a real dimension of believability to the story. In all honesty, the whole warrior/honour/killing p...

I would prefer to see one thread meandering slowly, but surely towards the Grey Havens.

merrybesq!

This is indeed a great idea for a thread!

And I too will return with some thoughts.......once they are a little more linear.

From what I understand, a fatwa is any legal declaration made by a qualified mufti (Muslim jurist). Although specific training and qualifications differ between Shia and Sunni sects, traditionally, a mufti has been a clerical scholar who has spent several years studying Islamic law until deemed qual...

and so she is the physical embodiment of the fading of the Three That's perilously close to ALITTTFOTR, you know. ;) Not that close. The Three, not the One; and she is an Elf, so naturally her existence in Middle-earth is tied to the fate of the Three. It fits, where ALINTTTFOTR does not. Ah, but f...