It wasn't really his, but Thorin didn't exactly lay out the rules for the one-fourteenth-of-the-treasure until afterwards, sooooo...
There's not really a black-and-white right-and-wrong line on this issue, and it always bugged me.
2. Who did you enjoy reading about most?
Bilbo.
3. Do you prefer the Hobbit over LotR? Or vice versa? And why?
I prefer LOTR. There are more characters, and more emotion, and more at stake...yeah. I do like "The Hobbit", though.
Statistics: Posted by hobbit_of_narnia — Fri Apr 01, 2016 3:57 am
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2. Bilbo. And the Elves.
3. Bookwise, LotR, if only because there are epic females.
Statistics: Posted by jesusgirl4ever — Fri Apr 01, 2016 12:37 am
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Here are some quick questions to wrap it up.
1. Was Bilbo right to give the Arkenstone away? Was it his to give, or was it kind of thievery?
2. Who did you enjoy reading about most?
3. Do you prefer the Hobbit over LotR? Or vice versa? And why?
We'll hopefully be starting our next book in about two weeks, so stayed tuned
Statistics: Posted by Tenethia — Thu Mar 31, 2016 11:42 pm
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I am waaaaay behind. Ah, well. I'll answer a few and give some questions of my own.
Riddles? Nope, none here. I first read the book too many years ago to remember if I guessed them or not, but I have a feeling I wasn't able to, or guessed only a few. I remember reading the riddles out loud during a car trip and having my family guess them, which was fun. Anyone play that online movie tie-in game based on the "riddles in the dark" scene? It had a collection of user-submitted riddles to be guessed by the players, but I don't think it's up anymore.
The Hobbit takes place up in the north while LotR takes place in the south, and since Beorn lived further up north where his kin would eventually reside, I think it's fair to assume that we do not hear about shapeshifters because the Fellowship does not pass through that territory. I think a greater unexplained difference would be the lack of talking trolls within the narrative of LotR; I can see why they were not touched upon as they fit more to the fairy-tale feeling of TH than the seriousness of LotR, but it is one of those things that makes the two works vastly different. I'd also add in the the anachronistic line Gandalf utters about "pop-guns" into the mix of differences. Who in ME would know what that is? Anyone else have other anachronisms from TH to add?
I get adapting material, I really do. And I appreciate when changes are made to reinforce a theme or to straighten out details that the general audience may not wholly understand if the writer/director decided to go word-for-word with the source material. However, I did find many of the added scenes gratuitous.
Statistics: Posted by elanorelle — Wed Mar 23, 2016 11:06 pm
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1. Bilbo is described as the true leader of the group. What are some good character traits of a leader and which of the ones that you thought of does Bilbo have?
I think that it's good for a leader to be sympathetic and knowledgeable and is willing to admit their mistakes and take suggestions. Bilbo is obviously willing to take suggestions, admits his mistakes a couple times, is rather sympathetic, and suggests things that seemingly don't occur to the dwarves, so in part he has all of these traits.
2. Do you think burglar is an accurate word for Bilbo or not? Why or why not? And if not, what word would you use to describe Bilbo's roles in the group?
"You can say Expert Treasure-hunter instead of Burglar if you like. Some of them do."
I don't think that "burglar" is any more applicable to Bilbo than it would be to a bounty-hunter. Taking treasure from Smaug wasn't stealing; it was regaining. Trying to take the troll's purse might have been counted as stealing, but Bilbo wasn't successful anyway.
Personally I prefer burrahobbit.
Statistics: Posted by hobbit_of_narnia — Tue Mar 22, 2016 3:46 pm
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Tenny's question 1: Well, being smart is certainly one Bilbo seems to have, and levelheaded, and not greedy (less than the dwarves, anyway).
Tenny's question 2: Hmm... I think not. He wasn't stealing anything (from Smaug, anyway) that didn't rightfully belong to the dwarves. I'd say he's, like, the only one with common sense?
Statistics: Posted by jesusgirl4ever — Sat Mar 19, 2016 9:20 pm
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1. Bilbo is described as the true leader of the group. What are some good character traits of a leader and which of the ones that you thought of does Bilbo have?
2. Do you think burglar is an accurate word for Bilbo or not? Why or why not? And if not, what word would you use to describe Bilbo's roles in the group?
As for Tooky's question... I haven't seen the movie so i don't have anything to say
Statistics: Posted by Tenethia — Sat Mar 19, 2016 1:59 am
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What did you think of all of the stuff that the movie inserted in the middle of these chapters here?
Statistics: Posted by Lucy Took — Thu Mar 17, 2016 4:23 pm
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I see Gollum as this creepy thing who murdered his cousin, wanted to eat Bilbo, and tried to kill Frodo and Sam. So, yes, his part in LotR shapes my understanding of him.
2. Anyone got any good riddles? Did you guess the answers to the riddles before Bilbo?
Nope and nope.
3. Shapeshifters aren't really mentioned much in Middle Earth lore with the exception of The Hobbit. Thoughts on how this fits in with the rest of the narrative of Middle Earth. Does ME seem more fantastic to you in Hobbit than in LOTR?
Doesn't Beorn say in the movie that he was the last of his kind? That might be why they're only here.
How is a raven similar to a writing desk?
I don't know, Tenny. How?
Statistics: Posted by jesusgirl4ever — Sun Mar 13, 2016 12:17 pm
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1. Do you see Gollum as a sympathetic villain, a victim of robbery or some other kind of combination? Does knowing his part in Lord of the Rings shape your understanding of Gollum as a character while reading the Hobbie?
The "The Hobbit" Gollum is quite different from the LOTR Gollum. The "The Hobbit" Sméagol is quite different from the LOTR Sméagol. In "The Hobbit" I feel mildly sorry for Sméagol because he lost his precious but (I'm sorry Nia) I almost have this feeling of "well, it serves him right for wanting to eat Bilbo!" whereas in LOTR I feel all this sympathy for Sméagol because his life has been seriously rough.
2. Anyone got any good riddles? Did you guess the answers to the riddles before Bilbo?
No riddles I can think of at the moment, though I still have one in the Who Am I? game thread. And I guessed about half of the riddles before Bilbo the first time I read the book.
3. Shapeshifters aren't really mentioned much in Middle Earth lore with the exception of The Hobbit. Thoughts on how this fits in with the rest of the narrative of Middle Earth. Does ME seem more fantastic to you in Hobbit than in LOTR?
Beorn was pretty cool, but he reminds me in a strange way of Tom Bombadil. The LOTR Middle Earth is much more intense than the "The Hobbit" Middle Earth, but I'm wondering if most (if not all) of that was intentional on Tolkien's part. Because at the end of "The Hobbit" it has more of the LOTR voice, and that was the part that Frodo and Sam wrote, and they saw a darker side of Middle Earth than Bilbo ever did.
Statistics: Posted by hobbit_of_narnia — Sun Mar 13, 2016 4:54 am
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To begin with, I... don't know anything about Lord of the Rings. I've long struggled with it, deciding if it's really something I'm okay with reading or not, and so what I did read and see years ago I barely remember
I've never really settled on how I feel about Gollum. In some ways, I feel like he's just a character that's full-out evil. He doesn't want to be that way, but he's chosen it for himself and has been choosing it so long he's just kinda stuck there. Mostly though, I just feel like he's seriously bipolar, could use counseling, and is pitiful
I'm really bad at riddles. But here's one that Kristi told me once: How is a raven similar to a writing desk?
Statistics: Posted by Tenethia — Sun Mar 13, 2016 2:54 am
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Questions for this week-
1. Do you see Gollum as a sympathetic villain, a victim of robbery or some other kind of combination? Does knowing his part in Lord of the Rings shape your understanding of Gollum as a character while reading the Hobbie?
2. Anyone got any good riddles? Did you guess the answers to the riddles before Bilbo?
3. Shapeshifters aren't really mentioned much in Middle Earth lore with the exception of The Hobbit. Thoughts on how this fits in with the rest of the narrative of Middle Earth. Does ME seem more fantastic to you in Hobbit than in LOTR?
Statistics: Posted by Lucy Took — Mon Mar 07, 2016 9:08 pm
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I don't know how many times I've read "The Hobbit". I've read LOTR two and a half times and am partway through my first read-through of the Silmarillion.
2. Do you like Tolkien's writing style?
Oh, my, yes!!
3.Tolkien intended The Hobbit to be read by both children and adults. Do you think that it's suited for one age group more than another? What do you think appeals to each group?
I think it's equally suited for both groups. It has the ease of reading for the younger audience and the hidden bits of humour for the older readers. And ifsomeone read it as a kid, I don't think they could ever truly grow out of it.
4. There are lots of songs in the book. Do you skip over them, just read them, or try to sing them in your head?
I sing the Misty Mountain song, but the others I just read. I'm not a huge fan of the Peter Jackson version of the What-Bilbo-Baggins-Hates song. Sorry.
5. Why do you think that Gandalf picked Bilbo to go on the quest with the dwarves? He lies and tells them that Bilbo is a burglar, but adds that hobbits can often go unnoticed. Why include a hobbit at all since they hate adventure?
I think he might have been missing the fun of sending hobbits on adventures (the book quite clearly states that he used to, and implies that he hadn't done so in a while) and, since he had known some of Bilbo's family, figured that Bilbo was as good a choice as any. He might have wanted to stir up the Shire a little, too; it seems like the sort of thing he'd do just for the fun of it. And there probably was a bit of the logical hobbits-are-quiet-and-small-and-Smaug-isn't-familar-with-their-scent in Gandalf's mind too, but I somewhat doubt that it was the main reason.
Statistics: Posted by hobbit_of_narnia — Mon Mar 07, 2016 4:43 am
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