TLC Forum

Sorry so late on this week. I wasn't able to come up with good questions so I just have one....


What did you think of all of the stuff that the movie inserted in the middle of these chapters here?

*Finishes the chapters and posts a few questions of her own* aaand i hope I haven't read too far ahead and cobfused what chapters these questions are from.

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

Tooky's question: I saw the movies before reading the book and therefore have no opinion.

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?

I haven't seen the movies either.

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.

@Hobbit: In what ways do you think the end of TH echoes the voice of LotR in terms of style?

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.

@Ela: It's a little more serious and almost emotional. There's the feeling of an Old English epic occasionally popping through the mostly lighthearted fantasy tone of the first part of the book, if you know what I mean. I just remember noticing that the first time I read it.

Hey, guys, sorry I didn't post anything for the last week. Work stuff happened and I've been really stressed.

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

1. Well, since he took it as his share of the treasure, I'd say it wasn't stealing.

2. Bilbo. And the Elves.

3. Bookwise, LotR, if only because there are epic females.

But like... It wasn't his yet, was it? I mean, he had to be given a reward before we could give it away. Thorin hadn't given him anything yet. And anyway, he even thought that wasn't something that Thorin was really including.

1. Was Bilbo right to give the Arkenstone away? Was it his to give, or was it kind of thievery?
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.