Post by Ven on Dec 4, 2004 17:23:59 GMT 1
Alrighty then! Now to Chapter 2, The Shadow of the Past! We will be reading this chapter from Saturday, December 4th to Thursday, December 9th, and we will be discussing it further on Friday, December 10th if any of you would like to add anything. Now, let's get started, shall we?
The following are just some random notes I took while reading it. Some of them may be interesting points, but some of them might just be review for you. Yes, I know, it is long but you may find some of the information interesting.
-Gandalf explains to Frodo the events of Bilbo and Gollum.
~Gollum was once a hobbit-like creature who lived near the banks of the Great River on the edge of Wilderland.
~Sméagol was quite fond of roots and beginnings of things. He would often burrow underneath trees and plants to see their toots.
=Very interesting point: "he ceased to look up at the hill-tops, or the leaves on trees...his head and eyes were downward." Sméagol hated the sun and growing things even before he became possessed by the Ring. This may explain why he chose the caves of the Misty Mountains over anywhere else.
~He killed his friend, Déagol, once he came out of the water from being dragged in by a big fish. The reason Sméagol killed him was because he had found a very shiney thing, the One Ring.
=Sméagol actually asked Déagol if he could have it. He said that it was his birthday, which it was, but Déagol had already given him a gift "more than I could afford."
~He inheirited the name 'Gollum' by the foul gurgling sound he made in his throat.
=Note how when Sméagol got the Ring compared to when Frodo got it. Sméagol used the Ring for evil since the beginning. Because he used his newly found power for evil purposes, such as biting the heels of his friends and family, he was kicked out of his home and his grand-mother (who was the ruler of where he lived) had taken away his 'name rights', so to speak. Also, he had no friends, so he left to the Misty Mountains. Frodo, on the other hand, didn't use the Ring, even during the 9 years that he owned it. Also, once he found out the history of the Ring and it's beginnings and powers, he saught to destroy it and during his quest, his reputation followed him and so did his friends.
~The Ring has the ability to expand and become heavier depending on the owner of it at the time.
~The Ring abandoned Gollum, thinking that an Orc would find it. Bilbo's appearance there was just a one in a million chance that ended up throwing off the will of the Ring and the course of the future was dramatically changed.
~~Many lines from the Moria scene are found in this chapter.
'I wish it need not have happened in my time,' said Frodo.
'So do I,' said Gandalf, 'and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.'
'Behind that there was something else at work, beyond any design of the Ring-maker. I can put it no plainer than by saying that Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, and not by its maker. In which case you also were meant to have it. And that may be an encouraging thought.'
~We find out that Gandalf actually captured Gollum after a long hunt after him. But Gandalf didn't do it alone, he had help from his friend Aragorn.
~Gandalf says that when you see Gollum, you have severe pity for the wretched creature. He points out that even the strong elves of Mirkwood had severe pity for Gollum.
~Gandalf told Frodo that the Ring cannot be destroyed by his little fire in Bag End, nor could it be destroyed by any of the finest crafts made by any race. It could only be destroyed in the fires of Mt. Doom, where Sauron had once made it to rule over all of the peoples of Middle-Earth.
Summary: In this chapter we find out more about the history of the Ring and all who possessed it once. Gandalf reveals more about the history of Gollum to the best of his knowledge. From the time when he was once a hobbit, to the more recent times. This is also our first time hearing the name Aragorn, and will not be the last. Frodo has offered to take it and destroy it, along with the help of Gandalf the Grey and his gardender, Samwise Gamgee.
The following are just some random notes I took while reading it. Some of them may be interesting points, but some of them might just be review for you. Yes, I know, it is long but you may find some of the information interesting.
-Gandalf explains to Frodo the events of Bilbo and Gollum.
~Gollum was once a hobbit-like creature who lived near the banks of the Great River on the edge of Wilderland.
~Sméagol was quite fond of roots and beginnings of things. He would often burrow underneath trees and plants to see their toots.
=Very interesting point: "he ceased to look up at the hill-tops, or the leaves on trees...his head and eyes were downward." Sméagol hated the sun and growing things even before he became possessed by the Ring. This may explain why he chose the caves of the Misty Mountains over anywhere else.
~He killed his friend, Déagol, once he came out of the water from being dragged in by a big fish. The reason Sméagol killed him was because he had found a very shiney thing, the One Ring.
=Sméagol actually asked Déagol if he could have it. He said that it was his birthday, which it was, but Déagol had already given him a gift "more than I could afford."
~He inheirited the name 'Gollum' by the foul gurgling sound he made in his throat.
=Note how when Sméagol got the Ring compared to when Frodo got it. Sméagol used the Ring for evil since the beginning. Because he used his newly found power for evil purposes, such as biting the heels of his friends and family, he was kicked out of his home and his grand-mother (who was the ruler of where he lived) had taken away his 'name rights', so to speak. Also, he had no friends, so he left to the Misty Mountains. Frodo, on the other hand, didn't use the Ring, even during the 9 years that he owned it. Also, once he found out the history of the Ring and it's beginnings and powers, he saught to destroy it and during his quest, his reputation followed him and so did his friends.
~The Ring has the ability to expand and become heavier depending on the owner of it at the time.
~The Ring abandoned Gollum, thinking that an Orc would find it. Bilbo's appearance there was just a one in a million chance that ended up throwing off the will of the Ring and the course of the future was dramatically changed.
~~Many lines from the Moria scene are found in this chapter.
'I wish it need not have happened in my time,' said Frodo.
'So do I,' said Gandalf, 'and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.'
'Behind that there was something else at work, beyond any design of the Ring-maker. I can put it no plainer than by saying that Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, and not by its maker. In which case you also were meant to have it. And that may be an encouraging thought.'
~We find out that Gandalf actually captured Gollum after a long hunt after him. But Gandalf didn't do it alone, he had help from his friend Aragorn.
~Gandalf says that when you see Gollum, you have severe pity for the wretched creature. He points out that even the strong elves of Mirkwood had severe pity for Gollum.
~Gandalf told Frodo that the Ring cannot be destroyed by his little fire in Bag End, nor could it be destroyed by any of the finest crafts made by any race. It could only be destroyed in the fires of Mt. Doom, where Sauron had once made it to rule over all of the peoples of Middle-Earth.
Summary: In this chapter we find out more about the history of the Ring and all who possessed it once. Gandalf reveals more about the history of Gollum to the best of his knowledge. From the time when he was once a hobbit, to the more recent times. This is also our first time hearing the name Aragorn, and will not be the last. Frodo has offered to take it and destroy it, along with the help of Gandalf the Grey and his gardender, Samwise Gamgee.
