2018 Tolkien Blog Party Tag!

Wow, I can't believe that it's almost the end of September already! It feels like just a week ago that it was September last time...ah well, that's beside the point. 

The point is that two days ago was September 22nd, which happens to be the birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, which happens to be the start of the sixth annual Tolkien blog party, hosted by the lovely Hamlette at The Edge of the Precipice! This blog party includes a very fun tag, which I confess I thought I was too busy to do this year, but as I have been struck by a sudden cold and have no inclination to get up off the couch, it seemed like the perfect opportunity! :D I would definitely recommend participating...it's immense fun! So, without further ado, I shall stop wasting time and actually answer the questions! 

1.  What's your favorite Middle-earth story/book?

I think The Fellowship of the Ring. For some reason that one has always been my favorite, where there's still lots of lighthearted "hobbit talk" and the whole fellowship is together, as opposed to the other two books, where they are separated into a couple groups. Of course, The Hobbit is amazing too, because it just is and always will be--there's more chatty humor and witty banter, I think, in The Hobbit, which is always fun. 

2.  Do you have a favorite subplot?

I'm not sure if this technically counts as a subplot, but I love the whole section in the books where Frodo plans his move away from Hobbiton to Buckland. That whole part, basically from Frodo's departure at Bag End to the Fog on the Barrow-Downs, is really fun! It fleshes out the story and what exactly is going on, and I like how planned and precise all of the hobbits' events were...Frodo was moving to Buckland to avoid suspicion of "disappearing," and that whole section when the four hobbit join forces and continue together was great. Sadly, we missed that entire bit, along with Farmer Maggot, the old forest, and Tom Bombadil in the movies...

3.  What's your favorite theme in Tolkien's books?  (Can be in one specific story, or overall.)

I like how everyone is essential, in really all of his writings, especially the Middle-Earth ones. Every single character has a purpose and nobody is left out. Some serve more obvious purposes than others, but everyone contributes to the story and has some special way that they function as a person. Nobody is "extra" or put in just for comic relief.

4.  Do you have a favorite weapon from Middle-earth?

Sting all the way! 

5.  Would you like to be a hobbit?

Absolutely! I could eat like seven meals a day, be surrounded by my family and friends, and never have to bother putting shoes on to go outside! 

6.  Do you have a favorite romance/couple?

Hmm...although Tolkien never wrote about it in detail (or if he did, I don't know it...maybe he did, but I haven't heard so), I have always liked Elrond and the story of how his wife was almost killed by orcs (or some other foul beasts) and he wasn't able to heal her, so he sent her "into the west" for protection. I think that their story could be really nice if we got to see the whole thing. On a more down-to-earth level, though, Sam and Rosie are just so adorable! They're so happy together...and that makes me happy. 

7.  What's your favorite Middle-earth creature?  (Can be "real" or "imaginary.")

Hmm...I like horses a lot, but not just the regular old horses, the Shadowfax kind...oh, and Ents. I like the Ents, even though they are reeeeeeeaallllllyyyyyy sloooooowww sometimes. 

8.  What character do you look the most like?

Well. Hmmm...I guess, since I'm a girl and I have dark hair, I would have to say Arwen. However, you will most often find me making faces like Bilbo...

9.  Are there any books about Middle-earth or Professor Tolkien (but not written by him) you recommend?

Someone might have already said this one, but the Tolkien Dictionary by David Day is super helpful. It even tells us the names of the two blue wizards! 

10.  List up to ten of your favorite lines/quotations from the Middle-earth books and/or movies.

"Never laugh at live dragons, Bilbo you fool!" 

-The Hobbit, Inside Information

"It was at that point that Bilbo stopped.  

Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did.  

The tremendous things that happened afterward were as nothing compared to it.  

He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, 

before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait."

-The Hobbit, Inside Information

Well, I guess that's about it! That was fun! Thank you, Hamlette, for hosting, and Happy Tolkien Week! :) 

I have no idea where this came from, but it's fitting...

Poetry Snippets/Stuff That Happens in Writing Class

Well, the first semester is under way! Here I am after the first full week of classes, still alive and kicking. I have my share of complaints, as I always do, but hey, things are MUCH better than they were last year! And I even somewhat enjoy my writing class (which I suppose is a good sign, since that's...my major). So, since I have been running out of ideas for posts, here are some snippets of poetry that we have been writing in class. It's not all mine, so forgive the cheesy, stupid bits...but the way it came together was cool, even if the actual poetry is lame-o.

If you've ever played Telestrations, we did something similar to that. Every student started off by describing a color they had seen recently, a striking color, and then passed the paper on. The next student added a line or two, inspired by the first bit. Then they folded over the top so that the third student would only see the second bit, and so forth. It was pretty cool, even though most of the poems ended up being rather strange. (As a side note, I did not take part in the writing of all of these, all credit due to my classmates.)

It was a very interesting and entertaining exercise...we didn't produce any of what you'd call actual art, but of course, we are just students, after all, and it was just an exercise to sort of get us comfortable writing in that setting. It was fun, anyway. I do apologize for the angsty, dramatic college student feel that some of these have...but it is quite fun to see how everyone's ideas fit together!

When the sun sets, 
The sky turns bright
Like golden chrysanthemums 
Finally bursting through their buds on a fall day.
A sun as huge as the sky, sending heatwaves below, 
Bringing misery to those who bask in its rays.

The glistening sun made it sparkle like the sea.

Moving as swift and confident as birds navigating through the sky.
A great river flowing fiercely through its environment.

It bursts its banks, sweeping along pebbles, plants, debris

Ravaging the earth and leaving black water in its wake.

A beautifully faint white dancing alone in the night

Like a young maiden beckoning to her suitor, twirling in a cotton dress of white. 

A tranquil snowbed with a glittering shine, 

Wind slinks on the snowbed, lifting the crystals

To shine with the stars.

The bright lone light of moonlight at midnight reflecting

Off of windows and trees, luminating the darkness around us. 

Delicate white moths darting around, striking a 

Contrast to the silent hour of midnight.

Yet there is no lamp, no flame, to guide them

As they fan out, filling the night, aimlessly fluttering from dark to dark.

As the world slumbers, they actively follow the moonlight,

The ball of fire which looms over the horizon, the enemy.

Flowers as red as if they'd been dipped in paint, 

As if they were made from a strawberry's skin, 

Like drops of blood upon snow, 

Petals danced in the wind before a gray sky.

My lips cracked and red continued to bloom, 

I tried to gain purchase on the snowy ground,

But only won small battles against the monolith of white.

It hurt but the beauty before me was hypnotizing. 

Bone--the white was like bone, 

Like the bones aching in my hands, my feet.

Everything ached, but the sharper pain

In my heart prevailed--I had to make it.

I would make it. 

Shining silver with a tarnished touch,

Antique, old but new,

Glossy and gray.

It shines like a star just fading away at dawn's peak.

Like a lantern, released by a child, 

To bring their wishes up to heaven.

A single candle flickered, lonely, 

And it's yellow light filled the empty room.

I sat at the red light as the electric blue Jeep drove by--

It made my black car look blacker than normal, 

As if my car was painted with a black hole, 

Swallowing all the light around it, pulling it in on itself.

My turn signals were blinking stars in a cloudless night sky,

Away from city noise and the blur of streetlights.

Only the stars remained in the darkness.

My head buzzed and my eyes cried,

And I shut everything from the blurs, the stars,

The lights that never, ever leave.

In the darkness, I could finally breathe.

And one last poem...this one was written solely by meself, but in an interesting way. We had three sheets of paper, each a torn-out page from different magazines. One page, I highlighted nouns, one verbs, and one adjectives, and then, from those words (though I added just a couple), we wrote some sort of poem. 

The culprit escaped, after murdering the dentist,

That medical swordsman who stabbed but lost.

Bullet points magnify a complex tattoo,

A toothbrush, a soft drink--evidence.

The remorseful actress has vanished, 

The nagging customer emerges to watch.

The culprit is on a bungee cord--he will not escape for long.

So that's what I've been doing...along with studying Shakespeare (I just finished the third act of King Lear and am enjoying it), studying French, and studying how to use Microsoft Excel! And of course the normal things that one does when one is not occupied with schoolwork. And, as much as I complain about summer being over (because, come on, that IS sad, you gotta admit), the promise of fall weather in the air is nice. It always smells better in the fall...what's with that? 

What are your opinions on poetry? 

Have you read Shakespeare? 

How is your end-of-summer going? 

Let me know in the comments!