For Thursday: Chapters 4-6 (or as much as you can!)

NOTE: Don't forget about the Abstract assignment (posted below) which is due next Tuesday! Again, you don't have to have everything down-pat, but try to have a general idea of what theme you want to explore, and how you might do it. Remember, you can have fun and try to write a poem that pays homage to Tolkien's world...or you can simply write a paper that explores it. Neither one is more 'right' than the other, but try to have fun with whichever one you chose. We'll discuss this more in Tuesday's class, so if you're stuck, I bet someone else will have an idea that will unlock your creativity! 

Here are some ideas to consider for Thursday:

* Aragorn and Gandalf were arguing about which way to take, and Gandalf wanted to try the path through Moria, though Aragon was horrified by it, saying, "Say nothing to the others, I beg, not until it is plain that there is no other way." What made this such a perilous choice? Did Gandalf know what they might find down there?

* How does the Fellowship start to break in Moria (and even before)? What seems to cause it? Is there one weak link? Or is it all the fault of the Ring?

* Why might the departure of Bill be a foreshadowing of things to come? Why might this be one of the first times Sam (and the other hobbits) really come to an awareness of their quest and its desperate nature?

* When they reach the door to Moria, we get a startling surprise: a full page illustration of the door from none other than Tolkien himself! Why do you think he insisted on including this, and the runes at the end of Chapter 4? Why do you think, if he had had his way, Tolkien would have included many more such illustrations? 

* Related to the above, why might the riddle have proved so tricky to Gandalf and the rest of the party (when the answer was actually obvious)? What might this say about the end of the Third Age?

* How does Gimli's song compare/contrast to the other songs we've heard in the book? What previous works from our class might it relate to? Also, how does it compare to Legolas' song in Chapter 6?

* Why is the Balrog awake and stirring in the Mines of Moria? How might this relate to simialr events in Beowulf? What makes the Balrog a very similar creature (in appearance, as well as origin) as Grendel and/or the Dragon? 

* Why might the disappearance (death?) of Gandalf be the true undoing of the Fellowship? What does his loss mean to them, and particularly, the hobbits?