Reading Response #2: The Hobbit

     I am continuing to read The Hobbit and have reached an interesting point in the story. Bilbo, Gandalf, and the rest of the dwarves have all been captured by a pack a goblins. The main dwarf, Thorin, is wanted by the white orc. The white orc and Thorin fought many years ago and Thorin cut off the orc's arm in battle. The orc wants revenge and the goblins know that. They send out one of their own to relay news to the orc telling him that they have Thorin. I like the way J.R.R. Tolkien writes this part of the book, with such great storytelling ability and excitement, that makes the reader want to keep reading to know what happens next. This quote utilizes just part of the greatness of Tolkien with,

“It was at this 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.”  (Pg. 99).

     This quote explains how Bilbo is trying his hardest to sneak by the the goblins to save his friends. The part when he says, "Before he never saw the vast danger that lay in wait." makes the reader really want/need to know what happens next in the story. This quote just shows the brilliance of J.R.R. Tolkien's writing style.This picture reminds me of what the goblins in the tunnels would look like. I can picture them being really ugly looking and really creepy. I have a feeling the orcs will have a big part in the rest of the story.

The Hobbit: Reading Response

     I have loved the Lord of the Rings movies ever since they came out. I liked the battle scenes and the plot of the whole story. "A ring to rule them all..." That phrase sounds really cool and just by reading those few words you want to know more. But before the Lord of the Rings, there was the book the Hobbit. The movie for it came out about a year ago and I thought it was really interesting. I saw the first two movies and the third one comes out in a few months. I decided to start reading the book to find out exactly what happens next. 
   
     The story starts out in the main character, Bilbo Baggins, home. He is approached by a by-standard who is later known as Gandalf. Gandalf has an adventure in store for Bilbo. He asks him to join him and his fellow compatriots, who are dwarves, to take back their homeland. The dwarves homeland was stolen and taken over by a dragon named Smaug. There's only one problem; there are only 13 dwarves against a  huge fire breathing dragon. This is a huge task for the dwarves and it relates back to me in a way. My basketball team and I are going to go up against many great teams in the Tournament of Champions. We are mighty underdogs going up against these fierce "fire breathing" competitors. It just reminds me of that. 

     An interesting quote I found was the during first encounter between Gandalf and Bilbo. Bilbo greets Gandalf with a "good morning" and Gandalf responds with,
    
“Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?” (Page 4-5).

     This quote is showing how Gandalf intends to test Bilbo to see if he may be up for the challenge that awaits them.  Is he the right one to join their quest?  The author, J.R.R. Tolkien, uses a great quote to show the amusing/weird side of Gandalf. It brings the reader in to find out what will happen next.