Concerning Hobbits: Celebrating A Belated Birthday

     

   Last Thursday was a rather special day.
    Any guesses why?

    Hint: It was September 22.

   Without further ado, last Thursday was the birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins! Two very important hobbits from J. R. R. Tolkien's incredible literary works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It is no longer September 22, but the birthdays can still be celebrated! Although I don't have any of Gandalf's fireworks, sadly. 

"Come! Now is the time for speech and merriment!"

   First:
Links to my review posts of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

-The Hobbit

-The Lord of the Rings

   I think those were two of the most fun book review posts to write. They include in-depth book discussions, movie reviews, and some sketches I did of various Tolkien things.

   And second, some thoughts:

"Tell us now the full tale!"

    I've loved Tolkien's works for so many years. They've been a part of my life for a very long time indeed. I've read the books so many times I've lost count. I've read the history behind them (although, attacking The Silmarillion at the age of thirteen was somewhat challenging). I've read other works by Tolkien. His Essay on Enchantment/Faerie, from The Tolkien Reader, is pretty amazing. I've seen the movies (not that many times though) and can tell you exactly what's wrong with them in comparison with the books. I know a bit of movie trivia from reading and re-reading The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy. Middle-earth is a superbly crafted world that never fails to impress and captivate me. 

    Today's spotlight falls on the hobbits whose birthday occurred on September 22nd in the books that tell their story. Bilbo and Frodo Baggins are both unlikely heroes -- not chosen/destined, but instead those to whom adventurous lots fall. And they take up their challenges with admirable determination.

"Courage is found in unlikely places."

      Bilbo Baggins begins his quest as a sturdy fellow who wants nothing more than to go back home (except for that Took strain which keeps popping up and urging him onward). He discovers quite by accident that he can be brave, even courageous, when he must fight for his life in goblin tunnels and against nasty cave trolls. He even learns that he can riddle a crafty dragon and live to tell the story.
     Frodo Baggins doesn't mind the thought of adventure, but hesitates a little at the thought of taking up such an important quest. It's terrifying that this One Ring should fall to him, of all people. But he too discovers courage he didn't know he had, enough to stand up to Black Riders, orcs, and a giant spider.
     Why do we love Bilbo and Frodo so much?
     Maybe because we resonate with them. Perhaps you don't like the thought of leaving everything you know behind for a whim. Or perhaps you'd love an adventure, but you're not sure if you'll ever get one that you'd like. (Adventures in stories generally have some unpleasant effects on the adventurers.) Maybe in that we're like these two hobbits. And I think there are more similarities. Hobbits are very sturdy, down-to-earth folk (which makes sense, since they're pretty close to the ground). They're probably the most relate-able Tolkien's fantasy folk. Although I very much love Tolkien's Elves, it's a lot harder to relate with that flawless, distant kind. The Dwarves... well, I don't know, maybe some people do relate well with them. But I don't have masses of red hair, I'm not short, and I don't have any urges to grab an ax and charge the enemy yelling in Dwarvish. (Let me know if you think you resemble one.) The Hobbits are very real little people, who go barefoot, laugh boisterously, sing humorous songs, plant gardens, throw amazing birthday parties, and like to eat. ('Taters, precious.) Bilbo and Frodo appreciate good books and poetry, and write a bit of their own. They value other people (maybe not the Sackville-Bagginses, though) and loyally defend their comrades. In Frodo's case, this means being willing to separate from the Fellowship in order not to bring danger to his companions on the road to Mordor. Although, of course, his above-and-beyond loyal friend Sam sticks with him anyway. Bilbo and Frodo Baggins are some of the most richly developed characters I've ever read about. (Some of the others are the rest of the Lord of the Rings cast.)
     Today's post celebrates Bilbo and Frodo Baggins's birthdays. But really, it's in honor of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, for writing the epic masterpiece The Lord of the Rings.

Far over the misty mountains cold,

To dungeons deep and caverns old,

We must away ere break of day,

To find our long-forgotten gold.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

All quotes from J. R. R. Tolkien. All images by me.

Beany Malone Series, by Lenora Mattingly Weber

   

  I'd never heard of this series until my sister received the first book for a birthday present. Not too long later, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the rest of them. Unfortunately (I'm guessing it has to do with them having been published in the 1900s) they can be a little hard to find. So I still haven't read quite the whole series yet, but I'm inching along. Because of that, I'm not sticking to my standard review outline; I'll just blend the Plot Summary and Discussions together into one overarching Discussions section.

       Beany Malone Series - Discussions:

       Meet the Malones - the family of four independent and resourceful teenagers who live with their newspaper editor father in a cozily shabby home. Their mother has died, and WWII is on, but the Malones' days are still bright. Fresh adventures -- and challenges -- constantly arise for the siblings, but the optimistic Malones are not to be beaten. With each other, and with their friends beside them, they'll conquer anything. 
     Still, they very much need each other for balance. Elizabeth, the lovely firstborn daughter, is married to Don McCallin, who is fighting in the war. Worried and terrified, Elizabeth needs her family's support. At the same time, however, she supports her younger siblings with her loving ways, thoughtful advice, and encouraging comments as she patiently waits for her husband to return to her safely.
    Johnny, the next oldest and the only boy, is a brilliantly clever, literary young man whose creativity knows no bounds. He shines in high school, is a favorite of all the teachers, and is generally looked upon as a genius. If he's a genius, though, he fulfills the cliche classic image of one -- easily distracted and careless about his appearance. In the kitchen, he's incredible -- if he can only pay attention to what he's doing. Johnny's dream is writing a book, a history of his hometown Denver, Colorado, and co-writing it with the elderly newspaperman Emerson Worth.
   Mary Fred comes next. Impulsive and daring, she's crazy about horses and riding -- to the point that she recklessly buys a horse she's ridden for years. This decision gets her into quite a bit of trouble, since she'll have to keep him now. She takes on the responsibility with determination, but finds it a little harder than she expected. Mary Fred's lively enthusiasm holds the family together. Johnny calls her "bubble-and-bounce Mary Fred," a fairly fitting name.
    Beany Malone is the youngest. Her real name is Catherine Cecelia, but Johnny nicknamed her Beany when she was a baby. Beany is simply the most capable out of all four Malones, whether she's baking, ironing, or sewing. At the august age of thirteen, she undertakes to redecorate her room, complete to new paint and curtains. She's always willing to lend a hand at school -- taking on a friend or two's duties is nothing, just so long as it takes a load off someone's shoulders. Loyal and persistent, Beany is never happier than when helping someone else out.
    Their father, Martin Malone, is the editor for the Daily Call, the city's newspaper. Because of his necessary absences to cover events, the Malones have developed independence. But that independence doesn't mean they don't treasure the days they have with their thoughtful, warmhearted Father. Compassionately, he reaches out to elderly Emerson Worth, who's sunk into the depths of poverty since his days of newspaper work, and needs meals and people who will willingly listen to his historic tales of the old days. Johnny, fired by Emerson's passion for the events he's witnessed, decides to write a book with the old man, and it becomes his dream for their book Our City Has Deep Roots to be published.
    Lest you think that these books are merely entertainment, here are some observations about ideas expressed in the Beany Malone Series. In the first book, Meet The Malones, when the teenagers' grandmother comes for a visit, she immediately decides that some things need to change. Firm and used to taking charge, Nonna promptly turns things upside down. She manages all the meals and housekeeping. At first she seems like a fairy godmother, what with everything she buys for the Malones - a shining new typewriter for Johnny, and lovely clothes for the girls, including a gorgeous dress for Mary Fred's school's Spring Formal. But under her relentless rule, the Malones' responsible independence begins to slip away slowly. And as Emerson Worth puts it, "The highest price you can pay for something is nothing." This bothers them... is it worth having wardrobes of clothes and all the time they want to go out with their friends when they lose what they really value? And another example. In Make A Wish For Me, Beany's told to write an "uplifting article" for the school newspaper on some sort of deep and inspiring theme. At some prompting from her father, she begins to develop the idea "The price of greater freedom is greater responsibility," a theme that plays out throughout the book as well as her essay.
    Like I said earlier, I haven't read the whole series; I've only read Meet The Malones, Beany Malone, Leave It To Beany!, Make A Wish For Me, and Happy Birthday, Dear Beany. There are several books which I hope to read someday, and I can't speak for those ones. But as far as I know, the Beany Malone Series is a delightful series of one family's resourceful independence and their varied adventures that place the reader into their World War II setting. 

The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare

 

     Elizabeth George Speare writes amazing historical fiction. I think the first work of hers I read was The Bronze Bow (my review here), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It took me a little longer to pick up The Witch of Blackbird Pond. I think I just found the title a little strange. But then I did read it, and I discovered a marvelous story about an orphan girl entering her relatives' strict Puritan world after a life on the tropical island of Barbados.

       Plot Summary: When Kit Tyler's beloved grandfather/guardian dies, she must leave her home of Barbados and go to live with her relatives in New England, even though she's never met them. She desperately makes the sea journey to come to them, and steps into their Puritan world -- a world where bright colors are rarely worn, a world of endless labor, a world where her impulsive heedlessness and incapability are not very welcome. Then she meets Hannah Tupper, an elderly woman who lives by herself, who reassures Kit and gives her courage. But the people of the Connecticut colony fear Hannah, suspecting her to be a witch because of her Quaker beliefs. Can Kit continue to visit her friend? Or will her actions bring trouble, both for herself and her new family?

       Discussions: Don't be put off by the title of this excellent historically based book. It deals gently with the very real situation of the New England witch trial hysteria, and convinces the reader that Hannah isn't the witch she's suspected of being. While it stays true to history, it doesn't frighten or disturb in the manner of, say, Arthur Miller's classic The Crucible. Elizabeth George Speare's telling of the story didn't disturb me or make me uncomfortable.
     Kit (Katherine) knows little to nothing of the New Englanders' superstition, thinks as much of it, and befriends Hannah Tupper out of her longing for friends. Her Aunt Rachel, Uncle Matthew, and cousins Mercy and Judith welcome her warmly enough, but they're all so busy that it's difficult for them to be patient with Kit's heedlessly impulsive ways. Stern Uncle Matthew disapproves of her silk-and-satin, un-conservative clothing. Gentle Aunt Rachel loves Kit, but doesn't really understand her. Crippled Mercy treats Kit with sincere kindness, but wonders at her impetuous manner. Lovely Judith despises Kit's ability to do the simplest home tasks and envies Kit her fancy clothes. So Kit turns to Hannah Tupper for solace and understanding. 
     Another acquaintance, Nat Eaton, whom Kit met on her sea voyage, occasionally stops in at the Colony. Kit enjoys talking with the frank Nat, who's not as shocked by her. Nat's the opposite of wealthy young William Ashby, who hopes to court Kit and is dull, in her opinion. At least the serious young scholar John Holbrook (another acquaintance on the journey), who visits frequently, although not because of Kit, speaks of fairly interesting things and is generally well liked.
     Kit must get used to her strict Puritan surroundings, where elaborate clothing is disapproved of and unnecessary merriment frowned on. She doesn't want to have to conform to this quiet way of life, but what else can she do? And when she clings to her friendship with Hannah Tupper, how many lives might it endanger?

        Overall: I really enjoy this story. Anyone from 10 up probably will. Although, be warned, things don't really get that exciting until the climax, so this may not be the best choice if you prefer suspenseful writing and a plot twist every chapter or so. Still, I highly recommend this book.

Harry Potter - To Read or Not to Read?

     There's that stand of books in my family's local library, the one set apart from the others. This series is so popular that it gets its own set of shelves. Books of staggering thickness are set out on these shelves. Behind it is plastered a poster portraying a teenager with dark untidy hair, glasses, and a scar stamped across his forehead - a scar shaped like a lightning bolt. He is clad in a long robe and holds a broomstick in one hand. And jagged letters proclaim his name across the top of the poster.

    Harry Potter. (I bet you already guessed that.)

     A few years ago, at around twelve, I was walking through the library with my dad and a few of my siblings. We hadn't read the Harry Potter books. We'd never really wanted to. But as we passed this stand of books, my dad told my brother and me that if we wanted to, we could read them. I decided I might as well give them a try, so I located the first book, and took it home with me.

     That evening, I picked it up -- and was instantly hooked. My brother and I raced through the rest of the series, borrowing the books from the library and from friends. I'm really not an extreme Harry Potter fan, being more in favor of The Lord of the Rings. At this point, I haven't even seen any of the movies. But, I did highly enjoy reading the series. I'm not sure if I'll still enjoy it as much later, but right now, I still admire J. K. Rowling's ability to spin out a fantastic and spellbinding plot. Um.. puns not entirely intended.

      Then, a little later, I became aware of what a controversy these books can be among Christians, and so today I want to address that question.

       Is it all right for Christians to read Harry Potter?

      The basic plot, for those who may not know: Harry Potter is told on his eleventh birthday, after ten years of torture living with his unpleasant relatives, that he is a wizard. When Harry was one year old, the Dark Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, and for some mysterious reason, didn't succeed. Now Harry will be trained at the wizarding school Hogwarts, where Transfiguration, Potions and Defense against the Dark Arts are taught instead of math, science, and grammar. Harry must be ready to conquer Voldemort before the Dark Lord comes back to try again to kill him.

      First of all, let's identify exactly what is "wrong" with the Harry Potter books. I think it's the magic, mostly. Yes, there's a lot of magic going on. Would a better term for it be witchcraft? I'm not sure that it would. In these books, "witch" is used as a female version of wizard, a term which maybe shouldn't have a positive connotation. But back to the magic. Most of this is spell-casting. A way to get power to do the impossible (like summoning objects to come to you, turn objects into other objects, etc.), in a nutshell. I wouldn't really call that witchcraft. Still, magic in general can be questionable. Deuteronomy 18:10 says, "There shall not be found anyone among you who... practices divination, or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer." But Harry Potter did not influence me to believe that I could do magic, or that anyone else could, for that matter. If you think that reading about magic might influence you to try to practice it, then you might want to stay away from it, of course. But one thing about Harry Potter is that the books make it pretty clear that not everyone can do magic. Only a select number can, and the rest can't. End of story. 

       In fact, Harry Potter is ultimately the story of good versus evil. And also, good triumphing over evil. There's plenty of material in the books that I wouldn't condone. For instance, Harry Potter and his friends have absolutely no problems with breaking any amount of school rules, or even robbing a bank, because it's supposed to help the war against Voldemort. In the last book, even Harry wonders briefly whether "For the greater good" is a worthy reason to do something. There's also some magical elements that I didn't much care for. 

     But there's also much in this series that's clever, funny, and wholly enjoyable. The characters are richly drawn and real, from the strict, no-nonsense Minerva McGonagall to the rollicking, prank-loving Fred and George Weasley to the arrogant Draco Malfoy to the brilliantly smart and fiercely loyal Hermione Granger. Hogwarts is a hilarious school. The students are divided up into Houses based on their character, abilities, and ambitions. The four Houses (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff) compete fiercely in academics to win points for their teams. There's even a game unique to the Wizarding world, the airborne game of Quidditch. The world invented by J. K. Rowling is richly detailed and stunningly creative. J. R. R. Tolkien writes in an essay on Enchantment/Faerie that every man is a sub-creator:

"Although now long estranged
Man is not wholly lost or wholly changed.
Dis-graced he may be, yet is not de-throned,
and keeps the rags of lordship once he owned:
Man, Sub-creator, the refracted Light
through whom is splintered from a single White
to many hues, and endlessly combined
in living shapes that move from mind to mind. 
Though all the crannies of the world we filled
with Elves and Goblins, though we dared to build
Gods and their houses out of dark and light
and sowed the seed of dragons -- 'twas our right
(used or misused). That right has not decayed:
we make still by the law in which we're made."

         Rowling has created a spellbinding world, and delighted the real world with her stories. The basic plotline is simple -- good versus evil, and the victory is accomplished by a Chosen One mentored by an elderly guide, with a couple loyal companions beside him and an army of freedom fighters behind him. (It may be that Rowling was one of the first to set this pattern, and that she, like Tolkien, has just been copied a great deal. I don't know for sure.) Harry Potter is a fascinating series, and makes for great discussion. 

       But what should we do with this information?

      My personal belief is simply that in general it's all right for Christians to read Harry Potter. However, there are some things to take into account. First, what your parents think of it, if you're not an adult. I was around twelve when I read the series, and I only picked it up because my dad said I could. If my parents had been against it, it would not have been respectful to them to read it anyway. Not only that, but it might have even been outright disobedience.

      Also, just because so many people like it is no good reason to read this series. If you simply don't feel that the books would interest you, or if you're not comfortable with the content, then you don't have to read it. Harry Potter is not the most edifying thing you can pick up to read. Frankly -- sorry, extreme Harry Potter fans -- there are MUCH better books out there.

     And here's something I want to remember about this topic, from the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 8:9: "Take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak." If you, like me, read Harry Potter and believe that it's all right to do so, then just be careful. Don't urge someone who's convicted not to read Harry Potter to read these books which they feel they shouldn't read. Honor their convictions. Like I said earlier. Harry Potter is not the best book you can pick up. It just isn't. Even among fictional books, I don't think Harry Potter is the most edifying or even the most well written. 

      Well, these are my thoughts on Harry Potter. If you have thoughts, I'd love to hear them. Though, please, let's remember 1 Corinthians 8:9 and honor each others' convictions. 

Public service announcement: Due to an increase of work brought on by the start of another school year, I will be switching to a different posting schedule - every Tuesday instead of every Tuesday and Friday. I might occasionally be able to slip book reviews in between the Tuesdays, although I can't promise it. Well, look out for the next post here on Tuesday, September 13!

Psalm 19 in Images

         First of all, apologies for not posting on Tuesday. I ended up having a lot to do, and also lots to do on Wednesday and Thursday, so I didn't get around to posting. But here's another "Psalm-in-images" post. I had a lot of fun with the last one I did, so here's Psalm 19. 

Psalm 19, English Standard Version. All images/media by me.