Bruce's Blog

So I’ve obviously gotten farther into the book while I was waiting for this assignment to come up. And I’ll give you a brief synopsis of what happened.

Bilbo and company try to pass through the high mountains after taking some time to rest at Gandalf’s friend, Elrond’s home where they resupplied themselves. But a terrible storm erupted from the heavens slowing our hero’s journey for the dragon treasure. Two of the dwarves, and I will refer to the dwarves as just that, dwarves because I don’t wish to bother you with the burden of remembering all of Tolkein’s thirteen or so dwarves. But anyhow it turns out to be that they sleep in a cave that is at the cave entrance of the goblin hoard. They fell asleep, goblins kidnapped them, Gandalf comes to save the day and shoots lightning and fireballs. Now after all that’s taken care of Bilbo is separated from his entourage and then wanders the goblin’s caverns looking for some kind of exit. Instead he finds what he thinks is a useless ring and finds a lunatic named Gollum.  They have a competition of if you get my riddle wrong I eat you, but if I get your riddle wrong I’ll tell you the way out. Bilbo technically succeeds but runs from the angry thing which I’m pretty sure was a hobbit. Now knowing anything from LotR(lord of the rings) you know that this ring isn’t any little decoration, but Souran’s ring. Yeah remember the giant flaming eye at the top of the volcano? Well anyway with this ring he turns invisible and escapes the beast running from goblin sentries and meets up with his company. They are attacked by demon wolves but survive because of the help of the eagles (and Gandalf’s fireballs) they soar away, eagles carrying them into the horizon. They rest and restock at a shapeshifter’s house, but Gandalf finally says that he has more important business then to go off for some silly gold chase and leaves the band to fend for themselves in the Mirkwood forest. In which they are now being attacked by spiders, rivers and the landscape itself.

I think that the book is getting better but many people would say that when your in the smack middle of the book because that’s when everything actually happens.  I’m annoyed by the fact that Bilbo is becoming more courageous then the dwarves. Now imagine, a four foot tall man with a giant beard, forged in the mines under the earth, greedy and a master of the forge, usually with ripped muscles due to their work and height, being more cowardly then a two foot tall fat man who has hairy feet. Synthesis questions:if you had access to all resource how would you deal with the spiders that attacked the company? I wouldn’t use a torch because the spiders would know where I am, I would however, use the ring and perhaps set sticks on fire and send them whirling into the fray, after I’ve rescued my allies of course. After that I would just kill all the stragglers who are willing to fight. What would happen if Bilbo had never found the ring in the first place?  The story would need a new character because he would be dead when he met up with Gollum, because he asked what was in his pocket. If he did put aside his sympathy for the creature and stabbed him through the back of the head he would still have to deal with the sentries. And if he managed to kill them quick enough he would most likely be caught much more easily by the spiders of the woods. Analysis:How was this event similar to something else you’ve seen? Well this incursion with the spiders really lit my mind up to remember some moments of the LotR. Because I believe that Frodo (Bilbo’s son) is running in a cave perhaps from some orcs or goblins but is caught by a large spider that rapped him in web and injected him with a paralyzing venom.  It was the exact same thing besides that fact that it was the dwarves that had been tangles and that the spiders were smaller yet numerous.

The book starts off quite interesting although I know my background about middle earth.  The  story starts with the little hobbit(by the way hobbits are about two feet tall, so yes you are most likely taller than a hobbit) name Bilbo Baggins who lives in his comfortable underground homes, in the middle of a gentle neighborhood. But one day the legendary wizard named Gandalf, comes knocking at his door. (if you’ve seen the movies he the ones that has the funny looking hat and robe combo) So as the story progresses Gandalf asks him if he would like to be apart of an epic adventure, but Bilbo being a fat hobbit, loved his leisurely life so much. Gandalf left secretly putting a secret marking with his staff. Later on Wednesday, a group of thirteen dwarves came knocking at his door and soon after the great wizard visited him.  Confused that he is chosen as a burglar for plundering a treasure from a man eating dragon, Bilbo in his pride asks to come along for the journey after much partying and drinking on the dwarves account. Bilbo then later fights trolls, meets elves and discovers a lunatic.

I think that the one thing that I like a lot about Tolkein’s book is that it’s much more different compared to the other fantasies that I’ve read.  The main destinction is the dwarves and elves of their world, because he makes the dwarves very delicate, but also slightly brutish and greedy like usual. The elves I think are happy instead of dying and mourning.  This is probably due to the fact that the war hasn’t started, which is what makes it different then the movie. So there’s a strange aura around the middle earthen setting. I hope to read more about this book in due time.

So a crime happens and a man was supposedly killed by a gun, but nobody heard and the screen door was open. What happened?

I have one eye and one long neck. I have a point that you may not like. What am I?

bruce in debt by 30 dollars. 10 Jenny, 20 Jackson.

I’m taking a riddle break for two days…O.0

So a business man comes to an old woman’s house and says”miss this is the new super vacuum five thousand!” He dumped a bag of manure on the woman’s floor and said “if the vacuum doesn’t clean all this up, then I’ll eat it all up.”

The woman turned around and said “Let me get a fork because we forgot to pay the electricity bill.”

Now…..Jackson is excluded for one week…

My father has it, but my mother uses it. Your father has it, but your mother uses it. The Pope has it but he doesn’t use it. What is it?

Well Jackson got it right last time , but let’s see if he can do it again.

I need to breath yet I have no lungs, I dance and skip with no legs. What am I.

I’m going to start posting a weekly riddle and if I feel like it two so try and figure this one out. If I’ve already told this one to you I’m trusting you to not tell anyone the answer or to answer the riddle yourself.

I have a head but no neck, I have a heart but no chest, what am I?

Hopefully I will only be asked along with my peers to do one more review, but for now I guess I shouldn’t think about the future but what I’m working on currently.

So far in the story Johnny Tremain(now 15) is living with Rab, his friend two years the older, who works at his uncle’s printing shop. Johnny slowly forgets about his old life in the Lapham household and joins his new family including Rab, Rab’s Uncle, Rab’s Aunt, and a baby who he calls rabbit. Johnny loves his new family and all the things that they have to offer to him unlike the Laphams did. For example he found that he had been starved for good literature and that Rab’s family could supply him with all he needed for awhile, because he found that they owned a library of books. Johnny soon learns how to ride and love his horse named Goblin and becomes a messenger for Uncle Lorne(Rab’s Uncle). As this is happening he soon finds himself involved with the famous Sons of Liberty or SoL for short. Johnny finds himself mixed up in the famous revolt known as the Boston Tea Party. After all the thrill of the activity is over he finds out how badly this action struck the town and is surprised at how the leaders are taking it.(Samuel Adams who in this book is described as a pugnacious fighter, Paul Revere who always seems smooth with what he does and everyone else who I think are more of side characters). Cilla who he finds as beautiful tells him about how all the misfortunes have fallen upon the Lapham family. Isannah left their family instead to live with the Lytes and Cilla was also forced to go with her, Dusty(the side character) ran away from the shop which is now owned by Mr.Tweedie, because Mr.Lapham is dead. After the conversation Johnny now knew that Dorcas who didn’t want to be married with Mr.Tweedie ran away with her lover and loved and that Dove was kicked out of the shop for his inadequacy. Johnny soon finds that Cilla is more important to him then he had ever imagined and sees what the raid had done to Boston. The bay was shut down and unemployment rates were rising, Bostonians were starving and the British came in through the quartering act causing a tumult in Boston.

So far I would say that this book lives up to it’s reputation as a Newberry winner, because it’s different it’s detailed(enough) and it’s filled with enough dialogue and action to keep the reader interested. For the dialogue in the book let’s the reader know what’s happening outside of the world of the main character’s eyes and the action is nice because it shows what’s happening to the main character. One thing that I’m having trouble digesting right now is the change in Johnny’s personality, although I know that he’s not arrogant anymore and that’s the learning experience, but now he doesn’t really have much of what I would say is an interesting personality. Johnny is now just reduced to a nice guy who does what he feels is the right thing to do. But overall I would say that this and Amos Fortune are probably the best book club books that I’ve read this year.