Different Paths

So I've continued reading the Hobbit and it's starting to really turn into an adventure. So far Bilbo and his Dwarvin comrades have set off on their journey and been put through some rough spots along the way. Bilbo, although he knew he was getting into some sort of adventure, wasn't quite prepared for the reality of the situation. Within the first few days of adventuring the clan endured bad weather, floods, the loss of food as well as ponies, along with constant tiredness and hunger dragging down the group, ( Bilbo most of all as he is used to having 6 or 7 meals a day). I am starting to doubt that this group really knew what they were getting into and if their journey will be successful. It reminds me somewhat of the novel we read last year called Lord of the Flies. In Lord of the Flies a large group of pre-teen boys became stranded on an unmarked island after a plane crash. The boys were ill-equipped as well as unsure of how to handle their situation. They didn't know each other very well and therefore had troubles picking a leader and choosing how to handle things. Eventually they came to a consensus although throughout the novel their is fighting and strife amongst the boys. The Boy's situation reminds me a lot of how Bilbo must be feeling, bewildered and out of place. Hopefully Bilbo and his friends mission will turn out more successful than the boys coexistence.

Call to Adventure!

I've gotten a little further in the Hobbit, and thus far not too much has happened. Th timid Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, has been "called to adventure" which makes me guess this is going to be a straight up mono myth. Gandalf the Grey, a widely respected and also talked about wizard comes to Bilbo's house along with several handful's of dwarfs and urges Bilbo to join them in a marvelous adventure (having adventures is not something to be proud of where Bilbo is from ). The dwarfs, their leader Thorin, and Gandalf invade on Bilbo's inbred hospitality for two days with out a gracious remark, to Bilbo's annoyance, when at last the hobbit decides to join them. The clan heads off to steal back forgotten treasure from a violent dragon in far away mountains, pretty cliche. The beginning of their journey goes all too well until soon enough they are distraught by bad weather and empty stomachs. Bilbo's not all too sure if he made the right decision after all. Bilbo's sudden call to adventure reminds me a lot of Harry Potters. A sudden house call by an uninvited guest interrupts our protagonist's daily life, and proceeds to tell the hero of a world outside of the known. Then the hero is asked to join that world on an adventure, for Harry that adventure was going to Hogwarts, and ultimately defeating the dark lord Voldemort. For Bilbo, it is venturing out into the unknown-to-hobbit lands and seeking revenge on a dragon. As of now I predict that Bilbo will be successful on his journey and come back to his quaint Shire and home as a changed... man?

T-H-E- H-O-B-B-I-T yeah.

I have chosen to read The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.I decided to read this particular book because I have always been a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings movies but have never gotten around to reading the trilogy. I figured before I read the three massive books, I might as well start from the beginning, with the Hobbit. As far as I know The Hobbit is about, the famed Frodo's, uncle Bilbo, and his first adventure. The story encompasses how Bilbo first left the protected and comfortable Shire to go an an adventure beyond his own imagination. It also tells us Lord of the Rings fanatics about the background of the Ring's passage to existence in the shire and how it got placed into Frodo's hands in the first place. I have a feeling this book will give me all the insight I need into Middle Earth and everything that went on before the tale of Frodo and the Fellowship. J.R.R. Tolkien was a master with words and probably had an imagination that ranged far further than his magnificent books. Yes. I'm a gigantic nerd for being so obsessed with Lord of the Rings but I am very excited to read the Hobbit.

Oodles of Odd's

Everyone has to overcome odds at some point in their life to move forward. In Stephanie Meyer's, Eclipse, the main characters overcome more than their share of odds. First of all, Edward Cullen, the handsome vampire in love with a mortal, has to overcome the day by day battle not to succumb to his instinct temptations and suck his girlfriends blood. The two cannot kiss, hug, or even be in close proximity to each other without the risk of Edward losing control. Another issue the two have to constantly overcome is their differing opinions on the issue of Bella transforming into a vampire and also her friendship with Jacob, a young werewolf. Edward, on one hand, cannot stand the thought of separating Bella from her soul just so that he can live forever with her, and he also disapproves of her intermingling with his born enemy, the werewolf clan. He believes that Bella is in danger every second she spends with her werewolf friends because they have very little control over where and when they transform into ferocious monsters capable of killing almost anything. However, in truth it is almost the same amount of risk for Bella to be spending time around blood thirsty vampires, than a clan of uncontrolled werewolves.

Caught Up in Love

The topic of love it one found in every word of every line of every paragraph of every page in the Twilight novel series by Stephanie Meyer. I am currently reading the third installment in the series called Eclipse. Eclipse thus far has revolved around Bella the human and Edward, the vampire's, undying love for one another. One unforgettable moment of Love in this book is when Edward refuses to allow Bella to transform herself into a vampire like himself, even though it would mean an eternity of immortal love together, due to the fact that he believes she would lose her soul. The two characters are torn because they both want nothing more than to be with each other and for the other to be happy. Bella on one hand insists that she desires to turn into a vampire, whatever the cost, so that she can live forever with Edward. Edward, however, is not so keen on the idea because he cannot bear the idea of his beloved Bella being put through such pain and losing all of her family for his sake. The two lovebirds are so caught up in what they want for each other they barely make room for what they want for themselves.

Attack

While reading Eclipse, by Stephanie Meyer, yesterday the book took an interesting turn for the worse. It has been revealed that the characters are about to enter a war. There have been multiple attacks in Forks, all the believed cause of a several "newborn", or recently transformed, vampires. These vampires are notorious for wreaking havoc and being more powerful and less predictable than fully developed vampires. The Cullens, Forks friendly family of "vegetarian" vampires, is bent on putting a stop to this. The Cullen's are now being forced to assemble an army of sorts so that they have some chance at beating the irrational newborns. Bella, Edwards one true love, realizes that it would be beneficial to the Cullen's cause if she were to transform into a vampire early so that she could help fight off the enemy. However, obviously Edward is not willing to risk his beloved Bella to some dangerous vampire warfare, so as of now Bella's staying human. Vampire war... commence.

Colonies at Risk

In the midst of reading Stephanie Meyers, Eclipse, I came across a passage about colonization. Not colonization familiar in any way to us, but vampire colonization. Hundreds of years ago, vampires ran wild, ravaging the countryside. They were most populous in the Southern U.S. and fought over territory (inhabited by humans ) as if humans didn't exist, or more as though they were livestock. The Vampires began to build up colonies in this area, to brand the territory as their own, as well as the people who lived on it. The Vampire colonization of the South had many similarities and differences to colonization we have seen taking place in the real world. One thing the Vampire colonization has in common with the European colonization of Africa and India, is that the dominating party showed no concern for the people they affected and took control of. One difference they have is that the Vampires colonized the humans without, for the most part, them even knowing, however when the Europeans colonized Africa, everyone was aware of their presence.

(Citiation Previously Cited )