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Curious
Half-elven
Jul 13 2009, 8:32pm
Views: 952
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As N.E.B. notes, there's no obligation to tell everything.
[In reply to]
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Can't Post
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Especially when your audience won't believe you anyway. But I do wonder if Bilbo was ever tempted to prove his tales by showing off with the ring.
In short: he became a Minchehausen-like boaster, still playing what amounted to practical jokes on people he disliked. That's harsh, I judge, and not supported by the text.
Of course, The Hobbit is a children's book, in which these are only the harmless foibles of our charming but eccentric hero... That's more accurate.
...but once Tolkien carried on to a more adult book, he must have realised these are potentially very sinister habits (to say the least), and focused on the ring. Invisibility is potentially sinister, as we see in the original version of The Hobbit, where Gollum uses his invisibility to strangle. But strangely enough, in LotR it is not the power of invisibility that makes the Ring sinister -- if that were its only power, Gandalf would be greatly relieved. Indeed, Tolkien so altered the powers of the Ring that the power of invisibility rarely helped Frodo, since the Nazgul and Sauron could sense Frodo better when he wore the Ring. In LotR, a ring of invisibility, which was harmless enough in Bilbo's innocent hands, became a Ring of Power, which was harming Bilbo and would harm all who bore it.
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Subject
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User
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Time
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A Thief in the Night -- Part 4
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weaver
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Jul 10 2009, 3:53am
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here goes
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Twit
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Jul 10 2009, 10:10am
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Letter consistency
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Dreamdeer
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Jul 11 2009, 12:17am
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Thoughts.
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Curious
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Jul 10 2009, 2:19pm
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Letter
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Dreamdeer
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Jul 11 2009, 12:14am
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Bilbo makes them an offer they can't refuse
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squire
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Jul 11 2009, 5:24am
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Good for you to have done it!
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sador
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Jul 12 2009, 7:27am
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“Bilbo is not honest yet” - ??
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squire
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Jul 12 2009, 2:28pm
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Quite so!
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N.E. Brigand
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Jul 12 2009, 5:26pm
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Perhaps "find out" was too strong
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sador
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Jul 13 2009, 6:41am
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The Mind as Iceberg
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Dreamdeer
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Jul 13 2009, 6:36pm
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It may be in the author's mind,
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Curious
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Jul 13 2009, 6:45pm
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If Bilbo lied to his neighbors about his adventures,
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Curious
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Jul 13 2009, 6:47pm
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"His magic ring he kept a great secret..."
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N.E. Brigand
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Jul 13 2009, 7:15pm
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Oops!
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sador
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Jul 13 2009, 7:24pm
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Not lied?
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sador
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Jul 13 2009, 7:22pm
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As N.E.B. notes, there's no obligation to tell everything.
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Curious
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Jul 13 2009, 8:32pm
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Well, you know
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sador
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Jul 14 2009, 6:15am
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Bilbo told Frodo the whole story, but
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Curious
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Jul 14 2009, 8:55am
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The Quest for Power
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Dreamdeer
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Jul 14 2009, 6:56pm
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Tolkien wanted to put the genie back
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Curious
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Jul 14 2009, 7:46pm
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"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it"
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squire
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Jul 14 2009, 9:39pm
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Or Capitalist or Colonialist
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Curious
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Jul 14 2009, 10:39pm
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Consensus is a matter of opinion.
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Dreamdeer
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Jul 15 2009, 2:53am
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You got my point
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Dreamdeer
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Jul 15 2009, 2:42am
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A few answers
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sador
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Jul 12 2009, 7:52am
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Ah, the "note-paper"!
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squire
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Jul 12 2009, 2:47pm
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Water-resistant ink
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Kimi
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Jul 13 2009, 1:14am
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Excellent!
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squire
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Jul 13 2009, 1:38am
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Fascinating!
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dernwyn
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Jul 13 2009, 3:19am
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I like Bilbo's style of taking care of business so much more
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grammaboodawg
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Jul 12 2009, 2:45pm
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