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dormouse
Valinor
Sep 9 2012, 9:28am
Views: 422
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* * Barrels out of Bond * * 3: The escape
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Reading from 'The evening meal had been taken to the prisoners' to 'where the gate was'.
Bilbo overhears the chief of the guards and the butler plan a private wine-tasting and realises this might be his chance. He watches, and steals the keys once they are asleep. Then he releases the dwarves, whose reaction to his plan is predictably grumpy. but they have no choice and go with him to the cellar where he packs them into the empty barrels. Elves come and begin to push the barrels through the opening and into the river - and Bilbo grabs the last one. The portcullis is opened, then the water-gate, and the barrels float away on the open stream.
1. 'for he saw that luck was with him and he had a chance...' - The passage goes on to suggest that it's rare for a wood-elf to be affected by wine, so why do you think Bilbo sees the wine-tasting as his opportunity? Because he doesn't know much about wood-elves and hobbits don't have such a good head for wine?.... because he thinks they might simply not be concentrating on their jobs? Or something else....
2. 'We thought you had got some sensible notion...' Our heros are well fed and watered and have just been set free from locked cells - why is their reaction so negative? Is it just in the nature of dwarves or are these a particularly grumpy bunch?
3. Bilbo returns the keys to the chief guard's belt - having also relocked the cells once the prisoners were out - any thoughts on this?
4.This is about the most substantial wood-elf scene in the book, so what does it tell the reader about them - what stands out about their way of life?
5. On Bilbo's escape - 'Most likely you saw it some time ago and have been laughing at him...' Did you?
6. 'Down the swift dark stream you go....' What are you feelings about the song here? Do you like it? Skip it because it slows the action down?
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* * Barrels out of Bond * * 3: The escape
