LOTR read along, The Two Towers part II

Posted by: Redhead on: October 22, 2011

• In: JRR Tolkien | read along
• 16 Comments

one's ring ON the one ring

Happy Saturday everyone!  If it’s an autumnal Saturday, that means it’s time for a Lord of the Rings discussion.  We’re in the middle part of The Two Towers, and this week’s questions were provided by Carl of Stainless Steel Droppings.

At this point in the story, our Fellowship has been split, with Sam and Frodo heading towards Mordor and everyone else heading towards Isengard.

1.  The Glittering Caves of Aglarond; Fangorn Forest:  Which of the two would you be most excited to visit once the war was over?

2.  How did you like the reunion of at least part of the fellowship at Isengard?  Did any part of it stand out to you?

3.  What are your thoughts about Galdalf’s confrontation with Saruman?

4.  We learn a great deal about the Palantir in this section.  How do you feel about Saruman given Gandalf’s speech about the use of the Palantir?  Would you, like Pippen, be tempted to look in to see what you could see?

5.  What are your thoughts about Smeagol/Gollum in this first part of his journey leading Frodo and Sam?  For those of you who’ve seen the film, are you hearing Andy Serkis in your head when you read Gollum’s lines?

6.  Sam and Frodo are not traveling in the most picturesque part of Middle-earth.  Which would you find worse, the seemingly impossible to leave mountains or the Dead Marshes?

7.  Tolkien introduces us to a lot of places in this section of The Two Towers, many just getting a mention in passing.  What do you think of Tolkien’s place names (Minas Morgul, Isengard, the Emyn Muil, and on and on)?  Do any stand out to you?  Are there any that you don’t care for?

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Link your post in the comments, or tweet it to me.  Once again, thank you for joining us on our journey to Middle Earth!

Other blog conversations can be found at:
Geeky Daddy
Blue Fairy’s Bookshelf
All Booked Up
Stainless Steel Droppings
Lynn’s Book Blog
Book Den
Passages of the Pen

1.  The Glittering Caves of Aglarond; Fangorn Forest:  Which of the two would you be most excited to visit once the war was over?

As alluring as Gimli’s description of Aglarond was, I’d want to go to the Forest first.  The Caves sound shimmering and beautiful, but I want to see the sky, feel the wind on my face, hear the leaves rustle around birdsong.  So sorry Gimli, as beautiful as your descriptions were, the quiet guy won this round.

2.  How did you like the reunion of at least part of the fellowship at Isengard?  Did any part of it stand out to you?

I thought it was hilarious!  Here comes Theoden and everyone, and they are tired and filthy and don’t know what to expect, and Merry and Pippin are just sitting there relaxing, like they’ve taken care of everything.  The “lightening up” of many of these scenes and situations has been a continual surprise to me.  I keep expecting these books to be serious and heavy and dramatic, and while they are all of those things, there is so much conversational humor!

3.  What are your thoughts about Galdalf’s confrontation with Saruman?

Forgive my ignorance, but is “The White” a title that can only be held by one wizard at a time? Saruman had been known The White, and Galdalf had been The Grey, but now Galdalf is The White. Does that mean he is more powerful than Saruman and that Saruman is no longer the White?

Their interaction struck me as a one between teacher and student, or parent and child. Saruman thinks he is such a know-it-all, thinks he can trick Sauron (which is probably OK, as there isn’t room for both of their egos in Middle Earth), and Galdalf is all like “you are so ignorant, you don’t even know how ignorant you are!”.  Poor Saruman, a little bit.

Any of you familiar with Myths Retold (NTSF, btw)? I’d love to see that guy do a Myths Retold of The Two Towers.

4.  We learn a great deal about the Palantir in this section.  How do you feel about Saruman given Gandalf’s speech about the use of the Palantir?  Would you, like Pippen, be tempted to look in to see what you could see?

What a neat gizmo! Especially in a world with little to no technology, you do want a way to communicate with far off lands. It’s a little like a magic mirror.  But if you think you can use it to spy on someone (Like Saruman may have thought he was successfully doing), if you can see them, it means they can see you! and Sauron is way too powerful through that thing. Poor Pippin, he’s lived such a sheltered life, I don’t think he’s aware how dangerous it is. To him, perhaps using the Palantir is a little like drinking too much ale and saying something dumb or passing out on the floor. no harm no foul, right? I think that’s why Gandalf wasn’t mad.  Not only did he know Pippin didn’t mean anything by it, but he knew Pippin made a perfect guinea pig.

Would I be tempted? of course!  that’s why you keep the thing all wrapped up and covered in cloth! out of sight, out of mind, right?

5.  What are your thoughts about Smeagol/Gollum in this first part of his journey leading Frodo and Sam?  For those of you who’ve seen the film, are you hearing Andy Serkis in your head when you read Gollum’s lines?

Dude, he’s totally freaky. Split personality, only wants to eat raw fish, totally creepy!!!  I’m not sure how Sam didn’t just kill him, or at least gag him to keep him from saying creepy stuff.But I guess that’s one of the things that makes Frodo such a strong person, that he can not only put up with Smeagol, but he can trust his life to him.

For some conversations I did hear Andy Serkis’s voice.  I was entertained by the Potato conversation, I figured that was just tossed into the films to be funny, but nope, there it was, word for word!

6.  Sam and Frodo are not traveling in the most picturesque part of Middle-earth.  Which would you find worse, the seemingly impossible to leave mountains or the Dead Marshes?

Let’s see, craggy steep mountains that if you fall you’re going to die, or haunted marshes full of drowned dead people who call to you?  I’ll take the mountains any day. Especially since Sam’s got that wonderful elven rope.

If you’ve read Scott Lynch’s Red Seas Under Red Skies (I know, I can’t go a week without mentioning this guy), there is a scene where the pirate ship goes through a “haunted” area. The pirates tie themselves to the ship, or take sleeping draughts to sleep through the whole thing. The ghosts, or sirens, or whatevers that live there call your name and lure you into the water.  When the voices call to Locke, they call him by his true name, the name no one knows but him. It’s an incredibly unsettling scene.  I know the dead in the Marshes don’t verbally call to passersby, but I was reminded of that Scott Lynch scene, so maybe that made it scarier for me.

7.  Tolkien introduces us to a lot of places in this section of The Two Towers, many just getting a mention in passing.  What do you think of Tolkien’s place names (Minas Morgul, Isengard, the Emyn Muil, and on and on)?  Do any stand out to you?  Are there any that you don’t care for?

I didn’t like or dislike any of the names, my concern was with the context, or lack there of.  I’m not always sure what type of place he’s referring to. Is it a city? Is it a river? a mountain? a region? I really could have used more overt context.  I’m sure better understanding of these places and where and what they are comes with rereading.

Tags: fantasy, Middle Earth, read-a-long