—
The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien
—

→ Name: Sonia Tipteriu
→ Book: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
→ We Read Up to Chapter Seven
→ Pages For Next Time: Finish Novel
→ Jobs For Next Time:
> Jihyun: Vocabulary Enricher
> Sam:
> Barak:
> Sonia: Literary Luminary
→ My job for this meeting was Connector.
In these chapters, we read about how the dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf traveled through the mountains. My very favorite chapter from the chapters we have read so far was a chapter called "Riddles in the Dark" and it is when Bilbo meets Gollum, a creature living at the bottom of a goblin-inhabited mountain in which the dwarves and Bilbo were held prisoners. When Bilbo found himself awake, he went to explore around, which is something I would have done as well in a strange and unusual place. He walked down a narrow tunnel, and he kept walking until his bare foot splashed into water. He had come across an underground lake which was also Gollum's hiding place - in other words home. There, he asked Gollum for help in finding his way out, and they came upon an agreement, which stated that they would take turns asking each other riddles until one of them did not know the answer to the riddle. if Gollum won, he would eat Bilbo, but if Bilbo won, Gollum would show him the way out of the goblin mountain. I would have probably also ended up having an agreement of some sort in such a situation, as it would be beneficial and more often than not, a compromise works things out easily.In the end, Bilbo found a ring which had the ability to make the wearer of it invisible. This ring had belonged to Gollum, but Bilbo had stumbled upon it and took it for himself. After that, Bilbo won the riddle contest, which meant that Gollum were to show him the way out, but instead, Bilbo had explored his way out of the mountain with the magic ring on his finger, which had saved him from being discovered from the goblins. To my surprise, I actually very much enjoyed reading this part in the book, as I feel like it was different and more dynamic than the rest of what we have read so far. Also, every move Bilbo made was something very close or the same as to what I would have done in his place.
I can connect to Bilbo Baggins (the main character, a hobbit) as he is constantly missing the comfort and security his home has to offer, and I think that a lot of people can relate to this as most of us have this 'homesick' feeling from time to time. Also, Bilbo was a big risk-taker in my opinion, as he left his hobbit hole (his home) and went on an adventure - and he didn't even like adventures! This really shows that Bilbo is very kind and if he is asked to do something, he would do it. I can relate to him in this way because I am a very loyal friend, and when my friends ask me to help them do something, or help them complete some work, or anything else, I usually help. However, the action Bilbo took also showed that he has a more rebellious side (from the Took side of the family), which again I can connect to as I sometimes love to try something new or to go out and have fun and not do something I would normally do. Barak says that he relates to the more adventurous and rebellious side of Bilbo, as he is very courageous and enjoys adventures. Although, an aspect I had not really thought of but Barak had pointed out was that Bilbo is very sincere, and Barak said he related to Bilbo in this way as well. Samantha observed that Bilbo is neat and likes to keep things tidy, and she mentioned that she is similar to Bilbo in this category. Samantha also indicated that she likes good food, just like hobbits - the protagonist included.
I deeply understand and can connect to the following quote, which is also an excellent example of foreshadowing for the following adventures in the book, "He knew that something unexpected might happen, and he hardly dared to hope that they would pass without fearful adventure(...)" (Tolkien 56) This quote basically shows how Bilbo disliked how he was in such a strange situation and setting, and that he expected something to happen any moment. He probably missed his home and his belongings and felt like he did the wrong choice in coming on the adventure. I can relate to this quote - and I think we all can - because it is a feeling that occurs very often. For instance, I sometimes get this feeling when a day had been way to peaceful, quiet, plain, or boring, and then I know that something is about to happen to switch the day around. Although, in Bilbo's situation, it is not such a passable feeling that is easy to deal with, as it is on a way larger scale than what would happen to me. For a start, I am not on a lonely mountain range with hail and rain pouring down on me from all sides, thunder clashing through the sky, and lightning striking when you expect it least. Secondly, Bilbo is in a very life-risking adventure, when I am not. And lastly, something bad happening to him would be very risky and dangerous, while to me this feeling would probably be indicating towards some change in the weather or some sort of change in plans for the day.