AP Multicultural Literature
Ms. Nichole Wilson
15 January 2013
The Deeper Meaning of a Poem
“Bilbo’s Walking Song” by J.R.R. Tolkien related thematically to “The Fellowship of the Ring” because, of course, it was written by the same man but also in its content. It is a song Bilbo Baggins taught to Frodo Baggins long before this book takes place and the song’s themes are leaving home to find adventure, finding something different than was expected on that adventure and finally returning home to warmth and comfort. These are central themes of “Fellowship.” Frodo leaves the Shire, a place that represents comfort and security and heads out on a journey. He realizes it’s not as easy or exactly what he wanted and yearns for home; he feels that he is “condemned to [a] hopeless journey (Fellowship 305). The nature imagery in the beginning of the poem reflects the childlike innocence the speaker has when desiring to go on a journey, by the end the imagery includes “mist” and “shadow” which indicate mystery and fear. Though it doesn’t occur at the end of this book, at the end of the “Lord of the Rings” series, Frodo returns home like at the end of the poem.
Personification is also a commonly used literary device in the poem. The speaker, at the end of each stanza, addresses a number of inanimate objects then either speaks to the journeyer or to the objects themselves as if they can understand. He bids the “Sand and stone and pool and dell” (Bilbo’s Line 19) “Fare you well!” (Bilbo’s Line 20) as if they need well-wishing. This adds to the peaceful mood of the poem and relates to the theme of the journey in “Fellowship”. This is a song that’s hummed while Frodo and his companions walk. It has a peaceful, rhythmic, feeling to it made up of rhyming couplets that reflect the feeling of walking. It also discusses the belief that inanimate objects in nature have a sort of connection and harmony with living things. The hobbits, on their journey in “Fellowship” go from living in Hobbiton , a place where people are shielded from the changing world around them, to aware of the needs to other and more empathetic. They are, like the speaker in the poem, more connected to things around them.
Response to “Bilbo's Walking Song” by J. R. R. Tolkien
ReplyDeleteI agree with your take on “Bilbo's Walking Song” by J. R. R. Tolkien. Now. I read the poem first, so that I would be able to form my own opinion, and I took it a little differently. I thought of it as a very soothing song. I thought that it was about what could happen. How one moment you could seem a certain way and the next be completely different. “And though we pass them by today,/Tomorrow we may come this way” (Tolkien 13-14). It meant you could possible choose one option or maybe a different one. I took the song as very light and easy going. That nothing had to be a certain way, everything was up to you.
I do think that you interpretation is also very supportable as well. It kinds of molds into my original thoughts. The fact that you can choose to go on an adventure or you can choose to stay home. I really liked this song as well. It seems to summarize a main theme in your novel and I personally think that it is a perfect piece to use.
I agree with your take on “Bilbo's Walking Song” by J. R. R. Tolkien. Now. I read the poem first, so that I would be able to form my own opinion, and I took it a little differently. I thought of it as a very soothing song. I thought that it was about what could happen. How one moment any individual could seem a certain way and the next be completely different. “And though we pass them by today,/Tomorrow we may come this way” (Tolkien 13-14). It meant anyone could possibly choose one option or maybe a different one, but the character of the person is what makes the final decision. I took the song as very light and easy going. That nothing had to be a certain way, everything was up to the individual.
ReplyDeleteI do think that you interpretation is also very supportable as well. It kinds of molds into my original thoughts. The fact that you can choose to go on an adventure or you can choose to stay home (just on a smaller scale). I really liked this song as well. It seems to summarize a main theme in your novel and I personally think that it also relates very well to the way that society works.
This song makes me so happy. I love the rhythm, and while analyzing it, I decided to sing the song, and in general it just brightened up my day! As you stated in your presentation, this song was sung while the hobbits continued to the Mordor. I think of these songs as being a sign of hope. The idea that this journey will not be their last for “there are so many paths” (Tolkien 17). Hope is a key theme of this poem as it demonstrates the different elements you have addressed, such as the peaceful, rhythmic, walking feeling that comes with the flow of words.
ReplyDeleteAs you have touched upon in your poem, I think there is more to the nature in the poem than just the connection of living things. The poem really characterizes the hobbits. The poem demonstrates the worldliness of the hobbits and the role that nature plays for them. In the end, the “hills and water under the sky” aids the hobbits in their journey (Tolkien 8). The exposure of life all around the characters give them the hope they need, and the perseverance to fight for all the good that is surrounding them.