According to this theory, the physical world we inhabit and our experiences are one step removed from the true reality. The god responds: O man full of arts, to one it is given to create the things of art, and to another to judge what measure of harm and of profit they have for those that shall employ them.And it is no true wisdom that you offer your disciples, but only its semblance, for by telling them of many things without teaching them you will make them seem to know much, while for the most part they know nothing, and as men filled, not with wisdom but with the conceit of wisdom, they will be a burden to their fellows.Īt the root of this argument against writing is Plato's Theory of Forms. In the said account, an Egyptian king tells an Egyptian god called Theuth about his discovery of writing. In Plato's "Phaedrus," Socrates gives an account of the discovery of writing. They liked writing and speeches that were simple and obvious. Even after that, most Hobbits were interested in writing and recording simple and daily facts, rather than elaborate and analytic writing of history. Tolkien mentions that Hobbits’ record of their own history only began after the migration to the Shire. Only the elves preserve the written records of the Elder Days, but their histories are not at all concerned with Hobbits. Even though they are ancient people with a long history, according to the novels, they possess no records of it. And one technology they were particularly uninterested in was the writing of history. What about the past? In the prologue to the first volume, Tolkien explains that Hobbits do not and did not like technology more complicated than “ forge-bellows, a water-mill, or a hand-loom” (Prologue). Constant feelings of dissatisfaction and aspiring for something else do not occupy a big part of their existence. On the contrary, the kind of simple life that Hobbits lead, focused on the present, is closely associated with the absence of evil. It is fair to say that this mindset breeds uncontrollable desire, dissatisfaction, and greed. When we think about it, all stages of modern life are oriented toward the future: getting into college, finding a job, saving up for retirement. And a mindset focused on the future would require them to accumulate resources. They don't like calculating and thinking about the future. In fact, their lives are based on the expenditure of resources.įrom a temporal point of view, we can say that Hobbits are more focused on the present. Assuming it's someone's birthday every day, each Hobbit gets at least one present per week! In other words, they do not shy away from spending their resources. In fact, they enjoy spending so much that they give presents to other people on their birthdays instead of receiving presents. Hobbits are known to enjoy feasts, smoking, and exchanging gifts. Growing food and eating it occupied most of their time” (Prologue, Volume I). Families for the most part managed their own affairs. In fact, Sauron did not even know about the existence of Hobbits before the Third Age.Įven after they settle in the Shire, Hobbits continue some of their ancient habits: “The Shire at this time had hardly any ‘government’. As simple creatures who do not wish for much, Hobbits are surprisingly resistant to the corruption of the ring. Game of Thrones.5 min The Stranger and Nori in The Rings of Power, Prime VideoĮlves might be graceful and powerful, dwarves might be strong and steadfast in character, but Hobbits are the center of the Lord of the Rings universe as the carriers of the One Ring. We'll just have to leave a dark, depressing tale of Lord of the Rings scale to our imaginations. But what about that depressed Tolkien so much? Since he never finished it, we'll never get an answer to that question. However, Tolkien never got past a few pages of the story, claiming it was "too depressing." But why? What about the story depressed Tolkien more than, say, the tale of Denethor or of Gollum, both sad stories that Tolkien seemed fine with completing?Īccording to the Tolkien Gateway, there would have been a conspiracy revolving around a "secret Satanic religion," and that the story would have been a "thriller" following that. It was supposed to be called The New Shadow. Tolkien began a story set a few hundred years after the end of Return of the King. After completing Lord of the Rings, J.R.R.
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