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Forum Home » Books Discussion » BC Archive: Lord of the Rings » quote of the week, may 10th/04 ( 4.VIII. The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
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PotbellyHairyfoot
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Post quote of the week, may 10th/04 ( 4.VIII. The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
on: May 10, 2004 05:06
Sam- in one of my favorite quotes;
'adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk in the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport, as you might say. But that's not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually- their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect that they had lots of chances , like us, of turning back, only they didn't. And if they had, we shouldn't know , because they'd have been forgotten. We hear about those as just went on- and not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end. You know coming home, and finding things all right, though not quite the same- like old Mr.Bilbo. But those aren't always the best tales to hear, though they may be the best tales to get landed in! I wonder what sort of a tale we've fallen into?'

(This is even a bit ironic as , in a way, Sam is discussing the tale that Tolkien is writing with him in it)
legolasfan27
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Post RE: quote of the week, may 10th/04 ( 4.VIII. The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
on: May 10, 2004 09:04
I particularly liked this passage because Sam sums up their "adventure" in terms of the bigger picture, especially when a few sentences later he realises that they are part of the story of Beren and Luthien because of the light of the Silmaril in Frodo's gift from Galadriel...Yes, Tolkien uses Sam to sum up the story he is writing and does it in such a way that it is at once ironic and hopeful, at once reflective and looking ahead to what could happen...
Luthien_Telperien
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Post RE: quote of the week, may 10th/04 ( 4.VIII. The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
on: May 10, 2004 09:35
This one moved me to tears when I first read it. My daughter called it "very special", too. And I was delighted to find that it was a favourite of Tolkien's (don't recall the letter number, but I read that in the letters this weekend).
Morwinyoniel
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Post RE: quote of the week, may 10th/04 ( 4.VIII. The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
on: May 11, 2004 02:17
Sam sums up their "adventure" in terms of the bigger picture, especially when a few sentences later he realises that they are part of the story of Beren and Luthien because of the light of the Silmaril in Frodo's gift from Galadriel...

And, those of us who have read the Silmarillion know that, the story goes actually even longer back in time, all the way to the Two Trees and their light that was captured in the Silmarils... This brings out marvellously the depth of the story, at least for those who know the background.
Figwit
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Post RE: quote of the week, may 10th/04 ( 4.VIII. The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
on: May 11, 2004 03:44
I agree Morwinyoniel, when I re-read this after having read the Sil it suddenly gained meaning. But even without really understanding it, I think this is a very deep passage and coming from Sam, a rather simple Hobbit, it gains extra meaning I feel.
k
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Post RE: quote of the week, may 10th/04 ( 4.VIII. The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
on: May 12, 2004 02:09
I adore this quote and i think its very accurate... when your living something that others consider "special" in some way (like an adventure) then often it seems common place and just something that has to be done to the people in it...

I think this is the hobbits working themselves up to die again...now they approach mordor and begin to feel the reality of the quest and feel its really starting properly, they are consoling themselves that their acts are worthwhile and that their deaths will hopefully continue to allow the story to go on...
Figwit
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Post RE: quote of the week, may 10th/04 ( 4.VIII. The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
on: May 12, 2004 11:50
I like that idea k, of the Hobbits trying to give a meaning to their death, maybe push themselves beyond it...
musicalgal123
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Post RE: quote of the week, may 10th/04 ( 4.VIII. The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
on: May 14, 2004 01:09
I think this quote can go beyond the Tolien books. I think it is true of almost any story even every day stories about unkown people. We find that our own life is an adventure or a story. We all have our own struggles to face and what may be easy to do may be seen as near impossible to others. We all have our own adventures and sories that we are in. We all struggle, laugh, cry, and pray for something to help us along the way. Yet just like when Sam says "We hear about those as just went on- and not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end. You know coming home, and finding things all right, though not quite the same- like old Mr.Bilbo." we find that we sometime just have to keep going in our own sroty and when we finally come "home" back to where we wanted to be, we realise that we've changed and that we aren't going to be that way again so "home" is now different. This quote applies more than just to the stories that Tolkien wrote, but to the everyday lives of ordinary people.
Figwit
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Post RE: quote of the week, may 10th/04 ( 4.VIII. The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
on: May 14, 2004 10:54
*cheers* Well-said. Yeah, I know this is a worthless post, and therefor I should pm myself, but I just wanted to say that you really hit the nail on the head for me, musicalgal.
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