Post by Stormrider on Jan 15, 2009 20:47:45 GMT -6
From: AnnieLT (Original Message) Sent: 5/1/2003 3:28 PM
The picture was lost--it was entitled "The King at the Crossroads" by Darryl Sweet
Wk7, Bk5, Ch10, DISCUSSION: The King at the Crossroads
"The hideous orc-head that was set upon the carven figure was cast down and broken in pieces, and the old king’s head was raised and set in its place once more, still crowned with white and golden flowers; and men laboured to wash and pare away all the foul scrawls that orcs had put upon the stone."
This is all Tolkien tells us of the King at the Crossroads in this Chapter. It almost seems out of place as nothing precedes nor follows it to give us any understanding. The description is preceded by the blaring of trumpets and the crying of heralds that the Lords of Gondor have returned. And it is followed by a debate as to which way they should go now. It took several readings of LOTR before I realized that I had met this King before. To understand the passage we need to go back in time a bit and join Sam and Frodo as they Journey to the Crossroads (TTT, Bk4, Ch7).
The hobbits say farewell to Faramir at fair Henneth Annun and continue their journey. Gollum again is their guide and he urges them to go to the Crossroads. With Morannon and the North at their backs they approach the place where the four roads cross. Before them the road runs on in a long journey south. The sun is setting in the west where the road leads to Old Osgiliath. They take the road leading eastward into darkness. Take a moment now to read the last four paragraphs of Journey to the Crossroads and when you are ready, come back here to the present and reread the quote at the top of this page.
Who is this King of Old that was decapitated by orcs when Sam and Frodo passed by and what is the significance of its restoration? I found it interesting that the men, who labored to bring the statue back to its former glory, did not remove the coronel of silver and gold with flowers like small white stars. When Frodo saw the stone head lying on the ground, he said, "Look, Sam! The king has a crown again." And later he said, "They cannot conquer forever." Do you see any significance in Frodo’s words? What do you think the hobbits would have said had they been there with Aragorn at the Crossroads and had watched as the statue was being restored?
Tolkien does not tell us the reactions of the men who watched this restoration or if they even noticed it. Do you think they noticed? If so, what was going through their minds? Or were they more preoccupied looking for enemies and heralding the return of the Lords of Gondor?
Why did Tolkien choose to bring our attention to this restoration at this point in the narrative? Is there any connection between trumpets and heralding and the restoration of the King at the Crossroads? Is this restoration sentence in some way connected to the discussion of which way to go from here? Is it symbolic in some way?
The picture was lost--it was entitled "The King at the Crossroads" by Darryl Sweet
Wk7, Bk5, Ch10, DISCUSSION: The King at the Crossroads
"The hideous orc-head that was set upon the carven figure was cast down and broken in pieces, and the old king’s head was raised and set in its place once more, still crowned with white and golden flowers; and men laboured to wash and pare away all the foul scrawls that orcs had put upon the stone."
This is all Tolkien tells us of the King at the Crossroads in this Chapter. It almost seems out of place as nothing precedes nor follows it to give us any understanding. The description is preceded by the blaring of trumpets and the crying of heralds that the Lords of Gondor have returned. And it is followed by a debate as to which way they should go now. It took several readings of LOTR before I realized that I had met this King before. To understand the passage we need to go back in time a bit and join Sam and Frodo as they Journey to the Crossroads (TTT, Bk4, Ch7).
The hobbits say farewell to Faramir at fair Henneth Annun and continue their journey. Gollum again is their guide and he urges them to go to the Crossroads. With Morannon and the North at their backs they approach the place where the four roads cross. Before them the road runs on in a long journey south. The sun is setting in the west where the road leads to Old Osgiliath. They take the road leading eastward into darkness. Take a moment now to read the last four paragraphs of Journey to the Crossroads and when you are ready, come back here to the present and reread the quote at the top of this page.
Who is this King of Old that was decapitated by orcs when Sam and Frodo passed by and what is the significance of its restoration? I found it interesting that the men, who labored to bring the statue back to its former glory, did not remove the coronel of silver and gold with flowers like small white stars. When Frodo saw the stone head lying on the ground, he said, "Look, Sam! The king has a crown again." And later he said, "They cannot conquer forever." Do you see any significance in Frodo’s words? What do you think the hobbits would have said had they been there with Aragorn at the Crossroads and had watched as the statue was being restored?
Tolkien does not tell us the reactions of the men who watched this restoration or if they even noticed it. Do you think they noticed? If so, what was going through their minds? Or were they more preoccupied looking for enemies and heralding the return of the Lords of Gondor?
Why did Tolkien choose to bring our attention to this restoration at this point in the narrative? Is there any connection between trumpets and heralding and the restoration of the King at the Crossroads? Is this restoration sentence in some way connected to the discussion of which way to go from here? Is it symbolic in some way?