Lord Of The Rings Analysis Essay Example For Students

Lord Of The Rings Analysis Essay J. R. R. Tolkien The Lord Of The Rings. (3/4)Part 1: The Fellowship of the RingPart 2: The Two TowersPart 3: The Return of the KingTHE RETURN OF THE KINGBook VChapter 1 Minas TirithChapter 2 The Passing of the Grey CompanyChapter 3 The Muster of RohanChapter 4 The Siege of GondorChapter 5 The Ride of the RohirrimChapter 6 The Battle of the Pelennor FieldsChapter 7 The Pyre of DenethorChapter 8 The Houses of HealingChapter 9 The Last DebateChapter 10 The Black Gate OpensBook VIChapter 1 The Tower of Cirith UngolChapter 2 The Land of ShadowChapter 3 Mount DoomChapter 4 The Field of CormallenChapter 5 The Steward and the KingChapter 6 Many PartingsChapter 7 Homeward BoundChapter 8 The Scouring of the ShireChapter 9 The Grey HavensTHE RETURN OF THE KINGPippin looked out from the shelter of Gandalfs cloak. He wondered if he was awake or still sleeping, still in the swift-moving dream in which he had been wrapped so long since the great ride began. The dark world was rushing by and the wi nd sang loudly in his ears. He could see nothing but the wheeling stars, and away to his right vast shadows against the sky where the mountains of the South marched past. Sleepily he tried to reckon the times and stages of their journey, but his memory was drowsy and uncertain. There had been the first ride at terrible speed without a halt, and then in the dawn he had seen a pale gleam of gold, and they had come to the silent town and the great empty house on the hill. And hardly had they reached its shelter when the winged shadow had passed over once again, and men wilted with fear. But Gandalf had spoken soft words to him, and he had slept in a corner, tired but uneasy, dimly aware of comings and goings and of men talking and Gandalf giving orders. And then again riding, riding in the night. This was the second, no, the third night since he had looked in the Stone. And with that hideous memory he woke fully, and shivered, and the noise of the wind became filled with menacing voices. A light kindled in the sky, a blaze of yellow fire behind dark barriers Pippin cowered back, afraid for a moment, wondering into what dreadful country Gandalf was bearing him. He rubbed his eyes, and then he saw that it was the moon rising above the eastern shadows, now almost at the full. So the night was not yet old and for hours the dark journey would go on. He stirred and spoke. Where are we, Gandalf? he asked. In the realm of Gondor, the wizard answered. The land of An?rien is still passing by.There was a silence again for a while. Then, What is that? cried Pippin suddenly, clutching at Gandalfs cloak. Look! Fire, red fire! Are there dragons in this land? Look, there is another!For answer Gandalf cried aloud to his horse. On, Shadowfax! We must hasten. Time is short. See! The beacons of Gondor are alight, calling for aid. War is kindled. See, there is the fire on Amon D?n, and flame on Eilenach; and there they go speeding west: Nardol, Erelas, Min-Rimmon, Calenhad, and the Halifirien on the borders of Rohan.But Shadowfax paused in his stride, slowing to a walk, and then he lifted up his head and neighed. And out of the darkness the answering neigh of other horses came; and presently the thudding of hoofs was heard, and three riders swept up and passed like flying ghosts in the moon and vanished into the West. Then Shadowfax gathered himself together and sprang away, and the night flowed ov er him like a roaring wind. Pippin became drowsy again and paid little attention to Gandalf telling him of the customs of Gondor, and how the Lord of the City had beacons built on the tops of outlying hills along both borders of the great range, and maintained posts at these points where fresh horses were always in readiness to bear his errand-riders to Rohan in the North, or to Belfalas in the South. It is long since the beacons of the North were lit, he said; and in the ancient days of Gondor they were not needed, for they had the Seven Stones. Pippin stirred uneasily. Sleep again, and do not be afraid! said Gandalf. For you are not going like Frodo to Mordor, but to Minas Tirith, and there you will be as safe as you can be anywhere in these days. If Gondor falls, or the Ring is taken, then the Shire will be no refuge.You do not comfort me, said Pippin, but nonetheless sleep crept over him. The last thing that he remembered before he fell into deep dream was a glimpse of high white peaks, glimmering like floating isles above the clouds as they caught the light of the westering moon. He wondered where Frodo was, and if he was already in Mordor, or if he was dead; and he did not know that Frodo from far away looked on that same moon as it set beyond Gondor ere the coming of the day. Pippin woke to the sound of voices. Another day of hiding and a night of journey had fleeted by. It was twilight: the cold dawn was at hand again, and chill grey mists were about them. Shadowfax stood steaming with sweat, but he held his neck proudly and showed no sign of weariness. Many tall men heavily cloaked stood beside him, and behind them in the mist loomed a wall of stone. Partly ruinous it seemed, but already before the night was passed the sound of hurried labour could be heard: beat of hammers, clink of trowels, and the creak of wheels. Torches and flares glowed dully here and there in the fog. Gandalf was speaking to the men that barred his way, and as he listened Pippin became aware that he himself was being discussed. Yea truly, we know you, Mithrandir, said the leader of the men, and you know the pass-words of the Seven Gates and are free to go forward. But we do not know your companion. What is he? A dwarf out of the mountains in the North? We wish for no strangers in the land at this time, unless they be mighty men of arms in whose faith and help we can trust.I will vouch for him before the seat of Denethor, said Gandalf. And as for valour, that cannot be computed by stature. He has passed through more battles and perils than you have, Ingold, though you be twice his height; and he comes now from the storming of Isengard, of which we bear tidings, and great weariness is on him, or I would wake him. His name is Peregrin, a very valiant man.Man? said Ingold dubiously; and the others laughed. Man! cried Pippin, now thoroughly roused. Man! Indeed not! I am a hobbit and no more valiant than I am a man, save perhaps now and again by necessity. Do not let Gandalf deceive you!Many a doer of great deeds might say no more, said Ingold. But what is a hobbit?A Halfling, answered Gandalf. Nay, not the one that was spoken of, he added seeing the wonder in the mens faces. Not he, yet one of his kindred.Yes, and one who journeyed with him, said Pippin. And Boromir of your City was with us, and he saved me in the snows of the North, and at the last he was slain defending me from many foes.Peace! said Gandalf. The news of that grief should have been told first to the father.It has been guessed already, said Ingold; for there have been strange portents here of late. But pass on now quickly! For the Lord of Minas Tirith will be eager to see any that bear the latest tidings of his son, be he man or-Hobbit, said Pippin. Little service can I offer to your lord, but what I can do, I would do, remembering Boromir the brave.Fare you well! said Ingold; and the men made way for Shadow fax, and he passed through a narrow gate in the wall. May you bring good counsel to Denethor in his need, and to us all, Mithrandir! Ingold cried. But you come with tidings of grief and danger, as is your wont, they say.Because I come seldom but when my help is needed, answered Gandalf. And as for counsel, to you I would say that you are over-late in repairing the wall of the Pelennor. Courage will now be your best defence against the storm that is at hand that and such hope as I bring. For not all the tidings that I bring are evil. But leave your trowels and sharpen your swords!The work will be finished ere evening, said Ingold. This is the last portion of the wall to be put in defence: the least open to attack, for it looks towards our friends of Rohan. Do you know aught of them? Will they answer the summons, think you?Yes, they will come. But they have fought many battles at your back. Thi s road and no road looks towards safety any longer. Be vigilant! But for Gandalf Stormcrow you would have seen a host of foes coming out of An?rien and no Riders of Rohan. And you may yet. Fare you well, and sleep not!Gandalf passed now into the wide land beyond the Rammas Echor. So the men of Gondor called the out wall that they had built with great labour, after Ithilien fell under the shadow of their Enemy. For ten leagues or more it ran from the mountains feet and so back again, enclosing in its fence the fields of the Pelennor: fair and fertile townlands on the long slopes and terraces falling to the deep levels of the Anduin. At its furthest point from the Great Gate of the City, north-eastward, the wall was four leagues distant, and there from a frowning bank it overlooked the long flats beside the river, and men had made it high and strong; for at that point, upon a walled causeway, the road came in from the fords and bridges of Osgiliath and passed through a guarded gate be tween embattled towers. At its nearest point the wall was little more than one league from the City, and that was south-eastward. There Anduin, going in a wide knee about the hills of Emyn Arnen in South Ithilien, bent sharply west, and the out-wall rose upon its very brink; and beneath it lay the quays and landings of the Harlond for craft that came upstream from the southern fiefs. The townlands were rich, with wide tilth and many orchards, and homesteads there were with oast and garner, fold and byre, and many rills rippling through the green from the highlands down to Anduin. Yet the herdsmen and husbandmen that dwelt there were not many, and the most part of the people of Gondor lived in the seven circles of the City, or in the high vales of the mountain-borders, in Lossarnach, or further south in fair Lebennin with its five swift streams. There dwelt a hardy folk between the mountains and the sea. They were reckoned men of Gondor, yet their blood was mingled, and there were short and swarthy folk among them whose sires came more from the forgotten men who housed in the shadow of the hills in the Dark Years ere the coming of the kings. But beyond, in the great fief of Belfalas, dwelt Prince Imrahil in his castle of Dol Amroth by the sea, and he was of high blood, and his folk also, tall men and proud with sea-grey eyes. Nutrition Assignment EssayThe door opened, but no one could be seen to open it. Pippin looked into a great hall. It was lit by deep windows in the wide aisles at either side, beyond the rows of tall pillars that upheld the roof. Monoliths of black marble, they rose to great capitals carved in many strange figures of beasts and leaves; and far above in shadow the wide vaulting gleamed with dull gold, inset with flowing traceries of many colours. No hangings nor storied webs, nor any things of woven stuff or of wood, were to be seen in that long solemn hall; but between the pillars there stood a silent company of tall images graven in cold stone. Suddenly Pippin was reminded of the hewn rocks of Argonath, and awe fell on him, as he looked down that avenue of kings long dead. At the far end upon a dais of many steps was set a high throne under a canopy of marble shaped like a crowned helm; behind it was carved upon the wall and set with gems an image of a tree in flower. But the throne was empty. At the foot of the dais, upon the lowest step which was broad and deep, there was a stone chair, black and unadorned, and on it sat an old man gazing at his lap. In his hand was a white rod with a golden knob. He did not look up. Solemnly they paced the long floor towards him, until they stood three paces from his footstool. Then Gandalf spoke. Hail, Lord and Steward of Minas Tirith, Denethor son of Ecthelion! I am come with counsel and tidings in this dark hour.Then the old man looked up. Pippin saw his carven face with its proud bones and skin like ivory, and the long curved nose between the dark deep eyes; and he was reminded not so much of Boromir as of Aragorn. Dark indeed is the hour, said the old man, and at such times you are wont to come, Mithrandir. But though all the signs forebode that the doom of Gondor is drawing nigh, less now to me is that darkness than my own darkness. It has been told to me that you bring with you one who saw my son die. Is this he?It is, said Gandalf. One of the twain. The other is with Th?oden of Rohan and may come hereafter. Halflings they are, as you see, yet this is not he of whom the omens spoke.Yet a Halfling still, said Denethor grimly, and little love do I bear the name, since those accursed words came to trouble our counsels and drew away my son on the wild errand to his death. M y Boromir! Now we have need of you. Faramir should have gone in his stead.He would have gone, said Gandalf. Be not unjust in your grief! Boromir claimed the errand and would not suffer any other to have it. He was a masterful man, and one to take what he desired. I journeyed far with him and learned much of his mood. But you speak of his death. You have had news of that ere we came?I have received this, said Denethor, and laying down his rod he lifted from his lap the thing that he had been gazing at. In each hand he held up one half of a great horn cloven through the middle: a wild-ox horn bound with silver. That is the horn that Boromir always wore! cried Pippin. Verily, said Denethor. And in my turn I bore it, and so did each eldest son of our house, far back into the vanished years before the failing of the kings, since Vorondil father of Mardil hunted the wild kine of Araw in the far fields of Rh?n. I heard it blowing dim upon the northern marches thirteen days ago, and the River brought it to me, broken: it will wind no more. He paused and there was a heavy silence. Suddenly he turned his black glance upon Pippin. What say you to that, Halfling?Thirteen, thirteen days, faltered Pippin. Yes, I think that would be so. Yes, I stood beside him, as he blew the horn. But no help came. Only more orcs.So, said Denethor, looking keenly at Pippins face. You were there? Tell me more! Why did no help come? And how did you escape, and yet he did not, so mighty a man as he was, and only orcs to withstand him?Pippin flushed and forgot his fear. The mightiest man may be slain by one arrow, he said; and Boromir was pierced by many. When last I saw him he sank beside a tree and plucked a black-feathered shaft from his side. Then I swooned and was made captive. I saw him no more, and know no more. But I honour his memory, for he was very valiant. He died to save us, my kinsman Meriadoc and myself, waylaid in the woods by the soldiery of the Dark Lord; and though he fell and failed, my gratitude is none the less.Then Pippin looked the old man in the eye, for pride stirred strangely within him, still stung by the scorn and suspicion in that cold voice. Little service, no doubt, will so great a lord of Men think to find in a hobbit, a halfling from the northern Shire; yet such as it is, I will offer it, in payment of my debt. Twitching aside his grey cloak, Pippin drew forth his small sword and laid it at Denethors feet. A pale smile, like a gleam of cold sun on a winters evening, passed over the old mans face; but he bent his head and held out his hand, laying the shards of the horn aside. Give me the weapon! he said. Pippin lifted it and presented the hilt to him. Whence came this? said Denethor. Many, many years lie on it. Surely this is a blade wrought by our own kindred in the North in the deep past?It came out of the mounds that lie on the borders of my country said Pippin. But only evil wights dwell there now, and I will not willingly tell more of them.I see that strange tales are woven about you, said Denethor, and once again it is shown that looks may belie the man or the halfling. I accept your service. For you are not daunted by words; and you have courteous speech, strange though the sound of it may be to us in the South. And we shall have need of all folk of courtesy, be they great or small, in the days to come. Swear to me now!Take the hilt, said Gandalf, and speak after the Lord, if you are resolved on this.I am, said Pippin. The old man laid the sword along his lap, and Pippin put his hand to the hilt, and said slowly after Denethor:Here do I swear fealty and service to Gondor, and to the Lord and Steward of the realm, to speak and to be silent, to do and to let be, to come and to go, in need or plenty, in peace or war, in living or dying, from this hour henceforth, until my lord release me, or death take me, or the world end. So say I, Peregrin son of Paladin of the Shire of the Halflings.And this do I hear, Denethor son of Ecthelion, Lord of Gondor, Steward of the High King, and I will not forget it, nor fail to reward that which is given: fealty with love, valour with honour, oath-breaking with vengeance. Then Pippin received back his sword and put it in its sheath. And now, said Denethor, my first command to you: speak and be not silent! Tell me your full tale, and see that you recall all that you can of Boromir, my son. Sit now and begin! As he spoke he struck a small silver gong that stood near his footstool, and at once servants came forward. Pippin saw then that they had been standing in alcoves on either side of the door, unseen as he and Gandalf entered. Bring wine and food and seats for the guests, said Denethor, and see that none trouble us for one hour.It is all that I have to spare, for there is much else to heed, he said to Gandalf. Much of more import, it may seem, and yet to me less pressing. But maybe we can speak again at the end of the day.And earlier, it is to be hoped, said Gandalf. For I have not ridden hither from Isengard, one hundred and fifty leagues, with the speed of wind, only to bring you one small warrior, however courteous. Is it naught to you that Th?oden has fought a great battle and that Isengard is overthrown, and that I have broken the staff of Saruman?It is much to me. But I know already sufficient of these deeds for my own counsel against the menace of the East. He turned his dark eyes on Gandalf, and now Pippin saw a likeness between the two, and he felt the strain between them, almost as if he saw a line of smouldering fire, drawn from eye to eye, that might suddenly burst into flame. Denethor looked indeed much more like a great wizard than Gandalf did, more kingly, beautiful, and powerful; and older. Yet by a sense other than sight Pippin perceived that Gandalf had the greater power and the deeper wisdom, and a majesty that was veiled. And he was older, far older. How much older? he wondered, and then he thought how odd it was that he had never thought about it before. Treebeard had said something about wizards, but even then he had not thought of Gandalf as one of them. What was Gandalf? In what far time and place did he come into the world, and when would he leave it? And then his musings broke off, and he saw that Denethor and Gandalf still looked each other in the eye, as if reading the others mind. But it was Denethor who first withdrew his gaze. Yea, he said; for though the Stones be lost, they say, still the lords of Gondor have keener sight than lesser men, and many messages come to them. But sit now!Then men came bearing a chair and a low stool, and one brought a salver with a silver flagon and cups, and white cakes. Pippin sat down, but he could not take his eyes from the old lord. Was it so, or had he only imagined it, that as he spoke of the Stones a sudden gleam of his eye had glanced upon Pippins face?Now tell me your tale, my liege, said Denethor, half kindly; half mockingly. For the words of one whom my son so befriendedEnglish Essays