Preview
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Summarize the chapter's narrative arc, then identify the central tension the author is developing and assess whether he handles it honestly and effectively.
Discussion Questions
- The chapter opens with a hobbit who has 'apparently settled down immovably' and closes with that same hobbit unsettled by longing and dread. What claim about human nature, if any, is Tolkien making through Bilbo's sudden susceptibility to the dwarves' song? Use the chapter's details about Bilbo to argue your reading.
- Gandalf overrides Bilbo's repeated refusals, confident he knows the hobbit's good better than the hobbit does. State the strongest case that this paternalism wrongs Bilbo's autonomy, then state the strongest objection to that case. Where does the chapter leave you, and why? Use Gandalf's words and conduct to ground your judgment.
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Critical Thinking
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