Little People, Big Challenges: A Literary Analysis

By: T.C.

There are a lot of big things in the world for little people, but what really counts is if they overcome the intimidation of size and make a match for bigger creatures and even bigger challenges. It is a fact that wehn small people go on adventures, you can expect big things. Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, finds himself on a quest with a band of thirteen dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, to retrieve their treasure from the dragon Smaug. Bilbo isn't who you would expect as an adventurer or a burglar; he is a hobbit. Hobbits "are (or were) little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded dwarves. (Tolkien 2) One of the themes of the book, which Bilbo helps to show, is that size doesn't matter.

For Bilbo's small size, he's exceptional as a burglar. The fact that he's small might even be why he's good at what he was chosen to do. On a quest such as this, through the mountains and the forest, a hero or a warrior might be more coveted. Bilbo may not look the part of a warrior, but he doesn't need to be in order to be a hero. Not too far into the quest, Bilbo is told to go check out a glowing light. The light turns out to be three very large trolls sitting around a fire. The hobbit musters up his courage and pickpockets a purse from them. Later, in Mirkwood, the dwarves are captured by the elves and locked in the Elvenking's halls. Bilbo is the one to find an escape route and get the dwarves out of trouble. Thorin then said to him, praising him for his abilities, "A pretty fine burglar you make, it seems, when the time comes. I am sure we are all forever at your service, whatever happens after this." (179) When they finally make it to the Lonely Mountain, Bilbo steals the Arkenstone, a magnificent gem prized by the dwarves, from Smaug. Everything he faced was much larger than he was, but he managed to do a fine job as burglar all the same.

Smaug is "a vast red-golden dragon..." (215) yet he ended up being bested by those much smaller than he was. Bilbo managed to trick him and escape from him. Then there's Bard. Smaug wreaked havoc on Lake Town, burning buildings down and causing devastation. Bard is a human, much smaller than a dragon, and he was the one to slay Smaug. Not only was Smaug killed by a human, it was an arrow that did the job. A little arrow compared to a huge dragon! It just goes to show that it can be the little things that win over the larger.

The band of thirteen dwarves and Bilbo are all small creatures compared to others, yet they take on a huge adventure. Elves weren't the only thing they ran into while in the forest of Mirkwood. Giant spiders caught the dwarves and spun them in their webs, but it was little Bilbo who killed the spiders and saved the dwarves. Doing so made him seem larger in heart and spirit: "Somehow the killing of the giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark without the help of the wizard or the dwarves or of anyone else, made a great difference to Mr. Baggins. He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach, as he wiped his sword on the grass and put it back into its sheath." (156) In the Misty Mountains, Bilbo and the dwarves were captured by goblins, "big goblins, great ugly-looking goblins, lots of goblins..."(59) and even though these were big, murderous goblins, Bilbo and the dwarves escaped with their lives. After Smaug was defeated, five armies battled over the treasure that the dragon was guarding. In the Battle of Five Armies, "upon one side were the Goblins and the Wild Wolves, and upon the other were Elves and Men and Dwarves." (281) The dwarves were the smallest of these five races, yet the battle ended in the Elves', Men's, and Dwarves' favor. Bilbo and the dwarves had gone through a great deal of challenges, their adventure was a huge one, and they came out on top.

Huge things and little people, big challenges and small challengers; through the whole adventure there were many opposing forces that would seem too big to be taken on by someone like a dwarf or a hobbit, but Bilbo and the dwarves won over them all. Dragons, goblins, and giant spiders are no match for them; intimidation was the only thing they had over the little creatures. Overcoming the size of others allows those who are smaller to show that size really doesn't matter.

Source Cited

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. United States: Random House Publishing Group, 1937.

Symbols

Red roses and old ruins. That is what I see in the photo taken in Baalbeck, Lebanon by George F. Mobley. This picture is beautiful in many ways.

Only one wall of an ancient Roman building is standing. All the rest is in ruins. The sky is a misty blue, overlapped by clouds. The ruins are in the background, but in the front there are bushes of blooming red roses.

This photo makes me think of time. How no matter what, time keeps going. Things die and others are reborn. The ruins are a symbol of death because they are torn down and withering away. The roses are a symbol of life because they are fully alive. Also the ruins represent the past and the roses represent the present and future. It shows that all things, young, old, alive, and even dying, are still beautiful.

This picture also reminds me of emotions. The way the roses are covering parts of the ruins is like someone hiding their pain with joy. Smiling when they want to cry. The way the roses are not completely covering the ruins is showing that you can't hide your feelings from the world.

This photo took me on a journey through my mind. It made me think about things that aren't usually on my mind. It also made me see things I don't every day. This picture is definately worth looking at.

By: K.M.

Source Cited:
Mobley, George F. "Baalbeck Lebanon, Date Unknown." _National Geographic Photo of the Day_. 6 September 2006.

Lions and Tigers and Wings? Oh My!

Are you one of those people who think plastic surgery is just wrong, or would you like to have wings and a tail? "I'm Having My Wings Done," by Johann Hari, explains how Dr. Joe Rosen claims that he will soon by able to give humans wings. Rosen says that "if I were to give you wings, you would develop, literally, a winged brain. Our bodies change our brains, and our brains are infinately moldable." This is because the brain adapts to create neural maps for new body parts, making it possible to give people wings. People alter their bodies all the time: nose jobs, facelifts, there's even a guy who has horns! But is Rosen going too far?

People couldn't use their wings to fly; they'd just be there to look somewhat angelic. What's the point of them if they're only for show? Who would want them? Sure, at first you might think they would look cool, but wouldn't you get annoyed with them just idly attached to your back? Then there's the problem that some people would forget they can't fly with them, and that could be problematic. It's like getting an extra eye implanted on your face that you can't see out of. People get plastic surgery to make themselves look better, or to draw attention to themselves. They sure would get a lot of attention once they accidentally whack someone with their wings while they're passing by. "Excuse me. Pardon me." Whack! Whack! Even though you'd have complete feeling in your wings and be able to move them, they'd still stick out.

Imagine how hard it would be to find clothing for people with wings. Not only would you have to get clothes with holes in the back, think how hard it would be to get your wings through the holes. People could spend so much more extra time trying to get the wings through the shirt; who knows if they could even do it by themselves? Then, the shirts would probably end up ripping the more you try to squeeze wings through them. It's a great deal for the clothing companies; the more shirts they sell because people are ripping them left and right, the more money they get. Although even they would have problems. They would have to find some way to make shirts with holes in them that would be strong enough, probably stretchy, and wouldn't look strange. All of which would be too much not-needed effort in the end.

"Why do we only value the average? Why are plastic surgeons dedicated only to restoring our current notions of the conventional, as opposed to letting people explore, if they want, the possiblities?" Rosen asked in a conference speech. Just think about it; are implants like tails and wings really worth it? The money that would go towards giving people facelifts, nose jobs, wings, and tails should go to better causes. In 2004, in the U.S. alone, around 11.9 million cosmetic surgeries were performed. Shouldn't the money rather be spent on things like reconstructive surgery and other medical means on the people who really need it? Sometimes plastic surgery can be a good thing, of course. Instead of giving people wings, Dr. Rosen could work more on chochlear implants (they would enhance human hearing, something the military is interested in) instead. People need new medicines, they need cures for diseases, they don't need wings and a tail.

People strive so hard to have the image that they desire and to get rid of features about themselves that they find not so flattering. Just fifty years ago, facelifts seemed obscene, but now people are getting their body done so they have horns or look like a cat. Implanting wings wouldn't really have a point to it; could you imagine how much money it would cost and how uncomfortable it would be to sleep at night? Two-person bus seats would become one-person bus seats, sitting back against them would be near as uncomfortable as sleeping, and we'd just take up too much space. Nobody needs wings or a tail. Anyway, wouldn't it be strange to see someone walking down the street with wings on their backs and then have to duck to the side to avoid being whacked by them?

By: T.C.

Source Cited
Hari, Johann. "I'm Having My Wings Done." Guardian Unlimited. 11 March 2002. 14 November 2006.

From Here to There

I read an article about prejudice in a school. The person had moved from Omaha, Nebraska, to Chicago. It was his first day of school and everyone was making fun of him because of where he was from. A few came and asked him where he was from, and when he told them from Nebraska, they walked away and never talked to him again.

I know how he must feel from moving to a new school, to a new place. Having to leave all his friends behind and try to make new ones again. I moved when I started fifth grade. Moving from a huge city into a small little town was hard. I had to get used to not having everything I wanted in it, but to have to go to a different place to get it. I had to make all new friends in school, and start all over. But no one should get made fun of just because of where they moved from. It's stereotypes that make people think, "oh, you moved from Nebraska, so you must be a hick or a redneck."


The poor kid didn't do anything to deserve that at all. Most people don't know how it feels to be the new kid in the school or town, because most people live at the same place for most of their lives. So most people don't know what it's like to be made fun of just because they moved from a different place or started at a new school.

By: R.B.

Source Cited:
Anonymous. "Cow Bells." _Teen Ink._ November 2006.

What If

The August thirty-first Superintendent's Corner talks about Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The Gateway superintendent explains how AYP and NCLB work, especially in Gateway. The main goal is for every student, regardless of background, to reach proficiency measured on standard tests by 2014. In Massachusetts, to graduate you have to score 220 or above on English Language Arts and Mathematics on the MCAS test. A 220 is considered "Needs Improvement." It is mandated that tests are to be given each year in grades three through eight, and at least once during high school. Sanctions are imposed if the school does not reach a level of performance or improvement that was designated. With NCLB, the state promised additional funding to help acheive the goal. Over the years "this promise remains unfilled at every level." Each year the same grade level must increase their scores for the school to be labeled "successful." The idea is that each year, students will become even more academically proficient than the year before. To me, the overall goal of NCLB seems to be a good one, to get all students academically proficient, but some of the actualities seem flawed.

The idea that every student will be proficient by 2014 seems flawed; that means that if every student is not proficient by then everyone will fail. This means that either everyone passes or everyone fails. I think that it would be awesome if everyone was proficient, but that it's an improbable goal. Another thing is that each state gives its own standardized test. This may seem to be no problem since it's a standardized test. The facts show Massachusetts is very low when comparing state tests, but on a national test, in the very top. This difference is shown because MCAS is a more rigorous test compared to other state tests. A way to correct this difference might be to have one nationwide test for a standarized test, or to have each state test be at the same difficulty level. Students can be, and are, compared to others from preceding years. I think that the score from a grade level shoud be compared to their scores from the previous years. That way you're not measuring different students against each other, but against the same group of students.

These are just ideas I have. I have no way to know if they are feasible or not. It seems to me that the government is overlooking certain things and doesn't have an understanding of how schools work. Since NCLB is up for review, some of this might change soon.

By: J.H.

Source Cited:
Hopson, David. Editorial. Superintendent's Corner. 31 August 2006. 28 November 2006.

Breakfast--A Fable

Once upon a time, there was an evil wizard named Zentan who loved spending his time plotting the domination of Kelemzil, a realm of good which he despised so much. H wanted to take it over, make it his, and he was ready to do so. The citizens of Kelemzil were deeply afraid, for they knew of Zentan's immense power and already, a dark shadow was growing over their peaceful land. The king of Kelemzil became outraged; he was not going to let anyone take over his land. In a reckless fury, he sent out his bravest knight to take care of the problem.

Sonte was not only the king's bravest knight, he was the best of the best. He was strong and quick, but he was hasty, too proud, and not the sharpest sword in the armory. His sword, however, was sharp, and his shield strong. The king had given them to him for this task as a gift.

Sonte headed straight for Zentan's lair. If he had been smart, he would have sought help from the good wizard of the realm, but he felt he could handle it himself without help from anyone. He was going to do it alone, and he was going to win. Pride welled up inside the knight as he neared the lair. The door was open, and with a smile that simply told the world that he was full of himself, he entered.

Zentan was there waiting for him. He stood there, towering over Sonte like a statue of dark stone. The two stared at each other for a while, as if in a battle of wills, until Zentan broke it with speech. "You have found my lair. You seek to stop me, don't you?" he began. "Well, we'll just see how that goes. You will--" He was cut off as Sonte lunged at him, sword extended.

An epic battle began, magic versus brawn, and Sonte lunged forward, his sword aimed at Zentan's stomach. A feeling of glory filled him; he was about to win the battle and keep his realm from harm. His sword point was an inch from Zentan's skin when he was blown backward, hitting the wall and falling to the ground unconscious. All that's now known about the battle between the knight and the wizard in Kelezentan was that Sonte was just bones by the time Zentan was finished with him. Yes, the wizard was also a cannibal.

The End.

Moral: If you are headstrong and bother those with more power than yourself, you will soon be made into toast, buttered, and eaten for breakfast.

By: T.C.

Jimmy--A Fable

In a time far in the future, in a galaxy not that far away, there was a boy named Jim. He lived on a planet called X1-Alpha in the galaxy of Saucy Way. X1-Alpha was a small plante, and there weren't many inhabitants. In fact there were no other children to be Jimmy's friends. For all his life, he hoped someone would come to be his friend.

One day, a spaceship came from a neighboring planet. There was a family, and in that family was a boy named Moe. Jimmy aned Moe spent every day together. They played from when the sun when up to when the sun went down. Jimmy was so happy he vowed they would be friends forever and go on endless adventures.

On Jimmy's birthday, Moe planned a birthday party for him. At the party, Jimmy's parents gave him a brand new V-250 space cruiser. Jimmy knew what he could do. He could leave this planet and find more friends, better than Moe.

Instantly Jimmy jumped in the cruiser. "So long!" he said. "I don't need you anymore!" He pulled back the throttle and away he went. Unfortunately, he never opened Moe's present, the brakes to his V-250 space cruiser.

In the end, everyone lived miserably for the rest of their lives. For the moral of the story is, don't forget who your friends are, or you might find yourself drifting through space for the rest of your boring life.

By: L.J.

My Cancer

In the article "A War That Calls for New Tactics," Leroy Sievers talks about surviving. He was diagnosed with cancer, and now he records a day by day account of his life with cancer in a blog. Sievers writes about his near-death experiences and how he would visualize himself coming out alive. "What I visualized was may survival," he wrote. He did this when he wanted to get through something. But when he was diagnosed, he stopped.

Sievers could not visualize himself getting through this situation. He thought back to when he had control over what happened to him and realized with cancer he could only control the little things, not the big issues. When he went into combat, he could visualize the outcome because he knew he could somehow influence the situation. Now that he has cancer he can't. I know and feel exactly what he's talking about.

When I look back now, I can remember when I played soccer. I played defense; therefore, my personal goal wasn't to score, it was to keep the other team from scoring. I could do that. I could stay out on the field the whole game if I wanted to. it all changed when I was diagnosed with cancer. No matter how hard you try, you can't change what chemotherapy and radiation will do to you. If I wasn't feeling well, I was either at the hospital, sick, or physically exhausted.

I did have a trick that helped take my mind off treatment. I would visualize my journey with cancer as a battle. Each time I was sick or my blood counts were extremely low, the battle would start. It wouldn't stop until I was feeling better and won. Focusing on the problem at hand is easier than the big picture. Along with that I sometimes would think of running cancer cells through with a sword. It sounds harsh, but it helped when cancer was practically controlling my life. Also, I had a lot of support from friends and family. I was diagnosed the summer before sixth grade. Therefore, whenever I was sick, I received about fifty get well cards from my classmates. When i was sick, I was out of school for a week or more, and everyone worried about me. Having get well cards to read from all my friends helped me get through long hospital trips.

At some point, I knew it would end. I learned to tough it out and push toward the finish line. It must be working, because I'm almost done with treatment, which is a lot easier now. It's nice to read about how Sievers feels, and to see someone else's point of view. Hopefully, Sievers will find a new trick to get therough the war that calls for new tactics.

By: L. J.

Sources Cited:
Sievers, Leroy. "A War That Calls for New Tactics." _My Cancer_. 23 October 2006. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyld=5497708

Little White Lies

"Snow" is a poem I read about a boy and his brother Seth, who go out for a walk in the snow. As they are walking, they pass by a place where some kids had made a bunch of snow angels. The older boy tells his brother that those patterns in the snow were made when "a troop of angels had been shot and dissolved where they hit the ground." The younger brother continues to question him throughout the day about the angels.

The young boy goes on to ask who shot the angels, and the older brother replies that a farmer did it. When Seth asks why, the older sibling says that it was because the angels were on the farmer's property (although I suspect the conversation didn't quite end there).

I liked this poem because I do the same thing to my sister. Usually, she asks me to tell her what something is, and I make something up. She's old enough now to figure out that I am probably lying, but then I just have to work harder to convince her that what I'm saying is true. I know the mischievous feeling you get when you see the wide eyes of disbelief or terror when telling the like, followed by a slight twinge of guilt when your sibling finds out the truth.

This poem wasn't very poem-like, in the sense that it didn't use a whole lot of literary devices, except when the author was describing the places he went with his brother. The poem describes the ice on the water as "a photograph of water," and the snowy outdoors as a room with "walls that were blasted apart and falling." He doesn't use literary devices when he is talking about his brother, though.

This wasn't the most descriptive peome that I've read, but when the author did use literary devices, they were well-written. Mostly, I liked this poem because now I know I'm not the only one who torments my sibling like that.

By: B. R.

Sources Cited:

Berman, David. "Snow." _Poetry 180._ October 5, 2006. http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/039.html

Self Debate

"To Drill or Not to Drill" was a very repetitive column on the issue of drilling for oil in Alaska, but it was one that brought many issues to mind and got me thinking about what I would do. The author, Jesse Gourrevitch, talks about all the issues of letting big oil companies go into Alaska to drill for oil. Such as if the oil companies put in their massive pipes and bring in their disturbing machinery, then the creatures native to the area will avoid the obstacles and never come back to the area. Then you also have the issue of the oil companies not being careful and ruining the area with an overpowering nasty oil spill and having to take time and money to repair their mistake.

This is where I started thinking about the choices I would make, and if they would be fair to everyone. The first thing I thought about was the United States' econonmy and how it would help if we saved a few extra dollars and let the oil companies move into the place. If we take out at least 500,000 barrels of oil, then the United States econony will have taken another steop to the stabilization of its income, and instead of buying 500,000 barrels of oil, we could spend that money on other issues that need to be dealt with. Also, it makes a lot of people all over the country happy to see those winter heating bills go down along with the price of gas. So instead of living through a winter that is warm and expensive create a winter that is warm and cheaper.

On the other hand, the disturbances to native wildlife would be a catastrophe, and the area that was affected would be abandoned by most of the animals. It's not as if they can put all their equipment on silent mode or anything, and be able to leave everything the same way without doing damage or disturbing animals. First, the machinery moves in to do the dirty work of scaring the animals away and then putting in the "great wall" (the pipeline). Then, if any animals tried to cross over to the other side of the pipes, they would have a much harder time and would most likely not be able to get to the other side. Then too, every once in a while, they'll have a line break or a rust hole where almost all of the oil will flood the surrounding area, ruining the environment. As a result to these mishaps, it would take years for the area to return back to normal and tons of our money to repiar the mistakes. Even some people who live off the coast out on the islands would be affected, depending on whether the oil reached the ocean or not. There are also places called dry holes that damage equipment and chew time, so even more money is spent.

The closest thing that I can think of to solving this problem evenly for everyone is to let the oil companies into Alaska, but have them try new methods of break/rust-proof methods of caring for the pipes, and machines that can stand excruciating conditions, so that there is no chance of there being a spill or loss of machinery. This will cost the companies and us money, but at least we will have some oil in return for doing something right.

In the end, everyone is even. The oil companies get popped in the cheek by spending more money just to make a little profit, while the environmentally-concerned citizens take a shot and have to suffer the consequences of the pipeline. They would also both get cheaper oil and cheaper gas.

I have decided on which side I would root in the battle of the Alaskan oil fields. I would root for the oil companies to go into Alaska, but definately have them reconstruct their methods for the safety of the natural habitat in Alaska. Either way, I win, and I'm happy with that.

By S. E.

Source Cited:
Gourrevitch, Jesse. "To Drill or Not to Drill." _Teen Ink_ October 2006. 17.

Chances Worth Taking

The picture dubbed "Rongelap Atoll, Marshall Islands, 1998" displays two men in a cage filming a number of surrounding sharks, while offering up a hunk of meat as bait. The background is deepest blue, where the sharks appear from a thick cloud.

I am a coward. I have never liked the idea of scuba diving, being dependent on a tank of gas. I have never wanted to slide down a huge hill on a piece of plastic just to crash into some trees. Nor have I ever wanted to climbe ladders, go body surfing, or dive into a freshwater lake. However, I have done these things, and I've enjoyed it.

Every once in a while I get a sort of stroke of madness where I decide to take a mental vacation and do something careless. Some people who do such things daily would scoff at my fear.

Looking at theis photo, I get one of those strokes of madness. I feel like that's something I need to do and enjoy. I felt the same sensation when I first heard of the Bermuda Triangle. I will pass through that triangle one day. I don't know what makes this so appealing, but one reason is the natural high. Where the endorphins and adrenaline combine, leaving you stronger and more confident. Each time I go down a steep hill on a sled, only to crash into some trees, I get a little shock of this feeling.

Some day I will be as brave as these people, and sit in a tank, not five feet from sharks while holding meat. For now, I climb mountains, and run through woods and jump into freshwater lakes. I can't wait to take that death-defying flight. I am a coward, but not forever. I am content.

By E. L.

Sources Cited:
Kristof, Emory. "Rongelap Atoll,Marshall Islands, 1998." _National Geographic Photo of the Day_. 1 March 2006. 19 September 2006. http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/cgi-bin/pod/PhotoOfTheDay.cgi?day=018month=3&year=06