Could you?
 

Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo were normal hobbits. They were just average, comparable to most people in the real world. They went on the journey, under enormous stress. Do you think you could? I don't mean pysicaly, I mean mentally. Would you be able to take the strain? And most of all, would you be able to kill someone in cold blood? Would you be able the kill some mother's son? I know it's kind of different from the orcs, because orcs are created, not born, but forgeting that, do you think oy could kill a man in cold blood?

Well, the strain, I handled school so I think I could servive anything. As for killing, I don't think that I could, well, orcs maybe, although hey would probebly kill me first. Anything mostly human, no way hosay.

If there was a war, I could fight in it I think. That I guess means I could kill someone. Not sure if Frodo or the hobbits every kill someone 'in cold blood' though. They only kill when they have to.

Excluding an orc:

There is no way in heaven or on Earth that I could kill someone.

...That fell sort of flat. But it's what I have to say. *shrugs*

I'm sure I could handle something along the lines that they did. As for killing someone.....I could probably do that too....heh

as far as mentally i am filled with just as much bloodlust (or more) as the next barbarian from louisiana. that and i don't think that i'm a very stressed person.
[img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]
you can ask the axe marks on my brothers wall about the bloodlust. as for cold bloodedness i am a descendant of the scottish clan of Tyne which means along the the lines of smiling death. [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

[ August 29, 2002: Message edited by: Elsaur ]

Well, considering how swell I've been adjusting to college...Hahahahahaha. Mayhap Mordor would be a little less frightening than a freshman dorm, dont'cha think?

Seriously, to kill someone in cold blood? I don't know. If I had someone to defend, maybe I'd be capable of it. Of course, the people who keep me up half the night have it coming too! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

I could not kill someone in cold blood!! Sure I don't mind killing an orc but human? NO! [Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgement]

I don't really think that I (or anyone) can really tell what one is capable of before the time of test comes. I don't believe that the four hobbits could imagine what was in store for them, and were 100% sure they could endure everything. Their strength, endurance and faith came to test and was revealed gradually. It's that, I think, one should believe the case is worth the strain and sacrifice.
As the question was a personal one, my answer is =I don't know= I'd like to flatter myself with the thought that I could endure everything for a worthy case, but... it hasn't been put to test as yet. And as for killing someone? Definitely no in 'cold blood' I can't even kill a bug (which isn't true for flies and roaches [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] ) And under stress or necessity - who knows. I just wish I never got a chance to find that out.

Actually, yes, I think I could. I'm not sure how well I'd survive it, mentally, but I think I could. Killing someone in cold blood though, like murder... that would be hard. I probably could if I had a good enough reason too. I can have my logic overule my emotions when I need to, but that would probably scar me mentally for life. Sort of like Frodo I guess. No one can go through those types of things unchanged.

You do what you can in order to survive. I am sure when we are placed in nature with no other choice, we would hopefully adapted.

Killing? It is not cold blood rather it is survival. Cold blood would be when you purposely murder someone who otherwuse would have not posed a threat.


I would cope if I had to as I can adapt to most situations( if not all,have yet to find out). It is what you can do to move on and live. Each day everyone deals with a certain amount of stress according to his/hers lifestyle. Dormatory life is much different then being soley dependant on yourself for home and hearth. Such military life is different to civilian.

Carry on in Novices & Newcomers.

I think I would be able to kill someone. it would be a lot easier to pull a trigger from 200 yards than to stab someone from behind. But I think I would be able to do both. I probably would even be able to be an executor of convicted death sentancees (though I would not want the job).

My brother recently joined the Army(he hsan't left yet), and I plan on joining the Marines or Army. And sometimes I think, if I were sent to combat, would I be able to kill someone? To tell the truth, if someone deserved death, and I could chose whether he lives, or I kill him, I would kill him.

I know men who said that, some went as boys. They returned from war and swore they would never touch a gun ever again.

What we may think we can do is always put to the test, the end result is how we coped and whether would remain of the opnion. I personally would not want to kill a person or anything thing of that matter, however I would what I must and deal with the mental consquences later, if there was a later when it comes to those situations.

When I first saw this, I was reminded of what the SURVIVOR contestants had to go through.
I could trek, yeah I could, but how long i can last is the bottom line. a physical challenge wouldn't bother me much, except for the fact that i'm pretty bad in that department. wouldn't mind being challenged. Plus, you have all the mental and emotional strains. all that to go through brings a guaranteed change...you won't come back home the same.
To be honest, that's the part i am very afrain of, but i know that i need some changes in me. But the thing i am afraid of as in more afraid of than earlier is the fact that there are two ways of changing: for better or for worse. i'd like to change for the better, but with all the strain, i'll need other people with me to keep my morale high and my insanity intact.


...that was a nice point, though.

hey Gimli, where's your brother gonna be sent to? any idea?

[ August 30, 2002: Message edited by: Neferchoirwen ]

Killing someone in cold blood? For me, that would be a definite no, I wouldn't even be able to kill a harmless chicken if I tried.
But Eol has a good point, no one really know's what he or she will do untill they are actually face to face with that scenario.

This reminds me of something we discussed in my acting classes... since we have to be able to play the hero or the villian (or whatever) we have to look at everything from all points of view...

The conclusion is that anyone will do almost anything if the stakes are high enough. So in my case, yes, I could do what they did if it meant I was helping to save the world from an everlasting darkness and evil. It's just hard for people to imagine themselves in those circumstances... which is why I am so in love with the movie because all of the actors went there and believed in it.

For the most part, I think I could handle the hardships of being on the journey.
Yet when it came to killing, it would become much harder. I would kill if I had to, but not enjoy it. I could see myself getting into the moment when fighting orcs, or something of pure evil, but when it came to men, it wouldn't be so easy. Also it would be much harder for me to be stabbing someone right in front of me, then hurting them from a distance. So would rather use a bow&arrow then sword or axe. I think though, I would do whatever I had to do to make the journey successful and myself stay alive.

I totally agree with that.

What happens if it were not evil, even to the point that seems harmless. Could you still kill it in defense? I heard people would have a horrible time killing humans, but not orcs? You should look at killing as preserving your life in the face of losing it to another hand.

I would say your own species is the worst and most dangerous thing to be concerned with. Tolkien makes it easy to see that evil, but what if that evil is concealed and cannot be discerned at the moment of fighting? What if it is never seen until it is too late?

I could definitely kill in defense of m e. Not to sound twisted, but i would rather live.
I would probably be able to handle the stress, although there would be a definite level of ability to do so.

Nefer, he's going to BCT next in next September(in a year, not a day). He's a Tracked Vehicle Repairman.

If I went to war, I'm confident I could kill the enemy. Even though I am a small child(reletivey{spl}), I belive I could kiil a man if I had to.

What's BCT? My dad's in the Navy, and he's supposed to be somewhere in the Middle East.

That's another good point, but killing to that point may be inevitable. We can never tell. But being in ME at the third age on a treck for something that's larger than life may mean doing everything that may keep you alive at all costs.

BCT means Basic Combat Training. Does your father have a combat job?

I could stand the rigours of the journey. As for killing in cold blood...what exactly does that phrase mean? Any killing apart from in the heat of battle???? For if I saw someone who had killed thousands lying asleep and I had a chance to end it then and there...I would.
Although perhaps noone can be sure until the time comes, and debating the point is futile.

I could kill an orc if it was in self defense. As for a human, well I could wound, but as for killing I honestly don't know. It would all depend on the situation.
As far as journeys through differing terrain, I don't think that would present a problem. Not that I'm experienced with outdoor travels, but I know what I can get through if if I have to.

[ August 31, 2002: Message edited by: The-Elf-Herself ]

elsaur's reply is mine because i am elsaur!!! my computer screwed me over so now i'm ork_huntr (i have nothing against orcs it was just a matter of convinience) [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

Nope, my dad works as a civilian (he retired when he was barely in his 40s). His ship was sent to the Persian Gulf right after 9/11.

My dad was in the Army. His Tour of Duty ended two months before Vietnam broke out. If it didn't, I wouldn't be here right now, because he was a Field Medic.

Let's get back on topic, please.

Okay, I'll bring it back...(sorry about that)

I just noticed something:
Now THAT got me thinking. Maybe I couldn't. I'll be having sons of my own that I wouldn't want to send off to war. But worse yet, if I were tp meet the mothers of the ones I killed, I wouldn't know what to do.

I guess it all boils down to the 'spur of the moment' test. We don't know what's going to happen next.

I agree, it would be hard to say what you are going to do in such a situation when you are sitting behing your computer.

I've known my brother all my life. I know him inside and out, and I wonder, could he kill a man? And enlisting in the Army in the time of all the conflict in the Middle East, it is possible that he might be shipped somewhere there. And I wonder, could he kill a man?

I think that I would have gone insane or died at least by the time I got to Moria. And if I did make it further, I definately would have been killed.