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The orcs chose to behave evilly...
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I can't agree with this statement, Yavanna -- even provided that the Orcs
did have 'rational' fëar. The power and influence of Morgoth directly ran through them, they were filled with
his evil.
I would not say that Elves were 'corrupted', Durelin, but certainly they were corruptible -- to a very small extent. Either way, the blame does lie with Morgoth rather than the Orcs themselves. The Orcs, whether mockeries or direct corruptions, existed because of Morgoth. They are filled with Morgoth's evil, and it is because of this that they are not capable of good in any form. As I have said, their entire nature was twisted towards badness.
Nils, that quote of yours is a funny one. It is plain to see that individual Orcs
did in fact have their own minds and selfishnesses, and it would really be hard to believe that they did not, and were merely talking creatures (any creature that talks surely has an intelligence at least akin to Man's). Then there are other beings; 'any beast that talks' may expand to the debate on the essence of dragons, although it is said somewhere that dragons are filled with a 'fell spirit' or something like that.
You know, Nils, we don't have to take every comment that Tolkien said as the ruling word on his work. Obviously his word generally has a lot more importance that the word of another observer, but still, when he says
certain things he is sort of acting as an observer himself.
The one about evilness in the body rather than the soul, is, I think, an idea of Tolkien's rather than a concrete ideal of his writings. At any rate, the writings can be interpreted by a reader who does use his own ideas of this sort to judge these things for himself. Well, that's how I see it. And I assure you that this is still within the confines of Tolkien's literature.