Last night I really seemed to have been carried away beyond my skills in the language I use. Sorry about that. I appreciate Elu's point about the Eagles.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Elu Ancalime
Concerning Eagles: It seems that in terms of literature, everytime the Eagles appear in Tolkiens work it is some kind of Deux ex machina kind of way. Its interesting, because the Eagles are the kind of missionaries of Manwe, in a sense (they dont go around converting people, but they are his sort of representations in mortal lands). Everytime the Eagles show up it seems to modify the plot greatly whearas if they hadnt.
|
But to come to the discussion opened by
Squatter of Amon Rhûdh
Quote:
|
The point is that Tolkien thought that this world is one in which we have the freedom to choose our actions and that we are personally responsible for them. For Tolkien, each decision really does come down to a moral choice for good or ill, and without that structure his mythology and his novels make no sense. Moreover it would be extremely odd for a Christian to believe that we are simply automatons performing predetermined actions in a random and meaningless universe.
|
Well, that sure was Tolkien's point - I couldn't dream about arguing over that. But how should we see it? As ingenious truth about the world? As Tolkien's wisdom that outweighted many of his contemporaries, as a foolish hope of a romantic living at a wrong century, or as a fool that would gather followers more fool than he was?
Not wishing to offend anyone...