Hobbit Chapter 5 and 6

Hobbit Chapter 5 and 6

Writing an advice letter.​

By Andy Dai

​Bell Ringer

​Bilbo comes face to face with an evil creature. In small groups, students write down all they can discover about Gollum that makes him evil and what actions demonstrate this.

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 (e.g. treachery - he does not intend to honor his agreement with Bilbo).

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​What strategies do authors use to effectively describe people and surroundings so the reader feels like part of the story?

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In The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien uses similes and metaphors. Similes and metaphors are associations between something in the story and another object that emphasizes a specific trait. The difference between the two is that similes use the words 'like' or 'as' to link the two objects, while metaphors are more direct. Let's look at some examples of similes and metaphors from the story.

​At the beginning of the story, Bilbo's home, the hobbit-hole, is carefully described using similes. Both of the following passages use 'like' in the comparisons.

'It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle.'

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The door opened on to a tubeshaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats - the hobbit was fond of visitors.'

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Using similes by comparing the door to a porthole and the hall to a tunnel allows the reader to create visualizations based on their prior familiarity with portholes and tunnels.

​Similies to describe Settings

Poll

What is the following Simile used to describe?

'There is little or no magic about them, except the ordinary everyday sort which helps them to disappear quietly and quickly when large stupid folk like you and me come blundering along, making a noise like elephants which they can hear a mile off.'

• Character

• Setting

Open Ended

What are the two things that the author are trying to compare?

'There was a most specially greedy, strong and wicked worm called Smaug.'

​Identifying Metaphors in Hobbit

​The following metaphor directly compares Smaug to a worm without using 'like' or 'as' to connect them.

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'There was a most specially greedy, strong and wicked worm called Smaug.'

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Open Ended

Identify 1 simile and 1 metaphor in chapter 5

Hint: Page 68 and 86

"

“His pale lamp-like eyes” Gollum’s eyes were so pale that they gave off a glow resembling a light from a lamp. (Pg.68)

​Metaphor

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...Bilbo could see or feel that he was tense as a bowstring, gathered for a spring." (Pg. 86)​

Similie​

Multiple Select

"Both wrong," cried Bilbo very much relieved; and he jumped at once to his feet, put his back to the nearest wall, and held out his little sword. He knew, of course, that the riddle game was sacred and of immense antiquity, and even wicked creatures were afraid to cheat when they played at it. But he felt he could not trust this slimy thing to keep any promise at a pinch. Any excuse would do for him to slide out of it. And after all that last question had not been a genuine riddle according to the ancient laws.

Which themes does this quote apply to?

• Coming of Age

• The Power of Language

• Greed,Trust, Fellowship

• Heroism

• Home and Birthright

Multiple Choice

Bilbo almost stopped breathing and went stiff himself. He was desperate.

He must get away, out of this horrible darkness, while he had any strength left. He must fight. He must stab the foul thing, put its eyes out, kill it.  It meant to kill him. No, not a fair fight. He was invisible now. Gollum had no sword. Gollum had not actually threatened to kill him or tried to yet. And he was miserable, alone, lost. A sudden understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up in Bilbo's heart: a glimpse of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold fish, sneaking and whispering.

• Coming of Age

• The Power of Language

• Greed, Trust, Fellowship

• Heroism

• Home and Birthright

​Homework: Complete Chapter 5 in your workbook and send it in to the group chat.

Multiple Choice

What is foreshadowing? Pick which definition you think is correct.

• 1.A warning or indication of a future event.

• 2.A shadow that is always in front of you

• 3.A piece of writing where the description makes the reader think of lots of shadows

​The sun had long gone behind the mountains. Already the shadows were deepening about them, though far away through the trees and over the black tops of those growing lower down they could still see the evening lights on the plains beyond. They limped along now as fast as they were able down the gentle slopes of a pine forest in a slanting path leading steadily southwards. At times they were pushing through a sea of bracken with tall fronds rising right above the hobbit’s head; at times they were marching along quiet as quiet over a floor of pine-needles; and all the while the forest-gloom got heavier and the forest-silence deeper. There was no wind that evening to bring even a sea-sighing into the branches of the trees.

​Annotate the following passage to show how it uses foreshadowing

Multiple Choice

He crept still nearer, and suddenly he saw peering between two big boulders a head with a red hood on: it was Balin doing look-out. He could have clapped and shouted for joy, but he did not. He had still got the ring on, for fear of meeting something unexpected and unpleasant, and he saw that Balin was looking straight at him without noticing him. "I will give them all a surprise," he thought, as he crawled into the bushes at the edge of the dell.

• 1

  Coming of Age

• 2

  The Power of Language

• 3

  Greed, Trust, Fellowship

• 4

  Heroism

​Key Event #1

Bilbo finds himself on the other side of the Misty Mountains without a pony, buttons, or his companions. He walks along the mountains for some time, and eventually hears voices that don’t sound like goblins’. He is happy to find that they belong to the dwarves and Gandalf, but rather than greet them right away, he decides to have some fun, and puts on his ring and walks among them, invisible.

Key Event #2 Gandalf is arguing with the dwarves; the dwarves are annoyed that Bilbo couldn’t stay with them, and had to get himself lost, while Gandalf insists that they find Bilbo instead of going on. Bilbo removes his ring and seems to appear out of thin air, startling everyone, including Gandalf. The dwarves are highly impressed, and Bilbo’s reputation as a burglar goes up considerably in their eyes. Bilbo doesn’t show his ring to anyone, but simply says that he snuck past Balin, the sentry, very quietly. When asked about where he has been, Bilbo only says that he fell off of Dori’s back and snuck past the goblins—Gandalf gives Bilbo a look as if he senses what Bilbo has left out. Gandalf explains that Bilbo’s cry woke him up, and he was able to escape from the goblins himself by using his enchantments.

​Key Event # 3

The dwarves have lost their supplies and ponies to the goblins, but the company proceeds on their route. Bilbo is enormously hungry, and the path is difficult. After a long time, the group hears the sound of wolves, which Bilbo recognizes from a relative who used to imitate wolf howls to scare him. Bilbo, the dwarves, and Gandalf climb into trees to avoid the wolves. Bilbo is unable to climb up, but Dori climbs down and pulls him up just as a wolf is about to bite him.

Key Event # 4 The wolves are actually Wargs—wolves that can talk—and Gandalf overhears their conversation as they talk among themselves. They were supposed to meet the goblins there that night to raid a nearby town of men. The Wargs are “annoyed” to find that the goblins are late (Gandalf knows this is probably because of the death of the Great Goblin) and they’re equally angry to see that there are people in the trees, who they assume must be in cahoots with the men in the town. Gandalf, who’s scared despite being a wizard, takes the large pinecones growing in the trees, uses magic to set them on fire, and throws them down at the Wargs, who yelp and run away.

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Key Event #5 The Lord of the Eagles notices the commotion in his forest and summons other eagles to come with him and investigate. As they circle lower, they see a great crowd of wolves and goblins jeering at Gandalf and the dwarves in the trees. Gandalf, who’s now afraid that the fire he started will burn down the trees and kill the entire group, mocks the goblins, but also prepares to jump. Just as he is about to jump, the eagles arrive, snatching Gandalf and the dwarves out of the trees before they’re burned down. As an eagle carries Dori, Bilbo hangs on to Dori’s ankles, and let's go just as the eagles drop them in a nest. Key Event # 6

The eagles are no friends of dwarves, but let them go because Gandalf is friendly with the Lord of the Eagles, having healed a wound the eagle had suffered many years ago. The eagles refuse to take the group anywhere near a city of men since they’re afraid that men will shoot them with arrows, but Gandalf convinces them to take him and his friends much closer to their destination. Bilbo says that he is hungry, and the eagles bring the group hares, rabbits, and sheep to eat. Bilbo is too tired to help the dwarves prepare the food, but he eats it, and falls asleep. In his dreams, he walks through his home looking for something whose appearance or identity he can’t remember.