[MadIvan]

I thought Lord of the Rings showed that one had to knuckle under and destroy evil, how it was one's duty to do so. Oh well, maybe it loses something in the translation into German.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[American in Israel]

Obviously the professor did not read the book, or did and did not understand anything. How much do they pay this guy?

[frmrda]

I'm re-reading these books now for the first time since 7th Grade. The message I am getting is that evil must be destroyed even though there is great risk. I see that many times during the journey some characters think of just walking away or "hiding" the ring somewhere it won't be found for many years, thus making their lives better in the short run. Then, they realize that putting off doing unpleasant things till tomorrow will only make things worse for everyone else in the long run.

It also gives the message that the good people are not "warmongers", but people who turn to violence only when it is the last resort in destroying evil.

[conservativemusician]

"It shows, in a spectacular way, how destroying an object can prevent world domination from one person or side."


In this case the object is Iraq's dictator.

[ancient_geezer]

"It shows, in a spectacular way, how destroying an object can prevent world domination from one person or side."

Sure looked like there were a lot of good folks doing alot of dying to assure that object could be destroyed.

The good professor seems to have missed something in his glance at the book.

[HairOfTheDog]

maybe it loses something in the translation into German.

Heh! - I think so!

Ecurbh ping.

[SamAdams76]

The good guys had to kill an awful lot of Orcs in order to destroy that object. Come to think of it, the Orcs in those movies have an uncanny resemblance to radical Muslim extremists.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I consider "The Hobbit" a children's book.

"The Lord of the Rings" is not a children's book. It sounds as if the good Prof hasn't even read it.

[Uncle Miltie]

"A leading German literature professor says that reading Tolkien's Lord of the Rings" shows how appeasing Orcs / Nazis / Baathists leads to the near destruction of Freedom.

[rightwingreligiousfanatic]

Islamofascists heading for a rendevous with....
An alliance of free peoples... LET'S ROLL!.....BRING IT ON!

[Corin Stormhands]

"Children's books can definitely help adults rethink a situation and help them assess political situations on a higher and even wiser level."

Unlike the mush in this guy's head, children's books (as well as LOTR, which is not "children's" literature) clearly distinguish the difference between good and evil.

Good wouldn't bomb the WTC. Good wouldn't gas their own people or execute people for not bowing down to it.

The perfesser needs to keep reading.

[js1138]

I suspect that taking LOTR literally could also lead to a world without all those pesky wimen.

Besides, I always assumed that wars were the result of men trying to get rich quick so they could buy wimen stuff, so...

Oh, nevermind.

[babyface00]

They give the reader new ideas that could even help solve political problems

Here's a new idea for Europe: STOP APPEASING MURDEROUS DICTATORS!

[Conspiracy Guy]

I guess I need to read the Lord of the Rings all over again. It must have been rewriten since the 60's. To me it seems to support the good vs evil blah blah blah. I guess I'll never be a "professor socialist clown too stoopid to get a real job" now. Could someone send me a Waaambulance.

[SquirrelKing]

"...destroying an object can prevent world domination..."


AP - Hans Blix and his team of UN weapons inspectors have completed their 287th month of searching for Sauron's Ring of Power. "There is still no smoking ring," Blix reported to an electrified crowd of journalists and international observers. In the streets of Minas Tirith hundreds of people protested the "warmongering" attitude of Aragorn "W" Arathorn and his insistence of a military build up of various armies of men, elves, dwarves and other vertically challenged peoples. Sauron Hussein has issued a statement that he loves everyone in middle earth and longs for nothing but peace and love to fill the land and that the billowing black couds coming from Mordor are merely gathering spring rains. He dispelled rumors of columns of Orcs massing beyond the mountains as simply being "some bunny rabbits and maybe a pony or two".

etc., etc., ad nauseum...

[Prysson]

Yeah I seem to remember the specific message regarding the riders of rohan about how you couldnt just turn away from an evil. That evil must be confronted and destroyed or it will grow and eventually destroy you.

Seemed to be fairly clear in LotR.

[Apple Pan Dowdy]

"If adults read children's literature more often then we would probably live in a much more peaceful world. Fairy tales and other works for children may not be one-to-one with reality but they help excite the imagination"

I agree with all of you that this guy has NOT really read the book or understood it's message. But I think he was not speaking particularly about Lord of the Rings, but about childrens literature in general. As a liberal professor, you can imagine how he lives in his own little world of unreality while the world moves around him. He does not want to think about all the "yucky" stuff that abounds in the world. It's much better to touchy-feely-dream your way through life believing we can all hold hands, light candles and wish away the evil in the world. I think what he saw in LOTR is that perhaps we don't have to gather an army and fight, we can just find a "frodo" who can carry our woes to the edge of Mordor and toss them in the fire and all will be well again. Of course that was NOT the message of the Tolkien’s books. We know that the Frodo's journey took great courage, the backing of his friends, "divine" intervention.... I like to think that Frodo represents all of us who would do what it takes to oppose evil. And remember that there were parallel journeys going on... while Frodo was doing his thing, others in the Fellowship (by the 2nd book) were fighting their way past Sauron’s army.

Did any of you catch any of the Michael Jackson interview on TV last night? He has the Peter Pan syndrome, doesn't want to grow up, lives in own little carefully constructed world where he believes all is pure and good.... Just like the "nutty" professor who wrote this article, they are both Whacko!

[camle]

LOTR a children's book? This guy is more ignorant than he seems.

[UncleSamUSA]

Ivan:
This German professor missed the ENTIRE point of ALL 1,112 pages (including Appendices) of the Lord of the Rings.

I mean the actions of all the main protagonists in this book are directed toward directly confronting Evil (in the form of Sauron and all his allies) and in destroying the very item which gives Evil its power.

You can even look upon Wormtongue as the book's analogue to Chirac, whispering in the ear of those who would confront evil that it is not worth the struggle and they should do nothing. And so on and so on. As Tolkien says, I think we should really resist the urge to see this entire story as a direct political allegory -- which Tolkien in the preface specifically and explicitly rejects.

However, what REALLY got me angry even more than the German prof's stupidity, was his calling this "Children's literature" as if it were "Little Red Riding Hood" or something of that ilk.

If by that he means a simple story, a feel-good story meant to make us all sit down and shout "Kumbaya" in unison, then he is not only stupid but a boor.

[Luna]

Did this guy go to college and become a professor just to be this stupid?

Lord of the Rings is not children's literature. But it's a heck of a good story about Good fighting against Evil and WINNING!!!!!

Appeasement never overcame evil, Mr. Enlightened Professor. Read the books of Isaiah and Revelation. Lots in there about God destroying Babylon (evil), not appeasing it.