Blad The Inspirer
New Member
I really enjoyed the discussion in this week's lesson about the following quote: "Look not too far ahead! But go now with good hearts!"
When I looked at the quote this week, I couldn't help but look ahead to Sam in "The Black Gate is Closed", where the narrator says of him, "and after all he never had any real hope in the affair from the beginning; but being a cheerful hobbit he had not needed hope, as long as despair could be postponed." In this, I think Sam is the embodiment of what Elrond is talking about. He is not looking too far ahead (because if he were, the lack of amdir would really trouble him), but rather he is going forward with a good heart. He is able to do this not because he is in a cheerful mood (in fact, he seems kind of miserable), but because he is a cheerful hobbit. He has the ability to focus on his lack of rope or insufficient pipe-weed rather than the amdir-lessness of the larger quest.
In class, Boromir was mentioned as the member who was going forward with the closest thing to a "bad heart." Boromir is looking too far ahead. He, like Sam, doesn't seem to have any real hope in the affair, as evidenced by most of what he says throughout the Council. However, Boromir is not a "cheerful man," so he really needs that hope (amdir), whether or not his despair for the fate of Gondor can be postponed. He looked at Gandalf and Elrond doubtfully in the council, so he probably sees no amdir in the quest for Mount Doom, and his comment that "mayhap the Sword-that-was-Broken may still stem the tide" is far from optimistic.
So, it seems that maybe Boromir can't go with a good heart because he is not a cheerful man, and so he needs to seek out and find some amdir, but in order to do that he has to look far ahead. But who could expect Boromir to be a cheerful man, after what he has experienced? I know he mentioned having a brother... I wonder if that guy would have been able to avoid looking too far ahead by going with a good heart...
When I looked at the quote this week, I couldn't help but look ahead to Sam in "The Black Gate is Closed", where the narrator says of him, "and after all he never had any real hope in the affair from the beginning; but being a cheerful hobbit he had not needed hope, as long as despair could be postponed." In this, I think Sam is the embodiment of what Elrond is talking about. He is not looking too far ahead (because if he were, the lack of amdir would really trouble him), but rather he is going forward with a good heart. He is able to do this not because he is in a cheerful mood (in fact, he seems kind of miserable), but because he is a cheerful hobbit. He has the ability to focus on his lack of rope or insufficient pipe-weed rather than the amdir-lessness of the larger quest.
In class, Boromir was mentioned as the member who was going forward with the closest thing to a "bad heart." Boromir is looking too far ahead. He, like Sam, doesn't seem to have any real hope in the affair, as evidenced by most of what he says throughout the Council. However, Boromir is not a "cheerful man," so he really needs that hope (amdir), whether or not his despair for the fate of Gondor can be postponed. He looked at Gandalf and Elrond doubtfully in the council, so he probably sees no amdir in the quest for Mount Doom, and his comment that "mayhap the Sword-that-was-Broken may still stem the tide" is far from optimistic.
So, it seems that maybe Boromir can't go with a good heart because he is not a cheerful man, and so he needs to seek out and find some amdir, but in order to do that he has to look far ahead. But who could expect Boromir to be a cheerful man, after what he has experienced? I know he mentioned having a brother... I wonder if that guy would have been able to avoid looking too far ahead by going with a good heart...