Chapter 14- Fire and Water

[Pattertwigs Pal]

1. What do you think about the master of the Town as a leader? What are his strengths as weaknesses?

2. Compare and Contrast Bard and the Master of the Town. (areas to consider: cleverness, leadership skills, bravery, etc.)

3. The people initially react to Smaug's arrival by thinking the river is running with gold. If they had a more stable grasp on metal proprieties, do you think they could have better prepared for Smaug's arrival?

4. Why were the men of the race of Dale able to understand the language of the birds?

5. What do you think Tolkien meant when he wrote that "Smaug shot spouting into the air"?

[Meltintalle]

1. The Master actually reminds me (just a tiny bit) of Saruman. He has a persuasive way of speaking when he needs to. But his weakness would be that he doesn't try to do anything about the problems; he wants others to take care of him.

2. Bard, on the other hand, gets stuff done. He doesn't make an open breach with the Master, because that would make it harder to do what he needs to do, and he's just out doing good for the people of the town when if anyone deserved to lay back in a tent and have hot food brought... it'd be him.

3. Maybe? I'm a bit confused about how the attack on the town worked. They dropped the bridge, so Smaug couldn't walk across... which makes sense... but why didn't he just land? Why did he have to resort to aerial flyovers?

4. ...for the same reason Beorn can turn into a bear?

5. Blood and fire were gushing out, I suppose.

[GlimGlum]

2. Compare and Contrast Bard and the Master of the Town. (areas to consider: cleverness, leadership skills, bravery, etc.)

I think the Master is a slimy political type who knows how to manipulate people and tickle their ears. And he is definitely clever enough to be able to maintain his position of power by quickly refocusing the people's attention away from himself. Not really a brave type as he sought to save himself amidst the confusion during Smaug's attack.

Bard is true, loyal, strong, and brave. And he is a doer and natural leader. Go Bard. :ymapplause:

[ValiantArcher]

1. He's a pretty bad leader; he's selfish and cowardly.

2. See Glimmie's and Mel's posts.

3. Em, no. I don't think much could've prepared them for the arrival of Smaug.
Mel, was there enough ground for Smaug to land? Without looking at the book, I'm not sure that there would've been much support for a dragon and there probably weren't open spaces. Smaug landing would've destroyed the town, but probably also dumped him in the lake.

4. Perhaps it had been passed down to them, either by teaching or just an ability through blood. Then again, Mel's answer makes sense too.

5. Steam spout, like a tea kettle! Em, what Mel said---probably blood and fire pouring out.

[Pattertwigs Pal]

1. What do you think about the master of the Town as a leader? What are his strengths as weaknesses? He reminds me of Gumpus. His strengths lie in the business realms. He also knows how to read his people and act accordingly (i.e. putting up with Thorin because the people were in favor of it). He is able to manipulate the people so they forget about making Bard King and forget about being angry with him. His weaknesses are in dealing with catastrophe. He cares more about himself than his people. He is a coward.

2. Compare and Contrast Bard and the Master of the Town. (areas to consider: cleverness, leadership skills, bravery, etc.)Both Bard and the Master are smart. Bard knows what needs to be done and does it. He is smart enough not to try to take complete control. He does everything in the master's name. Bard is brave; the master is not. Bard cares about the people; the master cares only about himself and his position. Bard is the better leader because he can keep cool under fire. When things go wrong is when a leader is most needed. I don't think Bard would have been recognized as a good leader unless Smaug had attacked. The people don't seem to take him seriously. I doubt he could out talk the master in a debate.

3. The people initially react to Smaug's arrival by thinking the river is running with gold. If they had a more stable grasp on metal proprieties, do you think they could have better prepared for Smaug's arrival? If they had a more stable grasp on life they might have been better prepared. The saw gold, etc. because they wanted to see it. It probably would have helped if they had a better sense of metal properties. I suspect they were taking the description much too literally. Smaug travels fast so I don't know how much more time they would have had to prepare.

4. Why were the men of the race of Dale able to understand the language of the birds? I like your answer Mel. There are a lot of plausible reasons. Maybe the men of Dale helped the birds and were awarded the ability to understand them.

5. What do you think Tolkien meant when he wrote that "Smaug shot spouting into the air"?I think he meant Smaug shot into the air, spouting fire. Or it could mean Smaug shot [away], spouting fire into the air. He could be spouting blood along with or instead of fire.

[Meltintalle]

Without looking at the book, I'm not sure that there would've been much support for a dragon and there probably weren't open spaces. Smaug landing would've destroyed the town, but probably also dumped him in the lake.

OH! All of a sudden that makes so much more sense. I'd totally forgotten/blanked on the fact that the town was built on supports instead of being an island.

[ValiantArcher]

Yeah, it's a funny way to build a town (though it makes sense when one considers dragons!). In glancing over the book, it says that there's a large bridge from the land to the village, which is built "on huge piles made of forest trees", which I'm guessing to mean it had supports sunk regularly into the bottom of the lake instead of just being a floating town.

Tolkien says that there were the rotting remains of a greater town that could be seen when there was a drought; does anyone know if that town was destroyed when Smaug came or if it's completely unconnected? It couldn't be Dale, because Dale is closer to the Lonely Mountain and not actually on the Lake, right?

[Meltintalle]

Looking at the map and catching a reference to Dale being visible from the Mountain (see On the Doorstep)) I would draw the conclusion that the rotting town is Laketown 1.0.

[ValiantArcher]

That's what I was figuring, Mel, so thanks. But I guess my question now is, was Laketown 1.0 destroyed by Smaug or did some other catastrophe befall it?

[Ithilwen]

1. What do you think about the master of the Town as a leader? What are his strengths as weaknesses?

I think he's mostly flawed because he doesn't have a good moral character. His gift of speaking and sounding like a leader is probably his only good point.

2. Compare and Contrast Bard and the Master of the Town. (areas to consider: cleverness, leadership skills, bravery, etc.)

The Master is a coward, and Bard is brave. The Master probably looks more the part when it comes to the opulence that would go along with ruling a town. But Bard is the more trustworthy.

3. The people initially react to Smaug's arrival by thinking the river is running with gold. If they had a more stable grasp on metal proprieties, do you think they could have better prepared for Smaug's arrival?

There's only so much you can do against a dragon attack. The best they might have come up with is probably a good evacuation plan.

5. What do you think Tolkien meant when he wrote that "Smaug shot spouting into the air"?

I think it makes sense with an added comma. "Smaug shot, spouting into the air." Shot being a verb that means to fly very fast. Spouting being a verb that means to spout fire.


~Riella

[Varnafinde]

1. What do you think about the master of the Town as a leader? What are his strengths as weaknesses?

He's a great orator, and good at getting people to agree with him and to go along with his plans.

He seems to set his own interests above the interests of those he is supposed to lead and to be responsible for - this makes him a bad leader.

[Movie Aristotle]

3. Yes. The more time you have to prepare for something the better, generally. If the defenses were thoroughly ready then the men might have been more brave in battle at least. But the real point where they might have saved many was in a well thought-out evacuation plan. Although may of the lake town died in the battle, several died due to illness afterward. A few more precious minutes might have been enough for the women and children to grab all of the food and blankets they could carry and have them ready and waiting in the boats.