[Child of the 7th Age]

Everyone --

I've been thinking about the rescue of the hobbits as well as their current mentality. Please let me know what you think of this.

First, before the hobbits are rescued, there should be some small effort by them to 'fight back' against the system. In the Beleriand camps, the hobbits did several things of this type: 'covering' for sick hobbits, purposely misplacing tools, working as slowly as they could while still meeting minimum expectations. Remember that, even in this bleak situation, there are more hobbits than guards. The guards can not be everywhere at once.

I have the sense that the Numenor hobbits have come to view themselves solely as victims. For example, when Daisy comes, Gamba pumps her to find out just how fast the ships can arrive. He never raises the more important question: what can I do, what can we do, to help prepare for this rescue? Hobbit attitudes need to change. It's the only way they're going to regain self respect.

I see many spontaneous acts of individual kindness, but no hobbit has had the courage to think ahead and challenge the system. This is a mistake. Every instance of slavery, every prison camp ever devised, has had people inside willing to risk their necks and fight in subtle ways. The hobbits would have done the same.

Let me suggest a few ways we could realistically incorporate this in our story without making things drag on.

Helen -- I think a lot of this first centers on Gamba. He is no scholar but he has a heart of gold. And he's been beaten down to the point something has to happen to make him look up.

I beleve this will happen when he goes to work as an attendent in the Locks. He will notice how very hungry the prisoners in the Locks are. Daisy and Anee will be there just a few days, but others remain a few months for purposes of correction. Some with longer terms actually die from starvation. In this situation, I believe Gamba would go to his friends and ask for help scraping together food and smuggling it in. This is risky and it means sacrifce on the part of hobbits who don't have much to eat, but it's the decent thing to do.

Maybe Gamba's example will catch the eyes of the Elders or the Loremaster. Perhaps they will realize that, with all these hobbits being dragged off to sacrifice, there should be an organized effort to "cover" for those who are weak or ill. Why should they have to bear the brunt of the community's misfortune? And maybe they need to think about pairing up every "weak" one with somebody strong so they can make it out when the rescue happens.

Perhaps, too, the Elders will realize that they should offer to do more for the Star in bringing about the rescue. They may not have weapons but they have ingenuity. They have access to tools and fire. A few strategically set blazes just before the rescue will divert attention and make it easier for us to get inside.

Finally, there's the whole horrible issue of hobbit sacrifices. Bird and Daisy are sick about that! On a day to day basis, probably nothing can be done. But what about the last day, the afternoon before the actual rescue which will take place that night. I would love to see the hobbits stick it to Sauron just one time! Couldn't we ambush the guards and rescue the two prisoners and then hide them until the evening. It would only be a few hours. Again, the guards would be searching for whoever did this, and it might divert attention from the ships.

I don't think it would take more than a few posts to suggest things like this.

Esentially, what I'm saying is this. Until now, the only source of hobbit hope has been those lovely songs. But it's time to go beyond this. Action itself can be a bridge to hope. Why can't that happen here, as long as we are realistic and modest in our aims?

sharon