Sushkin Denis
Supervisor - Narmukhametova
N.M.
Eurasian National
University named after L.N. Gumilev
“Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing
among Elves and Dwarves and another among Men. It is a man’s part to discern
them, as much in the Golden Wood as in his own house”
Once we journeyed in the
rich soil of Sire and Narnia and high towers of Minas Tirith and Cair Paravel,
we discover that many our notions of what is good and right and noble in this
world have their source in those ones. In Middle-earth and Narnia we found a
training ground, a place where we can apprentice to those whose gifts of
charity, wisdom, kindness, mercy, love and faithfulness fair surpass our own.
Here is
no greater treasure than friends. Both, Narnia and Middle-Earth, are
abundant with this. For example, Frodo is fortunate to find he has several such
treasures and that three of them refuse to be left behind. Merry, Pippin and Sam are not perfect friends. They
poke their noses into Frodo's personal affairs; they spy on him, scheme behind
his back and entirely fail to abide by his wishes. "My dear old hobbit,
you don't allow for the inquisitiveness of friends," says Merry when their
conspiracy is unmasked. To Frodo's amazement, they know all about his decision
to leave the Shire and even about the Ring. They are, however, resolved to
guard his secrets more closely than he has himself. They are better than
perfect; they are true.
In its highest form sacrifice is an extraordinary and those who attain it are called martyrs. But there is a more
ordinary expression of this virtue that is nonetheless extremely powerful and
often invisible. Anything worthwhile
requires this kind of sacrifice. Whether it's leaving home to go on a mission
trip, taking time out of a busy schedule to do volunteer work or staying at
home to raise children, relinquishing things that are important for the sake of things that seem more important is the only
way for the world to become a better place. The hobbits leave behind everything that is dear
and familiar, all that they have known of the world. Boromir, Legolas and Gimli
leave behind homelands that are under threat of war. Aragorn has been
postponing for years a love affair with Arwen, whom he leaves behind at
Rivendell, all children who come to Narnia is risking their life for the sake
of this land, Reepichip, the
bravest of mice, who is always ready to give anything for his
friends, great lion Aslan gave his
life to save Edmund’s life, a child who betrayed everybody.
Battle most often associated with courage, but in
battle courage is often the only alternative
to death. In some ways it takes more courage simply to show up.
Reading a good story puts us in the place of the characters. When we are
immersed, fully immersed, and one of the charaeters we are reading about
displays great courage, it can seem as if we ourselves are being courageous.
One of the best examples is Merry confronting the king of the Nazgul. Theoden
crying, "Up Eorlingas! Fear no darkness!" The Nazgul "turning
hope to despair, and victory to defeat." Merry "crawling on all fours
like a dazed beast." Dernhelm, "faithful beyond fear; and he wept,
for he had loved his lord as a father." The laughter that revealed
Dernhelm to be Eowyn, and the amazement that caused Merry to open his eyes,
after which "pity filled his heart and great wonder, and suddenly the
slow-kindled courage of his race awoke. He clenched his hand. She should not
die, so fair, so desperate! At least she should not die alone, unaided."
The shattered shield, the broken arm, the dual sword-strokes, and the dreadful
shriek of the vanquished Ringwraith. It is the greatest deed of any save the
Ring-bearers. "And there stood Meriadoc the hobbit in the midst of the
slain blinking like an owl in the daylight, for tears blinded him"
Justice is the virtue of
rendering unto others their due. Gollum owes his life to Sam and Frodo, the
people of the West owe honor and gratitude to the same, and the Steward of Gondor
owes allegiance to the King. Justice is also concerned with punishment,
vengeance and condemnation, but only those who are innocent can render such
judgments. When Aragorn leads seven thousand to Mordor and some become faint of
heart, he takes pity on them and sets them to a different task, to lessen their
shame. In that dark hour, when he needs them, he nonetheless will not force
anyone to follow him. The lords of the free wish freedom for all, just as the
lords of the slaves desire slavery for all.
Person who can judge
himself as easyly and fare as he judge others is worthy the highest honor. AS
King Tirian do. After killing unawares enemies he diceded to come back and give
up his sword and put himself in the hands of those Calormenes and ask that they
bring him before Aslan, let Aslan do justice on him.
And we can continue
collecting such examples of virtues. Tolkien and Lewis filled magic worlds with
concepts of righteousness that they saw around in their lives.virtues of
fictional charectgers have little power to instill those virtues in us. Yet
good books can give us a template, a way of understanding the world, so that
when our time of testing comes, when the deed is set before usthat we alone
have been called to do, we will know the choices we face. But as when Sam is
defending Frodo from Shelob, when he rushes up to find the enormous spider
gloating over his master, he “did not wait to wonder what was to be done, or
whether he was brave, or loyal, or filled with rage. He sprang forward with a
yell, and seized his master's sword in his left hand. Then he charged. No
onslaught more fierce was ever seen in the savaue world of beasts, where some
desperate small creature armed with little teeth, alone, will spring upon a
tower of horn and hide that stands above its fallen mate”
References
1.
C. S. Lewis On Stories
and Other Essays on Literature. Ed. Walter Hooper. San Diego: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1982
2.
Mark Eddy Smith, Tolkien’s ordinary
virtues,InterVarsity press, 2002
3.
Christopher, Joe R. C.
S. Lewis. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1987
4. Tree and Leaf,
J.R.R. Tolkien (George Allen & Unwin: Great Britain, 1964)..