Reading J.R.R. Tolkien (Chapter 1, Part 3)

Let’s play a game while reading! Follow the reaction of the guests at what is happening at the party! Draw a happy smiley J near the paragraph where people are happy to hear smth. Draw a sad smiley L when they do not like what is happening. What smiley do you think is the best for the end of this part of the story? Now take your pen and let’s follow the emotions!!!

Start here:

There was a perfect supper for everyone.

Some people were invited to the special family dinner-party. This was held in the great pavilion with the tree. The invitations were limited to twelve dozen (144 people); and the guests came from all the families to which Bilbo and Frodo were related, with the addition of a few special unrelated friends (such as Gandalf). Many young hobbits were also there, and their parents did not mind them sitting up late, especially when there was a chance of getting them a free meal. The Sackville-Bagginses were not forgotten. Otho and his wife Lobelia were present. They disliked Bilbo and Frodo, but so wonderful was the invitation card, written in golden ink, that they could not refuse. Besides, their cousin, Bilbo, had been specializing in food for many years and his table had a high reputation.

All the one hundred and forty-four guests expected a pleasant feast; though they did not feel like listening tothe after-dinner speech of their host (which was a traditional thing). He liked to read long poems; and sometimes, after a glass or two, would keep talking about his absurd adventures. The guests were not disappointed: they had a very pleasant feast. After the feast came the Speech. Most of the company now were having their favourite drinks, and did not mind listening to Bilbo. ‘ My dear People’, began Bilbo, rising in his place. ' Hear! Hear! Hear! ' everyone shouted, and kept on repeating it all together, so that nobody could really hear anything. Bilbo left his place and went and stood on a chair under the illuminated tree. The light of the lanterns fell on his smiling face; the golden buttons shone on his waistcoat. They could all see him standing, waving one hand in the air, the other was in his trouser-pocket.

‘My dear Bagginses and Boffins, he began again; and my dear Tooks and Brandybucks, and Grubbs, and Chubbs, and Burrowses, and Hornblowers, and Bolgers, Bracegirdles, Goodbodies, Brockhouses and Proudfoots…’ ' ProudFEET! ', shouted an elderly hobbit from the back of the pavilion. His name, of course, was Proudfoot, and everyone knew it; his feet were large, very furry, and both were on the table.

‘ Proudfoots’, repeated Bilbo. ‘ Also my good Sackville-Bagginses that I welcome back at last to Bag End. Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday: I am eleventy-one today! ’ 'Hurray! Hurray! Many Happy Returns!' they shouted, and they hammered happily on the tables. They liked what Bilbo was saying – it was short and everyone could understand it. ‘ I hope you are all enjoying yourselves as much as I am. ’ The hobbits’ reaction was loud:

there were cries of Yes (and No); noises of different musical instruments; hundreds of musical crackers had been pulled. (There were, as has been said, many young hobbits present). Indeed, in one corner some of the young Tooks and Brandybucks thought that Bilbo had finished talking (since he had already said all that was necessary), now organized sort of an orchestra, and started playing a merry dance-tune. Some people even got on a table and with bells in their hands began to dance.

But Bilbo had not finished. He took a horn from a young hobbit sitting nearby and blew it loudly three times. They stopped making noise. ‘ I shall not keep you long ’, he cried. This made everyone happy. ‘ I have called you all together for a Purpose ’. Something in the way that he said this made an impression. There was almost silence.

‘ Indeed, for Three Purposes! First of all, to tell you that I am really fond of you all, and that eleventy-one years is too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits’.

These words made everyone even happier. ‘ I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve ’. This was unexpected and rather difficult. There was some clapping here and there, but most of the guests were trying to understand what Bilbo meant and whether it came to a compliment.

‘ Secondly, to celebrate my birthday ’. Happy cheers again. ‘ I should say: OUR birthday. Because it is, of course, also the birthday of my nephew, Frodo. He comes of age today. ’ Some clapping by the adults; and some loud shouts of 'Frodo! Frodo! Jolly old Frodo,' from the juniors. ‘ It is also, if I may be allowed to refer to history, the anniversary of my arrival at Esgaroth on the Long Lake; though I somehow overlooked the fact that it was my birthday then. I was only fifty-one, and birthdays did not seem so important. The banquet was superb, however, though I had a bad cold at the time, I remember, and could only say 'thag you very buch'. I now repeat it more correctly: Thank you very much for coming to my little party ’. There was silence. They all feared that a song or some poetry was now coming; and they were getting bored. Why couldn't he stop talking and let them drink his health?

But Bilbo did not sing or recite. He paused for a moment. ‘ Thirdly and finally ’, he said, ‘ I wish to make an ANNOUNCEMENT ’. He spoke this last word so loudly and suddenly that everyone sat up (who still could). ‘ I regret to announce that - though, as I said, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to spend among you - this is the END. I am going. I am leaving NOW. GOOD-BYE! ’ He stepped down and disappeared.

There was a blinding flash of light, and the guests all blinked. When they opened their eyes Bilbo was nowhere to be seen.

Let’s do some research! Look up the following words and expressions in your dictionary: 1. To limit smth 2. To be related to smb 3. To mind smth/doing smth 4. Sit up late 5. To refuse 6. Feast 7. To feel like doing smth 8. Host 9. Disappointed 10. Wave one’s hand 11. To hammer 12. Indeed 13. Horn 14. I shall not keep you long 15. Purpose 16. To clap 17. Anniversary 18. Announcement (from the verbto announce) 19. To blink