The Hobbit Blog Assignment

In The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Gandalf labels Bilbo Baggins as “only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all.” Although Bilbo contributed a significant amount to the dwarves’ journey, his natural instinct was to stay in his hobbit hole where he was most comfortable. Bilbo usually refrained from any type of adventure and was perfectly content to be lost among all of the other hobbits. For myself, I would not be happy to be “only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all.” Individuality is more important to me than complying with the rules of society, as Bilbo had to do in order to earn the respect he held around his community. I would want to make an impact on the lives of people around me and be remembered when I’m gone. Even if the adventures that I may have in the future are not as great as Bilbo’s turned out to be, I want to be able to explore my interests and be my own person. I want to be able to see the world and experience different cultures and different societies than my own. For me to be able to blend in to the people around me and to be “only quite a little fellow,” I wouldn’t be able to show the person that I am. I’m not afraid to share my opinions and beliefs, and not showing what I believe in and the things that I’m passionate about would be robbing myself of any exceptionality that I may have. While I would be content to make a great impact on only a few people in my life, I would ultimately want to make a difference in the world that would affect many people for the better. After I have accomplished my goals and lived a full life, I want to be able to examine my days and know that I was not “only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all.”