Miscellaneous

Barack the White?

QL friend, Jonathan V. Last (from the illustrious Galley Slaves), made a very interesting observation in the Weekly Standard this week, and it's worth sharing for our Lord of the Rings fans:

Tolkien was obsessed with the power of voice throughout his Lord of the Rings series, particularly in the person of Saruman the White. Saruman's voice is so powerful, we're told, that it is able to suggest and shape the actions and thoughts of men. Here's Tolkien's description of "The Voice of Saruman":

low and melodious, its very sound an enchantment . . . it was a delight to hear the voice speaking, all that it said seemed wise and reasonable, and desire woke in them by swift agreement to seem wise themselves . . . for those whom it conquered the spell endured while they were far away and ever they heard that soft voice whispering and urging them.

Listening to Barack Obama speak, for example at his victory speech tonight, it strikes me that this passage might just as easily describe him.

I guess, then, that Hillary's voice is like Gollum's: Hoarse, garbled, screechy, and desperate, with a slight note of evil beneath. "My... preciousssss."

Full post as published by Quiz Law on February 21, 2008 (boomark / email).