Chomsky: If we're going to get into the socio-economic reasons why certain structures develop in certain cultures… it's mainly geographical. We have Orcs in Mordor — trapped, with no mineral resources — hemmed in by the Ash Mountains, where the "free peoples" of Middle Earth can put a city, like Osgiliath, and effectively keep the border closed.I missed the opening segment so there were a few minutes of confusion until I caught on.
Zinn: Don't forget the Black Gate. The Black Gate, which, as Tolkien points out, was built by Gondor. And now we jump to the Orcs chopping down the trees in Isengard.
Chomsky: A terrible thing the Orcs do here, isn't it? They destroy nature. But again, what have we seen, time and time again?
Zinn: The Orcs have no resources. They're desperate.
Chomsky: Desperate people driven to do desperate things.
Zinn: Desperate to compete with the economic powerhouses of Rohan and Gondor.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A People's History of Middle Earth
KPBX had a reading last night of a piece from McSweeney's Internet Tendancy
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At first, I was really digging it. Then this...
Zinn: And the writing on the ring, we learn here, is Orcish — the so-called "black speech." Orcish is evidently some spoliation of the language spoken in Rohan. This is what Tolkien says.
Chomsky: From what I understand, Orcish is a patois that the Orcs developed during their enslavement by Rohan, before they rebelled and left.
Ahem.
I must inform you, the Black Speech is actually a spoliation of the language spoken in Rivendell. The Black Speech is based upon Elvish, as any true geek would already be aware. This improper categorization is a travesty, I assure you.
Worst linguistic misidentification of Orcish ever.
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