XPost: alt.books.cs-lewis, rec.arts.books.tolkien   
   From: the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm   
      
   On Sun, 09 Oct 2005 23:29:07 GMT in rec.arts.books.tolkien,   
   Christopher Kreuzer favored us with...   
   > Stan Brown  wrote:   
   > > On Sun, 9 Oct 2005 10:54:08 +0000 (UTC) in rec.arts.books.tolkien,   
   > > Zip favored us with...   
   > >> In trying to figure out why Elrond did not simply force Isildur to   
   > >> throw the ring into the flames of Mount Doom, one can only conclude   
   > >> that the influence of the ring was so strong, that he could not   
   > >> bring himself to stop Isildur from walking off with it... Afterall,   
   > >> the Ring of Power protects itself by ingratiating itself with the   
   > >> owner and the others near it...   
   > >   
   > > I don't agree.   
   > >   
   > > It seems equally plausible to me that Elrond and Cirdan did not   
   > > compel Isildur because they valued the autonomy of the person.   
   >   
   > I agree, though I'd ask if by that you mean 'free will'?   
      
   Not precisely. But in another thread that I've just now read, Troels   
   quoted a Letter that says what I'm trying to say: the autonomy of the   
   person is the opposite of _power_ over that person, and "('power' is   
   an ominous and sinister word in all these tales, except as applied to   
   the gods)."   
      
   --   
   Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Cortland County, New York, USA   
                                     http://OakRoadSystems.com   
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)