Body Art and the Catholic Church
I have always wondered if the Catholic church approved of tattooing and body piercing. I am not the type of person that most people think of when they think of tattooed or pierced individual. When I tell people that I have tattoos, people always say “but you don’t seem like the kind of person who would get a tattoo.” I personally do not believe that certain kinds of people get tattoos and I wondered what my religion would think of my “art.” I have gone to a Catholic church my whole life; I am actually very active in my church. I teach a four year old CCD (or Catholic Sunday school) class and I used to play my flute in the choir. CCD registrations this year made my mind burn with this unanswered question. Do I need to cover up my tattoo while I am teaching?
Now most people don’t think that I have as many modifications as I do. If you look at my ears, they are actually pierced eight times, and counting my navel ring and eyebrow ring, that makes ten. I also have two tattoos. One tattoo is on my lower back. The tattoo is a small penguin. He is about two inches tall. The other takes up almost all of the side of my right foot. My best friend designed this one for me; it is an orange flower with tribal designs and vines coming from both sides of it. I am very proud of my tattoos, because they mean something to me and represent something about myself. Because I am a fairly shy person, my tattoos (or navel piercing) are not revealed unless someone asks to see them. When I got all of my modifications done, I never considered my religion. I believe that if I am a good person who loves God, my tattoos will not matter. Now that I have a visible tattoo on my foot, I wondered if all of my dress shoes will...
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...hink even though there is nothing in the church laws that forbids body modifications (Larratt), these modifications are frowned upon by many religious people. I think that I will cover my tattoos, for now, so that I do not upset any of the other parishioners, but I will not ever question the morality of my choices in body modifications!
Works Cited
Joseph, Father Peter. “The Morality of Tattoos and Body Piercing.” The Latin Mass- A Journal of Catholic Culture. Summer 2002. 18 October 2004 <http://www.latinmassmagazine.com/articles/articles_2002_SU_Joseph.html>.
Larratt, Shannon. “Does God Hate Your Tattoos?” BMEzine. 2 November 2003. 19 October 2004 <http://www.bmezine.com/news/pubring/20031102.html>.
“Tattoos, anyone?” Online Posting. 12 July 2004. Catholic Answers Forum. 20 October 2004 <http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=83627>.
First Bilbo encounters the difficult decision whether to leave the hole he lives safely in, or to take a risk. On page 7,
In chapter four a massive storm hits and the dwarves and Bilbo find cover in a cave, which actually belong to a group of goblins. Durin...
After escaping from Smaug’s wrath, Bilbo finally has a revelation and realizes who he is and his ability to be useful, even if he can’t fight well. Bilbo returns with a ring of invisibility, and 1/14th of the gold found on the expedition. What Bilbo was most excited to bring back to the Shire though, was an epic tale. He settles in his hobbit hole as a better character, who left behind his hesitancy in favor of courage. Bilbo grows as a hero, and learns how strong one can be without being a fighter.
Tolkien to be very good. He develops the story gradually, building up to the climax, and changing the main characters attitude. In the beginning Bilbo, the main character, starts as a very timid hobbit who knows nothing beyond his home, and is overwhelmed by the appearance of the twelve dwarves sudden appearance to his house. Although he grudgingly agrees to join them in their quest, he is very unhappy, and conveys it through this quote: “I wish I was home by the fire, with the kettle just beginning to sing!” This shows how unhappy Bilbo was at the beginning of the story. Over the course of the story, J.R.R. Tolkien develops Bilbo into a brave character who had proved himself through his many acts of bravery. In conclusion, the author did an excellent job developing Bilbo as a
Vail, D. A. (1999). Tattoos Are Like Potato Chips ... You Can't Have Just One: The Process Of Becoming And Being A Collector. Deviant Behavior, 20(3), 253-273. Retrieved November 29, 2013, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/016396299266498
One of the recurring themes throughout The Hobbit is Tolkien’s manifestation of morality through his inherently good and evil characters. Although, some characters narrowly balance the line of good and evil through portraying characteristics such as greed, the hobbits represent naturally altruistic and peaceful characters. The protagonist Bilbo’s rational nature and willingness to compromise through his selfless transfer of the Arkenstone to Bard and the Elvenking further highlights Tolkien’s portrayal of a simple and sensible twentieth century Englishmen in a fantastical setting. Even though he risks his promised sum of the treasures, Bilbo chooses to work as a peacekeeper to opt for a more sensible way of solving a problem. Therefore, the dialogue between Bilbo, Bard, and the Elevenking is a manifestation by Tolkien of the moral high ground of hobbits and their rational and peacekeeping nature, which impresses the men and elves to award their trust and honor to the hobbit.
Bilbo Baggins is half the size of a human and lives in his hobbit hole. He is beardless and has hairy feet. Hobbits don’t like to have adventures not like dwarves who love to have adventures. One day he is visited by Gandalf a wizard and his dwarves. They invite Bilbo to a great journey to take down Smaug the dragon. On their way to Lonely Mountain which is the dragon’s home. They first get attacked by trolls and it was a close call because sunlight turns the trolls into stone. He finds the key to their secret cave and finds himself a sword. Next Bilbo gets lost in some underground tunnels and finds a little creature that threatens him to eat him if he can’t figure out his riddles but if he does he shows him the way out.
“The Hobbit” was written by J. R. R. Tolkien and secured as a copyright in 1937. The story is about a short, peaceful creature named Bilbo Baggins who, like most hobbits, is about half as tall as a human, but not nearly as loud. Bilbo resides in his comfortable hole where he leads a very easy-going life. He does, however have a side to himself that wants to go out and explore the world and be adventurous. One day a wizard, named Gandalf, comes to Bilbo’s house and discovers that he could use an adventure to make a difference in his life. Bilbo declines Gandalf’s invitation, but gets dragged into an expedition when Gandalf hires Bilbo as a “Burglar” to join a group of dwarves. These dwarves, led by Thorin, are going to head to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim treasure stolen from their family by a fierce dragon, named Smaug. Throughout the quest, the party is faced with trouble from trolls, goblins, spiders, and many “evil” creatures. Bilbo is useful to the group because he can sneak around very quietly, and explore things without getting caught. This ability to sneak around is ever increased when he stumbles across a magic ring that makes him invisible. Using the ring, Bilbo comes across a way to kill the dragon and reclaim the treasure. He spreads word of Smaug’s weak spot and the dragon is killed, but not before an entire town is destroyed. When the treasure is reclaimed, there is much controversy over who gets to claim it. Thorin is, however, unwilling to share the treasure with anyone but the dwarves, and a war brews over it. The “good” creatures unite and defeat the “evil” creatures, but as a consequence Thorin is killed in battle. The treasure is then spread peacefully among the “good” creatures, including Bilbo, and he heads home. When he returns he finds that the other hobbits do no longer wish to interact with Bilbo because of his newfound adventurous ways. He doesn’t mind though, because he has gained many friends out of his expedition, who stop by frequently. The Hobbit is a great story for people who like to leave their present reality, and simply enter a world of fantasy.
The novel of The Hobbit is the story of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who lives in the town of Hobbiton. He lives a subdued, quiet life in his sophisticated home. Until one day, a knock on his door from the wizard, Gandalf, changes everything. Gandalf invites himself to tea and arrives with 13 dwarves, led by their leader, Thorin. They plan a voyage to recover treasure stolen from the dwarves by, Smaug, the dragon who now protects the loot inside of the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf claims Bilbo should fill the role of their burglar, for he is small and intelligent.
This memorable beginning to “The Hobbit” by J.R.R Tolkein immediately evokes an image of Bilbo Baggins of Bag End. As an upright middle-aged hobbit, he is settled into the slow pace of his life – until thirteen dwarves fall through his door and change him forever. Through the entire novel he is pushed to his limit until he is forced to change. However, despite how his character develops, he retains his original morals, which help define his life-altering friendship with Thorin Oakenshield, Dwarf Prince and King under the Mountain.
Mirkwood is not the place to be, ever. One step off the trail could result in forever wandering, or even death. But with his newly earned elven blade and magic ring, Bilbo has found a new definition of bravery. It is made, not born. With the threat of the dragon looming in the distance, no one really looks forward to anything. The days drag on, and nothing seems to lift the dreary spirits. Over a few hours, a light keeps appearing in the distance. The dwarves foolishly chase after it, leaving the path. The Mirkwood spiders come upon them, and all are bound except for our little hobbit. He cleverly slips on the ring and releases the dwarves. They proceed only to be captured again by Wood-elves, a fair folk of the east. The long rivalry between elves and dwarves leads Thranduil, elvenking, to treat the dwarves unkindly. Bilbo, however has his newfound sense of bravery and adventure, and frees the dwarves thanks to his sneaking about with the ring. The dwarves, with Bilbo, escape by barrel, sent to Lake-Town. This clever plan is thought of by Bilbo, with his newfound wit. Waterlogged, but very much alive, the dwarves are out of Mirkwood. All thanks to the new Bilbo, with a new
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit, one who enjoys peace and quiet, feasts and fireplaces, and the coziness of his home. At the beginning the The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Bilbo could not even imagine going on a tenacious adventure, but by the end he has survived the longest, toughest battle yet. Throughout the novel Bilbo Baggins changes from a prudent, typical hobbit into a courageous, sacrificing adventurer.
Tattoos and body modifications have been around for many generations. They first began in 3370 BC and were used by Europeans and Egyptians. Both tattoos and body modifications are defined as a cultural representation of self-expression and sometimes even religion. In the article “Tattoos and Piercing: Issues of Body Modification and the Workplace,” Dr. Elzweig states, “Although tattooing is not a new phenomenon, the number of people who have tattoos has increased significantly and continues to rise. Life magazine estimated in 1936 that only 10% of me American population was tattooed in whole or in part (One out of ten Americans is tattooed, 1936)” (Elweig, Peeples).
Bilbo begins his long journey with the dwarves, who at the time were still skeptical of Bilbo’s abilities. The dwarves didn’t see why they needed such a small incompetent hobbit with them along their journey. Gandalf tells them to stop complaining and to trust that there is more to Bilbo than meets the eye (Tolkien 6). Bilbo soon shows his courage and heroism for the first time in the story when they run into their first obstacle, three large trolls huddled around a campfire. Bilbo, who was once a shy, non-adventurous type, begins to develop into a hero as he tries to steal one of the trolls’ money purses. This is a dramatic scene in the novel because it was Bilbo’s very first act outside his comfort zone. It was this...
The book begins with Bilbo Baggins celebrating his one hundred and eleventh birthday. Many "Hobbits" show up at his party including his third cousin, Frodo, which is the main character of the novel and a powerful wizard named Gandalf. Biblo possed a powerful ring known as the "Ruling Ring" which gives "Supreme Power" to whoever has possession of it. At the end of the party, Bilbo uses his magical ring to turn invisible and stun his guests. Gandalf, the powerful wizard, then meets up with Biblo at his house and takes the ring from Bilbo, which is corrupting him. Gandalf examines it, realizing that the ring Bilbo has is the powerful "Ruling Ring". Knowing that the forces of evil are in search of the ring, Gandalf sends Frodo, a relative of Biblo, to destroy the ring in the only place it can be destroyed, "Mt. Doom". Overhearing the talk between Gandalf and Frodo, Sam, a "Hobbit", that is good friends with Frodo is forced on the quest to aid Frodo.