1. I immediately connect Pippin's sudden change to Sam's choices at the
end of Book IV. Both go through dramatic transformations.
2. Yes, I also saw a contrast between Denethor going to the destruction
of Minas Tirith and Aragorn going on the path to its salvation (see my answer
to the questions in the post below!)
3. The pacing and energy of the prose in this section really makes the
reader tense! I like the way he makes us identify with Pippin and feel
his tension and fear. The choppy sentence structure almost mimics the
hobbits' breathlessness and his pounding
heartbeat!
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Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.
