Abby Epplett, Historian

Universally disliked by the Free People of Middle-earth, Orcs seemed to exist only to kill and destroy, and yet these people presented a moral dilemma: if orcs were truly evil and not human, they deserved death; however, if they showed an understanding of good and evil, even if they repeatedly did wrong, then targeting them was a race-based genocide. Tolkien was uncomfortable with the concept of his heroes being racist towards their enemies, yet the heroes were frequently racist towards each other, so this was not what set apart their treatment of orcs. The key difference was that orcs could be killed without repercussions. While Elves participated in kinslayings, Dwarves and Elves fought each other, and Men joked about hunting Hobbits, these actions were eventually seen as reprehensible, while the mass killing of orcs was viewed as acceptable, even a game.

My bonus stop during my trip last Saturday — July 6, 2024 — was Attleboro Art Museum, a single gallery exhibition space down the street from the Attleboro Area Industrial Museum . Most pieces in the museum were for sale, so if you have the money, purchasing artwork is a great way to support emerging artists. The exhibit on display at the time of my visit was called Morning Noon Night . My favorite piece in the exhibit was a Juror’s Award Winner called “Orange Watercolor” by Natalie McGuire of Saint Paul, MN. I loved how her customized mosaic picture frame extended the landscape appearing in her colorful photograph of sunset by a lake. Another unique piece was “Wild Swans” by Hannah Cole Dahar of Manchester, NH, which showed phases of the moon on one side of the hanging circle and zodiac symbols surrounding a princess on the opposite side. Dahar claimed she was inspired by the Grimm’s Fairy tale The Wild Swans , but that version had six swan brothers. The twelve sw...