In J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” Thorin Oakenshield is constructed as proud yet honest, to show the reader that power can corrupt a good heart. Thorin proves himself through the novel to be proud yet brutally honest, and this characterisation is shown in many situations during “The Hobbit”. Thorin displays positive attributes such as honesty. Even though he places himself above others, he admits to his weaknesses and apologises for his wrongdoings. Thorin’s honesty is initially displayed in the forest of Mirkwood; “I should have thought it was thirty at least, but my eyes don’t see as well as they used a hundred years ago,” p177. This displays through dialogue that Thorin is willing to admit to weakness, and therefore not only being honest
In The Fellowship of the Ring and in the Star Wars trilogy, Frodo Baggins and Luke Skywalker, the archetypal heroes, demonstrate the heroic quality of selflessness for Frodo when he leaves the Shire then when he takes up the ring at Rivendell and finally when he attempts to leave Mordor by himself, and Luke shows selflessness when he goes to save Leia and then when he joins the Rebel Alliance and finally when he goes to redeem his father. Both Frodo and Luke demonstrate selflessness in their respective worlds with Frodo when he leaves the Shire and when Luke goes to save Leia. Leaving the Shire and accepting the mission that Gandalf gives him to bring the ring to Rivendell, Frodo shows his selflessness. He admits what he is stating “‘I am
In Beowulf, the essence left behind by a true hero is extremely important. In epics such as this one, leaders tend to have the determination and boldness of a hero. On the other hand, the main character, Beowulf, does not only display these certain traits. In this heroic poem, respect and trust come naturally. Honor and integrity are present throughout the poem. There are many moments in Beowulf that manifest the many traits that a person should have. This proves how important these attributes are to the characters and the Anglo-Saxon society. Although Beowulf has no known author, it embodies many of the beliefs and morals of the early Germanic society. The author of this epic poem uses many approaches in order to demonstrate that respect and trust are fundamental characteristics of a leader and hero.
Learning Module Seven - “Human Action” Myth in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
In Tolkien’s lecture, “Beowulf: The monsters and the Critics,” he argues that Beowulf has been over analyzed for its historical content, and it is not being studied as a piece of art as it should be. He discusses what he perceives the poet of Beowulf intended to do, and why he wrote the poem the way he did. Tolkien’s main proposition, “it was plainly only in the consideration of Beowulf as a poem, with an inherent poetic significance, that any view or conviction can be reached or steadily held” (Tolkien). He evaluates why the author centers the monsters throughout the entire poem, why the poem has a non-harmonic structure, why and how the author fusses together Christianity and Paganism, and how the author uses time to make his fictional poem seem real. He also discusses the overall theme of Beowulf and other assumptions of the text. To support his viewpoints, Tolkien uses quotations and examples from the poem, quotations from other critics, and compares Beowulf to other works of art. Tolkien discusses several statements in interpreting Beowulf as a poem.
Right from the beginning of “Horror and the Maternal in Beowulf,” Paul Acker’s ambition in writing is clear. In the span of only a few sentences, he boldly refutes J.R.R. Tolkien’s interpretation of the monsters in Beowulf, stating “Tolkien also deflected certain avenues of interpreting the monsters” (702). This immediate claim, straight from the first paragraph of Acker’s essay, sets a tone for the rest of the paper, one that is plagued by unethical rhetorical strategies in order to satisfy its ambitions. Though Acker does present a fair argument in regards to his ideas and thesis, that same validity does not carry over to his rhetoric. I will argue that Acker constructs his essay in an unethical fashion, something which evidences itself
Humility is utilized throughout the film, especially through Beowulf's character, to evoke him as humble and human-like. From the start, Beowulf is portrayed as a strong warrior to the Geats and the Danes, but to the audience this great Geat warrior is introduced as a mere human with minor imperfections. His fellow warriors tell of his accomplishments and, at times, made up stories of him and his adventures to the Danes, however, are quickly downplayed by Beowulf himself. Unlike the poem, the Beowulf of the film expresses little to no boastful actions. He recognizes his strengths as for his weaknesses as well. As the protagonist, he feels no need to gloat, giving him a more humble approach that contradicts the boastful approach of the poem. This modern interpretation of Beowulf allows us to view him as imperfect and utilizes humility to give his character an opportunity to develop, as seen throughout the
Humans exist between two distinct beliefs, one being that of individualism where the person is only focused on benefiting their self and their tribe, and the other being altruistic where the priority is put on the betterment of the group at the downfall of the individual. In nature, animals only exist in the belief of self betterment but humans have the moral dilemma between self preservation and group preservation. Through new perspectives, this inner conflict can be transformed to become more altruistic or group minded. Whether that be through the journey of saving Middle Earth or the simple journey through high school. This theme is explored in J.R.R Tolkien's novel, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. This novel takes the reader through
The brawl experienced by the epics central character Beowulf test his ethics his aptitude to prevail over sinister forces. All the way through its authoritative use of metaphors and illustration, Beowulf sketches a transparent difference between good and evil. Moreover good always prevails over evil. The ...
“Out of the Great Sea to Middle-earth I am come. In this place will I abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world,” states Aragorn upon his victorious return to Minas Tirith (Tolkien 946). This moment marks the culmination of years of trial and toil for Aragorn as he strived to regain his kingship; yet, throughout his existence, he remained the epitome of the chivalric hero and maintained his kingly qualities in secrecy. In J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the character of Aragorn is just one of many examples of chivalry Tolkien utilizes to create his “mythology for England.” Tolkien also does not just limit himself to this one example of medievalism in his novels. The concept of feudalism is also present at pivotal moments of the novels and aids in structuring the governmental workings of Middle-earth. Both of these aspects of medieval England can be found in numerous places throughout Tolkien’s works including in the bonds between characters, in the heraldry of the various kingdoms, in the sacred ceremonies and high language of characters, and in the personalities and actions of the characters, themselves. Together, in The Lord of the Rings, these two aspects of medieval England blend together beautifully to create the sense of depth, history, and weight Tolkien strived to achieve in his works.
Tolkien, J.R.R.. “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
According to a study conducted by the University of Massachusetts, 60% of people cannot hold a ten-minute conversation without lying at least once (Benjamin). Whether these lies are crucial to the discussion or not, they can ultimately impact the outcomes people hope for. The Odyssey, written by Homer and translated by Robert Fitzgerald is a timeless tale full of dishonor and lies, many of which positively impact a man’s fate. The epic entails an archetypal hero, who is on the journey of a lifetime, fighting to get back to his home. Through his characters, Homer illustrates that lies and dishonesty is pivotal to many of the desirable outcomes found throughout the story.
They say “Honesty is the best policy”, but that isn’t necessarily true especially for those who lived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Honesty may have been a good trait for someone to have, but during the witch trials people rethought that. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller portrayed many people as good puritans. Always loyal and honest throughout their lives, and avoiding any sins that they possibly could. But there were people who had to sin to save their lives or even to save their reputation. Abigail Williams was just an young girl who turned to lying in order to save herself during the Salem Witch Trials. At the same time, Elizabeth Proctor was not agreeing with the witch business that she was accused of. You could tell lies during this time, and no one would think that you were turning too sins because the entire town was becoming obsessed about all those accused of possible witchcraft. While some were being accused, others were avoiding the truth when confessing. Like when Abigail never confessed to drinking blood when she was with Tituba and Betty. In The Crucible, Honesty was portrayed
One way he does this is at the end, after Thorin died. When Dain was dividing up the gold he said to Bilbo, “‘this treasure is as much yours as it is mine; thought old agreements cannot stand, since so many have a claim in it’s winning and defense. Yet even though you were willing to lay aside all your claim, I should wish that the words of Thorin, of which he repented, shall not prove true: that we should give you little. I would reward you most richly of all’”(265). Even though Thorin made some poor choices and was very greedy, Dain still wanted to honor him by rewarding Bilbo. Dain may have wanted that gold more than anyone else, yet he was willing to set his greed aside. This was because even though Thorin was horrible, Dain took pity on Thorin and thought that he should still respect the dead. Bard and the Elvenking were also used to show empathy on Thorin. Bard and the Elvenking, Thranduil, were about to go to war with Thorin, but they set that aside and banded together to fight against the goblins and wargs. “[…] the Goblins were the foes of all, and at their coming all other quarrels were forgotten” (256). Bard and Thranduil absolutely hated Thorin, and it was Thorin’s fault that they did, but they were willing to forgive him for the greater good. It actually just means that they hated Thorin less than goblins, but they were still willing to forgive him after all he’s done. But even
Through out history people have been influenced by what they want to hear and the way a current trend is happening. The evolution of mankind has drifted towards a different society than what we where born to sustain. We are emotionally driven human beings that want to feel accepted by the rules of society. Sometimes an individual can confuse actions or emotions towards trying to fulfill the standards society has imposed. I have analyzed two articles that incorporate how a society reacts towards integrity as well as honesty and the belief that an individual in order to be a part of society one must comply with the standards that are set. As I began to interpret what Stephen L. Carter explained in “The Insufficiency of Honesty” I examined they
Honesty is a characteristic that everyone should possess. However, being honest is a difficult task for many people. Living honestly means allowing a person’s true self to be exposed to others. Honesty is considered owning up to one’s wrongdoings and not lying, cheating, or stealing. Being honest is a trait that many people believe is obsolete. Even though every person interprets honesty differently, it all stems back to telling the truth. Being honest allows a person to earn respect from their peers. Honesty is allowing oneself to be completely exposed by being truthful.