J.R.R. Tolkien was one of the first authors to write about mythical creatures and beings in his epic novel, The Hobbit, which caused an uprising in tales of elves and other magical creatures. He made the characters come to life in a way that had never been done before. Tolkien did this through dwarves, dragons, wizards, trolls, goblins, eagles and most importantly elves. Tolkien’s elves were special. They had characteristics that no other elf had before his. This was probably why his books were so popular and well-known all across the world. Many people were inspired by Tolkien to write similar stories to his. Some examples are Harry Potter and How to Train Your Dragon. Both of these novels have gotten children talking about the mythical creatures …show more content…
Usually elves wear green, like in Elf: A Short Story of a Tall Tale,( Berenbaum, 6-7) but there can be many other differing colors too. In The Elves and the Shoemaker, the elves are naked. (Grimm, pdf) J.R.R Tolkien’s elves were not specified in the book, but Tolkien wrote to Houghton Mifflin saying, "…I must leave it in the hands of someone who can draw... I picture a fairly human figure ... fattish in the stomach, shortish in the leg. A round, jovial face; ears only slightly pointed and 'elvish'; hair short and curling (brown)." (JRRT - Letters #27, writing to Houghton Mifflin circa March-April 1938) Tolkien portrayed the elves as short and neatly shaven; unlike Bilbo the Hobbit, who has a very hairy …show more content…
They have to create tons of presents and deliver them all in one night. This sure does take a whole lot of dedication to their jobs and Santa. Buddy the Elf in the book Elf: A Short Story of a Tall Tale always wanted to help build things that the real elves could, but he was too big. (Berenbaum, 8-9) When the elves in The Elves and the Shoemaker (Grimm, pdf) saw that the shoemaker and his wife needed help making shoes, they jumped right in to help. It took them late hours in the night, even though the elves weren’t getting that much of a repayment for the good deeds they had done. In another way, the elves in The Hobbit did the same thing except this had a benefit on themselves. They helped fight against their sworn enemies, the goblins, to get their rightful share of the treasure the dragon had left behind. Even if they get nothing in return, the elves will always be there to help their friends and destroy their
Joseph Campbell developed a thorough explanation and guideline for hero mythology, how it is created and set up. This is called the Hero's Journey and it contains 12 steps, each describes the way a hero becomes/is created. Much like this transformation, redemption mythology follows a pattern with tactics similar to the Hero's Journey. These two sets of rules are both alike and different from each other.
Within J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Tolkien uses the character of Bilbo Baggins to reveal to the reader the constant struggle between heroic and anti-heroic qualities within Bilbo and ourselves.
This story begins with a small fellow by the name of Bilbo Baggins. This fantasy story was written in 1956 by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is about a hero’s journey through the dangers and wonders of Middle Earth. Although it was not meant to become such a well-known book, it is filled with much literature. Throughout the book, Tolkien uses literary devices such as repetition, similes, and metaphors to develop the theme of cunning and cleverness.
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.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, or simply J.R.R. Tolkien as he was commonly called, is the author of a widely known series of books which take place in the fictional land of Middle Earth. Of these books, the ones which garner the most attention are those of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and their prequel, The Hobbit. Seeing as these are novels of the fantasy genre it may come as no surprise that many of the characters or creatures described within their pages are those of fiction. Occasionally Tolkien would draw his characters from other sources or medieval texts. Halflings for example, or Hobbits as Tolkien called them, were a race of people short in stature but bold in spirit. Hobbits are often depicted as joyful high-spirited folk with little technology and a wide array of farming and gardening techniques. A good comparison might be Irishmen from the countryside. Hobbits serve as the main protagonists of the novels, alongside a choice group of men and dwarves. Opposing the hobbits in the Fellowship of the Ring and The Hobbit are the orcs and goblins of Mordor, Isengard, and the Misty Mountains. Orcs and goblins were mentioned in literature long before the days of Tolkien, but it was his work in these novels that rocketed them into the spotlight as a common enemy in literature, film, and even video games. The mindset of the orc is a foul, battle-centric one. There are quite a few examples and descriptors of Tolkien's orcs which inform the reader of their evil and malevolent ways. Despite this fact, orcs and goblins are not just faceless enemies. They are intelligent and interesting races with a complex back story and a strong social and moral system. Though to fully u...
Sullivan, C. W., III. "J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit: The Magic of Words." Touchstones: Reflections on the Best in Children's Literature. Children's Literature Association, 1985. 253-260. Rpt. in Novels for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski and Deborah A. Stanley. Vol. 8. Detroit: Gale, 2000. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 3 Mar. 2014.
Once the fictitious thought of slaying dragons and fighting off trolls becomes a reality for Bilbo Baggins, he learns the truth about the importance of being unique in the astounding novel, “The Hobbit” by JRR Tolkien. JRR Tolkien captivates a variety of readers with this story about an introverted hobbit whos lives in a hole in the ground and the open opportunity he chooses for adventure. At the beginning, he believed he wasn't tolerable for this enterprise, but he began to realize he became essential to hs fearful mission. Thirteen dwarves showed at his door and demanded his help, so he left his small town and followed the unknown dwarves. This journey demanded a lot of physical endurance including an abiding fight with trolls. Bilbo endures until the end and he ends as a greater hobbit. In “The Hobbit” by JRR Tolkien, three main sections, the departure, initiation, and the return become clear, and Bilbo Baggins changes tremendously in these sections.
Bilbo showed bravery again when he snuck into the elves base.When Bilbo was in the elves base he showed bravery by taking a risk of revealing his presence when he was talking to the dwarves and delivering messages for them.When Bilbo saved the dwarves and Gandalf from Goblin Town he showed bravery.Bilbo showed bravery when he helped the dwarves escape the elves base.
Myths play an influential role in all cultures and societies. Back when communication was not easy, stories were told among family and friends to help spread lessons. Values to help children to learn about how to live a blessed life are made into these stories. One may not notice the same thing that happens today. Stories told of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and creatures alike who reward those for being balanced.
Religious education and children's literature have enjoyed a long parallel history. The earliest children's books were little more than religious devotionals or bible stories rewritten with the express enjoyment of children in mind. As children's literature progressed, however, it began to move away from religious instruction and into works that focused more on story. This doesn't mean that the two became mutually exclusive, as to this day many works that are still enormously popular with children are rife with religious allegory without sacrificing story. Two such children's works are George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin and C. S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.
In the field of developmental psychology, children have become a popular interest. By studying such changes children go through in the early stages of childhood, researchers provide better knowledge and insight on how these changes influence the actions and behaviors of children. It has been identified by many that during these stages, children have rapid mental and cognitive development. Likewise, during this time children are thought to easily confuse reality and fantasy. This paper will consist of two reviews involving two different studies which assesses the children's ability to differentiate between fantasy and reality. One will determine how fantasy/reality distinction evolves with age, while the other investigates children's perception of storybook entities. Both focus on children's ability to categorize specified objects/people/events.
Creating a questionnaire to measure fantasy orientation in children is rather an interesting task. We all have heard stories, believed in fairy god mothers, feared monsters and waited eagerly for the Santa. Have you ever wondered when we started distinguishing the reality from the fantasy and how stopping being a child influenced our growth. The purpose of the fantasy orientation questionnaire is to explore the same with the help of relevant literature and various scholarly researches. This essay starts with a critical discussion of what Fantasy orientation is, drawing significant points from various studies conducted on the matter. It continues to conduct an elaborate research with a group of 50 pre-school and kinder garden children aged 2 to 5. It presents arguments on how this questionnaire is relevant in measuring the fantasy orientation among children effectively than other methods.
Tolkien describes, "It had a perfectly round door . . . the door opened on to a tube-shaped hall
Magic is a fake subject and people need to be aware of this before they overanalyze situations. Children being exposed to magic will understand more and have greater creativity skill. The symbol of magic can be represented in many different things and can relate to life. Its healthy for kids to get lost into ta fantasy land by being creative and figuring out the depths of their imagination. If a child didn’t imagine they wouldn’t be able to set goals and think of situations and imagine history. Children figure out that Santa and the Easter bunny aren’t real and soon enough will understand that Harry Potter isn’t real. Disney fairytales are all fake and people understand that is fantasy. It just all depends on how the child learns and how the children will interpret the fantasy life. Magic is an exciting and cool fantasy theme that is fun and people love to know more about it. When the brain is developing reading these stories can help creativity as well as their writing skills. The more children read as a child the greater writers and communication they have. Its beneficial to have kids read and fantasy will take children to new places they have ever been before. Harry Potter was a great book to reflect how magic is a great asset to a book. Harry Potter is an action packed book of curiosity of what will happen next and its book you want to keep reading until the very ends and then start reading the next book of the series. Children will benefit highly from reading magic in literature at young
Urang, Gunnar. "J. R. R. Tolkien: Fantasy and the Phenomenology of Hope" Fantasy in the Writing of J. R. R. Tolkien. United Press, 1971