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J.r.r. tolkien essays
Symbolism in the lord of the rings
Symbolism in the lord of the rings
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In 1937, John R. R. Tolkien published The Hobbit; a children’s book that started with one significant sentence while grading one of his student’s assignments. That sentence gave birth to an entire universe that inspired Tolkien to write novels and poems and even a new language - that slightly resembled Finnish - according to The Tolkien Society. Tolkien’s world of elves, dwarves, orcs and hobbits is one that inspires children and adults alike. Although everyone is familiar with his novels, less acknowledged is the numinous collection of poems Tolkien created that reference his world of hobbits. His adventurous plots take readers on a journey with all kinds of literary devices. J. R. R. Tolkien’s literary style within his poems and his novels portray devices that embrace archaic diction, adventurous, playful tone, and influence and allusions from mythology, all which pertain to his literary significance and his personal life.
On January 3rd of 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in the Free State Province in South Africa. His father was a bank manager who received a promotion which caused the move from England to South Africa. In college Tolkien studied Classics, like Virgil and Homer, at Oxford in 1911, but switched to English Literature and Language after two years. He graduated with First Class Honors in 1915. At age sixteen, Tolkien met Edith Bratt, his future wife. Their love story is often thought to be the inspiration for one of Tolkien’s stories that would later be found in his book The Silmarillion. Tolkien and Edith’s relationship was originally forbidden due to Edith’s Protestant faith and Tolkien’s guardian’s belief that Edith was distracting to his work. Tolkien and Edith split up until his 21st birthday...
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.... Tolkien's Mythology - I Wrote This Paper for My Studies." Web log post. The One Ring. The Home of Tolkien Online, 10 Feb. 2003. Web. 22 May 2014.
Laiqualasse, Andreth. "The Catholic Influence in JRR Tolkien’s Mythology." Council of Elrond. The Council of Elrond, 2014. Web. 22 May 2014.
Linask, Lauri. Influences of the Germanic and Scandinavian Mythology in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Kulichki. Tartu State University, n.d. Web. 22 May 2014.
"Myth & Storytelling." National Geographic (n.d.): n. pag. National Geographic. 1996. Web. 22 May 2014.
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again. Revised ed. New York: Ballantine, n.d. Print.
Tolkien, Priscilla, J. R. Tolkien, and Shaun Gunner. "Biography." The Tolkien Society. The Tolkien Society, Jan.-Feb. 2008. Web. 20 May 2014.
"Writing Style." Web log post. J.R.R. Tolkien Webquest. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2014.
It will be the contention of this paper that much of Tolkien's unique vision was directly shaped by recurring images in the Catholic culture which shaped JRRT, and which are not shared by non-Catholics generally. The expression of these images in Lord of the Rings will then concern us.
· Urang, Gunnar. "J. R. R. Tolkien: Fantasy and the Phenomenology of Hope" Religion and Fantasy in the Writing of C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and J. R. R. Tolkien. United Church Press, 1971
The paper will begin with a look at the life of Tolkien. This will serve the purpose of providing some context for the novel. Looking into the life of Tolkien will also serve to give the reader some insight into the mind that gave birth to such a rich land and why the novel may have some importance for sufferers of mental illness. Next will likely be a short summation of the
Throughout his works, Tolkien includes, in varying degrees, every major component of our Primary World: landforms, minerals, weather and climate, natural vegetation, agriculture, political units, population distribution, races, languages, transportation routes, and even house types. “He did more than merely describe these individual comp...
Tolkien, J. R. R., and Douglas A. Anderson. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
Myths relate to events, conditions, and deeds of gods or superhuman beings that are outside ordinary human life and yet basics to it” ("Myth," 2012). Mythology is said to have two particular meanings, “the corpus of myths, and the study of the myths, of a particular area: Amerindian mythology, Egyptian mythology, and so on as well as the study of myth itself” ("Mythology," 1993). In contrast, while the term myth can be used in a variety of academic settings, its main purpose is to analyze different cultures and their ways of thinking. Within the academic setting, a myth is known as a fact and over time has been changed through the many different views within a society as an effort to answer the questions of human existence. The word myth in an academic context is used as “ancient narratives that attempt to answer the enduring and fundamental human questions: How did the universe and the world come to be? How did we come to be here? Who are we? What are our proper, necessary, or inescapable roles as we relate to one another and to the world at large? What should our values be? How should we behave? How should we not behave? What are the consequences of behaving and not behaving in such ways” (Leonard, 2004 p.1)? My definition of a myth is a collection of false ideas put together to create
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again. New York: Ballantine, 1982. Print
Tolkien, J.R.R. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1954. Print.
It is likely for one to assume that a classic piece of literature set in a fantasy oriented stage will have no merits to the youths of today. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, however, with its crafty of usage symbolism, displays its relevance to issues that often trouble teens. As the story progresses from a children’s tale to an epic, the main character Bilbo undergoes a series of development, his experiences often overlapping with ordinary people. Reading the Hobbit will provide teens with opportunities of exploring the importance of several common but serious topics. People may encounter many of the themes presented in the book elsewhere repeatedly, but it’s possible that they never appreciated the applications it might have on themselves. When teens read the Hobbit, they perceive it as a simple fiction of adventure. Under proper guiding, they will be able to recognize and utilize the lessons of the Hobbit, and improve their attitudes and ideas about life.
J.R.R. Tolkien has made no mystery of his religious upbringing. As a child, his mother converted him to Roman Catholicism, and shortly died thereafter. His understanding of her death through a Catholic scope influenced him greatly throughout his life. The Catholic ideology runs deep in the minds of those that believe in it, and influences their behavior later in life, and this effect occurred in Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. Ainulindalë, The Silmarillion’s creation story, is his unconscious repetition of his beliefs.
Byers, Paula K. Ed. “J.R.R. Tolkien”. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gake Research, 1998. 259-260
Campbell, Joseph, Mythic Worlds, Modern Words, (Edmund L. Epstein, ed.), Novato, California, Joseph Campbell Foundation - New World Library, 2003.
J.R.R Tolkien’s work of fiction The Lord of the Rings, have with the advent of Peter Jackson’s film adaptation brought the series to newfound heights of fame. As with many works of it’s kind, The Lord of the Rings depicts a battle between good and evil, with the main characters in the books striving to thwart evil’s plan. In many other works, the author’s personal belief system or worldview drives the narrative, with the message being paramount and the characters the vehicles of conveyance for the point of the story. C.S Lewis, a friend and contemporary of Tolkien’s, is a prime example of this. Lewis’ popular series The Chronicles of Narnia is an allegorical work, teaching Christian principles through the use of fiction. While raised as a Catholic himself, Tolkien does not explicitly promote his religious background, nor does he engage in allegory. However, Tolkien’s views of morality can be found throughout the work, specifically in the way in which evil is portrayed, the use of power and moral freedom of choice. Randel Helms writes in his book, Tolkien’s World, “Tolkien’s particular myth parallels his Christianity, … positioning a malevolent and corrupting outside influence, spiritual and probably eternal, against which man is doomed to fight, but which he has no hope of conquering” (67).
Tolkien, J.R.R.. “Now Read On…” Interview by Dennis Gerrolt. BBC Radio 4. BBC, 1971. Web. 11 Jan. 2014.
Murray, Roxane Farrell. "The Lord of the Rings as Myth." Unpublished thesis. The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 1974.