Culture as defined by the Oxford dictionary relates to “the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively” (“Culture”). The given definition of the term, culture, seems too broad to fully encompass the effect that this word has on nations. As of 2016 there are currently over 196 separate countries within the world. Each nation has their own individual nuances and manners, of which these differences may be credited to how culture developed within them. The human race however, is not the only entity which is effected by cultures influences. Confirmation of cultures altering effects may be seen in the nations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy realm of Middle Earth. Readers of Tolkien’s works are able to plainly
Glóin and Gimli are the only two dwarves that are introduced within Tolkien’s trilogy, however the pretense under which these two characters come to Rivendell gives insight into the dwarves’ ability to identify threats. Glóin explains to the council of Elrond that Sauron’s messenger had come to the halls of Dáin and requested to make an alliance with the Dwarves; the Dwarves were to be rewarded with rings of power that were once gifted to the Dwarf lords of the past. Interestingly Glóin says, “We needed not the fell voice of the messenger to warn us that his words held both menace and deceit; for we knew already that the power that has re-entered Mordor has not changed, and ever it betrayed us of old.” (Tolkien 241). Glóin’s portrayal of the Dwarves suspicion leads readers to confer that the Dwarves are much warier as of present than their ancestors were in the past, they are able to identify the intentions of the Dark Lord and respond appropriately. Tolkien also writes of the Dwarves ability to respond to threats within the appendices of The Lord of the Rings. While the men of Minas Tirith are besieged by Sauron’s army, so too are the gates of the misty mountain sieged by Sauron’s forces. The Dwarves of the misty mountain were able to draw away a substantial portion of Sauron’s army thus enabling them to divide the strength of the malevolent mass between Minas Tirith and the Misty Mountain. The Dwarves of the Third Age seem more adept at being able to recognize and react to threats which are thrust at their race than that of the Dwarves in the
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...
The Influences of Tolkien The influences of Tolkien are many and great, but of them all, three stand out most: his great love of nature that sprung from his experiences as a youth in the English Countryside, his acute sensitivity and desire to master language, and his involvement in trench warfare in the Great War. Tolkien himself vehemently denied that the war affected his story at all. The real war does not resemble the legendary war, its process or conclusion. If I had been inspired or directed in the development of the legend, then certainly the ring would have been seized and used against Sauron.
“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.
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, culture is, “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group, or the characteristic features of everyday existence shared by people in a place or time.” Culture links individual people with common traditions and morals, incorporating fundamental aspects of society such as holidays, meals, and the mode of dress. It is intrinsic in the very identity of humans. Throughout history, the West unexpectedly rose to power rather than the flourishing empires of Asia. It is my belief that these traits and customs associated with culture are the underlying reason for the rise of the West.
The dwarves eat, sing, dance, and then finally sit down to start discussing their plans. (Tolkien 13-19)
...es of love present in The Lord of the Rings, and the Hobbit as well, are constantly being shown as the impetus behind all things that eventually lead to the demise of Sauron. These examples start off simple, a love for a friend, one’s homeland, a leader, but they result in saving Middle Earth and it’s people from the theft of their free will and the dominion of Sauron. Tolkien successfully demonstrates throughout the entire series that the most powerful force in existence is love.
An important example of this is when the Elvenking Thranduil captures Thorin and company in Mirkwood, and Bilbo has to rescue them by sneaking around with his ring. The capture of his friends probably leads to Bilbo disliking Thranduil and considers him an undependable person. However, Bilbo ends up trying to help the Elvenking by offering him the Arkenstone during the Battle and eventually gives him a gift when the war is over, compelling Thranduil to make Bilbo an "elf-friend and blessed" (353). Thranduil also clearly didn 't like Thorin, as a result of thinking that " '[him] and [his] folk three times try to attack [his] people at their merrymaking '" (208), as well as thinking him impolite and untrustworthy. However, when Thorin passes away, the Elvenking "laid Orcrist...that had been taken from Thorin in captivity" (349), showing a sign of friendship and respect, prevailing over the feud the two individuals had at the
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 to his friends, but himself. Thorin puts his pride aside in order to yield useful and accurate information. Moreover, when Thorin puts his pride aside, he ultimately has a good and honest heart. Then, during then end of the novel when Thorin is on his deathbed, he states “I would take back my words and deeds at the gate,” p346, to Bilbo. This forgiveness, although Bilbo may not notice it himself, is Thorin admitting to himself that he is greedy and proud. As the dialogue continues, Thorin again admits that “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world,” p346. Tolkien’s use of the word “us” indicates that Thorin including himself in this grouping. It could seem that although Tolkien constructs Thorin as a proud and greedy character, when Thorin forgets his pride and greed, he becomes an ethical character.
The first of the great kingdoms of men is Rohan. The southwestern region of Middle-Earth is the last and greatest bastion of human strength, and Rohan constitutes the northernmost stronghold in this area. The men of Rohan, the Rohirrim, are known throughout Middle-Earth for their courage and skill. They are the firstand usually, the lastline of defense against orc and goblin armies from the north. They have never been defeated in battle, though their trials have at times been very great. At this point in their history, their most immediate enemy is the wizard Saruman.
Tolkien was very interested in the nature of the Anglo-Saxon time period. He was fascinated by the old, dark mythologies of that time. He specialized in Old and Middle English, and taught classes such as Heroic verse, History of English, and Anglo-Saxon Language as a Professor at various colleges. He even uses Old and Middle English as the main dialect seen in all of his books. His love and interest for these topics, languages, and the Anglo-Saxon time period are shown greatly throughout The Lord of The Rings Trilogy.
I know this because of how the director, Peter Jackson, shows me all of the thoughts/emotions of the characters and the dramatization of the story. Although Tolkien does use strong language to make the reader intrigued by the story, the book could not really prove to me that
...in the book of Genesis in the Christian bible. Evil, as presented by Tolkien, is not inherently powerful. Evil’s power is found in corrupting those with power already or in powerful positions within their society. Humility of thought and action are what separate the wielders of power in Tolkien’s books. This is no more evident than with the fall of Sarumon. Asked to step down from his tower, he refuses and is cast out of the wizard order he used to lead. Gandalf intones “he will not serve, only command (The Two Towers 588).
Hobbits are short, hairy creatures who love to stay home and get even more plump than they already are. In The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, a classic fantasy tale, a hobbit named Bilbo is approached by Gandalf the Wizard to go on a quest with a group of fourteen dwarves who call themselves “Thorin & Co.”. Bilbo goes out of his comfort zone to join them and take the dwarves’ treasure back from a dragon named Smaug who stole it long ago, becoming a hero when no one ever imagined a creature like a hobbit could.
Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving. Culture is the systems of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people…Culture in its broadest sense of cultivated behavior; a totality of a person’s learned, accumulated experience which is socially transmitted, or more briefly, behavior through social learning (http://www.tamu.edu/faculty/choudhury/culture.html).
What is culture? Culture is identity; it’s the indigenous or non-indigenous ideology, habits, customs, appearances and beliefs that people are either raised by or adapt to from different nations surrounding. It is a network of knowledge shared by a group of people. Culture consists of configurations, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior obtained and spread by symbols establishing the distinctive achievement of human groups including their embodiments in artifacts; the vital core of culture consists of traditional ideas and especially their attached values. Culture systems may, on one hand, be considered as products of action, and on the other, as conditioning influences upon further action.