There is no doubt that John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an exceptional writer. Today, he is considered the father of modern fantasy literature. However, he did not start off as this extraordinary writer; rather, Tolkien worked his way up until he attained this status. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3rd of 1892 in a South African province. At an early age, his mother, Mabel, took him and his younger brother, Hilary, on a family visit to England; however, before his father, Arthur, could join them in England, Arthur had died from rheumatic fever. Without an income, Mabel took her children to live with her in Kings Heath with her parents. Mabel sparked John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s interests in botany, drawing, and fantasy stories. Eventually, type I diabetes caught up with Mabel and at the age of 34 she died. As Tolkien became older, he began to write literary essays about middle-earth. He also is the author of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Critics and historians often debate The Lord of the Rings Trilogy’s depictions of evil characters, often classifying J.R.R Tolkien as being a racist and a sexist or defending J.R.R. Tolkien by stating that his character descriptions were merely used to advance the plot and add an exotic atmosphere to the trilogy; however, after evaluating this assertion it is clear that J.R.R. Tolkien is not a racist and a sexist and is simply a unique fantasy writer because these comments are inconsistent with his characters, as shown through his writing style, personality, and the era.
Tolkien is not a racist or a sexist as shown through his writing style where he simply employs the concept of war and its toll on the characters to advance the plot and add an exotic atmosphere in the Lord...
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...otic atmosphere that middle-earth fosters. Therefore, from this analysis, it can be determined that Tolkien is, in fact, not a racist or a sexist, but a venerable fantasy writer who maintains the status quo of his era, identifies the predicament of women, and ultimately sympathizes with women and minorities.
Works Cited
Caesar, Judith. "Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings and Dante's Inferno." Explicator. (2006): 1-3. Print.
Enright, Nancy. "Tolkien's females and the defining of power." Renascense. (2007): 1-11. Print.
Fredrick, Candice, and Sam McBride. “Battling the woman warrior: females and combat in Tolkien and Lewis.” (2007): 1-10. Print.
Hatcher, Melissa McCrory. “Finding woman’s role in The Lord of the Rings.” (2007): 1-9. Print.
Ibata, David. "'Lord' of racism? Critics view trilogy as discriminatory." Chicago Tribune 12 January 2003, Print.
The characterizations of women have, throughout history, been one of the most problematic subjects in literary tradition. An extraordinary dichotomy has existed with women as being both the paragon of virtue and the personification of evil. Ancient Greeks feared women, and poets such as Hesiod believed the female sex was created to be the scourge of the gods and the bane of men (Fantham 39). Romans, on the other hand, incorporated tales of brave and virtuous women as an intrinsic part of their legendary history (219). Many Catholic saints, revered for their piety, were notoriously misogynistic (Dollison 106), and yet the church counted legions of holy women in the rosters of saints alongside their male counterparts. Despite much historical controversy as to the precise nature of women, none of this confusion seems to seep into the writings of George MacDonald, and there appears to be no conflict to MacDonald’s regard towards women in his female characters in The Princess and the Goblin. The character of the Grandmother in particular is one of the most complimentary fabrications of the figure of the mature female in literature. MacDonald created this fascinating construct of femininity by steeping the Grandmother not only in the arcane feminine symbols such as spinning, pigeons, and the moon, but also in his own concept of the ideal woman, as wise and compassionate as she is mysterious.
· 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
Clashing swords, miraculous survivals, pain of loss, and heroic sacrifice are all terrifying yet thrilling moments in a battle. The strong possibility of death and the frailty of human life add into the suspense of battle. Yet the reasons behind the wars, death, and suspense can be overlooked. The stories behind the warriors who have died will not be told again, but the stories of warriors still alive are what give the men strength to continue fighting against impossible odds. Ultimately, the reason of why a man would risk his life in battle is for someone, or something, he loves. Like in Gilgamesh and the Iliad, women help encourage and influence the protagonists to be the heroes and protectors they are meant to be.
Throughout Homer’s work, The Odyssey, the roles of both men and women are extremely prevalent. The women are expected to perform the duties of the homemaker and family caretaker while the men are sent out to fight and defend their pride and honor, both very important facets of Greek society. Though the women may appear as insignificant to readers at first, their true power over the men in the work cannot be ignored.
Tolkien, J. R. R., and Douglas A. Anderson. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
This essay explores the role of women in Homer's Odyssey, James Joyce's Ulysses (1922) and Derrick Walcott's Omeros (1990), epics written in very different historical periods. Common to all three epics are women as the transforming figure in a man's life, both in the capacity of a harlot and as wife.
J.R.R. Tolkien can be considered the founding father of the genre fantasy. Most of Tolkien’s texts revolve around the same themes. An author will often write about important messages that pertain to society as a whole. His texts often have hidden messages that relate to his themes. In the fantasy novel The Hobbit and novella “Farmer Giles of Ham”, J.R.R. Tolkien demonstrates that possession ears to overconfidence, greed and selfishness.
Since the beginning of human civilization, women have often occupied inferior roles in society while the dominant role has been played by men. In Homer’s The Odyssey, gender roles in Greek society are emphasized, showing how men controlled society while women were undervalued and constantly disrespected. Although it may be argued that Homer poses some rather feminist views, it is evident by several elements that The Odyssey is a misogynistic text. First, women in the Odyssey were continually oppressed by men, never having true free will.
Sexism has occurred throughout history and has impacted women significantly.The Odyssey follows the narrative of a man and looks at love from the perspective of a man. The famed poem was written by an ancient greek man and until recently, has always been translated by a man. For these reasons, The Odyssey provides a great example of how love, women, and marriage have been perceived by society, especially men, in the past. By examining the sexist undertones and the perception of women and love from the men in the epic and comparing those to criticisms made today we can truly understand how far we have come as a society.
Enright, Nancy. “Tolkien’s females and the defining power.” Renascence: Essays on values in Literature 59.2 (2007) : 93. Literature Resources from Gale Web. 24 Feb. 2010.
Bryan E. Conversion and Canversence The Role and Function of Women In Post-Medieval Icelandic Folktales. Sandinawain Studies 83.2(2011): 165-190. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 March.2014.
Tolkien's famous book, "The Lord of the Rings", has been repudiated as one of the best fantasies ever written. Tolkien creates a very deep intimacy between the book and the reader, he captures the reader's attention and lures him into the story. One of the ways how this cathartic relationship is created is through the use of reality of the situation in the story. Tolkien has conjured up a fantasy language, to show the actuality this novel may present. Some quotations of this language are:
“The Weaving of Women’s Tales.” Elements of Literature, Sixth Course. Ed. Kristine E. Marshall, 1997. 72-189. Print.
The feminine beauty ideal may operate as a form of social control as it concerns women with their physical appearance and how they absorb resources that may help their social status. Because of this idea, women may not pursue activities or occupations that might make them unattractive and effects the ability to become a group as women compete with other women over physically attraction. The focus on feminine beauty in fairy tales may be a way to represent gender inequality through these stories. It is clear in fairy tales that the feminine beauty is a strong message to women and important for them as well. Publishers might unintentionally (or maybe intentionally) be publishing and reproducing media in which the message in these tales emphasize sexist values. The media for children is a powerful tool in which these children learn cultural values. Through fairy tales, “girls (and boys) are taught specific messages concerning the importance of women’s bodies and women’s attractiveness” (Baker-Sperry and Granerholz). Towards the end of the article it mentions the movie “Shrek.” While most children’s fairy tales represents a beautiful princess that fits the ideal of
on their way down the river. This scene was mainly added in for dramatic effect and to make the action even further incessant, but there are other effects because the movie adds another female character. Something not at all present in the books. Although it may seem like it briefly, this female character is not really a boon to feminists at all, since her main function is as a love interest to one of the Dwarves. No more on this here though, the implications of race and gender in The Hobbit is a whole separate essay.