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nature in literature
why its important to talk about nature in literature
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Mortality and death are constantly present throughout the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Doom and fate are inescapable motifs, as Tolkien presents the question of where the journey of life leads to in the end. In the poem “I sit beside the fire and think,” Bilbo not only reflects upon his own journeys, he also recognizes that the journey goes beyond himself and continues even after his life ends. Furthermore, Bilbo’s poems connect to one another as the poem “The Road” is alluded to in “I sit beside the fire and think” when he mentions “the door” in order to indicate a circular flow of life. Death is a necessary part for life. When a life ends, there is the space for another to begin. However, the current situation of Middle-earth in the novels, sets up an ambiguous future for the upcoming generations. Tolkien ends the novel without a clear indication that either good or evil will prevail. Through his poetry, Tolkien reinforces a theme of the Lord of the Rings trilogy that although an individual’s journey and life must eventually end to make way for the future generations, the natural world will continue on, and those generations will carry the same burden of their ancestors of continuously fighting good versus evil.
In the poem “I sit beside the fire and think,” Bilbo reminisces on his past journeys and expresses disappointment that he will not be able to go on the next adventure. His journey has come to the end, thus all he has left to do is to sit and think of all that he saw. Tolkien uses an anaphora with the beginning line, “I sit beside the fire and think,” in order to emphasize the warm and comfortable environment in which he reminisces. The atmosphere in which he reminisces is a reflection of the happiness he feels towards ...
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...egan, and the purpose of the journey is pondered. Tolkien’s work carries the argument of why God created mankind mortal, and on the road and during the journey, the purpose and destination is not always clarified. These questions that Tolkien presents do not always have an answer. He is neither a real pessimist nor optimist in the ending, instead he is realistic that there will always be the possibility for evil in the world. Past generations can attempt to rid the world of evil to make the future a better place, but it is inevitable that each generation will have to continue the fight for good. Tolkien recognizes the necessity of mortality and death in his poetry so that life can continue on in others. The end of one life or journey is always the beginning of another.
Works Cited
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.
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 theme of death giving meaning to life is prevalent throughout the Odyssey. Hell is death, heaven is now, in life, in the field of time and action.
Throughout your life, you will be taken out of your comfort zone with many challenges and uncertainties. This is shown in The Hobbit, The Lightning Thief, and through my grandfather’s immigration story from Germany. Bilbo was taken on an adventure that took him beyond his normal comfort zone. He loved the familiarity of his hobbit-hole until Gandalf and the dwarves arrived at his door. The Hobbit contained many relatable moments about life, which can be explored through the novel, other people’s lives, and other works of fiction.
An unknown author once wrote “Never take life too seriously; after all, no one gets out of it alive”. When reading this quote, there can almost be an immediate connection between two very good works of writing: Macbeth’s “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” speech from Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, and the poem “Out, Out --” by Robert Frost. Both allude to the idea that a single life, in its totality, denotes nothing, and eventually, everyone’s candle of life is blown out. However, each poet approaches this idea from opposite perspectives. Frost writes of a young, innocent boy whose life ends suddenly and unexpectedly. His poem is dry and lacks emotion from anyone except the young boy. Whereas the demise of Shakespeare’s character, Macbeth, an evil man, has been anticipated throughout the entire play. Through these writings, we are able gather a little more insight as to how these poets perhaps felt about dying and life itself.
Bilbo Baggins’ hobbit hole is his happy home, where for fifty years he was content to stay to avoid the dangers and uncomfortableness of the outside world. Through the novel, it is home he most often thinks back to, and ultimately where he has to leave in order to go on his adventures and grow. His attachment to his home can be contributed to three factors; it’s physical comforts, its protection from the outside world, and its representation of social standing. The hobbit hole, the narrator tells us, means comfort (11), and it explains to us the comfortable furniture, the pantries full of food and closets full of c...
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.
In book V of The Lord of the Rings, there are several characters that die, or come extremely close to dying. Three of these characters, Denethor II, Gandalf, and Peregrin Took (Pippin), as well as their choices and actions in response to their seemingly impending doom, will be the focal point of this essay.
Death, humanity’s worst fear. Humans do everything they can to avoid it, yet it is inevitable. If one believes, as the Ancient Greeks did, that there is some sort of life after death that can be reached by the living, then one would be able to theoretically speak to one’s dead acquaintances. Most people believe that one grows wiser as one grows older; however one can wonder whether the dead are wiser than even the oldest of the living. Death, death occurs to many men in the Odyssey, but one can wonder at the amount of death in this epic poem. Epic poems were supposed to teach listeners on how to be good Greek citizens and they were supposed to teach life lessons, similar to fables in today’s time. This leads one to question why Homer, the author,
Many people find it hard to imagine their death as there are so many questions to be answered-how will it happen, when, where and what comes next. The fact that our last days on Earth is unknown makes the topic of death a popular one for most poets who looks to seek out their own emotions. By them doing that it helps the reader make sense of their own emotions as well. In the two poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickenson and “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, the poets are both capturing their emotion about death and the way that they accepted it. In Dickenson’s poem her feelings towards death are more passionate whereas in Dylan’s poem the feelings
The Theme of Loss in Poetry Provide a sample of poetry from a range of authors, each of whom portrays a different character. the theme of loss in some way. Anthology Introduction The object of this collection is to provide a sample of poetry from a range of authors, each of whom portray the theme of ‘loss’ in some way. The ‘Loss’ has been a recurring theme in literature for centuries, from.
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The theme of death is present in many works of literature. It is given metaphors and cloaked with different meanings, yet it always represents an end. Every end signifies a new beginning, and every death gives rise to a new birth. Physical death “...is mere transformation, not destruction,” writes Ding Ming-Dao. “What dies is merely the identity, the identification of a collection of parts that we called a person. What dies is only our human meaning” (49). Figuratively speaking, death symbolizes a change, an interruption or cessation of regular routine. In this sense, death can be viewed as a more positive occurrence, because change leads to new experience, which, in turn, leads to knowledge and a better understanding of life. The plays Othello and A Doll House both encompass the theme of death. While the former deals with physical death, the latter depicts a change, a transformation of a period of time and a way of life.
The Theme of Death in Poetry Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson are two Modern American Poets who consistently wrote about the theme of death. While there are some comparisons between the two poets, when it comes to death as a theme, their writing styles were quite different. Robert Frost’s poem, “Home Burial,” and Emily Dickinson’s poems, “I felt a Funeral in my Brain,” and “I died for Beauty,” are three poems concerning death. While the theme is constant there are differences as well as similarities between the poets and their poems. The obvious comparison between the three poems is the theme of death.