...In the novel The hobbit a character named Bilbo Baggins becomes an exceptional hero. As Mr. J.R.R. Tolkien writes that Bilbo is an ¨unexpected hero¨, but in my eyes this was not unexpected nor was it accidental. In The Hobbit there are three main ways Bilbo went from hobbit to hero. These ways are, when he fights the trolls, when he saves the dwarves from spiders, and when he turns the Arkenstone over to the Elvenking and bard to prevent war. Bilbo first starts his journey from hobbit to hero when he fights the trolls over the ponies. As stated in The Hobbit,¨ Then Bilbo plucked up the courage to put his little hand in William´s enormous pocket… William turned around at once and grabbed Bilbo by the neck, before he could hide behind a tree.¨ This quote from the text explains how Bilbo became a hero because he tried to steal from the trolls, for the greater good of the group. Knowing this, this part of the journey is one where Bilbo gets one step...
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...“The Hobbit” is a book that narrates the adventures of a creature called a hobbit. Bilbo, the name of the hobbit, embarks on a long journey with a troop of fourteen to recover stolen gold. His companions each play different roles throughout the story, and these roles help readers understand what each character contributes to the story. As the story progresses, the reader will start to realize which characters belong to which archetypal roles and how they affect the story. Roles such as the shapeshifter add suspense, and roles like the herald help bring the story to life. In “The Hobbit,” many characters play archetypal roles to help carry and enhance the story. Heroes play the most important role in the story, they make sacrifices and lead...
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...The Hobbit is a wonderful book to read. J.R.R Tolkien who is the author of the Hobbit used various archetypes throughout the novel. Some archetypes that J.R.R Tolkien used in the Hobbit are communion, the hero, and the journey. The main character in the Hobbit is Bilbo Baggins and you wouldn’t think that a person with the personality of Bilbo would be the hero. Bilbo Baggins didn’t have any ambition in his life, he had hobbies but they were boring hobbies. In the beginning of the Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien uses the archetype of communion. Most people think of holy ceremony that takes place in church were everybody gets a small cup of grape juice and a tiny piece of bread. Communion is the act of intimate fellowship and rapport. Communion doesn’t have to happen in a church in fact you don’t just have to eat bread and drink grape juice. That is shown in the Hobbit because when Bilbo, Gandalf and the twelve dwarfs were eating dinner together that is also known as communion. When Bilbo leaves his Hobbit hole that is when the journey starts. The task for Bilbo Baggins is to help the dwarfs reclaim their treasure from Samug. During the beginning of their journey they encounter three hungry trolls who capture them all expect Gandalf. Gandalf saves them by tricking the trolls to stay outside into the sun comes up because they will have turned into stone. After...
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...Exploring the Elements of a Hero’s Journey in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit In most stories there are a sequence of events that take place from start to finish that help as unspoken guidelines. These guidelines help give shape to many fairy tales and heros adventures that are found in stories from all time lines and geographical walks of life. Once the reader becomes aware of what these events are and how to look for them it becomes easy to spot these patterns and examples in films, literature, theatrical productions, etc. The goal of this paper is to familiarize the reader with a few different authors concepts and criteria that commonly occur in a vast majority of stories that contain any sort of adventurer or hero-type figure. In the case of J.R.R. Tolkien’s tale of The Hobbit, when broken down and analyzed using concepts from Joseph Campbell, and occasionally Marie von Franz, and Vladimir Propp, the reader may use their concept to read the book with insight and clarity that opens up a whole new way of looking at the hobbits adventure and the journey he partakes in. After one has a knowledge of the sequence of events that help to make up an adventure story it is hard to look at many books and films you’ve already seen in the same way. My hopes is that by the end of this, you will see The Hobbit in a new light. The Hobbit embodies significant aspects of the “hero’s journey” and the exploration of these using different authors works helps the reader to understand the analyzation...
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...Simile: As he came hurtling down like a thunderbolt. Explanation: Bilbo was running to catch up with the dwarfs. When he was coming down he made thunder like sounds. Symbolism: Bilbo’s development into a hero, which represents a common person into a hero. Explanation: Bilbo becomes an adventurous person as he went further into the journey. Bilbo discovered inner strength that was used to protect the dwarfs. Onomatopoeia: when Gollum makes gulping sounds with his throat. Bard shot the dragon and it made a hiss noise. Explanation: Every time Gollum would try to guess a riddle that Bilbo gave him he would make a gulping sound with his throat to figure it out. The dragon made a hiss noise after it was shot by Bard. Metaphor: The winds broke up the grey clouds, and a waning moon appeared above the hills between the flying rags. Explanation: Shiloh was giving an example of how the moon appeared. Of how beautiful it was to him. Allusions: sitting on a rock with in a subterranean lake. Explanation: Gollum thinking of where he lived. Also thinking of the castle above him. Quote 1: “Let’s have no more argument. I have chosen Bilbo Baggins and that ought to be Enough for all of you. If I say he is a burglar , a burglar he is, or will be when the time Comes. There is a lot more than he was any idea of himself. You may possibly all live to thank me yet.” ...
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...Bilbo Baggins Character Analysis Rough Draft “Hobbits really are amazing creatures… You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you at a pinch.” Bilbo is relatable to many people, even though he is a hobbit and not human. Bilbo found characteristics of himself that he did not know he had. Now he has more titles than just the hobbit under the Hill, he is an adventurer. Tolkien uses Bilbo as the central character to tell the audience that such a great event can change a person, but it is important for that person to keep their beliefs. Tolkien has created Bilbo as someone that can be related to. Tolkien clearly describes Bilbo’s Baggins-side, a well-respected hobbit family, and his Took-side, the out-there and adventurous family that “[wishes] to go and see the great mountains… and wear a sword instead of a walking stick.” It is easy to relate to someone like this by enjoying the comfort of everyday life, but also wishing something fun, exciting, and new would happen. This helps Tolkien introduce Bilbo as the protagonist and help the readers be more empathetic towards him. Because Bilbo’s Took-side led him go on this...
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...J.R.R Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit follows the journey of one central hero, Bilbo Baggins, and his company of dwarves as they embark to Erebor to retake the dwarves’ homeland. This epic tale can be analyzed using a mythological, biographical, or historical critic’s point of view. There are also a few themes seen throughout the novel, including greed and the journey. From a mythological standpoint, one could mention the works of literature that Tolkien himself said has influenced his fantasies about the fabled land of Middle-earth: Iceland’s Poetic Edda and Beowulf. Some tales in Norse mythology can also be analyzed to apply to Tolkien’s novel. Based on a biographically and historically opinion, one might talk about the World Wars’ effect on Tolkien and his novels. Another approach that could be taken is one based on the archetypes seen in The Hobbit; the hero, Bilbo Baggins, and the villain, the dragon Smaug. One could connect the archetypes and events of The Hobbit to those of Beowulf. The Hobbit could also be seen as a novel of the genre bildungsroman, which means “coming-of-age” and focuses on the emotional and physical development of the main character. The use of mythological criticism in the analysis of J.R.R Tolkien’s first novel The Hobbit is by far the most popular among renowned literature critics – one of whom was CS Lewis, an author of children’s fantasy novels himself. It is easy to explain the story from a mythological point of view; many ancient texts have themes...
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...What is a hero? A hero can be defined as courageous, brave, willing to sacrifice himself for others, someone who will know what is right from wrong, and make the right choice. Not everyone can be a hero; it takes dedication and effort to do what’s right time and time again. In Sir Gawain the Green Knight, Sir Gawain was a heroic soldier. In The Hobbit, Bilbo, a hobbit from the Shire, is recruited as a burglar to go on an adventure to help reclaim the land of the dwarves. Bilbo and the thirteen dwarves encounter many different creatures along the way, some who want to help them and other who want to kill them. Through the journey Bilbo must grow into a true hero to save the dwarves and himself. Bilbo grew into a brave, selfless, and important member of the team who came to recognize good and evil. Bilbo through his many troubles during the adventure had to learn what it means to be a true hero. Bilbo was a coward in the beginning; he never wanted to leave his home. Whenever Bilbo was in the slightest danger, he turned into a coward complaining “Why did I ever leave my hobbit-hole” (p. 62, Tolkien). Bilbo...
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...Period #3 10--12 The Hero Within Everyone will make the step to become a hero from humble and simple beginnings. Of course, the move to become a hero is not easy and they will face many obstacles and trials that will test the strength of their friendship. However, the hero will develop traits that will shape and mold to to prepare them for their final test. Our hero will transition from the known world where he thinks he know who he is and descend down into the Nadir, the darkest and lowest point in their journey, where he will be tested both physically and mentally. That is the case for Bilbo Baggins, a shy and reluctant hobbit in J.R.R Tolkein's The Hobbit, who was protected from the perils and dangers of the real world in the comfort of his hobbit-hole. In his journey, Bilbo has to make many judgments that leave him torn between his loyalty to his friends and doing the right thing. But it is these obstacles that fully initializes him as a true hero. In the beginning of the story, Bilbo seemed like the most unlikely hero when Gandalf and thirteen dwarves came and asked for him to join them on the quest, but in the end, Bilbo faces many situations, challenges and develop traits like selflessness, courage ,and wisdom that is essential to all heroes and will ultimately determine and define who he is, and whether if he will succeed as a hero or not. A hero will rise when there is a call for a challenge and they could accept two choices: fight or flight. For Bilbo, the challenge comes...
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...Stereotyping The Hobbit Stereotypes are qualities given to a group of people based on their race, or the qualities they have. They take something that is partly true about someone and believe it is true about the whole race. For example, in Asia they hold education very highly and Asian people typically do very well in school. The stereotype regarding Asians is that they are all very good at math. This is not true. I have some Asian friends and they struggle with math just as much as I do. Many stereotypes exist today. They are bad because we just assume we what the person is like without getting to know them. The stereotyped image I brought into class was a picture of an Italian man. He had his hair spiked up, his skin spray tanned orange, and was wearing a wife-beater. This image is how we perceive Italian men to be. We view them this way because that is how we see them on the show Jersey Shore. All of the people on the show are dressed, and look like the picture I brought in. In reality only some Italians look that way. The majority of them look and act like ordinary people. Just because someone is Italian does not mean that they dress and act like what we think they should. You cannot judge someone based on how they look. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, this proves very true. There are a few characters throughout this story that break the stereotypes of themselves. The biggest example of this is with Mr. Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo is a hobbit. Hobbits are described as tiny,...
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...Book report: The Hobbit – J.R.R Tolkien The author John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer, poet, philologist and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien was born on the 3rd of January 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and died on the 2nd of September 1973. He died at the age 81, in Bournemouth. Tolkien wrote the book in 1937. At this time Hitler was in power. I could not find anything in his book that is pointing somehow to Hitler. After the death of Tolkien, his son published a some works based on his father’s notes. Together with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, these form a connected body of tales, poems, fictional histories and invented languages in a world called Middle Earth The Setting The time periods of JRR Tolkien are not like our time periods. It’s a completely different world than ours. The Hobbit takes place in Middle Earth during the Third Age (years 2941 – 2942) about 55 years before the start of the Lord of the Rings story. This time period is Protagonist and antagonists In this book the protagonist is Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit. Bilbo ( 50 years old ) was hired as a burglar by the wizard Gandalf and 13 dwarves (led by Thorin Oakenshield, their king). He was hired to go on a quest with the dwarves to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, and its treasure within, defended by the dragon Smaug. Before the adventure, Bilbo was a simple Hobbit in the Shire, who enjoyed...
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...The Hobbit Summaries: Chapter 1: In Chapter 1 of The Hobbit the characters are introduced and the story begins. Bilbo Baggins seems to be the main character, Bilbo is a hobbit who lives in a cozy, comfy hole like many other hobbits. Bilbo lives a quiet, peaceful life until a wizard named Gandalf and his dwarves come and tell Bilbo he is destined to join their journey. Bilbo doesn’t think he is cut out for this journey and neither do the dwarves, but Gandalf does. While Bilbo accompanies to the dwarves and Gandalf’s every need, they explain the journey. Thorin, who could be classified as the most important dwarf explains most of the journey. The journey is to reclaim the treasure that Thorin’s family once had but is now protected by Smaug an enormous dragon who stole it. Bilbo Baggins feels very uneasy about attending this journey and at the end of the chapter does not even know if he will participate. The setting of this chapter is “The Hill”, where many Hobbit holes are. Symbols used in this chapter were; the maps that the dwarves/Gandalf have symbolize direction of their journey. Also, some of the songs that the dwarves sing symbolize hints and feelings. A developing theme I see is “anyone can be a hero,” because I think Bilbo will end up going. Chapter 2: In the second chapter, the journey begins! Bilbo wakes up and assumes that Gandalf and the dwarves have left without him since none of them are present. Shortly after, Gandalf comes in and shows Bilbo a note that says...
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...taking over but he was not aware of it. It is in chapter five “ Riddles in the Dark” where Bilbo starts his real...
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...Unexpected Journey, I was able to devise common traits all heroes share such as :courage , selflessness, and perseverance. In Beowulf it was refreshing to see a hero who has been dubbed “the strongest man alive” come to terms with the fact that he is not, and...
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...Changes Of Bilbo Baggins Since its first publication in 1937, The Hobbit has been rendered into more than a dozen film adaptations. Each of these films portrays a new perspective to the original work with variations big and small. Essentially, the movie versions can be seen as interpretations of Tolkien’s text since visual media cannot fully convey the events and character entirely. Once put on a screen, the plot must be shortened to fit the running time, character simplified and made symbolic. A case in hand is the 2012 movie edition directed by Peter Jackson. The main difference between the film and the text is that the movie focuses more, maybe too much on the character Bilbo Baggins. As a result, in Tolkien’s text the story is told by an omniscient narrator whereas the movie from Bilbo’s Perspective. Tolkien’s description of Bilbo reflects the culture and underpinnings of Middle-earth during the third age by presenting him as a “Baggins”, a well-respected family among the Hobbit community, an eager adventurer and a philosopher who is a product of his time while the movie presents him as a cowardly man, afraid of the world outside of the Shrine. Consequently, viewers of The Hobbit see Bilbo differently, which dilutes Tolkien’s portrayal of Bilbo’s personality trait as a hero. Firstly, in Tolkien’s narrative text, the themes of heroism and Bilbo’s character development from being an average hobbit into the hero at the end of the story looms largely not only as an exposition...
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