...In a world not like our own where goblins steal, good elves sing, dwarves fulfill their lives with adventure and hobbits live their average boring lives that frankly they love. the most feared creature begins with a D and ends with an N.Dragons. They feed on their own greed by taking what is not theirs and killing whoever gets in their way.They live a life of immortality unless killed by a fatal force like a stab wound to the heart. A certain dragon named Smaug stole all of the treasure from the dwarf kingdom of Erebor about 150 years ago. In, The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien,Thorin, the descendent of Erebor, decides to start a journey to take back what is rightfully his with the help of thirteen dwarves, a wizard, a hobbit and few helpful creatures...
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...and all the hardships faced throughout the journey were at an end. Meriadoc Brandybuck and the other eight, would have nothing but a bright future ahead of them. From this point on, Meriadoc, the lovable but seemingly not so important hobbit, should be allowed to live a carefree lifestyle. Alas, once they return to the shire, the hobbits discover that the place which they once called home has been overrun and under the control ruffians and their chief, Saruman. They later go on to learn about the strict laws created by the chief and his ruffians. Throughout the book, the seeds of change germinated within all of the characters. Though Merry did not play a big part through the quest for the ring, he had a pivotal role during the Battle of Bywater, a battle against the ruffians and Saruman, to determine who would reign over the Shire. It was during this battle that he truly set aside from all other hobbits. Through this battle, he earned the name Merry “the Magnificent.”...
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...The Hobbit is an epic fantasy tale written by the renown author J.R.R Tolkien. It is about a quiet little hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who goes on an adventure with a group of homeless dwarves and a sage wizard. Throughout the adventure, he put himself into dangerous positions and learned how to rely on himself. The journey that Bilbo Baggins went through was vital to his character. He faces situations that encompass good versus evil. Bilbo learns about loyalty, greed, courage, morality and how it can all make a huge impact. A common theme throughout the story is loyalty. Without the virtue of loyalty, the story would not have been as it is. Loyalty is often displayed by Bilbo as he never leaves the dwarves side. He constantly puts himself in...
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...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.” . Gandalf confirmed that Bilbo was a burglar a Hobbit burglar. of the adventure to get the dwarf...
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...In The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien, the author portrays wealth as an antagonist, he views it as a negative. Tolkien portrays wealth this way by having Bilbo the hero has no material wealth, however, wealth is not viewed the same way by all the characters. Thorin who seems to be a bad leader is really greedy, he does not give up the Arkenstone even if it means starting a fight. Bilbo ends up being a great leader and instead of making enemies like Thorin he makes allies like Bard and the Wood Elf King. So the author is showing that the characters who are good are the ones who are not greedy. Another huge sign that the author views material wealth as negative is how he portrays Gollum after he gains wealth. He shows that after Gollum finds the ring...
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...Professor J.R.R. Tolkien thought “It simply isn’t an adventure worth telling if there aren’t any dragons.” In the novel, The Hobbit, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, Smaug the dragon is a significant and important character throughout the entire book. Since Tolkien thought adventure had to consist of a evil, and perilous dragon, he created a dragon with a cunning and dangerous personality that he soon named Smaug. Smaug’s personality and the plot of the story wasn’t original, however. Tolkien was highly influenced by legends like Beowulf’s dragon and Fafnir and based Smaug and his name off of them. Tolkien’s Smaug is heavily based off of the story of Beowulf’s dragon to the fact that Tolkien himself has acknowledged, “Beowulf is among my most...
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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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...The main character of J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins lives a comfortable peaceful life in his spacious hobbit-hole under the hill. But one day, his peace and quiet are shattered by the arrival of the wizard Gandalf, who asks him to join 13 dwarves on a quest to reclaim the treasure taken from them by the evil dragon Smaug. After some hesitation, Bilbo agrees to join the dwarves on their adventure, encountering many dangers along the way, such as trolls, goblins, and even a life-or-death game of riddles with a slimy creature in an underground cavern named Gollum. Bilbo wins the game, and gains both freedom from the tunnels of the goblins and a mysterious golden ring that grants its wearer the power of invisibility....
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...I look back to how I was a shy, comfortable hobbit, and never would have guessed I would be where I am now, and how unbelievable this change was. I feel that some of my most simple traits, such as being caring and humble, have really helped me throughout my quest with the dwarves to get their treasure back. Most importantly, these traits pushed me to go beyond my limits and be brave, as I couldn’t risk getting my friends hurt. Throughout our journey, I always tried to do the right thing, by choosing to do something that supported love, friendship and peace. I tried my best to do what would make everyone happy, even if it meant that I had to step out of my comfort zone. By going through this adventure, some of my most important traits such as courage, shined through, helping me realize that there is “something of a bold adventurer in about [myself] after all”. (ch. 8, p. 192)...
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...Lord of the Rings and Modern Day Epic? Epic adventures are one of the oldest and most celebrated works of literature. These adventures paint pictures of larger-than-life heroes, terrifying battle scenes, and heroic triumphs. Most epics served the purpose of transmitting culture and history, as well as entertaining readers. Among classical epics are the well-known Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, and The Odyssey. However, is the epic adventure a dying breed of literature? Is it possible that epic stories have sustained the test of time and evolved over the centuries? The Lord of the Rings trilogy, including The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, is one of the greatest examples of a modern day epic. What do The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and The Lord of the Rings all have in common? They all share typical characteristics of epic adventures in some form or another. Though the motives and reasons may differ, the theme of journeying is common to all epic adventures. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, King Gilgamesh sets out on a perilous adventure with his closest friend Enkidu in order to find enduring fame and glory. In The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus embarks on a 10 year-long journey through trials and tests to find his way back home to his wife and son. Epic hero Achilles, of The Iliad, sets out to fight in the legendary Trojan War. Similarly, Frodo Baggins, unassuming hero of The Lord of the Rings, sets out from his home and...
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...The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers The Lord of the Rings provides a great look into what it takes to be a successful leader. There are a number of important characters in the series that contribute to these important lessons. For this paper, we will be focusing on the leadership roles of the characters within The Two Towers book and movie. We will also explain some of the major differences between the book and movie. The important characters that will be discussed are Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo, Gollum, Merry, Pippin, and Treebeard. It has been said that a true leader is someone who has followers, which is something that is definitely portrayed by Gandalf the White, as well as Gandalf the Grey. Many characters in the movie and book look to Gandalf for assistance and direction, such as Frodo, Aragorn, and King Théoden. Gandalf is the type of leader that could be followed anywhere, as he makes it a priority to always manage the current situation, and to look into the bigger picture as well. He is always calculating the next moves in order to get the right people in place for the greater challenges that are going to come. He has developed many great relationships with those who follow him, and he has shown that he greatly empowers the individuals that he comes into contact with. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers shows Gandalf in a different light than he had been shown in the previous film. Gandalf started out being Gandalf the Grey in “The Fellowship of the Ring”...
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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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...ending battle of good versus evil goes on to this day all around us. This book tells us everything that we should and should not do in our lives. It is like reading the entire collection of Aesop’s fables at one sitting. I don’t think that I have ever been so moved to laughter and tears by written words. The morals of this story are the reasons that I will list for its greatness. I will start with a fierce warning against the evils of greed. The dwarves of Moria were a great and powerful race. They lived in this particular mountain because they could find the mithril ore no where else in the world. It was very light but very hard, excellent for making weapons and armor. They became very greedy and delved deeper and deeper into the ground to keep there supply coming. They were warned that evil things lie deep in the ground, but they did not heed these warnings. It was there doom. Every dwarf died fighting the evil that sprung out of the ground. Many years later a band of dwarves set out to retake Moria and they were repaid for their greed with the same price. You cannot see where your feet are falling when your eyes are on the prize. Next is a fiercer warning on ambition and being kind to the environment. The evil of Saruman in this realm spread far and wide. He was...
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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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...became a priority. The few who refused to convert to Catholicism were labeled heretics. The heretics wanted the right to freely practice their faith, which the Church defined as evil and a sin, making it one of Dante’s Circles of Hell. This is a prime example of how evil can be interpreted in various ways depending on ones personal experiences or viewpoints. If someone was given a list of the sins and told to classify them in a particular order, the results would vary because every person has a different interpretation of evil. Another example of this ambiguity is the conflict between Thorin Oakenshield and Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies. After Thorin, Bilbo, and the rest of the dwarves arrived at the Lonely Mountain, the gold within made Thorin develop “dragon sickness,” an illness that causes a person to be overcome with greed for gold and treasure. In Thorin’s case, there was nothing he wanted more than “The Arkenstone,” and his growing...
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