Similar Architecture

Much of the architecture that was used in the Lord of the Rings films reminds people of the architecture of the Middle ages. The photo I have included is one of Minas Tirith in the films.

Questions:

1.How is this castle/city similar to the things we find in history books?

2. Why is there a wall surrounding it?

3. Why was the city built this way? Can you think of any historical examples that are similar? What are the reasons for those places planning?

The Role of Women in History and in Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings has several noteworthy women that most people take away from wither the book or the movie. One of these women is Eowyn who wants to be able to fight like her brother and cousin. Her struggle to be allowed to fight is not unlike the fight of women all around the world to have the same rights as men. Tolkien is writing during a time in history that women are fighting for their rights. In his lifetime he sees the women in England gain the right to vote. He also sees the first British Queen come to the throne since Queen Victoria. This very well may have effected how Tolkien chose to portray his female characters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwqlG1BLNO0

Questions:

1.What female historical figures does Eowyn remind you of?

2. Why is her right important to the story?

3. How can this be mirrored in real historical events?

Battles

Some of the scenes that are both very reminiscent of the past and somewhat fantasy are the battle scenes. Like we learn about in our history books, the characters in the scenes have weapons such as bows and arrows and catapults as opposed to bombs and guns. The difference is what they are battling. The battle scenes still give the feel of an old time battle by the look of the movies. The snippet I have attached is one of a battle scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAG5vBKmvcA&feature=related

It is important to remember that Tolkien was a Professor at Oxford. He had the ability to draw upon historical knowledge to help influence the books. When writing about the battle, why did he choose to write about bows and arrows as opposed to the guns and bombs that he himself had experienced during his time in the British army during World War I?

Lord of the Rings and Religion

As mentioned in the previous post, Lord of the Rings was greatly influenced by religion. Over time, many readers have debated the symbolism of The Lord of the Rings and what Tolkien meant when he created the characters in the way that he did. Were places such as Rivendell supposed to represent Heaven? Was Mordor the equivalent to Hell? Who do the elves and wizards represent? These are all things to think about when reading the following article, and the books themselves.

"The Lord of the Rings" teaches us to be humane, to follow the principles of Christianity. Sympathy for enemies determines a lot in the epic. It is both sympathy and humanity that prevent Bilbo from killing Gollum, who played a crucial role in the destroying of the Ring. Good, according to Tolkien, is not revengeful. It strives to get justice and will never shoot an arrow into the back of the Enemy."

This website gives not only a quick synopsis of the story, but also shows how the story relates to life today.

http://www.lord-of-the-rings.org/books.html

Do you feel that Tolkien is pushing his way of life upon others? From what you have read so far do you think that this is a simple tale of good versus evil?

After reading the article, please explain how you think the different aspects of Tolkiens life affected his writing.

The History of Lord of the Rings.

Welcome to the wonderful world of J.R.R. Tolkien. Within the world of Lord of the Rings people both young and old have lost themselves to the tales within.

J.R.R. Tolkien was influenced by his experiences during World War I as well as by his love of languages and his Catholic background. Some information can be found at the following site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings#Influences

J.R.R. Tolkien was a man who spent his life writing these books. He not only wrote the book but actually created a language for the elves. He made maps that were detailed meticulously. It is important to consider why he did these things. Why was this work so important to him?

Instructions:

For all of the questions/assignments on this blog, please either post your answers or give them to me in a typed response.

Questions:

1. What does this article tell us about J.R.R. Tolkien and why he wrote the books?

2. How did World War I impact the writing of the book?