J.R.R. Tolkien Essay example - 1443 Words

J.R.R. Tolkien Merely mentioning the name J.R.R. Tolkien conjures up fantasies. Though his trilogy The Lord of the Rings is well known, not much else is known about the man who was a scholar before anything else. It is, in fact, the cult scale popularity of the trilogy that obscures the many accomplishments that marked his life. He won an exhibition, or a middle class merit scholarship, to Oxford University in 1911. By the time he attained his bachelor’s degree, he was conversant in seven languages and had created another. His definitive translations of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are still used in colleges today. In the end, though, it will be the popularity of the trilogy for which Professor Tolkien will be†¦show more content†¦Upon graduation he entered Exeter College of Oxford University and continued his philology training. With his BA in philology in hand, Tolkien received a commission and went to war with the rest of his generation. Lt. Tolkien was one of the few men to survive the great Somme offensive, and the experience would affect the remainder of his life. Immediately after the war he returned to academia where he would spend the bulk of his time in a few very distinguished positions in the English department of Oxford University. It is during this time that Professor Tolkien began to write. Much later on he would retire comfortably on the earnings from his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings. One common reading of this trilogy is that it is a Christian allegory. Tolkien was, indeed, a devout Catholic. It is possible, like his life long friend C.S. Lewis, that Tolkien passed into his work the values of his religious views. It has been suggested (though not by the professor himself) that Tolkien recreated God’s world as it was supposed to be before the fall. Because it is God’s world, it is ruled by the same natural order, and therefore hobbits have what Tolkien calls universal morals or natural philosophy and natural religion(Grotta-Kurska 90). Whatever the case, the ethical system very much parallels the Christian system. In private conversations Professor Tolkien is rumored to have said that the lembas givenShow MoreRelatedEssay J.R.R. Tolkien1127 Words   |  5 PagesJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien, creator of a world. When someone who knows Tolkien is asked about his works, one thought comes to mind, Middle Earth. This was the playground in his mind that such vivid descriptions of fantasylands came from. It is the base of his most well known stories, where dreams are just the norm. br brJ.R.R. may owe much of his success to his diverse beginnings. On April 16, 1891, Mabel Suffield and Arthur Reuel Tolkien were married in Bloemfontein, South Africa. They soon gaveRead More J.R.R. Tolkien Essay895 Words   |  4 PagesJ.R.R. Tolkien J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) gained a reputation during the 1960’s and 1970’s as a cult figure among youths disillusioned with war and the technological age. His continuing popularity evidences his ability to evoke the oppressive realities of modern life while drawing audiences into a fantasy world. John Ronald Reuel was born on the third of January, 1892, at Bloemfontein, South Africa, where his father, Arthur, had taken a position with the Bank of Africa. In 1895 Tolkien’sRead MoreEssay on The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien530 Words   |  3 PagesThe Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Dont judge a book by its cover. This famous phrase can very well be applied to the hobbit a small human like creature that goes along with 13 dwarves and a wizard. The wizard, Gandalf, has total faith in the little hobbit knowing full well that when the time comes he will serve the dwarves quite well. He does this with the help of a ring that makes him invisible. He saves the dwarves from evil spiders that wish to eat them. Uses it to help themRead MoreThe Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Essay1019 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Rings. The Lord of the Rings written by J.R.R. Tolkien has been read and loved by many and will be enjoyed by many more in the years to come. Tolkien was an amazing linguist and author. He will be remembered for his great imagination and intriguing stories. His interest in language was the spark that led to the creation of The Lord of the Rings (Hodges 33-35). Tolkien led an interesting life that influenced his books greatly. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892, in South AfricaRead MoreEssay on Reader Response to The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien801 Words   |  4 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;I read a book the other day. It was a wonderful book called The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. I really enjoyed it; it gives the background information on the creation of Middle Earth. In it, Tolkien tells us of Illà ºvatar, Eà ¤, the Valar and the birth of Elves, Dwarves and Men. But, you know, I don’t think it has anything at all to do with Elves, Dwarves, Men and some god named Illà ºvatar. I think Tolkien really wanted to write a Biblical allegory and a critique on ridiculous human nature reallyRead More J.R.R. Tolkien Biography Essay examples1521 Words   |  7 Pages J.R.R. Tolkien was born in South Africa, although he considered himself a British man throughout his adulthood. He experienced World War I firsthand in the trenches. He was a professor of Old English and other a rchaic languages and had a strong love for such languages. Tolkien also felt a strong tie for his homeland, England, and desired to create mythology for England. Tolkien was able to write the first modern fantasy novel through his life experiences and his love for archaic languages andRead MoreTreatment of Race in the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien1151 Words   |  5 PagesIn The Hobbit, there are character groups that could be compared to specific groups within society. J.R.R Tolkien, the author of the novel, said (during an interview-type session) that the dwarves seemed similar to Jewish people. He may have thought/said this because of the dwarves’ greed for riches or because, throughout the book, the dwarves are disliked by many of the character groups. Tolkien also describes Goblins (or Orcs) as having wide mouths, sallow skin, flat noses, and slanted eyes. HeRead MoreQuenya: A Non-real Language Invented by J.R.R. Tolkien936 Words   |  4 Pagesmade by J.R.R Tolkien. He be gan devising the language around the year 1910 and changed around a lot of the structure until it reached the final stage. The vocabulary was mostly not changed that much but the name has been changed quite a bit of times before it was called Quenya. It was changed from Elfin to Qenya to it finally being called Quenya by J.R.R Tolkien. A lot of words in Quenya came from The Finnish language but also familiar with Latin, Greek and ancient Germanic languages. Tolkien madeRead MoreJ.R.R Tolkien Tolkien was born in South Africa and after both his parents died when Tolkien was at600 Words   |  3 Pages J.R.R Tolkien Tolkien was born in South Africa and after both his parents died when Tolkien was at a young age he moved in with relatives to England. This is where all his writing started. He went to college and studied Anglo Saxon and classic literature. He even enlisted in the army, which was very common for this time, and all this time at war he never stopped writing. He finally got released from the army because of an illness. All these events in his life have majorly influenced his writingRead MoreThe Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien589 Words   |  2 PagesPlot: The Hobbit is about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins whos living in the Shire Hobbiton. A wizard named Gandalf shows up with 13 military dwarfs and asks Bilbo to help reclaim the dwarf’s treasure. On the way they thought run into issues and obstacles. Wondering through tunnels in the Misty Mountains after being left behind, Bilbo find a strange Golden ring that when worn turns you invisible and pockets it. After that he meets back up with Gandalf and the 13 dwarves only to later be abandoned