Works Cited

J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings. Ballantine Books, New York. Copyright 1954-1974.
    Volume I. The Fellowship of the Ring.

    Volume II. The Two Towers.

    Volume III. The Return of the King.

J. R. R. Tolkien." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 01 May 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien.

J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biographical Sketch." JRR Tolkien Biography. Web. 01 May 2012. http://www.tolkiensociety.org/tolkien/biography.html.

Analysis

The Lord of the Rings is a breathtaking series of books that are a sequel to Tolkien's first publication The Hobbit. The plot centers around a small hobbit named Frodo. He is tasked with the transportation and destruction of an evil ring that gives whoever wears it near-invincible powers. The rings owner, Sauron, has armies at his disposal and will stop at nothing to get the ring that he lost. Frodo is hindered along the way by many types of creatures but the most menacing of all are the ones around him that crave the power of the ring. Some claim they would use it for good, while others just want it for the absolute power. This is also a theme that Tolkien like to write about. Absolute power corrupts absolutley. Frodo must also abstain from the pull of the ring as it has a will of it own. Frodo is accomanied by some frinds from the home town where he is from, the Shire. He is also accompanied by many other people that have sworn to protect Frodo from harm as he tries to rid Middle-earth of this terrible evil. This is a classic examle of good versus evil as a small and harmless hobbit has to carry the biggest burden across the lands of Middle-earth. In some ways it shows how such a small person can have the biggest heart. Through his quest to destroy the ring, Frodo realizes what it will cost him, yet he is still willing to continue and push forward. This is similar to the Christian themes, such as a heart of gold and true virtue to attain the ultimate goal, no matter the cost. Through his journey, Frodo learns he can trust no one, and sets out with just his best friend, Samwise. Ultimately, Frodo acccomplishes his goal of destroying the ring. While his does not die, he is forever changed by the circumstances of his journey and this sacrafice resonates with Christianity, one of Tolkien's main themes, as one person gives himelf for the betterment of the world around him.

Major Works

J.R.R. Tolkien first hit was an article of literary criticism called Beowulf: The Monters and Critics. This revolutionized how Beowulf  would be analized by critics from that day on. His next work, The Silmarillion, was a tale Lúthien and of Túrin, and how Middle-earth had come to be. It was Tolkien's materpiece, yet critics had mixed feeling about it. Ronald'd first publication was The Hobbit and gained extreme noteriety as a great childrens book. To this day it is still on childrens recommended reading lists. The Lord of the Rings is what gave Tolkien his massive popularity. It was published in three separate books between 1954-1955. It bacame so popular that Tolkien practically had to go into hiding becasue of the incessant prodding and inquistions on the books by his fans. Other works are a compilation of short stories he would write to his children from "Father Christmas" called The Father Christmas Letters.

Themes, Influences, and Artistic Styles

As a devout Catholic, the Christion theme is ever present in his books. The Scilmarillion is a great example of this. It could be considered a Genesis to his entire works, and if Tolkien had his way, would have been the first book he published. It is a description of how Middle-earth was created by the first Elf Eru and is very similar to the Bible in which God had created the heavens and earth. The biggest theme that runs throughout his works is the contrant struggle of good versus evil and how ultimate power corrupts ultimatly. Most of Tolkien's influences stem from the liturature and languages that he studied throughout his life. His influences seem to be greatest in Oxford where he established a group called "The Inklings." Messrs Coghill, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, and C. S. Lewis, who became one of Tolkien's closest friends, were memebers of "The Inklings" in which they would focus on writing. They met to converse, drink, and read eath others works-in-progress.

Career

After World War I, Tolkien began to work as an Assistant Lexicographer on the New English Dictionary. He wouldn't be there for long as he soon was appointed the senior post of Reader in English Language at the University of Leeds. He returned to Oxford to fill the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professorship of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford that had become vacant. Ronald fit right into the largely male world of teaching, research, the exchange of ideas and occasional publication. His publicatins were rare, but very influential. His academic life was unremarkable and in 1945 he changed his chair to the Merton Professorship of English Language and Literature. He remained here until his retirement in 1959.

The Beginnings

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South America on January 3, 1892. Tolkien lived in South Africa for four years, up until the death of his father Arthur Reuel Tolkien. At that point he, his mother, and his borther moved to England where his parents were originally from. He was sent to King Edwards School where his lingustic imagination was sparked by coal trucks bearing the names of their destinations such as "Nantyglo" and "Senghenydd". Tolkiens mother, Mabel, was told that she had diabetes and died that year, leaving Ronald and his brother destitute. At that point their preist, Father Francis made sure that the boys spiritual and material wellfare were assured. Later they would boarded by an aunt. Ronald started to excell in laguages such as Latin, Greek, Gothic, and Finnish. These would later become the influences in the many languages he would go on to create. At the boarding house he would meet his eventual wife, Edith Bratt. Father Francis forbid Ronald to see Edith until he was twenty-one. Obliged, Ronald went to Exeter College were de dived into his languages and studies. After he was twenty-one Ronald picked up his relationship with Edith where he had left off. Edith had converted to Catholicism to be with Ronald and they moved together to Warwick. Then World War I had begun. Tolkien didn't enlist for the war at first, instead he went to Oxford to recieve a first-class degree in 1915. After this Ronald enlisted for the war. Hearing news that he was to be deployed to combat in France, Ronald and Edith were married. Ronald eventually succumbed to "trench fever" and was removed from combat. During this time Ronald began working on what would later become his most famous stories. When the Armistic was signed, ending World War I, Ronald began to look for work. He found a position at the University of Leeds. Tolkien academic career was not very remarkable as he took a role in mostly academic politics and administration. Ronald stories had begun to take shape in his writing, but were really felt out as bedtime stories for his children. Tolkien eventually finished his book The Hobbit, which was published in 1937 and was an instant success. He was asked to write a sequel to The Hobbit that later became The Lord of the Rings. After a cult-like following of fans bothered him to the poind of moving and changing his telphone number. He eventually retired in 1959 to live with Edith in a quiet, elderly town of Bournemouth. After Edith Died in 1971, rondald retured to Oxford wher he died two years later on September 2, 1973

The Why

J.R.R. Tolkien is a british author with amazing storytelling abilities. I chose to write about him because I fell in love with the story of The Lord of the Rings. I was very intrigued, as well as impressed by the depth of story, characters, and location. It seems that everything from different races and characters to multiple languages, to the vast lanscape that Tolkien crerates, not only in The Lord of the Rings, but other works like The Hobbitt and The Silmarillion are completely fabricated from the mind of this storytelling master. For someone to create multiple languages for use in fictional stories shows the painstaking efforts this author poured into his works of art and proves that no stone was unturned and no effort spared to make his worlds the most realistic and near believable experience for the readers.