The Life and Work of J. R. R. Tolkien - Essay Example

September 9, The Life and Work of J. R. R. Tolkien Thesis: Investigating details about John Ronald Reuel (J. R. R Tolkien helps us better appreciate the accomplishments of this writer. Card 1: Birth Carpenter J. R. R. Tolkien was born January 3, 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. His father, Arthur Reuel Tolkien was an English bank manager who moved to South Africa with his wife Mabel for a promotion. Paraphrase, p. 14 Card 2: Death "J. R. R. Tolkien Dead" J. R. R. Tolkien died on 2 September 1973 at 81 and was buried in Oxford. He was buried in the same grave as his wife Edith. Summary Card 3: Hobbit "J. R. R. Tolkien Dead" J. R. R Tolkien never thought his work would be so well-received and had to be convinced to publish The Hobbit. He had original written the work for his children. Summary, p. 1 Card 4: Accomplishments Garth graduated with a degree in English Language in 1915joined the British Army as a second lieutenant Paraphrase, p. 207 Card 5: Works New Line Cinema Tolkien's work gained immense popularity in the 1960s. This popularity enjoyed a rebirth 2000s with Hollywood renditions of Tolkien's most seminal works. Paraphrase Card 6: Works "Oxford Calling" The Hobbit was written as a fairy tale. Lord of the Rings reflects a more serious tone in Tolkien's writing. Summary, p. 1 Card 7: Life Garth "Junior officers were being killed off, a dozen a minute. Parting from my wife then ... it was like a death" Quote, p.13 Card 8: Marriage Carpenter "Edith and Ronald took to frequenting Birmingham teashops, especially one which had a balcony overlooking the pavement. There they would sit and throw sugarlumps into the hats of passers-by, moving to the next table when the sugar bowl was empty. ... With two people of their personalities and in their position, romance was bound to flourish. Both were orphans in need of affection, and they found that they could give it to each other. During the summer of 1909, they decided that they were in love." Quote, p. 40 Card 9: Family Letters The Tolkien's had four children. Their first, John, was born in 1917. Michael was born in 1920, Christopher in 1924, and Priscilla in 1929. Summary, Preface Card 10: Family Carpenter When J. R. R. was three years old, he and his mother went on an extended visit to England. While they were there, his father died of fever in Africa. Summary, p. 24 Card 11: Family Carpenter When he was only 12, Tolkien's mother died of diabetes. She was only 34 but insulin had not been discovered yet and at she could not be treated. Paraphrase, p. 31 Card 12 Racism "Racism" Some of Tolkien's critics accused him of racist undertones n his early writings. As a result, he deliberately mitigated these interpretations in later works. Paraphrase, p. 557 Card 13 Friendship Carpenter Tolkien was known to have been good friends with C. S. Lewis. Tolkien even convinced Lewis to turn from Atheism to Christianity. Summary, p. 119 Card 14 Views New Line Cinema Tolkien disliked the dangers and licentious nature of the modern world. He saw them as a scourge upon the environment and rode a bike instead of driving a car most of his life as an adult. Paraphrase Card 15 Views New Line Cinema This attitude was much apparent in the forced mechanization of the Shire from Lord of the Rings. It was one of the more serious undertones of the epic. Summary Card 16 Religion Bofetti Tolkien admitted to being deeply influenced by the Catholic Church. It is evident in much of his imagery and style. Summary, p. 32 Card 17 Spiders Carpenter When J. R. R. was small, a baboon spider bit him in the garden. That moment is represented in The Hobbit as the giant spider. Summary, p. 13 Card 18 Books Carpenter Tolkien did not like Treasure Island . To him, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was amusingly distressing. Paraphrase, p. 22 Card 19 Wife Carpenter Tolkien met Edith Mary Bratt when he moved into the rooming house where she lived. She was 3 years older than him. Paraphrase, p. 40 Card 20 War Garth Tolkien's deployment stressed Edith horribly. She feared for his life in combat, and they created a cipher so she could track him on a map at home. Summary, p.94 Card 21 Communism Rayfield J. R. R. supported the Nationalists led by Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War because the Communist Republicans ruined churches and killed many priests and nuns. Paraphrase, p. 362 Card 22 Communism Rayfield Tolkien publicly hated the Soviet dictator Stalin publicly. He hoped that he would be defeated after Hitler in World War II. Summary, p. 362 Card 23 Communism Rayfield Commentators thought The Lord of the Rings was an anti-communist story and thought the Dark Lord analogous with Stalin himself. Tolkien asserted his creation of Middle-earth occurred a long time prior to the October Revolution of 1917. Paraphrase, p. 363 Card 24 Linguistics Grotta Toklien was an accomplished linguist. In 1920, at the University of Leeds, he taught Old English, Gothic, Old Icelandic, and Medieval Welsh among other Germanic language courses. Summary, p. 182 Card 25 Linguistics Grotta Tolkien's mother taught him Latin, French, and German, and in school he picked up Old and Middle English as well as Finnish, Greek, Italian, and Spanish. Furthermore, J. R. R. learned some Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Russian, Swedish, among a list of other dialects. Paraphrase, p. 42 Card 26 Linguistics Grotta He even constructed artificial languages for his legends. They were based on his knowledge of Latin, Finnish, and Greek. Summary, p. 90 Card 27 Legacy Grotta He even managed to keep alive the archaic spellings of certain words. Thanks to him, we spell dwarves instead of dwarfs. Summary, p. 101 Card 28 Legacy Grotta In his honor, certain things have been named after J. R. R. Tolkien. One is the Tolkien Road in Eastbourne, East Sussex, and another is an asteroid named in 1982. A doctoral position at Oxford also bares his name. Paraphrase, p. 212 Outline I. Introduction a. Attention getting statement b. Thesis statement c. Preview statement II. Biography a. Birth b. Death III. Accomplishments a. Education b. Awards IV. Works a. Hobbit b. The Rings V. Conclusion a. Review statement b. Thesis statement c. Closing thought John Ronald Reuel (J. R. R.) Tolkien has become one of the most celebrated English authors of our time. Investigating details about him helps us better appreciate the accomplishments of this writer. In so doing, it is helpful to review his life and work. Many are familiar with his literary work, but who was J. R. R. Tolkien as a person J. R. R. Tolkien was born January 3, 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa (Carpenter 14). His father, Arthur Reuel Tolkien was an English bank manager who moved to South Africa with his wife Mabel for a promotion (Carpenter 14). When J. R. R. was small, a baboon spider bit him in the garden. That moment is represented in The Hobbit as the giant spider (Carpenter 13). When J. R. R. was three years old, he and his mother went on an extended visit to England. While they were there, his father died of fever in Africa (Carpenter 24). Tolkien's mother taught him Latin, French, and German, and in school he picked up Old and Middle English as well as Finnish, Greek, Italian, and Spanish (Grotta 42). Furthermore, J. R. R. learned some Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Russian, and Swedish among a list of other dialects (Grotta 42). Language remained a very important part of his life until the end. As long as his life was, it was not always an easy one. When he was only 12, Tolkien's mother died of diabetes (Carpenter 31). She was only 34 but insulin had not been discovered yet and at she could not be treated (Carpenter 31). J. R. R. met the woman who was to become his wife when, he was 16 (Carpenter 40). Tolkien met Edith Mary Bratt when he moved into the rooming house where she lived (Carpenter 40). She was 3 years older than he was (Carpenter 40), but their friendship flourished as described in this passage: "Edith and Ronald took to frequenting Birmingham teashops, especially one which had a balcony overlooking the pavement. There they would sit and throw sugarlumps into the hats of passers-by, moving to the next table when the sugar bowl was empty. ... With two people of their personalities and in their position, romance was bound to flourish. Both were orphans in need of affection, and they found that they could give it to each other. During the summer of 1909, they decided that they were in love" (Carpenter 40). They were both orphans at the time they met (Carpenter 40), and she remained an important influence in his life until his death. Despite his accomplishments as a writer, J. R. R. Tolkien also participated in a rich and full life. He graduated with a degree in English Language in 1915 and joined the British Army as a second lieutenant (Garth 207). Having married his wife in January of 1913, Tolkien wrote this about his departure from her during his deployment to the continent in World War I: "Junior officers were being killed off, a dozen a minute. Parting from my wifewas like a death" (Garth 138). Tolkien's deployment stressed Edith horribly (Garth 94). She feared for his life in combat, and they created a cipher so she could track him on a map at home (Garth 94). Following the War, the Tolkien's had four children (Letters, Preface). Their first, John, was born in 1917 (Tolkien, Preface). Michael was born in 1920, Christopher in 1924, and Priscilla in 1929 (Tolkien, Preface). He had original written The Hobbit for his children ("J. R. R. Tolkien Dead" 1). It was much lighter hearted than some of his later work. Toklien was an accomplished linguist (Grotta 182) In 1920, at the University of Leeds, he taught Old English, Gothic, Old Icelandic, and Medieval Welsh among other Germanic language courses (Grotta 182). Although his family may have been the most important influence in his life, others profoundly impacted J. R. R. Tolkien. Tolkien was known to have been good friends with C. S. Lewis (Carpenter, 119). Tolkien even convinced Lewis to turn from Atheism to Christianity (Carpenter, 120). Tolkien disliked the dangers and licentious nature of the modern world (New Line Cinema). He saw them as a scourge upon the environment and rode a bike instead of driving a car most of his life as an adult (New Line Cinema). This attitude was much apparent in the forced mechanization of the Shire from Lord of the Rings (New Line Cinema). It was one of the more serious undertones of the epic (New Line Cinema). Tolkien also admitted to being deeply influenced by the Catholic Church which is evident in much of his imagery and style (Bofetti 32). Tolkien did not like Treasure Island, and too him, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was amusingly distressing (Carpenter 22). J. R. R. supported the Nationalists led by Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War because the Communist Republicans ruined churches and killed many priests and nuns (Rayfield 362). Tolkien publicly hated the Soviet dictator Stalin publicly (Rayfield 362). He hoped that he would be defeated after Hitler in World War II (Rayfield 363). Commentators thought The Lord of the Rings was an anti-communist story and thought the Dark Lord analogous with Stalin himself (Rayfield 362). Tolkien asserted his creation of Middle-earth occurred a long time prior to the October Revolution of 1917 (Rayfield 362). The adventure tales so many have come to love resurfaced in popularity in the United States during some of the most tumultuous times in her history. Some of his most seminal writings were favorites in the 1960s and enjoyed a rebirth of popularity with Hollywood renditions earlier this decade (New Line Cinema). J. R. R Tolkien never thought his work would be so well-received and had to be convinced to even publish The Hobbit ("J. R. R Tolkien Dead." 1). Although The Hobbit was intended as a sort of fairy tale, The Lord of the Rings ushered in a darker tone from Tolkien ("Oxford" 1). Some of Tolkien's critics accused him of racist undertones n his early writings. As a result, he deliberately mitigated these interpretations in later works ("Racism" 557). This more serious mood may have attracted a slightly older audience than his earlier works. Without a doubt, the recent films made about his work depict a realistic albeit fantastic world full of danger, death, and evil. By no means are these adventures necessarily geared only toward children. Many people who watch these films these films today with their little ones are nostalgic for the popularity the novels enjoyed last century. Tolkien died on September 2, 1973, at the age of 81 ("J. R. R. Tolkien Dead" 1). He was buried in his wife Edith's grave in Oxford ("J. R. R. Tolkien Dead" 1). During his life, he accomplished many things. So many, they are almost too numerous to mention. For example, he managed to keep alive the archaic spellings of certain words (Grotta 101). Thanks to him, we spell dwarves instead of dwarfs (Grotta 101). He even constructed artificial languages for his legends based on his knowledge of Latin, Finnish, and Greek (Grotta 90). In his honor, certain things have been named after J. R. R. Tolkien. One is the Tolkien Road in Eastbourne, East Sussex, and another is an asteroid named in 1982 (Grotta 212). A doctoral position at Oxford also bares his name (Grotta 212). The life and work of J. R. R. Tolkien has been reviewed here. Investigating details about him helps us better appreciate his accomplishments. His impact on modern Western Culture is unquantifiable. Orphaned when he was young, this man became an officer in World War I, a professor in England, an accomplished author, and a devout Catholic. Despite his personal trials, he still managed to come out ahead. In fact, he is not very different in many ways than the heroes in his books. Works Cited "J. R. R. Tolkien Dead at 81; Wrote 'The Lord of the Rings'". New York Times. 3 September 1973. "Oxford Calling." Editorial. New York Times. 5 June 1955. "Racism, Charge of." J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia. 2006. Bofetti, Jason. "Tolkien's Catholic Imagination." Crisis Magazine. November 2001. Carpenter, Humphrey. Tolkien: A Biography. New York: Ballantine Books. 1977. Garth, John. Tolkien and the Great War. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 2003. J. R. R. Tolkien- Creator of Middle Earth. New Line Cinema. 2002. Tolkien, J. R. R. Letters from Father Christmas. HarperCollins. 2009. Rayfield, Donald. Stalin and his Hangmen: The Tyrant and Those Who Killed for Him. Random House. 2004. Grotta, Daniel (2001). J.R.R. Tolkien: Architect of Middle Earth. Philadelphia: Running Press. 2001. Read More