Concerning Orcs and Goblins in the Tolkien Universe
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, or simply J.R.R. Tolkien as he was commonly called, is the author of a widely known series of books which take place in the fictional land of Middle Earth. Of these books, the ones which garner the most attention are those of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and their prequel, The Hobbit. Seeing as these are novels of the fantasy genre it may come as no surprise that many of the characters or creatures described within their pages are those of fiction. Occasionally Tolkien would draw his characters from other sources or medieval texts. Halflings for example, or Hobbits as Tolkien called them, were a race of people short in stature but bold in spirit. Hobbits are often depicted as joyful high-spirited folk with little technology and a wide array of farming and gardening techniques. A good comparison might be Irishmen from the countryside. Hobbits serve as the main protagonists of the novels, alongside a choice group of men and dwarves. Opposing the hobbits in the Fellowship of the Ring and The Hobbit are the orcs and goblins of Mordor, Isengard, and the Misty Mountains. Orcs and goblins were mentioned in literature long before the days of Tolkien, but it was his work in these novels that rocketed them into the spotlight as a common enemy in literature, film, and even video games. The mindset of the orc is a foul, battle-centric one. There are quite a few examples and descriptors of Tolkien's orcs which inform the reader of their evil and malevolent ways. Despite this fact, orcs and goblins are not just faceless enemies. They are intelligent and interesting races with a complex back story and a strong social and moral system. Though to fully u...
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...y cannot see the benefits of taking a side, and serving a master, whether he birthed them from the ground or not. In some ways, they can be likened to the Vikings, who were also bold fighters; exhibiting devotion to their lord of thane. They were also a crafty people, inventing long ships and the first magnetic compasses; inventions that would time and time again lead them to swift victories. Perhaps this is where Tolkien got his inspiration. One thing is undeniable though, and that is that the Orcs are a deeply fascinating and complex fantasy race.
Works Cited
Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel, Humphrey Carpenter, and Christopher Tolkien. The Letters Of J.R.R. Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), 1981. Web. .
. "Goblin." Online Etymology Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb 2012. .
Within J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Tolkien uses the character of Bilbo Baggins to reveal to the reader the constant struggle between heroic and anti-heroic qualities within Bilbo and ourselves.
The paper will begin with a look at the life of Tolkien. This will serve the purpose of providing some context for the novel. Looking into the life of Tolkien will also serve to give the reader some insight into the mind that gave birth to such a rich land and why the novel may have some importance for sufferers of mental illness. Next will likely be a short summation of the
The morality of revenge is often difficult to evaluate, and the struggle to determine whether it is the path to justice or evil subtlety permeates through J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. In the novel, the morality of vengeance does not fall into the clearly set lines between good and evil. This grey area is a hallmark of Tolkien's background, for his religion and academic studies have conflicting stances on revenge. His faith criticizes revenge and promotes forgiveness, yet he was a scholar of Anglo-Saxon literature which portrays revenge as the noble route to justice. Since these two aspects of Tolkien's life greatly influenced his writing, he did not eliminate the existence of vengeance from the minds of his indignant characters. Instead, the novel cautions against revenge and its inherent dangers, though there are exceptions in which revenge is carried out without harmful effects. However, in order to evaluate the various episodes where revenge is discouraged in the narrative, there must be a consistent criteria for analysis.
The Hobbit Literature has had a huge influence on society for generations. When books can stay popular for a long time they become classics. These classics shape who we are and they also let us ‘walk’ in someone else's shoes. The Hobbit, by J.R.R Tolkien, is a classic book that has a plethora of qualities that give it literary value. The most notable aspects that contribute to the value of the novel are: the character building, the plot and world building.
...dants of Cain. Therefore, what they represent is the amalgamation of monster and human, reflecting the monstrous characteristics within society. It is Grendel who is provoked, it is his mother who is wronged, and yet Beowulf is the one who sees it as his right to defend against the ‘swamp hag’ and her son. The poet is most subtly teasing out the flaws of this society, commenting on the social structure and gender confinements that are upheld. In fighting the monsters, Beowulf displays the immoral elements of his world and of humanity. The role of the creatures within the text is to show how the fighters of monsters themselves can become monsters in their own right. The poet is ultimately demonstrating that humans and heroes are not free from flaws just because they are not monsters. Indeed, this presumptive manner often brings out the monstrous method of our heroes.
Tolkien, J. R. R., and Douglas A. Anderson. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
In the novel, The Hobbit, we find many themes and underlying messages from which useful knowledge and principles can be acquired. As the modern canadian fantasy writer once said, “Fantasy has the capacity to be as important and as thought-provoking as any other form of literature we have.” Tolkien’s work provides readers with challenging and time honoured themes such as: use your unique positive traits for the greater good of the group, power should never be abused and it is important to find your true self in life.
Good vs. Evil is portrayed in The Hobbit through many different events and characters throughout the novel. Showing us that what we may think, may not always be want it really is. Bilbo had no doubt in his mind they would fail on their mission. Yet with all odds against them they won, good defeated evil, just like in the Bible God watches out for his children and protects them from evil, but they have to make the right choices, and work for his respect and honor.
Print. The. Tolkien, J. R. R. The Fellowship of the Ring. First Ballantine Books Ed.
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again. New York: Ballantine, 1982. Print
Tolkien, J.R.R. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1954. Print.
There are a lot of characters in the Hobbit. Most if not all of them
For many ages the people of the world have fought over many conflictions: Desire, ambition, obligations and influences. For instance, Tolkien writes “One Ring to Rule them all, One Ring to Find them, One Ring to bring them all in and in the darkness bind them” which gives the audience a feeling of uncertainty. Within the J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings desire, ambition, and a level of influence are present that shape the characters choices and affects the world in which they live in.
The two Hobbits set off on a journey in which they meet up with others that join them on their journey such as Gimli the "Dwarf", Legolas the "Elven" archer, Boromir a "Human" tracker, Aragorn the heir to the "Human" throne, two more "Hobbits" Merry, Pippin and the powerful "Wizard" Gandalf. They travel across "Middle Earth" fighting off many "Orcs" and "Black Riders" which are in search of the ring by the orders of the powerful evil "Wizard" Sauron. During their quest, they encounter many ambushes by the "Orcs" which they overcome and usually slay. In some of the ambushes, Frodo uses his ring to become invisible to escape from the "Orcs" and "Black Riders".
The Hobbit is a fantasy fiction book and the author is Tolkien. The main idea is how the hobbit, a small creature named Bilbo who is the main character, changes throughout the different adventures becoming an unlikely hero. In fact the hobbits themselves symbolize the modern middle class and therefore allow the reader to identify with the hobbits. The following paragraphs will describe the setting, the characterization, the theme and symbolism.