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Essay on 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien
Essay on 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien
Essay for the hobbit by j.j.r tolkien
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Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Garth Hinds’ Beowulf are both works of art. Both display great acts of heroism and they are both great stories to follow and enjoy. We see in both The Hobbit and Beowulf the hero’s journey. We see the characters develop throughout the works. We see the ways they handle tough situations, almost wriggling out of them by the skin of the teeth. It can be said that as much as Bilbo Baggins from Tolkien’s The Hobbit displays acts of heroism, he is still very much different from Beowulf portrayed by Garth Hinds.
To begin, we can examine the physical appearances of the two heroes. From the get go, we see Beowulf as a very powerful man. We see emphasise of this through the drawings of the novel. We see how muscular he is and the overall aura. He is relaxed and in control every step of the way.
On the other hand, when we look at Bilbo Baggins, the picture that we come up with is a small hobbit from a far away and relatively unknown land. He is portrayed as someone that is very insignificant. He is insecure of seemingly on the edge of losing control every step of the way. Where Beowulf would represent they type of hero people will follow into battle, Bilbo Baggins would represent the type of person that stays at home smoking a pipe by the fire. However, this is the reason why we see Bilbo Baggins as a hero.
When legends are told throughout the world about heroes, the picture that we have of that hero is someone like Beowulf. However, the reason why we see Bilbo Baggins as a hero is because he is so similar to the rest of us. He portrays the average person but Bilbo has gone the extra step. He takes risks and faces battles that seem impossible to conquer. This is why we he is a hero. He does everything that we wis...
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...becomes tested more and more until he reaches his limit.
Beowulf is not always tested to his limits. His first fight with Grendel was not that difficult for him. He easily defeated the monster. On the other hand, when it comes to overcoming obstacles, Bilbo Baggins is always on the verge of being defeated. Even though he does end up conquering his foes, they are with much more struggle than Beowulf.
Bilbo Baggins and Beowulf are both great heroes. However, they are heroes in different ways. They differ in the way they portray themselves, and the way they develop throughout their stories. They are similar in that they both conquer foes and create good wherever they go. They are treated as heroes, feared as heroes, and live as heroes. One is depicted as the universal hero, while the other is a hero among normal men. Bilbo Baggins is who we all should be more like.
While fighting the Dragon Beowulf shows feats of strength and courage that define him as a hero. The classical hero displays a special quality that separates him from the rest of
Bilbo cleverly eluded Smaug’s temptation, spared the life of foul creature Gollum, and demonstrate courage more and more throughout his journey. These exquisite traits made Bilbo into the revered character that was loved and respected for generations of readers. Throughout the book, Bilbo’s character had changed. At first, he was the ordinary hobbit who described adventures as “Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things” (4) but by the end of his journeys stated to Thorin, “I am glad that I have shared in your perils” (290). Bilbo’s ability to fight evil, make new friends, and to look beyond his maps and books enable him to become a hero. As Gandalf once said at the very beginning, “There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself” (19). Gandalf was right. What appeared to be an uneasy hobbit who fainted at the thought of adventures, turned out to be a brave leader, a compassionate friend, and an inspiring
In my opinion Beowulf is can be considered a hero. Beowulf can be considered a hero because of the characteristics he displays that resemble heroes. He displays all of the characteristics that heroes have. Throughout the story Beowulf stays true to himself and is morals showing that he is a hero. Beowulf is a hero due to his courage, loyalty, and justice.
Although Beowulf might have been a great warrior, usually people do not think that he is the greatest warrior from a story. Beowulf had the strength and the tactics to take down tons and tons of men on his own, but did not have the wisdom of other warrior figures. Beowulf was mainly strength and toughness, and sometimes a warrior needs to have some type of knowledge to ever be able to fight. A great example to Beowulf would be Luke Skywalker. Luke is in a story that is not the same type of story but, has the same concept. The only main difference would have to be the setting and the type of movie. Beowulf is a warrior that is considered super human and doesn't really belong anywhere, because he is not truly con...
Although centuries distance the creation of Beowulf from The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien took inspiration of different essential morals and character traits from Beowulf. In Beowulf, an epic hero Beowulf experiences significant tribulations and an ultimate battle that leads to his demise. In The Hobbit, Bilbo experiences similar tribulations, however, he gains courage and reverence throughout his journey. The nature of each book, how Bilbo experiences maturation when Beowulf experiences death, does not discredit Tolkien’s inspiration from Beowulf, it instead promotes the idea that each book was written for a different audience.
challenges. “A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall” Aristotle. Beowulf has many adventures and he fights Grendel and other monstrous creatures but he was very sure of himself. He was born being strong and we as an audience do not identify with that. “Of living strong men he was the strongest” . Beowulf had qualities that any other man had, but he
In J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel, The Hobbit, Bilbo develops not only the ability to be a hero, but also the mindframe to believe he can be a hero. In the beginning of the book, he starts out as a timid, scared hobbit. As he goes on more adventures, his self-confidence and heroism grows. He discovers how he can be a Baggins while also being a Took. Bilbo can also be compared and contrasted to another archetypal hero, Odysseus, from Homer’s The Odyssey.
An epic is a long narrative poem on a serious subject. It usually is about
Throughout the story, Beowulf fights three battles against frightening monsters. Beowulf, the prince of the Geats, was a well known warrior with extreme strength who makes a promise to protect his people under any circumstance. In the poem, his strength is tested, but he uses it to save many people in battles against: Grendel, Grendel 's mother, and a dragon. Before, during, and after each of these battles Beowulf shows many similarities and differences in his actions.
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit, one who enjoys peace and quiet, feasts and fireplaces, and the coziness of his home. At the beginning the The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Bilbo could not even imagine going on a tenacious adventure, but by the end he has survived the longest, toughest battle yet. Throughout the novel Bilbo Baggins changes from a prudent, typical hobbit into a courageous, sacrificing adventurer.
Every culture has many stories and poems to represent what they believe in, and what they look for in a hero. The heroes written in these stories and myths are brave, and are leaders. However, every hero comes with a flaw or two. The epic poem Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, has an extraordinary hero named Beowulf. Beowulf was a hero to the Anglo-Saxons which were fierce warriors who fought a lot. Beowulf fights many brutal monsters and threats in his days, but the most barbaric of them all is the inside threat within him. Beowulf had a big ego, and focused more on creating a name for himself than thinking about the real risks ahead. Two of his major battles that he faced along with his internal peril was against the dragon, and the beast Grendel.
A soldier and Beowulf are similar in many ways, for instance, they are both strong and brave. A soldier shows strength and bravery when he/she fights for the safety of our country by going to war against countries that mean us harm. Beowulf showed strength and bravery when he fought Grendel, a demonic monster who killed many of the Danes’ people. Unarmed and with the strength of just one hand, Beowulf was able to defeat Grendel. Throughout the poem, Beowulf fought in two more major battles; Grendel’s mother and a great dragon. Another similarity is that both, a soldier and Beowulf, are/were passionate about serving and protecting their people. Soldiers are dedicated to protecting those around them on the battlefield, as well as our society as a whole. Beowulf was not only dedicated to protecting his own people, but also those who had done right by his father.
...y a little fellow, Gandalf hints that even he was impressed by the large role Bilbo played in their journey, adding irony to the theme of heroism. Bilbo was the perfect character for Tolkien to express the theme of heroism because he was just the average, everyday character with a kind heart. He wasn’t some wizard or renowned warrior, but a hobbit, a simple hobbit who didn’t ask for heroism. Bilbo would much rather stay in the quite of his own home, but fate would have him do much more, even though Bilbo wouldn’t say so himself, he was indeed…a hero.
Beowulf has spent most of his life protecting the Geats and the Danes from dragons and monsters. When Grendel showed up to threaten the Danes Beowulf came to their aid. Beowulf said, '"Our errand is a great one, our business with the glorious king of the Danes no secret; there's nothing dark or hidden in our coming. You know (if we've heard the truth, and been told honestly) that your country is cursed with some strange, vicious creature that hunts only at night and that no one has seen. It's said, watchman, that he has slaughtered your people, brought terror to the darkness'" (4:269-277). After killing Grendel, Beowulf also killed his mother. His adventures did not stop there. When the dragon showed up and attacked the city Beowulf, with all his strength, fought it alone. Like Beowulf, Bilbo Baggins has saved his friends from danger many times. Bilbo has saved his friends from giant spiders, elves, and fought a dragon. He risked his life to cut his friends down from the spider webs while fighting off the spiders. When the dwarves were captured by elves he snuck into their layer and set them free. Bilbo and Beowulf are very brave and selfless because no matter what they are willing to die for the sake of
The reason some people today do not understand what exactly makes Beowulf so special is because we do not live in an Anglo-Saxon warrior culture. It is safe to assume that a citizen today is more afraid of being shot than being attacked by a mythical creature. Our modern society does not idealize warrior skills. Instead we idealize a more witty and modest hero. As times progress, we idealize people with less