The Battle of the Five Armies in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit
Many great works of literature contain violent scene that contribute more to the story than merely an exciting battle to amuse the reader. J.R.R. Tolkien includes several violent scenes throughout his classic work, “The Hobbit”. The most important of these is “The Battle of the Five Armies,” which takes place at the end of the novel. This destructive scene has many purposes in the story, several of which are that it causes the uniting of the quarreling armies, allows for a final confrontation between good and evil, and draws a suitable conclusion to the hobbit’s tale.
The violent scene at the end of “The Hobbit” took place immediately before war was to break out between the dwarves and the men of Laketown. Thorin, the rightful “king under the mountain”, did not wish to part with any of his gold, not even in order to reward the men who had greatly assisted in the recovery of it. Along with the aide of his cousin, Dain, Thorin decided to fight off the men and their alliance, the wood-elves. Before the battle ...
Throughout, J.J.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit, many themes come into place to give a better understanding of the novel. The underlying theme of the struggle between good vs. evil while Gandalf and the dwarves fight the evils during their journey through middle earth. The battle is manifested in the goblins, Trolls, and spiders where good always triumphs evil. Even though the journey is about stealing the gold back from the dragon there is still some moral clarity to this, the dragon stole the gold and torched the city. The dwarves want to make this right and get back what was rightfully theirs.
In Tolkien’s lecture, “Beowulf: The monsters and the Critics,” he argues that Beowulf has been over analyzed for its historical content, and it is not being studied as a piece of art as it should be. He discusses what he perceives the poet of Beowulf intended to do, and why he wrote the poem the way he did. Tolkien’s main proposition, “it was plainly only in the consideration of Beowulf as a poem, with an inherent poetic significance, that any view or conviction can be reached or steadily held” (Tolkien). He evaluates why the author centers the monsters throughout the entire poem, why the poem has a non-harmonic structure, why and how the author fusses together Christianity and Paganism, and how the author uses time to make his fictional poem seem real. He also discusses the overall theme of Beowulf and other assumptions of the text. To support his viewpoints, Tolkien uses quotations and examples from the poem, quotations from other critics, and compares Beowulf to other works of art. Tolkien discusses several statements in interpreting Beowulf as a poem.
The Civil war was possibly the greatest tragedy that this country had ever faced. Years of constant arguing, compromises and cynical ideas about slavery pushed this so called "United Nation" into an atrocious collision between the Northern abolitionists and the Southern proslavery farmers and plantation owners. The nation suffered enormous losses economically and went into a downward spiral. The reconstruction period began with many leaders stepping up to try and fix this crippled country, but it didn't turn out like everyone hoped. Slavery was still the largest issue and the reconstruction halted because of the disagreements the people faced. After many years of working, compromising and passing laws, the task proved itself to be impossible, as the country remained to be separated. The lack of unity was present because most of the amendments, laws and rules passed during reconstruction were created to protect and ensure the rights of African Americans. However the South continued to promote slavery and "putting blacks in their place" until the 1950's.
Clashing swords, miraculous survivals, pain of loss, and heroic sacrifice are all terrifying yet thrilling moments in a battle. The strong possibility of death and the frailty of human life add into the suspense of battle. Yet the reasons behind the wars, death, and suspense can be overlooked. The stories behind the warriors who have died will not be told again, but the stories of warriors still alive are what give the men strength to continue fighting against impossible odds. Ultimately, the reason of why a man would risk his life in battle is for someone, or something, he loves.
Throughout the whole book, Thorin just displayed a complete lack of respect for human life. When Bard and the Elvenking asked for a share in the gold, Thorin would not even give them a measly twelfth of it to avoid war. Additionally, it would only have been fair to give them some of the treasure after all he put them through. That just shows how little he valued life and how much he valued money. A twelfth of that amount of gold would be a lot, but it is small compared to the eleven twelfths of it that he would get and would still be more than anyone could possibly need in their lifetime. Thorin also didn’t want to tell the Elvenking why they were wandering in the forests when they were captured. He was in jail a long, long time, and it all could have been avoided if he just told them their plans. At that point, he wasn’t even really invested in that treasure. He still wanted it and went all that way to get it, but he wasn’t even close to getting it yet. He could have just made a deal with the elves and split the treasure with them in exchange for their help, but he wouldn’t even do that. Instead, he kept it a secret and stayed in prison with the small hope they could get the treasure in addition to the small chance that Bilbo could help them escape, which he eventually did
In the book The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Bilbo, a small hobbit, goes on an adventure with a group of dwarves and a wizard. The goal of this adventure is to retrieve the gold that was stolen from them by the dragon Smaug. Throughout the story, there are many themes that show powerful messages, but there is one theme that is clearly the most important and evident in the book. In the novel The Hobbit, greed is shown as the main theme through setting, plot, and the development of characters.
Has anyone ever shown bravery in your life? Bravery is someone who’s not afraid to step up to the challenge, Like in the book The Hobbit Bilbo shows that quite a few times, and an article about a cop saving his partner. Bravery is someone who has courage and is not afraid of something others might be afraid of , anyone can be brave and it can happen when you least expect it.
“Out of the Great Sea to Middle-earth I am come. In this place will I abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world,” states Aragorn upon his victorious return to Minas Tirith (Tolkien 946). This moment marks the culmination of years of trial and toil for Aragorn as he strived to regain his kingship; yet, throughout his existence, he remained the epitome of the chivalric hero and maintained his kingly qualities in secrecy. In J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the character of Aragorn is just one of many examples of chivalry Tolkien utilizes to create his “mythology for England.” Tolkien also does not just limit himself to this one example of medievalism in his novels. The concept of feudalism is also present at pivotal moments of the novels and aids in structuring the governmental workings of Middle-earth. Both of these aspects of medieval England can be found in numerous places throughout Tolkien’s works including in the bonds between characters, in the heraldry of the various kingdoms, in the sacred ceremonies and high language of characters, and in the personalities and actions of the characters, themselves. Together, in The Lord of the Rings, these two aspects of medieval England blend together beautifully to create the sense of depth, history, and weight Tolkien strived to achieve in his works.
Violence is a recurring theme for many stories, particularly in the York Play of the Crucifixion and Beowulf. The York Play of the Crucifixion went into detail of the soldiers’ task to crucify Jesus. Violence was a reflection of their job and of the times at hand. Beowulf is a heroic story of how one man concurred many monsters, his violent acts made him superior to others, making him a great King. This glorified him amongst the people. These two stories utilize violence in different aspects, while at the same time uniting their enjoyment to inflict more pain to their adversaries.
An important example of this is when the Elvenking Thranduil captures Thorin and company in Mirkwood, and Bilbo has to rescue them by sneaking around with his ring. The capture of his friends probably leads to Bilbo disliking Thranduil and considers him an undependable person. However, Bilbo ends up trying to help the Elvenking by offering him the Arkenstone during the Battle and eventually gives him a gift when the war is over, compelling Thranduil to make Bilbo an "elf-friend and blessed" (353). Thranduil also clearly didn 't like Thorin, as a result of thinking that " '[him] and [his] folk three times try to attack [his] people at their merrymaking '" (208), as well as thinking him impolite and untrustworthy. However, when Thorin passes away, the Elvenking "laid Orcrist...that had been taken from Thorin in captivity" (349), showing a sign of friendship and respect, prevailing over the feud the two individuals had at the
The Hobbit shows J.R.R. Tolkien’s belief in the ancient heroic tales of the Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian epics. He asserts that a being goes through many adventures with the help of friends who believe that anything can happen. Tolkien reveals how bravery and courage make ordinary individuals succeed at ordinary tasks.
The Hobbit, written by John R. R. Tolkien, is a fantasy novel published on September 21, 1937. It was written as a prelude to the famous series, The Lord of the Rings, written seventeen years later. The Hobbit introduces the reader to an incredibly immersive fantasy world, that enriches the reader into its epic storyline. The story takes place in a land called Middle-earth, a land filled with enchanting surprises and magical wonders. It was the perfect playground for Tolkien to develop his main character Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo Baggins was a small hobbit, who unaware in the beginning would become a large role in the plot. It is through this character that Tolkien implemented the theme of heroism into the story. Bilbo’s unexpected adventure with the dwarves and the wizard gave him the opportunity to develop into the ultimate hero of Tolkien’s tale. Bilbo’s epic journey to become the hero of the story begins when Gandalf, the wizard, tells Bilbo of an expedition that would soon change his life forever.
It is likely for one to assume that a classic piece of literature set in a fantasy oriented stage will have no merits to the youths of today. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, however, with its crafty of usage symbolism, displays its relevance to issues that often trouble teens. As the story progresses from a children’s tale to an epic, the main character Bilbo undergoes a series of development, his experiences often overlapping with ordinary people. Reading the Hobbit will provide teens with opportunities of exploring the importance of several common but serious topics. People may encounter many of the themes presented in the book elsewhere repeatedly, but it’s possible that they never appreciated the applications it might have on themselves. When teens read the Hobbit, they perceive it as a simple fiction of adventure. Under proper guiding, they will be able to recognize and utilize the lessons of the Hobbit, and improve their attitudes and ideas about life.
In Tolkien 's story, good will always win over evil. The first evil that Bilbo and the dwarves come across is the trolls. The dwarves and Bilbo are caught and put into sacks. Gandalf comes and starts a fight between the trolls about how to cook the dwarves and Bilbo. Gandalf keeps them fighting until daybreak and the sun turns the trolls into stone. The adventure from now on would get more dangerous by the minute. There “are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.”(98). Another enemy of the dwarves is goblins. The fight with the goblins is the second adventure in the story. While traveling in the Misty Mountains, they are captured by the goblins. Everyone is captured and carried through the tunnels into the heart of the mountain. Gandalf like always manages to stay uncaptured. Gandalf again comes to the rescue by killing the Great Goblin. For a second time, the forces of evil are destroyed by the good doings of Gandalf and the dwarves. It is Bilbo 's third adventure, however, that proves that good will overcome evil. Smaug is where Bilbo 's full glory was revealed. He stands in front of the beast and talks with it. Anyone else wouldn 't hesitate to run for their lives. Smaug smells the dwarves and tries to kill all of the dwarves when he figures out what they are doing. The battle between good and evil
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.