In the Greek civilization of Sparta, having your name on your grave was allowed to two classes of people: mothers who died during childbirth and men who died in battle. Though they were still slaves to their gender roles, both genders shared a commitment to the preservation of their civilization. Today these stereotypical roles have drastically changed, but social normality of each gender remains the same. This idea that each gender has a role in society, but that the role is a vital part is apparent in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R Tolkien’s book The Lord of the RIngs. Through his portrayal of both male and female characters that conform to and stray from social normality, Jackson attempts to appeal to both sexes and demonstrate that both genders can share characteristics and still contribute to society.
Even with the films appealing nature to both genders, being an action/epic type movie causes some immediate bias to be in favor of males. Due to defeminising movies such as the James Bond 007 and other action pictures which tend to contain a stereotypical handsome main character male with an overly sexualized female bystander. However, Jackson combats this standard by including two contrasting female characters who are both willing to fight for what they deserve. The introduction of Arwen occurs during Aragorn 's flight from the “Black Riders.” She flees from her assailants with Frodo (a young hobbit who is mortally wounded), and then attacks them using her
The events associated with J.R.R Tolkien’s book The Hobbit resembles a hero’s quest journey, step by step until the final stage. Bilbo Baggins is the main character in this book and his life sonorously fits into in a typical hero quest journey. The three primary components of Bilbo’s quest are, the call to adventure, tests, allies and enemies, and the reward. In the book The Hobbit, Bilbo’s life is very plain and simple until he embarks on a marvelous journey with thirteen dwarfs and the wizard Gandalf, together they go on an obstacle filled journey to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the dragon. Throughout the story Bilbo and the Dwarfs are tested several times unit the get to the last stage. Therefore the Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is one of the classic hero quest stories because of the many affairs that resemble the hero quest cycle.
The Chronicles of Narnia research paper The Chronicle of Narnia is a very interesting book, it has a classic Good vs. Evil plot. In this story four brave children a saved land. The book and the movie did not have many differences except for some that were small. To begin the plot of the book, the story takes place during the Second World War in London. Their father was gone in the war and they were living with their mother, there city was getting bombed so they were forced to evacuate. Their mother sent them away to live with Professor Digory Kirke who lived on the country side. They were very bored on a rainy day in England and decided to play hiding go seek. Lucy who was the youngest child was the weakest
Over centuries, people have fought for equal rights and have put in the effort to remove certain labels that are known to be sexist. In the tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare depicts and explores the idea of gender roles and the traditional sense of them. The typical gender norms in society are that men should be strong and fearless and women should be caring, nurturing, and fragile. However, in Macbeth, the reversal of gender roles plays around with the idea of the stereotypes set out in a particular situation. The way that he portrays certain characters and the way they act makes the audience question the long-established sexist ways and values. Although the book is somewhat discriminatory, it was only a representation of the mindset and
Many of J.R.R. Tolkien’s major works, such as The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings have been criticized for their absence of major female characters, in addition to the stereotypical nature of those females. This essay discusses that these assumptions are erroneous, the female characters in Tolkien’s works are independent, resilient, and imperative to the central plots of each novel. J.R.R. Tolkien’s characters Lúthien, Galadriel, Arwen, and Éowyn are good examples of strong females. Tolkien heavily influenced his characters with old Germanic and Norse mythology, and Catholicism backgrounds. If one takes into account these mythologies and Tolkien’s background, his women characters embody qualities of resilience, wisdom, independence,
The capability of beaming brightly and showing strength in the face of great pain, grief, or danger. To be seen in admiration by the people for one’s noble qualities and achievements. This defines the courageous behavior to that of a hero. During the progression of the novel, The Hobbit, by J.R.R Tolkien, a clear resemblance of heroism has been shown by many characters throughout. However, when asked to define the term “hero,” the majority of people would describe a physically strong man, who’s tall and stands in the face of danger; people such as Beowulf, Sir Gawain, and King Arthur. In contrast to that common stereotype, Tolkien describes nothing but an undersized and feeble farmer named Bilbo Baggins, who lives in a well furbished hole in the ground, and how this man will embark on an unexpected journey to become a heroic figure. This reveals the fact that society doesn’t dictate the standards of a hero; only that individual can regulate their own future, and how they can be a conqueror too.
I'll be discussing sexism in The Hobbit. There is mention of only one woman in the book and that is Belladonna Took who is mentioned very briefly at the beginning. It is hard to say why Tolkien, during a time of women prospering and standing up for their rights, would exclude women in this famous book. The values of the book only portray to men as well. For example, it shows how men show their masculinity by never stopping for anything when they were on their adventure such as when there was a storm outside and the giants were playing with the stones and they didn't stop. However, Tolkien, as I realize, has shown how a woman was like during his time. He uses Bilbo, as the person who displays the quality of a “typical woman.” At the beginning
J.R.R. Tolkien’s works have been analysed for decades and have often been criticised for the lack of female characters. Arguably his most cherished publications, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, in particular has been condemned for the passivity of his relatively few female characters. Having said that however, throughout the three books, there are a number of female characters who combat the stereotypical role of women and subvert the norm of submission to a patriarchal authority. Arwen, Éowyn and Galadriel in The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return
The value of a person is determined by the perception of others on themselves and the outlook that person has on themselves. An underdog is an individual that may have the ability to succeed and accomplish great things but overall their confidence level is low and from some past record people believe that they will fail. In the beginning of J.R.R. Tolkien’s the Hobbit several of the dwarves question Gandalf’s decision to bring Bilbo Baggins along, “Will he do, do you think? It is all very well for Gandalf to talk about this Hobbit being fierce, but one shriek like that in a moment of excitement would be enough to wake the dragon and all his relatives” (22). Of course one would question why Gandalf decided to bring a hobbit along. Hobbits are half the height of humans but they probably consume more food than the average human, they walk around barefooted, and they possess little or no innate in magic. In contrast, a keen elf or a strong skin-changer might have been a better companion for the dangerous journey. However, despite Bilbo’s shortfalls he is a central character in the Hobbit and he manages to accompany a band of dwarves on a journey to steal from a dragon. Whilst on this journey, Bilbo proves his self worth countless times by saving the dwarves from multiple dilemmas. Tolkien uses repetitive events to exemplify that although underdogs at first appear to be unlikely hero’s, through focusing on their strengths and maintaining their morals they can overcome obstacles
Although written in post-war era, “The Lord of the Rings”, in many respects, excessively follows the path of chivalric romances of the middle Ages and supposedly provides no apparent deviation from their usual representation of womanhood as inferior to manhood. Tolkien’s incorporation of a very small number of female characters, and attribution of the stereotypical roles of either the so-called “angels of the house” or the “mad women in the attic” to those few existing female characters has made it easy for critics to label him as a quintessential sexist writer. However, upon closer examination of the novel through the newly opened vista of third-wave feminism _which attempts to set aside the strict binary opposition of man/woman that has
In society the purpose of gender roles is to group people into two opposite categories, men and women. These categories however, encourage toxic masculinity and gender inequality. In movies or books characters tend to fall into one category, when in reality most people don’t fit into just one. Shakespeare explores the idea of conformity and categorization in Macbeth. In Macbeth, the characters conformity to gender roles are the root of all their problems.
I believe that the term “fellowship” describes a group of individuals who feel companionship for one another and do what is best for the entire team, no matter what obstacles they may face. In the film The Fellowship of the Ring, directed by Peter Jackson, four hobbits, two men, one elf, one dwarf, and one wizard formed a company to destroy the evil ring of Sauron at Mount Doom in Mordor.
Welcome dear reader, to this report. In the following paragraphs, we will explore the characters, setting, and story of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit'. Finally we will be ending with my evaluation of the book as a whole. Enjoy!A Hobbit is a small hairy creature that lives underground, not in a cave, but in a hobbit hole, an extragantly decorated home under the hills of the shire, with a large, round door, pokeing out of the hill. One such creature, is a fellow named Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo loves nothing more than to sit on his porch, smoking his pipe. He never even thinks about leaving home, atleast he didn't until he met Gandalf, ab old wizard who was a friend of Bilbo's Grandfather. Gandalf is very tall even standing taller than some elves!
A cultural product that inspires me is the film trilogy The Lord of the Rings, which was directed by Peter Jackson. This movie gave me inspiration because of how beautiful and well put together the film was. It made me want to be involved with the process of how great films are made. According to Wikipedia, “Jackson knew he wanted to bring the movie to the big screen, and was curious to why nobody decided to do so.” He wanted to take advantage of the new technology, and create a fantasy that was serious and felt real (Wikipedia, 2014). Peter Jackson demonstrates the art and business of the film in many ways, which is culturally inspiring.
On July 4, 1776, The United States of America was declared free from Great Britain’s reign of tyranny, and born a new. As the nation began to to lay its foundation it seeked for population from all corners of the world, offering land and abundant resources in exchange for labor, thus the influx of immigrants in the mid 19th century fabricating the image of America as a melting pot, where any culture, religion, and race can seek haven. Since “What makes someone american isn’t just blood or birth but allegiance to our founding principles and faith in the idea that anyone- from anywhere- can write the next chapter of our story”- Barack Obama. However, time has passed and citizens begin to question whether America has transformed from safe haven
While some claim that due to the stereotypical roles and lack of female characters in Tolkien’s works makes him sexist, the female characters in The lord of the Rings are far more important and powerful than many make them out to be.