Title: THE LORD OF THE RINGS
1THE LORD OF THE RINGS
- One Ring to Rule Them All
2- A good person always enjoys one advantage over
an evil person namely that while a good person
can imagine what it would be like to be evil an
evil person cannot imagine what it would be like
to be good. Elrond Gandalf Galadriel and
Aragorn are able to imagine themselves as Sauron
and can therefore resist the temptation to use
the Ring themselves
3- but Sauron cannot imagine that anyone who knows
what the Ring can accomplish his own destruction
among other things will refrain from using it
let alone try to destroy it. - - W. H. Auden
4Objective To show how Tolkien uses motive and
circumstance in relation to free-will and
individuality to demonstrate the corrupting power
of the ring over different people(s) in his
Middle Earth. More specifically how does
free-will and individuality allow the ring to
interact with characters in order to try to
dominate Middle Earth
5Students will research and chart the the history
of the ring and the progression of ownership
from Sauron to Mt. Doom.
- Sauron
- Isildur
- Water (2500 years)
- Deagol
- Smeagol/Gollum
- Bilbo
- Frodo
- Sam
- Frodo
- Gollum
- Mt. Doom
6Students will determine circumstance and
motivation of the ring-bearer and evaluate the
level of influence and power of corruption over
each ring-bearer.
- Sauron (he creates the ring to Rule Them All)
- Isildur (battle in which he can easily grab the
ring to have all power over men of Middle Earth) - Deagol (found the ring while fishing wants to
keep it) - Smeagol/Gollum (fishing with Deagol selfishness)
- Bilbo (finds it in a cave thinks it is precious
and wants to keep it) - Frodo (given to him by Bilbo to get it out of
the Shire) - Sam (thinks Frodo is dead to finish the
quest/task)
7Students will study the Fellowship (9 entities)
to evaluate and prove the theory that the length
of time and motive for desiring the ring
increases the rings corruptive power.
- Fellowship
- Four (4) Hobbits (Frodo Sam. Merry and Pippin)
- Two (2) Mortals ( Aragorn and Boromir)
- One (1) Drawf (Gimli)
- One (1) Elf (Legolas)
- One (1) Wizard (Gandalf)
8Student will study other non-Fellowship entities
who were (1) unaffected by the ring (2)
somewhat interested in the ring (3) possessed
the ring or (4) became obsessed with the idea
of ownership.
- Non-Fellowship entities reactions to the ring
- (1) Tom Bombadil
- (2) Faramir and Galadriel
- (3) Sauron Isildur Smeagol/Gollum
- (4) Saruman
9 Ring has Some Effect
Ring Corrupts
Ring has no Effect
10- The Ring As Its Own Entity
11The Shadow of the Past (The Fellowship of the
Ring Ch. 2)Students will use the following
passages from the text to discuss and then create
an essay onThe Ring As Its Own Entity
- Clearly the ring had an unwholesome power that
set to work on its keeper at once. Gandalf
(pg 47) - A Ring of Power looks after itself Frodo. It
may slip off treacherously but its keeper never
abandons it. Gandalf (pg54) - It was not Gollum Frodo but the Ring itself
that decided things. The Ring left him.
Gandalf (pg 54) - The Ring was trying to get back to its master.
It had slipped from Isildurs hand and betrayed
him then when a chance came it caught poor
Deagol and he was murdered and after that
Gollum and it had devoured him. It could make
no further use of him he was too small and mean
and as long as it stayed with him he would never
leave his deep pool again. Gandalf (pg54)
12- Addictive Power of the Ring
13On Gollum
- During the many years he possessed it its
possession brought him no pleasure. - And after losing the Ring his life becomes one
long torment mental and physical. In part his
very wretchedness is due to the fact that he has
not become wholly evil. - W. H. Auden
14Cite mental and physical changes in
Smeagol/Gollum as he continues to remain obsessed
with getting the ring back.
- Students should find examples (mental and
physical ) in all three novels which support
Gollums increased degeneration up to the point
on Mt. Doom where he takes the Ring into the
fire.
15Find examples of physical descriptions and
actions Tolkien gives Smeagol/Gollum to support
the idea of degeneration.
- Smeagol inquisitive and curious-minded
interested in roots and beginnings dived into
pools burrowed under trees and growing plants
tunneled into green mounds starts to lie keeps
secrets put knowledge to crooked and malicious
uses sharp eyed and keened eared became
unpopular and was shunned kicked and bit people
took to theiving and muttering to himself
wandered in lonliness weeping found a cave
wormed his way like a maggot into hills
16ContinuedSmeagol/Gollum transformation
- Gollum loathsome little creature pale luminous
eyes heart was black covered with slime
cunning lurking in Moria hiding in the woods
creepy down on sticky pads like some large
prowling thing of insect-kind like a nasty
crawling spider on a wall pawing at him seeming
in great distress wringing his hands and
squeaking groveled on the ground in a pitiable
state hissed crouched down huddled himself
together like a cornered spider whiffling and
twitching
17On the Ringwraiths
- They are thus the undead specters who should
be dead but who are held in existence by the
cruel will of their master Sauron and an
undying lust for the Ring. They pursue Frodo
because he possesses the Ring and their
existence is consumed completely by the desire to
get it. At the Ford of Bruinen a watery torrent
washes away the horses they are riding but the
Nine are not drowned. The horses are lost but
the undead cannot die and that is part of their
punishment for their greed. - Bill Davis
18Find examples of the physical description Tolkien
gives the Ringwraiths and discuss their
shadow-like appearance.
- In addition students should notice the verb
choices Tolkien uses when he describes their
entrances into an area. What connotations are
associated with the verbs - Students might discuss some of the following
descriptions as leads into an elaborated essay on
the Ringwraiths
19Possible descriptions and actions for discussion
- crossed secretly a cry faint but
heart-quelling cruel and cold shadowed and
invisible sniffing to catch a scent long-drawn
wail evil lonley creature high piercing note
black specs moving slowly shadows black like
black holes in the deep shade threatening
statues stood up menacing a black cloud grown
to a vast menace of despair shadow of despair
presence could be felt as a deepening shadow and
dimming of the sun rending the clouds with a
ghastly shriek cry of woe and dismay
20Application
- What was J.R.R. Tolkien trying to show his
readers about virtue and integrity - How does our character either help or hinder us
when we are faced with a difficult task - How do you think J.R.R.Tolkien viewed loyalty and
responsibility - How do you actively use your free-will to make
the world a better place
21In The End
- On the edge of the crack of Doom Gollum
wrestles with the Hobbit. Finally he overcomes
the weakened Frodo. He viciously bites off the
Hobbits ring finger. Then seizing the One
Ring Gollum topples backward into the fiery
abyss. The One Ring is destroyed. In the end
it is not the power of the mind nor the strength
of the body but the instincts of the heart that
save the world. It is the simple human capacity
for mercy that finally allows evil to be
overthrown. -David Day
22Never the End
23Works Cited
- Auden W.H. Good and Evil in The Lord of the
Rings. Critical Quarterly 10 (1968) 138-142 - Bassham Gregory and Eric Bronson. The Lord of
the Rings and Philosophy One Book to Rule Them
All (2003) - Davis Bill. Choosing to Die The gift of
Mortality in Middle- earth. The Lord of the
Rings and PhilosophyOne Ring to Rule Them All
(2003) - Day David. Tolkiens Ring. New York. Barnes and
Noble. 1999 - Shippey Tom. J. R. R. Tolkien Author of the
Century. London Harper Collins 2000 - Tolkien J.R.R. The Lord of the
Rings.Boston.Houghton Mifflin Co. 1994
