J.J.R. Tolkien was and still is a very influential writer, and his stories have shaped the way we look at fantasy today. It is strange to think that if his life hadn’t been the way it was, the books he wrote wouldn’t be the same. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings was greatly influenced by experiences in his life.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s schooling had a large role to play all through his life. Due to the passing of his father, Ronald (called that by his mother), was homeschooled for the first few years of his life. His mother was fortunate enough to have enough education herself to be able to teach Ronald. With the knowledge he gained from his mother, Ronald was able to take and pass the exam to go to King Edward’s School. During his schooling, …show more content…
The second language Tolkien learned was Latin, which was taught to him by his mother in his homeschooled years. He instantly fell in love with it, and as a child wrote his own language. Over the years of learning many different languages, Tolkien became more conscious of the words around him. Inevitably, one day he saw a train car with a word in Welsh on it; immediately Tolkien knew he wanted to learn this language, and he eventually did. In fact, Welsh, and a little bit of Finnish, most greatly influenced “Elvish,” the language he created for The Hobbit and later The Lord of the Rings. Although Tolkien denies that THe Lord of the Rings is an allegory of WWI, there were many different things in it that were influential. Specifically noted by Tolkien of being influenced by WWI was “The Dead Marshes,” which was based off of the real life Battle of the Somme. There are two other major comparisons of WWI and The Lord of the Rings. The first comparison is between Trench Fever and Frodo’s reaction to the ring. Tolkien experienced trench fever firsthand during WWI; it was trench fever that consequently got him dismissed from the war front. Many of the symptoms of trench fever we see our hero, Frodo, go through during his travels, such as exhaustion, anxiety, and trembling. The second comparison seen is between Sam Gamgee and WWI’s “batmen.” Batmen were men of a lower economic standing who were paired up with men of the opposite standing to do chores such as dishes and laundry. Batmen and those they worked for were seen becoming good friends; Tolkien experienced this firsthand having a batman work for him. Unfortunately, Tolkien’s batman and good friend died during the war. WWI was a harsh and bitter experience that Tolkien greatly reflected in his
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s schooling had a large role to play all through his life. Due to the passing of his father, Ronald (called that by his mother), was homeschooled for the first few years of his life. His mother was fortunate enough to have enough education herself to be able to teach Ronald. With the knowledge he gained from his mother, Ronald was able to take and pass the exam to go to King Edward’s School. During his schooling, …show more content…
The second language Tolkien learned was Latin, which was taught to him by his mother in his homeschooled years. He instantly fell in love with it, and as a child wrote his own language. Over the years of learning many different languages, Tolkien became more conscious of the words around him. Inevitably, one day he saw a train car with a word in Welsh on it; immediately Tolkien knew he wanted to learn this language, and he eventually did. In fact, Welsh, and a little bit of Finnish, most greatly influenced “Elvish,” the language he created for The Hobbit and later The Lord of the Rings. Although Tolkien denies that THe Lord of the Rings is an allegory of WWI, there were many different things in it that were influential. Specifically noted by Tolkien of being influenced by WWI was “The Dead Marshes,” which was based off of the real life Battle of the Somme. There are two other major comparisons of WWI and The Lord of the Rings. The first comparison is between Trench Fever and Frodo’s reaction to the ring. Tolkien experienced trench fever firsthand during WWI; it was trench fever that consequently got him dismissed from the war front. Many of the symptoms of trench fever we see our hero, Frodo, go through during his travels, such as exhaustion, anxiety, and trembling. The second comparison seen is between Sam Gamgee and WWI’s “batmen.” Batmen were men of a lower economic standing who were paired up with men of the opposite standing to do chores such as dishes and laundry. Batmen and those they worked for were seen becoming good friends; Tolkien experienced this firsthand having a batman work for him. Unfortunately, Tolkien’s batman and good friend died during the war. WWI was a harsh and bitter experience that Tolkien greatly reflected in his