J. R. Tolkien: The Man Who Changed My Life

Of all the philosophers, politicians, activists, and great thinkers we have covered in class, the one who has influenced my outlook on life the to the greatest degree is J.R.R. Tolkien. His seemingly endless imagination that creates a massive fantasy universe full of whimsical beings and stunning landscapes while still managing to weave real world issues and experiences into his tales is something that has changed my life. With themes of free will, overcoming trials in any endeavor, and companionship, this is the perfect book to mold the ideas of an impressionable young boy reading a science fiction novel for the first time. Though Tolkien states “I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations…” (Tolkien 134) it does not imply that there is no meaning to the story, just that it is up to the reader to determine and not for the author to dictate. The most impactful of his works in my life are those involving the world of Middle-Earth, the most …show more content…
My friend, Casey, and I asked his dad if there was a movie from his collection that we could watch. Casey’s dad sits us down and puts on The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy; we spent the rest of the day watching all three movies. When we finished, I was in absolute awe for I had just seen the most enchanting movie in my entire life. After witnessing the adventures of Frodo, Sam, Gandalf and the rest of the crew, my imagination was running wild, it was the only subject I could talk about for days to come. That was when Casey’s dad gave me a copy of The Hobbit. I distinctly remember him saying “I know you won’t be able to understand it right now, but you’ll love it when you get older.” He was absolutely right. I immediately ran home and made an attempt at reading it, but to no avail. I set it aside with a goal in mind to one day read it and understand every little detail tucked away in each nook and cranny of the