The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
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Hobbit Help Needed!
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Thank you so very much! It would be impossible to write this paper without feedback.
Much appreciated, thank you again!
I am about three surveys away from reaching the minimum required for the paper! Please and thank you!!! Only ten questions, won't take more than five minutes.
Hope it helps. It's been a long time.
done, good luck on your paper
And there are my three. The kindness of strangers always amazes me. Thank you all so very much for adding to my college experience!!!
I know you have them all but I'm doing it anyway!!
The more the merrier!!! Honestly, the more I have the better off my paper will be, so thank you!
Completed .the more the more interesting your work can be..good luck with it
I feel like I'm getting repetitive with my "thank you's" on here, but THANK YOU!
Good luck! I hope the films live up to the book.
Done it, but it was so long since I read the Hobbit, I hope i've done your survey justice :)
Completed! :) I too have not read the Hobbit for some years but hope my answers help anyway
from one desperate student to another
This support is very humbling. I am appreciate beyond words! I know what a busy season it is and everyone always has somewhere to be or something they could be doing, so thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to help me out!
hi done, not sure of some of the questions, filled in what i could! good luck!
Wow! You know sometimes a book is just a book. It makes me wonder if my books will be examined upon my death for any hidden meanings. There are none. I write them to entertain.
Susan, most of the time, I agree with you. But teachers and professors do not, and they ask us to write papers about hidden meanings ALL THE TIME. I had to reread the book for this assignment because the first time I read it was purely for entertainment. Only the trained eye can catch them on the first go. Whether or not Tolkien intentionally placed hidden messages in his book would be a tough call. That is actually a lot of what my paper is addressing.
Susan wrote: "Wow! You know sometimes a book is just a book. It makes me wonder if my books will be examined upon my death for any hidden meanings. There are none. I write them to entertain."WOW SUSAN!
You know, the average intelligence in the U.S. is only 100. While you might be correct that some poorly written novels have no "hidden meaning" you can bet your bottom dollar that the Hobbit (probably farthest from poorly written) has messages that go beyond the words as they exist on the page.
If you want to have an insight to meaning in The Hobbit let me suggest that you locate two essays by Tolkien. The first is "On Fairy Stories" and the second is "Beowulf: The Monster and the Critics."Don't look for hidden meaning in Tolkien's work. He would tell you not to do so. The meaning is only hidden if you don't understand the world the way that Tolkien saw it. From the top of the tower you can see the sea. Read "Beowulf: The Monster and the Critics" and you will understand that last sentence.
Good luck with your paper.
DONE GOODLUCK :)
Just found your post, hope I wasn't too late to help!
David wrote: "Don't look for hidden meaning in Tolkien's work. He would tell you not to do so...."Again, what are these people talking about, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT DAVID, CLEARLY YOU HAVE NO IDEA!
From Tolkien's about lines:
Tolkien once described The Lord of the Rings to his friend Robert Murray, an English Jesuit priest, as "a fundamentally religious and Catholic work, unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision."
I would say that right there (among other quotes) disproves 100% whatever it is that David was trying to say.
I think it was in Tolkien's essay on fairy stories, which was published along with "Leaf by Niggle", that he makes the observation :
"I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of the reader. I think that many confuse 'applicability' with 'allegory'; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author."
I don't doubt that Tolkien was a confirmed Christian an that his commitment is, in many ways, indirectly represented in his books. But in my opinion David is right - Tolkien would not have written a "religious allegory", and in fact he disliked the Narnia cycle of his friend CS Lewis, which is exactly that.
"I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of the reader. I think that many confuse 'applicability' with 'allegory'; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author."
I don't doubt that Tolkien was a confirmed Christian an that his commitment is, in many ways, indirectly represented in his books. But in my opinion David is right - Tolkien would not have written a "religious allegory", and in fact he disliked the Narnia cycle of his friend CS Lewis, which is exactly that.
Andy, you are correct in your quote. He says the same thing in the preface to the Lord of the Rings. In fact that one of the things I was thinking about when I wrote my response.K I have read every book written by JRR Tolkien. That includes his academic essays and his letters. I have a pretty good idea of what I am talking about. I have read his major three works (The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and the Silmarillion) well over two dozen times over the last thirty years. In fact I just finished reading the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings last month.
My point is quite simple. Tolkien did not put "hidden" meanings in things. There are of course images and symbols that crept in to his work. Tolkien was a devout Catholic, that influenced every thing that he did. K, you have obviously not read either of the essays that I mentioned. Read those essays and his letters and you will have a better idea of his concepts of storytelling.
The survey has been closed. Thank you soooo much to all who participated! I'll let you know how the paper goes. God bless!
Rachel wrote: "The survey has been closed. Thank you soooo much to all who participated! I'll let you know how the paper goes. God bless!"Looking forward to hearing how your paper goes, Rachel. Will you comment or post a link on this thread?
Yes, I will, most certainly!
As promised, here is the finished paper. I received a 23.5/25 on it, which for this particular professor is essentially an A+. She said it was great. This is my personal opinion so please, no negative criticism necessary. Thank you all again for your support. Hopefully the link works! If it doesn't, let me know and I'll try something else! https://docs.google.com/file/d/0By4G8...
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Isn't The Hobbit amazing? Easily one of my favorite books. Tolkien is a genius.
Anyway, I am hoping some of you will be willing to help a desperate college student out by taking a really quick survey about our favorite book, The Hobbit. I am a junior this year at a local private college and was asked to write a reader-response paper about a book of my choosing. Who wouldn't want to write a paper about The Hobbit?! However, now I am in need of people to take this survey! It is only ten questions that should not be terribly difficult. Your information will remain confidential. Here is the link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NHF97HL
If you could take a minute out of your no doubt busy schedules, this college student would be immensely grateful! Thank you!!!
-Rachel