The Music Of Music And Music In 'The Hobbit'

Thesis: John Ronald Reule Tolkien’s life experiences influenced his writing, beginning as a student, then a soldier, lexigrapher, professor, and then a writer to his own children; Tolkien’s life created the place known to most as Middle-Earth.

“But men remembered little of all that, though some still sang old songs of the dwarf-kings of the Mountain, Thror and Dragon, and the fall of the lords of Dale.” (Tolkien 176)

Sheltered in the utopian-like Shire, they live a life of comfort, peace, and joy, with lots of heavy eating, smoking, and drinking. The hobbits are almost childlike in their blissful ignorance to the problems outside of their home. With a few exceptions within the Took family specifically, they seem to value the comfortable status-quo over adventure and ambition. Their poems and songs corroborate this value, largely made up of drinking songs and silly descriptions of clumsy monsters. One drinking song, performed by Frodo, Pippin, and Sam, shows the ignorant optimism and isolation that defines the entire race. The lines, “Rain may fall and wind may blow,/ And many miles be still to go,/ But under a tall tree I will lie,/ And let the clouds go sailing by.” (Tolkien 1, 101), are parallel to the general Hobbit’s attitude to the problems that lie outside the Shire, and eventually within it at the end of the third volume. However, the lines also hint at the strong resilience and optimism all four Hobbits display throughout the entire story. The characters constantly look back at the Shire and reminisce about the peaceful lifestyle, safety and comfort that is so valued there. Whenever the Ringwraiths pursue the four companions throughout the Shire, an optimistic travelling, drinking, or even bath song is close by to remind the Hobbits of what they are fighting for: the safety and preservation of their home and the people in it.

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is said to be one of the greatest children's novels of all time. The novel, due to its use of such characters as goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others is in tradition, a fairy tale. The tale centers on a small hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins. It follows the journey of a band of dwarves, a wizard named Gandalf, and their robber, Bilbo on their way to retrieving treasure that had long been taken away from them. The hobbit traveled all over Middle-Earth, beginning with Bilbo's tiny hobbit-hole in the ground, to Mirkwood forest, to finally reaching the Mountain in which the dragon Smaug lives. Tolkien uses a large amount of imagery in his writing which can been seen through settings in The Hobbit. The

“Language is the armory of the human mind, and at once contains the trophies of its past and the weapons of its future conquests.” J.R.R. Tolkien’s, The Hobbit, takes the protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, on an everlasting adventure that will alter his life forever. Throughout this novel, The Hobbit, the language displayed is very unconventional to most novels. In The Hobbit, it demonstrates the use of literary devices, like 99% of the novels in the world, whimsical, and Elvish language. Literary devices are techniques that the author applies to exhibit a special effect in their compositions.

The Hobbit contains many different characters such as Bilbo, the dwarves, and the elves of Rivendell, all of which have their own opinions. Thoughts about Rivendell and the expedition vary from wonderful to foolish. Since the preferences of the characters are so diverse, that also means that the elves admire different value, such as their love for music and their consideration for others.

Tolkien’s quote is synonymous with the beginning of a journey, the experiences to come, and the choice yet to make.

Music is featured in many different things, such as films, novels, and television. Music also plays a role in the development of the magical beings from The Hobbit. In the novel the dwarves, elves, and goblins sing a musical tune. It sets the tone in the chapter they are in ,but it also has different content and structure.The reader meets the dwarves, elves ,and the goblin that reveals something about each creature.

People have different responses to the environment, people’s action, and what they value. The same goes for the characters in J.R.R Tolkien’s book The Hobbit as they discover Rivendell, how the people of Rivendell feel about the dwarves, and what the people of Rivendell value.

This third comparison will focus on the most famous passage of the poem, which is the culmination of a Hrothgar’s long speech to Beowulf. The main themes are the importance of strength and pride in life, the fragility of life and for the first time, Beowulf is seen here as a human warrior and not for his heroic and divine deeds (lines 1758-1768 in Heaney’s, 1476-1484 in Tolkien’s).

"Three Rings for the Eleven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his Dark throne, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. One Ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie(Tolkien)." Master of storytelling J.R.R. Tolkien continues the lives of the fictitious creatures that he introduced in The Hobbit, in his modern classic The Fellowship of the Ring. He artfully illustrates the truths of the evil that plague the hearts of man. He tells a story of greed, destruction and how mortal men are enslaved by

Tolkien shows relationships between beings with various races in The Fellowship of the Ring to emphasize the strength of friendship. We can see the progressive development of relationship between characters within the fellowship and outside of the fellowship. Bilbo—the main

In the beginning of the novel, the dwarves are gathered in Bilbo’s home and are getting ready for their lengthy and ambitious adventure. In order to help Bilbo discern why they need to embark on their quest, they sing an epic song about days long past. It is very somber, but it also hints of longing and rage. The ballad switches between past and future tenses, telling the history of how the dwarves of yore were previously a powerful and wealthy race until an evil dragon attacked, causing their people to flee and leave their gold and riches behind. It justifies the dwarves’ need for revenge against the dragon Smaug, something the dwarves have waited to do for years. The last stanza reads, “Far over the misty mountains grim, to dungeons deep and caverns dim, we must away, ere break of day, to win our harps and gold from him,” (Tolkien, 16). This verse sets up the rest of the novel and the climax by explaining how the dwarves want to kill Smaug and regain their lost treasure. The song was passed down through many generations, the need for retribution growing each time the hymn was sung. It follows an A/A/B/A rhyme scheme, which is more developed than the elves’ and goblins’ songs, displaying their higher intelligence.

In the beginning of the novel, the dwarves are gathered in Bilbo’s home and are getting ready for their long adventure. In order to help Bilbo understand why they need to embark on their quest, they sing an epic song about days long past. It is very somber, but it also has hints of longing and rage. The ballad switches between past and future tenses, telling the story of how the dwarves of yore used to be a powerful and wealthy race until an evil dragon attacked, causing their people to flee and leave their gold and riches behind. It explains the dwarves’ need for revenge against the dragon Smaug, something long past due. The last stanza reads, “Far over the misty mountains grim, To dungeons deep and caverns dim, We must away, ere break of day, To win our harps and gold from him,” (Tolkien, 16). This verse sets up of the rest of the novel and the climax by explaining what the dwarves’ goal is. The song was probably passed down through many generations, and the need for retribution

Throughout his work, Tolkien exemplifies the characteristics found in accepted works of literature and asserts himself as a literary author.