The Lord of the Rings: the Hobbit

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. He was raised in Birmingham, England in a poor Roman Catholic family. Tolkien had fought in World War l (1916). After the war, he became a professor of English at Oxford (1925-1959). When his children were young, he would tell them tales about an imaginary place called “Middle-Earth”. Oxford urged him to write these tales down and he did. He published the first ones in 1954-1955 and made a very successful series.

The Fellowship of the Ring was set in The Shire, Rivendell, and Lorien. The main action of the book lasts about one year. Frodo Baggins is the protagonist. Sauron is the antagonist. Other key characters include Aragon, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Sam Gamgee, Gandalf, Merry, and Pippin. The genre of the book is fictional fantasy.

Bilbo Baggins has a magic ring that makes you invisible. He leaves this ring to his cousin Frodo. Bilbo’s friend Gandalf of Grey tells Frodo how dangerous the ring is. It was made by the evil lord of Mordor, Sauron, in the fires of Mount Doom.

Frodo decides to set out to the wise elves of Rivendell accompanied by Sam, Merry, and Pippin his friends. On the way, Sauron’s servants known as black riders and ring wraiths, hunt the four boys who narrowly escape death. Shortly after they reach Bree. They meet a suspicious looking man who turns out to be Gandalf‘s friend. He tells them that he will lead them to Rivendell.

Once again, they are caught by the Black Riders. Frodo puts on the ring and turns invisible but the Black Riders could still see him since it was made in Mordor and stab him. Frodo barely makes it to Rivendell alive. At Rivendell, Frodo is cured.

At the council meeting, they discuss the threat of Sauron who is attacking with subhuman orcs and human allies.