The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien Discussion & Activities Guide Tolkien’s The Hobbit is one of my favorite stories to mentor youth and adults through. I also enjoy The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I agree with many literary critics and lovers of classics, that this trilogy is a more complete epic and hero story. However, I like to start out with The Hobbit, because it contains all the elements of a Hero’s Journey or Hero’s Cycle in just the one book. It’s a great warm up to The Lord of the Rings. There are many layers to Tolkien’s works. Choose from the suggestions below, which discussion topics and activities are best suited for your students. Hero Discussion What is a hero? Ask your students to define this (don’t define it for them). Look up some quotes about heroes and discuss whether you agree with that person’s definition or description of a hero. Here are a few examples of hero quotes: “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson) “A hero is someone who has given his life to something bigger than himself.” - Joseph Campbell “Everyone is the hero of his own life story.” - John Barth “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” - Christopher Reeve Discuss whether or not Bilbo is a hero. Do any of the quotes you found describe him? Literary Discussion Discuss the terms protagonist and antagonist. Usually the protagonist is the hero (but not always). The protagonist is the main character – the character driving the action. The antagonist is the character working to stop or block the protagonist. In bent or broken stories, the hero may be the antagonist. The way to tell which character is the hero is not by simply determining who the main character is, but by tracing the character through a Hero’s Journey to determine if he/she completes a his/her journey. In some stories, there is no hero – meaning no character completes a Hero’s Journey. Some characters may get a happy ending, but if they did not go through all the steps in the Hero’s Journey, then they may not be a true hero. This becomes important as youth and adults choose books that have no true heroes, but idealize the main characters despite that. The Hero’s Journey The Hobbit is a great story for teaching The Hero’s Journey. Depending on the ages and readiness of your students, you can adjust how many of the steps or details you include. The 4 main parts of the Hero’s Journey are: - The Call (briefly discuss refusal & acceptance) - The Road of Trials (Tests, Traps & Trials) - The Boon or The Gift - The Return If your students are younger, or they are unfamiliar with The Hero’s Journey, I would start with just these 4 parts. If you are mentoring older students or adults, take extra time and go through all of the elements. A link for a detailed PowerPoint (in pdf format) is included on the SDLAA website, on same page as link for this discussion guide. Review the steps of the Hero’s Journey with students. Activity Give students several examples from various books and movies and have them trace The Hero’s Journey. Students can do this individually or in pairs. For this activity, you should only choose examples of characters who do, indeed, complete a full Hero’s Journey. - Luke Skywalker - Jesus - Odysseus - Moses - Harry Potter (although sometimes controversial, he can be traced through all of the steps of the Hero’s Journey) - Percy Jackson Hero Games Project Have students design and create board games that follow a Hero’s Journey. They can use any setting and any set of characters and any theme, but players must move through at least the 4 main parts of The Hero’s Journey. You can purchase blank boards as well as dice, game pieces, money, and cards at http://www.barebooks.com/gameboards.htm Be sure students plan out their game, write up all the rules, and create a sketch before starting on the actual blank board. Students can do this individually or in pairs. Once the games are done, bring them to class to play as a group. This is a favorite activity in my literature class! Students become very involved, working out all of the rules and designing their games. The results, with my students, are always impressive. Hero Skits You need at least 3 students for this activity. Divide students into groups of 3-5 students. Have each group draw out a card from each of the following categories (I placed cards for each category into brown paper bags, and students drew out 1 card from each bag). A set of possible cards is included below, or you can add or create your own. - Protagonist / Hero - Antagonist / Villain - Setting - The Call / Mission - Supernatural Aid - The Road of Trials After drawing their combination of cards, the students work together to create a skit that incorporates each card. These are some funny, mixed up stories! Allegiance Discussion J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” This quote is about allegiance. To what has Tolkien given his allegiance? Discuss the 4 possible allegiances: Allegiance to Self Allegiance to Others Allegiance to Evil Allegiance to Good For an in-depth explanation of each allegiance, I recommend Dr. Oliver DeMille’s Keynote address Depth Phase, available for download at www.tjed.org. Discuss which allegiance is the correct allegiance? Which allegiance will yield the best results in the end? Literary Discussion Theme – What do you think Tolkien’s theme is? What is the universal message he wanted to teach to readers? Symbolism & Motifs The Hobbit (and The Lord of the Rings) are symbolic of the first Christian Hero’s Journey – that of Adam & Eve. What parallels can you perceive between Bilbo’s journey and the story of Adam & Eve? Literary Essays Compose a thesis stating that Bilbo is a hero, because he completed a hero’s journey. Discuss and cite evidence from the story (quotes from the book) to show how he completed at least the four main parts of a Hero’s Journey. Write an essay showing how The Hobbit is a Christian allegory, explaining and citing evidence from the story about specific symbols that can be connected to people, things or events in the Bible. The Hero’s Journey Based on Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell Departure The Call to Adventure The hero starts off in an ordinary or normal setting, and is called to leave in order to accomplish a task. Refusal of the Call Often when the call is given, the future hero first refuses. The key to overcoming refusal is the next step – supernatural aid. Supernatural Aid Once the hero has committed to the quest, consciously or unconsciously, his or her guide and magical helper appears, or becomes known. Usually, this supernatural mentor will present the hero with one or more talismans or artifacts that will aid them later in their quest. The Crossing of the First Threshold This is the point where the hero actually crosses into the field of adventure, leaving the known limits of his or her world and venturing into an unknown and dangerous realm where the rules and limits are not known. Belly of The Whale The belly of the whale represents the final separation from the hero's known world and self. By entering this stage, the person shows willingness to undergo a metamorphosis. Initiation The Road of Trials The road of trials is a series of tests, traps and trials that the hero must undergo to begin the transformation. All hero’s have a fatal flaw – some element of their character that must be overcome in order for them to complete their mission. Characters who are rescued from tests, traps, and trials without overcoming their flaw are not true heroes. The Meeting With the Goddess This is the point when the hero experiences a love that has the power and significance of the all-powerful, all encompassing. This can be romantic, friendship, or family. Atonement with the Father In this step the hero must confront and be initiated by whatever holds the ultimate power in his or her life. In many myths and stories this is the father, or a father figure who has life and death power. This is the center point of the journey. All the previous steps have been moving in to this place, all that follow will move out from it. Although this step is most frequently symbolized by an encounter with a male entity, it does not have to be a male; just someone or thing with incredible power. Apotheosis When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. A more mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfillment before the hero begins the return. The Ultimate Boon The ultimate boon is the achievement of the goal of the quest. It is what the hero went on the journey to get. All the previous steps serve to prepare and purify the person for this step, since in many myths the boon is something transcendent like the elixir of life itself, or a plant that supplies immortality, or the holy grail.